A Beginner's History

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[Illustration: THE WORLD showing the UNITED STATES and its Outlying Possessions

_Copyright, 1909, by Rand, McNally & Company._]

[Illustration: THE SURRENDER OF CORNWALLIS]

_A_

Beginner's History

_by_

WILLIAM H. MACE

_Formerly Professor of History in Syracuse University, Author of "Method in History," "A Working Manual of American History," "A School History of the United States," "Lincoln: The Man of the People," and "Washington: A Virginia Cavalier"_

_Illustrated by_ HOMER W. COLBY

_Portraits by_ JACQUES REICH, P. R. AUDIBERT, _and_ B. F. WILLIAMSON

[Illustration]

RAND McNALLY & COMPANY

_Chicago_ _New York_ _London_

Mace's Primary History _Copyright, 1909_, By WILLIAM H. MACE _All rights reserved_ Mace's Elementary History _Copyright, 1914_, By WILLIAM H. MACE Mace's Beginner's History _Copyright, 1914_, By WILLIAM H. MACE _Copyright, 1916_, By WILLIAM H. MACE _Copyright, 1921_, By WILLIAM H. MACE

[Illustration]

The Rand-McNally Press _Chicago_

THE PREFACE

The material out of which the child pictures history lies all about him. When he learns to handle objects or observes men and other beings act, he is gathering material to form images for the stories you tell him, or those he reads. So supple and vigorous is the child's imagination that he can put this store of material to use in picturing a fairy story, a legend, or a myth.

From this same source--his observation of the people and things about him--he gathers simple meanings and ideas of his own. He weaves these meanings and ideas, in part, into the stories he reads or is told. From the cradle to the grave he should exercise this habit of testing the men and institutions he studies by a comparison with those he has seen.

The teacher should use the stories in this book to impress upon the pupil's mind the idea that life is a constant struggle against opposing difficulties. The pupil should be able to see that the great men of American history spent their lives in a ceaseless effort to conquer obstacles. For everywhere men find opponents. What a struggle Lincoln had against the twin difficulties of poverty and ignorance! What a battle Roosevelt waged with timidity and a sickly boyhood! And what a tremendously courageous and vigorous man he became!

In the fight which men wage for noble or ignoble ends the pupil finds his greatest source of interest. Here he forms his ideas of right and wrong, and deals out praise and blame among the characters. Hence the need of presenting true Americans--patriotic Americans--for his study.

This book of American history includes the stirring scenes of the world's greatest war. It shows how a vast nation, loving peace and hating war, worked to get ready to fight, how it trained its soldiers and planned a great navy, and how, when all was ready, it hurled two million men against the Germans and helped our brave allies to crush the cruelest foe that war ever let loose.

With the knowledge of American men and events which the study of our history should give him, the pupil is ready to ask where the first Americans came from. To answer that question, and many others, we must go to European history. We must look at the great peoples of the world's earlier history, and see how their civilization finally developed into that which those colonists who pushed across the Atlantic to America brought with them.

But the civilization brought to this country by earlier or by later comers must not cease to grow. America has her part to add to its development. With the close of the World War we must not forget one fact which that conflict brought out--the vast number of people in the United States almost untouched by the spirit of American institutions. Teachers of history, the subject-matter of which is the story of American institutions and American leaders, can do much to change such conditions. This need for more thorough Americanization they can help to fill by teaching in their classes not a mechanical patriotism but a loyal understanding of American ideals.

WILLIAM H. MACE

_Syracuse University_

THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

THE NORTHMEN DISCOVER THE NEW WORLD

Leif Ericson, Who Discovered Vinland 1

EARLY EXPLORERS IN AMERICA

Christopher Columbus, the First Great Man in American History 2

Ponce de Leon, Who Sought a Marvelous Land and Was Disappointed 17

Cortés, Who Found the Rich City of Mexico 18

Pizarro, Who Found the Richest City in the World 23

Coronado, Who Penetrated Southwestern United States but Found Nothing but Beautiful Scenery 24

De Soto, the Discoverer of the Mississippi 24

Magellan, Who Proved that the World Is Round 28

THE MEN WHO MADE AMERICA KNOWN TO ENGLAND AND WHO CHECKED THE PROGRESS OF SPAIN

John Cabot also Searches for a Shorter Route to India and Finds the Mainland of North America 34

Sir Francis Drake, the English "Dragon," Who Sailed the Spanish Main and Who "Singed the King of Spain's Beard" 37

Sir Walter Raleigh, the Friend of Elizabeth, Plants a Colony in America to Check the Power of Spain 42

THE MEN WHO PLANTED NEW FRANCE IN AMERICA, FOUNDED QUEBEC, EXPLORED THE GREAT LAKE REGION, AND PENETRATED THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY

Samuel de Champlain, the Father of New France 49

Joliet and Marquette, Fur Trader and Missionary, Explore the Mississippi Valley for New France 53

WHAT THE DUTCH ACCOMPLISHED IN THE COLONIZATION OF THE NEW WORLD

Henry Hudson, Whose Discoveries Led Dutch Traders to Colonize New Netherland 54

FAMOUS PEOPLE IN EARLY VIRGINIA

John Smith the Savior of Virginia, and Pocahontas its Good Angel 60

Lord Baltimore, in a Part of Virginia, Founds Maryland as a Home for Persecuted Catholics and Welcomes Protestants 68

Industries, Manners, and Customs of First Settlers of Virginia 71

PILGRIMS AND PURITANS IN NEW ENGLAND

Miles Standish, the Pilgrim Soldier, and the Story of "Plymouth Rock" 73

John Winthrop, the Founder of Boston; John Eliot, the Great English Missionary; and King Philip, an Indian Chief the Equal of the White Man 81

Industries, Manners, and Customs 85

THE MEN WHO PLANTED COLONIES FOR MANY KINDS OF PEOPLE

Peter Stuyvesant, the Great Dutch Governor 87

Manners and Customs of New Netherland 91

William Penn, the Quaker, Who Founded the City of Brotherly Love 92

Quaker Ways in Old Pennsylvania 98

James Oglethorpe, the Founder of Georgia as a Home for English Debtors, as a Place for Persecuted Protestants, and as a Barrier against the Spaniards 100

Industries, Manners, and Customs of the Southern Planters 103

ROBERT CAVELIER DE LA SALLE, WHO FOLLOWED THE FATHER OF WATERS TO ITS MOUTH, AND ESTABLISHED NEW FRANCE FROM CANADA TO THE GULF OF MEXICO

La Salle Pushed Forward the Work Begun by Joliet and Marquette 106

The Men of New France 113

GEORGE WASHINGTON, THE FIRST GENERAL AND FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

The "Father of His Country" 115

THE MAN WHO HELPED WIN INDEPENDENCE BY WINNING THE HEARTS OF FRENCHMEN FOR AMERICA

Benjamin Franklin, the Wisest American of His Time 147

PATRICK HENRY AND SAMUEL ADAMS, FAMOUS MEN OF THE REVOLUTION, WHO DEFENDED AMERICA WITH TONGUE AND PEN

Patrick Henry, the Orator of the Revolution 158

Samuel Adams, the Firebrand of the Revolution 167

THE MEN WHO FOUGHT FOR AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE WITH GUN AND SWORD

Nathan Hale 179

Generals Greene, Morgan, and Marion, the Men Who Helped Win the South from the British 182

THE MEN WHO HELPED WIN INDEPENDENCE BY FIGHTING ENGLAND ON THE SEA

John Paul Jones, a Scotchman, Who Won the Great Victory in the French Ship, _Bon Homme Richard_ 194

John Barry, Who Won More Sea Fights in the Revolution than Any Other Captain 199

THE MEN WHO CROSSED THE MOUNTAINS, DEFEATED THE INDIANS AND BRITISH, AND MADE THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER THE WESTERN BOUNDARY OF THE UNITED STATES

Daniel Boone, the Hunter and Pioneer of Kentucky 202

John Sevier, "Nolichucky Jack" 210

George Rogers Clark, the Hero of Vincennes 216

DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW REPUBLIC

Eli Whitney, Who Invented the Cotton Gin and Changed the History of the South 226

Thomas Jefferson, Who Wrote the Declaration of Independence, Founded the Democratic Party, and Purchased the Louisiana Territory 229

Lewis and Clark, American Explorers in the Oregon Country 238

Oliver Hazard Perry, Victor in the Battle of Lake Erie 244

Andrew Jackson, the Victor of New Orleans 245

THE MEN WHO MADE THE NATION GREAT BY THEIR INVENTIONS AND DISCOVERIES

Robert Fulton, the Inventor of the Steamboat 257

Samuel F. B. Morse, Inventor of the Telegraph 264

Cyrus West Field, Who Laid the Atlantic Cable between America and Europe 268

Cyrus McCormick, Inventor of the Reaper 272

Elias Howe, Inventor of the Sewing Machine 274

THE MEN WHO WON TEXAS, THE OREGON COUNTRY, AND CALIFORNIA

Sam Houston, Hero of San Jacinto 277

David Crockett, Great Hunter and Hero of the Alamo 282

John C. Fremont, the Pathfinder of the Rocky Mountains 283

Spanish Missions in the Southwest 290

THE THREE GREATEST STATESMEN OF THE MIDDLE PERIOD

Henry Clay, the Founder of the Whig Party and the Great Pacificator 294

Daniel Webster, the Defender of the Constitution 300

John C. Calhoun, the Champion of Nullification 306

ABRAHAM LINCOLN, THE LIBERATOR AND MARTYR

A Poor Boy Becomes a Great Man 313

Andrew Johnson and the Progress of Reconstruction 328

TWO FAMOUS GENERALS

Ulysses S. Grant, the Great General of the Union Armies 331

Robert Edward Lee, the Man Who Led the Confederate Armies 337

MEN WHO HELPED DETERMINE NEW POLITICAL POLICIES

Rutherford B. Hayes 342

James A. Garfield 345

Chester A. Arthur 346

Grover Cleveland 347

Benjamin Harrison 349

THE BEGINNING OF EXPANSION ABROAD

William McKinley and the Spanish-American War 352

THE MAN WHO WAS THE CHAMPION OF DEMOCRACY

Theodore Roosevelt, the Typical American 360

William Howard Taft 369

WESTWARD EXPANSION AND DEVELOPMENT

The Westward Movement of Population and the Development of Transportation 372

George Washington Goethals, Chief Engineer of the Panama Canal 376

MEN OF RECENT TIMES WHO MADE GREAT INVENTIONS

Thomas A. Edison, the Greatest Inventor of Electrical Machinery in the World 380

Two Inventions Widely Used in Business 386

Automobile Making in the United States 388

Wilbur and Orville Wright, the Men Who Gave Humanity Wings 390

John P. Holland, Who Taught Men to Sail Under the Sea 395

HEROINES OF NATIONAL PROGRESS

Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, Who Were the first to Struggle for the Rights of Women 400

Julia Ward Howe, Author of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," and Harriet Beecher Stowe, Who Wrote _Uncle Tom's Cabin_ 404

Frances E. Willard, the Great Temperance Crusader; Clara Barton, Who Founded the Red Cross Society in America; and Jane Addams, the Founder of Hull House Social Settlement in Chicago 408

RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIES OF OUR COUNTRY

How Farm and Factory Helped Build the Nation 416

Mines, Mining, and Manufactures 421

AMERICA AND THE WORLD WAR

Early Years of the War 424

America Enters to Win 431

The Conclusion of the War 437

WHERE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND THEIR CIVILIZATION CAME FROM

Introduction 445

The Oldest Nations 446

Greece, the Land of Art and Freedom 450

How the Greeks Taught Men to be Free 456

Spread of Greek Civilization 461

When Rome Ruled the World 464

Hannibal Tries to Conquer Rome 467

Rome Conquers the World, but Grows Wicked 469

The Roman Republic Becomes the Roman Empire 471

What Rome Gave to the World 473

The Downfall of Rome 476

The Angles and Saxons in Great Britain 478

Charles the Great, Ruler of the Franks 479

The Coming of the Northmen 483

Alfred the Great 484

The Norman Conquest 488

The Struggle for the Great Charter 490

_A Pronouncing Index_ xi

_The Index_ xv

MACE'S BEGINNER'S HISTORY

THE NORTHMEN DISCOVER THE NEW WORLD

LEIF ERICSON, WHO DISCOVERED VINLAND

[Sidenote: =The Northmen discover Iceland and Greenland=]

=1. The Voyages of the Northmen.= The Northmen were a bold seafaring people who lived in northern Europe hundreds of years ago. Some of the very boldest once sailed so far to the west that they reached the shores of Iceland and Greenland, where many of them settled. Among these were Eric the Red and his son Leif Ericson.

Now Leif had heard of a land to the south of Greenland from some Northmen who had been driven far south in a great storm. He determined to set out in search of it. After sailing for many days he reached the shore of this New World (A. D. 1000). There he found vines with grapes on them growing so abundantly that he called the new land Vinland, a country of grapes.

Leif's discovery caused great excitement among his people. Some of them could hardly wait until the winter was over, and the snow and ice broken up, so as to let their ships go out to this new land.

This time Thorvald, one of Leif's brothers, led the expedition. On reaching land, as they stepped ashore, he exclaimed: "It is a fair region and here I should like to make my home." But Thorvald was killed in a battle with the Indians and was buried where he had wanted to build his home. The Northmen continued to visit the new land, but finally the Indians became so unfriendly that the Northmen went away and never came again.

SUGGESTIONS INTENDED TO HELP THE PUPIL

=The Leading Facts.= _1._ The Northmen, bold sailors, settled Iceland and Greenland. _2._ Leif Ericson reached the shores of North America and called the country Vinland. _3._ The Northmen continued to visit the new land, but finally ceased to come on account of the Indians.

=Study Questions.= _1._ In what new countries did the Northmen settle? _2._ Tell the story of Leif Ericson's voyage. _3._ What did he call the new land, and why?

=Suggested Readings.= THE NORTHMEN: Glascock, _Stories of Columbia_, 7-9; Higginson, _American Explorers_, 3-15; _Old South Leaflets_, NO. 31.

EARLY EXPLORERS IN AMERICA

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, THE FIRST GREAT MAN IN AMERICAN HISTORY

[Sidenote: =Boyhood of Columbus=]

=2. Old Trade Routes to Asia.= More than four hundred fifty years ago Christopher Columbus spent his boyhood in the queer old Italian town of Genoa on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Even in that far-away time the Mediterranean was dotted with the white sails of ships busy in carrying the richest trade in the world. But no merchants were richer or had bolder sailors than those of Columbus' own town.

Genoa had her own trading routes to India, China, and Japan. Her vessels sailed eastward and crossed the Black Sea to the very shores of Asia. There they found stores of rich shawls and silks and of costly spices and jewels, which had already come on the backs of horses and camels from the Far East. As fast as winds and oars could carry them, these merchant ships hastened back to Genoa, where other ships and sailors were waiting to carry their goods to all parts of Europe.