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THE BEGINNER'S AMERICAN HISTORY

by

D. H. MONTGOMERY

Author of the Leading Facts of History Series







[Frontispiece: LIBERTY ENLIGHTENING THE WORLD. A Statue in the
Harbor of New York City, given to the American People by the People
of France. (Copyright by Charles T. Root.)]




Boston. U.S.A.
Published by Ginn & Company
1893
Copyright, 1892,
by D. H. Montgomery
All Rights Reserved.
Typography by J. S. Cushing & Co., Boston, U.S.A.
Presswork by Ginn & Co., Boston, U.S.A.





D.H.M.
TO
S.K.K.




PREFATORY NOTE.

This little book is intended by the writer as an introduction to his
larger work entitled _The Leading Facts of American History_.

It is in no sense an abridgment of the larger history, but is
practically an entirely new and distinct work.

Its object is to present clearly and accurately those facts and
principles in the lives of some of the chief founders and builders
of America which would be of interest and value to pupils beginning
the study of our history. Throughout the book great care has been
taken to relate only such incidents and anecdotes as are believed
to rest on unexceptionable authority.

The numerous illustrations in the text are, in nearly every case,
from drawings and designs made by Miss C. S. King of Boston.

In the preparation of this work for the press--as in that of the
entire _Leading Facts of History Series_--the author has been
especially indebted to the valuable assistance rendered in
proofreading by Mr. George W. Cushing of Boston.

DAVID H. MONTGOMERY,
CAMBRIDGE, MASS.




CONTENTS.
PARAGRAPH
I. COLUMBUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
II. JOHN AND SEBASTIAN CABOT . . . . . . . . 21
III. BALBOA, PONCE DE LEON, and DE SOTO . . . 28
IV. SIR WALTER RALEIGH . . . . . . . . . . . 32
V. CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH . . . . . . . . . . . 37
VI. CAPTAIN HENRY HUDSON . . . . . . . . . . 52
VII. CAPTAIN MYLES STANDISH . . . . . . . . . 62
VIII. LORD BALTIMORE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
IX. ROGER WILLIAMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
X. KING PHILIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
XI. WILLIAM PENN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
XII. GENERAL JAMES OGLETHORPE . . . . . . . . 102
XIII. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN . . . . . . . . . . . 109
XIV. GEORGE WASHINGTON . . . . . . . . . . . 123
XV. DANIEL BOONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
XVI. GENERAL JAMES ROBERTSON . . . . . . . . 156
XVII. GOVERNOR JOHN SEVIER . . . . . . . . . . 156
XVIII. GENERAL GEORGE ROGERS CLARK . . . . . . 161
XIX. GENERAL RUFUS PUTNAM . . . . . . . . . . 169
XX. ELI WHITNEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
XXI. THOMAS JEFFERSON . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
XXII. ROBERT FULTON . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
XXIII. GENERAL WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON . . . . . 201
XXIV. GENERAL ANDREW JACKSON . . . . . . . . . 206
XXV. PROFESSOR SAMUEL F. B. MORSE . . . . . . 220
XXVI. GENERAL SAM HOUSTON . . . . . . . . . . 229
XXVII. CAPTAIN ROBERT GRAY . . . . . . . . . . 233
XXVIII. CAPTAIN J. A. SUTTER . . . . . . . . . . 236
XXIX. ABRAHAM LINCOLN . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

A SHORT LIST OF BOOKS
INDEX


LIST OF LARGE MAPS.
PARAGRAPH
I. Map Illustrating the Early Life of Washington . . . . . . 127
II. Map of the Revolution (northern states) . . . . . . . . . 135
III. Map of the Revolution (southern states) . . . . . . . . . 140
IV. The United States at the close of the Revolution . . . . 187
V. The United States after the Purchase of Louisiana (1803) 188
VI. The United States after the Purchase of Florida (1819) . 218
VII. The United States after the Acquisition of Texas (1845) . 230
VIII. The United States after the Acquisition of Oregon (1846) 235
IX. The United States after the Acquisition of California
and New Mexico (1848) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
X. The United States after the Gadsden Purchase (1853) . . . 240
XI. The United States after the Purchase of Alaska (1867)
See Map of North America (giving a summary of the
territorial growth of the United States) . . . . . . . 240

NOTE.--In these maps it has been thought best to give the boundaries
of the thirteen original states as they now exist; and to show the
outlines of other states before they were organized and admitted.


LIST OF FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS.
PARAGRAPH
I. The Statue of Liberty . . . . . . . . . . . . ._Frontispiece_
II. An Indian Attack on a Settlement . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
III. Paul Revere's Ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
IV. Battle of New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
V. Niagara Suspension Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
VI. Mount Hood, Oregon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
VII. Mirror Lake, California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239




THE BEGINNER'S AMERICAN HISTORY




_The paragraph headings, following the paragraph numbers, will be
found useful for topical reference, and, if desired, as questions;
by simply omitting these headings, the book may be used as a reader._

_Teachers who wish a regular set of questions on each section will
find them at the end of the section. Difficult words are defined or
pronounced at the end of the numbered paragraph where they first
occur; reference to them will be found in the index._




CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
(1436-1506).[1]


1. Birth and boyhood of Columbus.--Christopher Columbus,[2] the
discoverer of America, was born at Genoa,[3] a seaport of Italy, more
than four hundred and fifty years ago. His father was a
wool-comber.[4] Christopher did not care to learn that trade, but
wanted to become a sailor. Seeing the boy's strong liking for the
sea, his father sent him to a school where he could learn geography,
map-drawing, and whatever else might help him to become some day
commander of a vessel.

[Illustration: COLUMBUS AS A BOY. (From the statue in the Museum of
Fine Arts, Boston.)]

[Footnote 1: These enclosed dates under a name show, except when
otherwise stated, the year of birth and death.]

[Footnote 2: Christopher Columbus (Kris'tof-er Ko-lum'bus).]

[Footnote 3: Genoa (Jen'o-ah); see map in paragraph 21.]

[Footnote 4: Wool-comber: before wool can be spun into thread and
woven into cloth the tangled locks must be combed out straight and
smooth; once this was all done by hand.]


2. Columbus becomes a sailor.--When he was fourteen Columbus went
to sea. In those days the Mediterranean[5] Sea swarmed with war-ships
and pirates. Every sailor, no matter if he was but a boy, had to stand
ready to fight his way from port to port.

In this exciting life, full of adventure and of danger, Columbus grew
to manhood. The rough experiences he then had did much toward making
him the brave, determined captain and explorer[6] that he afterwards
became.

[Footnote 5: Mediterranean (Med'i-ter-ra'ne-an).]

[Footnote 6: Explorer: one who explores or discovers new countries.]


3. Columbus has a sea-fight; he goes to Lisbon.--According to some
accounts, Columbus once had a desperate battle with a vessel off the
coast of Portugal. The fight lasted, it is said, all day. At length
both vessels were found to be on fire. Columbus jumped from his
blazing ship into the sea, and catching hold of a floating oar,
managed, with its help, to swim to the shore, about six miles away.

He then went to the port of Lisbon.[7] There he married the daughter
of a famous sea-captain. For a long time after his marriage Columbus
earned his living partly by drawing maps, which he sold to commanders
of vessels visiting Lisbon, and partly by making voyages to Africa,
Iceland, and other countries.

[Footnote 7: Lisbon: see map in paragraph 21.]


4. What men then knew about the world.--The maps which Columbus made
and sold were very different from those we now have. At that time
not half of the world had been discovered.[8] Europe, Asia, and a
small part of Africa were the chief countries known. The maps of
Columbus may have shown the earth shaped like a ball, but he supposed
it to be much smaller than it really is. No one then had sailed round
the globe. No one then knew what lands lay west of the broad Atlantic;
for this reason we should look in vain, on one of the maps drawn by
Columbus, for the great continents of North and South America or for
Australia or the Pacific Ocean.

[Illustration: The light parts of this map show how much of the world
was then well-known; the white crosses show those countries of
Eastern Asia of which something was known.]

[Footnote 8: See map in this paragraph.]


5. The plan of Columbus for reaching the Indies by sailing
west.--While living in Lisbon, Columbus made up his mind to try to
do what no other man, at that time, dared attempt,--that was to cross
the Atlantic Ocean. He thought that by doing so he could get directly
to Asia and the Indies, which, he believed, were opposite Portugal
and Spain. If successful, he could open up a very profitable trade
with the rich countries of the East, from which spices, drugs, and
silk were brought to Europe. The people of Europe could not reach
those countries directly by ships, because they had not then found
their way round the southern point of Africa.

[Illustration: This map shows how Columbus (not knowing that America
lay in the way) hoped to reach Asia and the East Indies by sailing
west.]


6. Columbus tries to get help in carrying out his plans.--Columbus
was too poor to fit out even a single ship to undertake such a voyage
as he had planned. He asked the king of Portugal to furnish some money
or vessels toward it, but he received no encouragement. At length
he determined to go to Spain and see if he could get help there.

On the southern coast of Spain there is a small port named Palos.[9]
Within sight of the village of Palos, and also within plain sight
of the ocean, there was a convent,[10]--which is still
standing,--called the Convent of Saint Mary.

One morning a tall, fine-looking man, leading a little boy by the
hand, knocked at the door of this convent and begged for a piece of
bread and a cup of water for the child. The man was Columbus,--whose
wife was now dead,--and the boy was his son.

It chanced that the guardian of the convent noticed Columbus standing
at the door. He liked his appearance, and coming up, began to talk
with him. Columbus frankly told him what he was trying to do. The
guardian of the convent listened with great interest; then he gave
him a letter to a friend who he thought would help him to lay his
plans before Ferdinand and Isabella,[11] the king and queen of Spain.

[Footnote 9: Palos (Pa'los); see map in paragraph 12.]

[Footnote 10: Convent: a house in which a number of people live who
devote themselves to a religious life.]

[Footnote 11: Isabella (Iz-ah-bel'ah).]


7. Columbus gets help for his great voyage.--Columbus left his son
at the convent, and set forward on his journey full of bright hopes.
But Ferdinand and Isabella could not then see him; and after waiting
a long time, the traveller was told that he might go before a number
of learned men and tell them about his proposed voyage across the
Atlantic.

After hearing what Columbus had to say, these men thought that it
would be foolish to spend money in trying to reach the other side
of the ocean.

People who heard what this captain from Lisbon wanted to do began
to think that he had lost his reason, and the boys in the streets
laughed at him and called him crazy. Columbus waited for help seven
years; he then made up his mind that he would wait no longer. Just
as he was about leaving Spain, Queen Isabella, who had always felt
interested in the brave sailor, resolved to aid him. Two rich
sea-captains who lived in Palos also decided to take part in the
voyage. With the assistance which Columbus now got he was able to
fit out three small vessels. He went in the largest of the
vessels--the only one which had an entire deck--as admiral[12] or
commander of the fleet.

[Footnote 12: Admiral (ad'mi-ral).]


8. Columbus sails.--Early on Friday morning, August 3d, 1492,
Columbus started from Palos to attempt to cross that ocean which men
then called the "Sea of Darkness,"--a name which showed how little
they knew of it, and how much they dreaded it.

We may be pretty sure that the guardian of the convent was one of
those who watched the sailing of the little fleet. From the upper
windows of the convent he could plainly see the vessels as they left
the harbor of Palos.

[Illustration: COLUMBUS LEAVING PALOS, AUGUST 3D, 1492.]


9. What happened on the first part of the voyage.--Columbus sailed
first for the Canary Islands, because from there it would be a
straight line, as he thought, across to Japan and Asia. He was obliged
to stop at the Canaries[13] more than three weeks, in order to make
a new rudder for one of his vessels and to alter the sails of another.

At length all was ready, and he again set out on his voyage toward
the west. When the sailors got so far out on the ocean that they could
no longer see any of the islands, they were overcome with fear. They
made up their minds that they should never be able to get back to
Palos again. They were rough men, used to the sea, but now they bowed
down their heads and cried like children. Columbus had hard work to
quiet their fears and to encourage them to go forward with the voyage
which they already wanted to give up.

[Footnote 13: Canaries (Ka-na'rez); see map in paragraph 12.]


10. What happened after they had been at sea many days.--For more
than thirty days the three ships kept on their way toward the west.
To the crew every day seemed a year. From sunrise to sunset nothing
was to be seen but water and sky. At last the men began to think that
they were sailing on an ocean which had no end. They whispered among
themselves that Columbus had gone mad, and that if they kept on with
him in command they should all be lost.

Twice, indeed, there was a joyful cry of Land! Land! but when they
got nearer they saw that what they had thought was land was nothing
but banks of clouds. Then some of the sailors said, Let us go to the
admiral and tell him that we must turn back. What if he will not listen
to us? asked others; Then we will throw him overboard and say when
we reach Palos that he fell into the sea and was drowned.

But when the crew went to Columbus and told him that they would go
no further, he sternly ordered them to their work, declaring that
whatever might happen, he would not now give up the voyage.


11. Signs of land.--The very next day such certain signs of land were
seen that the most faint-hearted took courage. The men had already
noticed great flocks of land-birds flying toward the west, as if to
guide them. Now some of the men on one vessel saw a branch of a
thorn-bush float by. It was plain that it had not long been broken
off from the bush, and it was full of red berries.

But one of the crew on the other vessel found something better even
than the thorn-branch; for he drew out of the water a carved
walking-stick. Every one saw that such a stick must have been cut
and carved by human hands. These two signs could not be doubted. The
men now felt sure that they were approaching the shore, and what was
more, that there were people living in that strange country.


12. Discovery of land.--That evening Columbus begged his crew to keep
a sharp lookout, and he promised a velvet coat to the one who should
first see land. All was now excitement; and no man closed his eyes
in sleep that night.

Columbus himself stood on a high part of his ship, looking steadily
toward the west. About ten o'clock he saw a moving light; it seemed
like a torch carried in a man's hand. He called to a companion and
asked him if he could see anything of the kind; yes, he, too, plainly
saw the moving light, but presently it disappeared.

Two hours after midnight a cannon was fired from the foremost vessel.
It was the glad signal that the long-looked-for land was actually
in sight. There it lay directly ahead, about six miles away.

[Illustration: Map showing the direction in which Columbus sailed
on his great voyage across the ocean.]

Then Columbus gave the order to furl sails, and the three vessels
came to a stop and waited for the dawn. When the sun rose on Friday,
October 12th, 1492, Columbus saw a beautiful island with many trees
growing on it. That was his first sight of the New World.


13. Columbus lands on the island and names it; who lived on the
island.--Attended by the captains of the other two vessels, and by
their crews, Columbus set out in a boat for the island. When they
landed, all fell on their knees, kissed the ground for joy, and gave
thanks to God. Columbus named the island San Salvador[14] and took
possession of it, by right of discovery, for the king and queen of
Spain.

[Illustration: LANDING OF COLUMBUS.]

He found that it was inhabited by a copper-colored people who spoke
a language he could not understand. These people had never seen a
ship or a white man before. They wore no clothing, but painted their
bodies with bright colors. The Spaniards made them presents of
strings of glass beads and red caps. In return they gave the Spaniards
skeins of cotton yarn, tame parrots, and small ornaments of gold.

After staying here a short time Columbus set sail toward the south,
in search of more land and in the hope of finding out where these
people got their gold.

[Footnote 14: San Salvador (San Sal-va-dor'): meaning the Holy
Redeemer or Saviour.]


14. Columbus names the group of islands and their people.--As
Columbus sailed on, he saw many islands in every direction. He
thought that they must be a part of the Indies which he was seeking.
Since he had reached them by coming west from Spain, he called them
the West Indies, and to the red men who lived on them he gave the
name of Indians.


15. Columbus discovers two very large islands; his vessel is wrecked,
and he returns to Spain in another.--In the course of the next six
weeks Columbus discovered the island of Cuba. At first he thought
that it must be Japan, but afterward he came to the conclusion that
it was not an island at all, but part of the mainland of Asia.

Next, he came to the island of Hayti,[15] or San Domingo.[16] Here
his ship was wrecked. He took the timber of the wreck and built a
fort on the shore. Leaving about forty of his crew in this fort,
Columbus set sail for Palos in one of the two remaining vessels.

[Footnote 15: Hayti (Ha'ti).]

[Footnote 16: San Domingo (San Do-min'go); see map in paragraph 17.]


16. Columbus arrives at Palos; joy of the people; how Ferdinand and
Isabella received him.--When the vessel of Columbus was seen
entering the harbor of Palos, the whole village was wild with
excitement. More than seven months had gone by since he sailed away
from that port, and as nothing had been heard from him, many supposed
that the vessels and all on board were lost. Now that they saw their
friends and neighbors coming back, all was joy. The bells of the
churches rang a merry peal of welcome; the people thronged the
streets, shouting to each other that Columbus, the great navigator,
had crossed the "Sea of Darkness" and had returned in safety.

The king and queen were then in the city of Barcelona,[17] a long
distance from Palos. To that city Columbus now went. He entered it
on horseback, attended by the proudest and richest noblemen of Spain.
He brought with him six Indians from the West Indies. They were gaily
painted and wore bright feathers in their hair. Then a number of men
followed, carrying rare birds and plants, with gold and silver
ornaments, all found in the New World. These were presents for the
king and queen. Ferdinand and Isabella received Columbus with great
honor. When he had told them the story of his wonderful voyage, they
sank on their knees and gave praise to God; all who were present
followed their example.

[Illustration: COLUMBUS RECEIVED BY THE KING AND QUEEN OF SPAIN.]

[Footnote 17: Barcelona (Bar-se-lo'na); see map in paragraph 12.]


17. The last voyages of Columbus.--Columbus made three more voyages
across the Atlantic. He discovered more islands near the coast of
America, and he touched the coast of Central America and of South
America, but that was all. He never set foot on any part of what is
now the United States, and he always thought that the land he had
reached was part of Asia. He had found a new world, but he did not
know it: all that he knew was how to get to it and how to show others
the way.

[Illustration: The light parts of this map show how much of America
Columbus discovered. (The long island is Cuba; the large one to the
right is San Domingo.)]


18. Columbus in his old age.--The last days of this great man were
very sorrowful. The king was disappointed because he brought back
no gold to amount to anything. The Spanish governor of San Domingo
hated Columbus, and when he landed at that island on one of his
voyages, he arrested him and sent him back to Spain in chains. He
was at once set at liberty; but he could not forget the insult. He
kept the chains hanging on the wall of his room, and asked to have
them buried with him.

Columbus was now an old man; his health was broken, he was poor, in
debt, and without a home. Once he wrote to the king and queen, saying,
"I have not a hair upon me that is not gray, my body is weak, and
all that was left to me ... has been taken away and sold, even to
the coat which I wore."

Not long after he had come back to Spain to stay, the queen died.
Then Columbus felt that he had lost his best friend. He gave up hope,
and said, "I have done all that I could do: I leave the rest to God."


19. His death and burial.--Columbus died full of disappointment and
sorrow--perhaps it would not be too much to say that he died of a
broken heart.

He was at first buried in Spain; then his body was taken up and carried
to San Domingo, where he had wished to be buried. Whether it rests
there to-day, or whether it was carried to Havana[18] and deposited
in the cathedral or great church of that city, no one can positively
say. But wherever the grave of the great sailor may be, his memory
will live in every heart capable of respecting a brave man; for he
first dared to cross the "Sea of Darkness," and he discovered
America.

[Illustration: MONUMENT TO COLUMBUS. (In the Cathedral of Havana,
Cuba.)]

[Footnote 18: Havana (Ha-van'ah): a city of Cuba.]


20. Summary.--In 1492 Christopher Columbus set sail from Spain to
find a direct way across the Atlantic to Asia and the Indies. He did
not get to Asia; but he did better; he discovered America. He died
thinking that the new lands he had found were part of Asia; but by
his daring voyage he first showed the people of Europe how to get
to the New World.


When and where was Columbus born? What did he do when he was fourteen?
What about his sea-fight? What did he do in Lisbon? How much of the
world was then known? How did Columbus think he could reach Asia and
the Indies? Why did he want to go there? What did he try to do in
Portugal? Why did he go to Spain? Where did he first go in Spain?
How did Columbus get help at last? When did he sail? What happened
on the first part of the voyage? What happened after that? What is
said about signs of land? What about the discovery of land? What did
Columbus name the island? What did he find on it? What is said of
other islands? What is said of the return of Columbus to Spain? What
about the last voyages of Columbus? Did he ever land on any part of
what is now the United States? What about his old age? What is said
of his death and burial?




JOHN CABOT[1]
(Lived in England from 1472-1498).


21. John Cabot discovers the _continent_ of North America.--At the
time that Columbus set out on his first voyage across the Atlantic
in 1492, John Cabot, an Italian merchant, was living in the city of
Bristol,[2] England. When the news reached that city that Columbus
had discovered the West Indies, Cabot begged Henry the Seventh, king
of England, to let him see if he could not find a shorter way to the
Indies than that of Columbus. The king gave his consent, and in the
spring of 1497 John Cabot, with his son Sebastian,[3] who seems to
have been born in Bristol, sailed from that port. They headed their
vessels toward the northwest; by going in that direction they hoped
to get to those parts of Asia and the Spice Islands which were known
to Europe, and which Columbus had failed to reach.

[Illustration: Map showing the city of Venice, Italy, where John
Cabot had lived.]

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