A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION
I. THE NEW WORLD FOUND
II. THE ATLANTIC COAST AND THE PACIFIC DISCOVERED
III. FRANCE AND ENGLAND ATTEMPT TO SETTLE AMERICA

THE ENGLISH IN AMERICA
IV. THE ENGLISH ON THE CHESAPEAKE
V. THE ENGLISH IN NEW ENGLAND
VI. THE MIDDLE AND SOUTHERN COLONIES
VII. HOW THE COLONIES WERE GOVERNED

RIVALS OF THE ENGLISH
VIII. THE INDIANS
IX. THE FRENCH IN AMERICA
X. WARS WITH THE FRENCH
XI. THE FRENCH DRIVEN FROM AMERICA

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
XII. THE QUARREL WITH THE MOTHER COUNTRY
XIII. THE FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE BEGUN
XIV. THE WAR IN THE MIDDLE STATES AND ON THE SEA
XV. THE WAR IN THE WEST AND IN THE SOUTH

DEVELOPMENT OF THE UNION
XVI. AFTER THE WAR
XVII. OUR COUNTRY IN 1789
XVIII. THE NEW GOVERNMENT
XIX. GROWTH OF THE COUNTRY, 1789-1805
XX. THE STRUGGLE FOR COMMERCIAL INDEPENDENCE
XXI. RISE OF THE WEST
XXII. THE ERA OF GOOD FEELING
XXIII. POLITICS FROM 1829 TO 1841
XXIV. GROWTH OF THE COUNTRY FROM 1820 TO 1840

THE LONG STRUGGLE AGAINST SLAVERY
XXV. MORE TERRITORY ACQUIRED
XXVI. THE STRUGGLE FOR FREE SOIL
XXVII. STATE OF THE COUNTRY FROM 1840 TO 1860
XXVIII. THE CIVIL WAR, 1861-1863
XXIX. THE CIVIL WAR, 1863-1865
XXX. THE NAVY IN THE WAR; LIFE IN WAR TIMES
XXXI. RECONSTRUCTION

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
XXXII. GROWTH OF THE COUNTRY FROM 1860 TO 1880
XXXIII. A QUARTER CENTURY OF STRUGGLE OVER INDUSTRIAL QUESTIONS, 1872
TO 1897
XXXIV. THE WAR WITH SPAIN, AND LATER EVENTS

APPENDIX
THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES
TABLE OF STATES
TABLE OF PRESIDENTS
INDEX

LIST OF COLORED MAPS

FRENCH CLAIMS, ETC., IN 1700
EASTERN NORTH AMERICA, 1754
BRITISH TERRITORY, 1764
NORTHERN COLONIES DURING THE REVOLUTION--SOUTHERN COLONIES DURING THE
REVOLUTION
THE UNITED STATES, ABOUT 1783, SHOWING STATE CLAIMS
THE UNITED STATES, 1805
THE UNITED STATES, 1824
THE UNITED STATES, 1850
THE UNITED STATES, 1861
THE WEST IN 1870 (ALSO 1860 AND 1907)
THE UNITED STATES AND ITS OUTLYING POSSESSIONS

[Illustration: "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the Republic for
which it stands; one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for
all."]

COLUMBUS

Behind him lay the gray Azores,
Behind the Gates of Hercules;
Before him not the ghost of shores,
Before him only shoreless seas.
The good mate said: "Now we must pray,
For, lo! the very stars are gone.
Brave Admiral, speak; what shall I say?"
"Why say, 'Sail on! sail on! and on!'"

"My men grow mutinous day by day;
My men grow ghastly wan and weak."
The stout mate thought of home; a spray
Of salt wave washed his swarthy cheek.
"What shall I say, brave Admiral, say,
If we sight naught but seas at dawn?"
"Why you shall say at break of day,
'Sail on! sail on! sail on! and on!'"

They sailed and sailed, as winds might blow,
Until at last the blanched mate said:
"Why, now not even God would know
Should I and all my men fall dead.
These very winds forget their way,
For God from these dread seas is gone,
Now speak, brave Admiral; speak and say"--
He said, "Sail on! sail on! and on!"

They sailed. They sailed. Then spake the mate:
"This mad sea shows its teeth to-night.
He curls his lips, he lies in wait
With lifted teeth, as if to bite!
Brave Admiral, say but one good word;
What shall we do when hope is gone?"
The words leapt like a leaping sword:
"Sail on! sail on! sail on! and on!"

Then, pale and worn, he kept his deck,
And peered through darkness. Ah, that night
Of all dark nights! And then a speck--
A light! A light! A light! A light!
It grew, a starlit flag unfurled!
It grew to be Time's burst of dawn.
He gained a world; he gave that world
Its grandest lesson: "On! sail on!"

--Joaquin Miller.

Copyrighted and published by The Whitaker & Ray Wiggin Co. San Francisco,
California. Used by permission.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES

CHAPTER I

THE NEW WORLD FOUND

The New World, of which our country is the most important part, was
discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492. When that great man set sail
from Spain on his voyage of discovery, he was seeking not only unknown
lands, but a new way to eastern Asia. Such a new way was badly needed.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES