CONTENTS. SECTION I. The Discovery and Naming of America, 1492 to 1521. II. Attempts at Exploring and Colonizing America (the Country, the Natives, Effects of the Discovery of America on Europe), III. Permanent English and French Settlements (the Thirteen Col- onies, French Exploration of the West, Wars with the In- dians and with the French, Colonial Life), 1607 to 1763 . IV. The Revolution, the Constitution, 1763 to 1789. V. The Union, National Development (Presidents from Washing- PAGE I 1. The Declaration of Independence (with an Introduction). 2. The Constitution (with an Introduction and Notes). 9. Period of the Revolution 182 188 Middle Colonies (colored) 190 25. Relief Map of the United States 26. Territorial Growth (colored) 27. The United States at the Present Time (colored) 440 478 480 505 516 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 1. Medallion of Washington and Lincoln. 2. Advertisement of the "Flying Machine' 3. The Pennsylvania "Gazette" on the Stamp Act 4. Fanklin's Letter to Strahan 5. Signatures to the Declaration of Independence. 6. Signatures to the Treaty of Peace of 1783 7. Key's "The Star Spangled Banner" 8. Morse's Letter respecting the First Telegram 9. Letter of John Brown. 10. Secession Bulletin. II. Letter of Secretary Dix on the Flag. 12. Grant's "Unconditional Surrender" Despatch 13. Lincoln's Proclamation of Emancipation 14. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. 15. Admiral Farragut's Letter from Mobile 16. Lee's Letter of Surrender . Frontispiece FACING PAGE 152 166 184 186 212 272 344 390 394 396 418 430 438 456 460 THE STUDENT'S AMERICAN HISTORY. For Authorities for this Chapter, see Appendix, page xxiv. The small figures in the text refer to Authorities cited on page xxx of the Appendix. I. THE DISCOVERY AND NAMING OF AMERICA. (1000-1515.) THE NORTHMEN. COLUMBUS. - CABOT. AMERICUS VESPUCIUS. Be 1. The discovery of America by the Northmen; "Vinland the Good.” The Scandinavians, or Northmen, were the most skillful and daring sailors of the middle ages. For them the Atlantic-"the Sea of Darkness" had no terrors. fore the mariner's compass had come into use in Europe they made distant voyages in vessels often not so large as modern pleasure yachts. Their only guides on those perilous expeditions were the sun, the stars, and the flight of birds. In the ninth century (875) the Northmen planted a colony in Iceland. Their sagas or traditions inform us that, late in the next century (981), Eric the Red set sail from Iceland in search of a strange land which a Norse sailor, blown out of his course, had sighted in the far west.' He found it, and giving it the tempting name of Greenland, lured a band of colonists to those desolate shores. In the year 1000 |