title: Facts and dates of United States history,
text: .0' ^% ^ ^y^^^^' ^^ .A >^"^. ^:^^c^- '^' -^ ■a.' '^^ ^O \^ , . . --^^ ^1 /\ 1> . '^ • %/ c> ^0^ -^''-^ % r.^ .^-.n-O-T^ V /^ Ik r "^<^^ o. °^ A"'" ^ ^^ "-0 .i'' '■> o V ^^^^ ,-5^"^' ^^^%° V ^o ^.^^y^?' *•,-.* ^' V ^' 0' "°o ■^^ ,-^ ^°-%. ,0- "^•^^ .», -> ,^^ (^P ^^:^-^><^; ..>' .<- I. <^ .*# .0 < .0- '^. ^^. .0' ^^ .A^ -^..^^ HIRSCHFELDER'S SELF-EDUCATOR FACTS AND^ DATES -OF- United States History FOR EVERY CITIZEN TO KNOW ^rice 25 Cents SELF-EDUCATOR PUBLISHING COMPANY SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA FACTS AND DATES -OF- UNITED STATES HISTORY Si/ MAX HIRSCHFELDER Author of Self -Educator, German Methode Fortschritt "Price 25 Cents SELF-EDUCATOR PUBLISHING COMPANY SCRANTON. PENNA, Copyright 1916, by Self-Lducator Publuhing Company Scran ton, Penna. 'America is another Word for Opportunity" — Emerson JAN 12 1916 ^aA420314 4 FACTS AND DATES Of United States Hi^ory DISCOVERY AND NAMING OF AMERICA. 1492 1497-1498 1499 1519-1521 About 1000. The Northmen, under Leif Ericsson, reach the coast of North America and call it Vineland. Christopher Columbus, in Spanish service, dis- covers the West India Islands, while attempt- ing to open up a direct all-sea route to Asia. He takes possession of them for the King of Spain. John and Sebastian Cabot, Venetians, sailing un- der the flag of England, discover the continent of North America and explore the coast from Labrador to Cape Cod. They take possession of the country for the English crown. Amerigo Vespucci, in Portuguese service, reaches the eastern coast of South America. In 1507, a German professor suggests in a little book on geography, that the new part of the world, discovered by Amerigo, should be called Amer- ica. This name was later applied to all South America and finally to North America also. Magellan, with a Spanish fleet, sails around South America, and then turns westward toward India and Spain. This first expedition around the world gave positive proof that the earth is a sphere and showed that America is not a part of Asia, but a separate continent. Three ATTEMPTS AT EXPLORING AND COLONIZING AMERICA. The expedition of Columbus leads to many other voyages, prompted chiefly by the hope of find- ing gold. They result in the exploration of the coast of America. 1509. Diego Columbus, son of Christopher Columbus, is appointed governor of San Domingo. Not long afterward he conquers the island of Cuba. 1513 Ponce de Leon, formerly governor of Porto Rico, discovers and names Florida, while in search of the ^'fountain of youth." Balboa crosses the Isthmus of Panama and reaches the "South Sea," which Magellan, six years later, names the Pacific Ocean. 15 19. Pineda sails along the shores of the Gulf from Florida to Mexico. 1519-1521 Cortez, a Spanish general, lands in Mexico, con- quers this country and establishes the power of Spain on the Pacific slope of the North American continent. 1528. Narvaez sails from Florida along the coast to the mouth of the Mississippi where he is ship- wrecked and drowns. The survivors of the expedi- tion, under Cabeza de Vaca, reach the coast of Texas, but are captured by the Indians. Cabeza escapes with three companions and after eight years of wandering through the wilderness of Mexico reaches the Gulf of CaHfornia, 1536. 1535 Cartier, a French navigator, discovers a great river in the northern part of America, to which he gives the name of St. Lawrence. Ascending the stream he comes to a lofty hill, which he calls Montreal, or royal mountain. 1540. Coronado, governor of Mexico, sets out to find the "seven golden cities" in the North and discovers the Great Canon of Colorado. Four 1 539- 1 541- De Soto, with about six hundred men, wan- ders over Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. He crosses the Mississippi River and reaches eastern Arkansas; there he dies of fever. His followers reach Mexico in 1543. 1562 John Ribeaut, a Frenchman, leads a small colony of Huguenots to South Carolina and builds Fort Port Royal. Rut the colonists return to France. 1564. A second French expedition under Lau- donniere builds Fort Carolina on the St. John's River in Florida. 1565 Menendez, commissioned by the Spanish King to drive out the French from the Spanish territory, builds Fort St. Augustine to the south of the St. John's River. Then he attacks Fort Caro- lina and massacres the garrison. For this deed another Frenchman, De Gourgues, takes re- venge. He sails to St. John's River, destroys the fort the Spaniards had built on the site of Fort Carolina, and massacres the people. 1576. Sir Martin Frobisher cruises in the seas and straits of North America (Frobisher Strait). 1587. Captain John Davis pushes his way through the same seas (Davis Strait). 1577-1579 Sir Francis Drake sails down the South American coast, passes through the Straight of Magellan , goes up the west coast of South America, Mexico and California and reaches Oregon. He takes possession of this coast in the name of England and calls it New Albion. Despairing of finding a shorter passage to England, he crosses the Pacific and reaches home by way of the Cape of Good Hope. 1583. Sir Humphrey Gilbert! lands on Newfoundland and takes possession of it for the King of England. 1584 1584. Walter Raleigh receives a charter from Queen Elizabeth to explore the eastern coast of America. He sends out an expedition that lands on Roanoke Island (North Carolina), but returns to England. Queen Elizabeth calls the newly discovered land Virginia. Five 1585. Raleigh sends out a second expedition which builds a town on Roanoke Island. But the colonists, ill suited for pioneer life, are taken back to England by Drake. They take back with them the potato and the tobacco. 1587. Sir Walter Raleigh fits out a third colony consisting of both men and women with their children, under John White. The colonists land again on Roanoke Island. White sails back to England for supplies. On his return to the new colony he finds the island deserted. 1602. Gosnold, an English navigator, lands on a cape, which he calls Cape Cod, from the abundance of cod fish found there, and builds the first house in Massa- chusetts on Cuttyhunk Island. He takes a cargo of sassafras root and cedar logs and returns to England. Six PERMANENT ENGLISH SETTLEMENTS. 1600. At this time, more than a hundred years after the voyages of Columbus, the only permanent white settlers on the Atlantic coast of the United States are the Spaniards in Florida. The seventeenth cen- tury opens with new and successful efforts on the part of both the English and the French to establish permanent settlements. VIRGINIA. 1606. King James I of England charters two companies to colonize Virginia, i. e., all the territory from Maine to Florida. The London Company gets the exclusive right to settle in Southern Virginia, between Cape Fear and the Hudson, while the Plymouth Company was granted the control of Northern Virginia, from the Hudson to the Bay of Fundy. 1607 The London Company sends out the first colony under Captain John Smith. The emigrants discover and* name the James River and build a settlement which they call Jamestown, in honor of their king. 1609. The Jamestown settlers, discouraged and demoralized by the hardships of colonial life, decide to return to England, but Lord Dela- ware arrives with reinforcements and a new charter giving the colony an immense domain, 200 miles north and south from Point Com- fort, extending up into the land from sea to sea. Under the new charter and new governors the colony begins to thrive. 1612. Under Governor Dale the systematic cul- tivation of tobacco is introduced. In the course of a few years it came to be the greatest in- dustry in Virginia. Seven 1619 The first representative assembly in America. The colonists, living in eleven settlements, or "boroughs," elect representatives, two in each borough, to sit in a legislature to be called House of Burgesses. Introduction of Negro Slavery. A Dutch man- of-war sells the first negro slaves to the Eng- lish settlers. 1624 King James revokes the colony's charter and Virginia becomes a royal province. Sir Wil- liam Berkeley is appointed governor. During the time of the Commonwealth in Eng- land many ''Cavaliers" seek refuge in the colony (1649-1660). 1660. The Navigation Laws cause great distress to the colonists. By these laws they are for- bidden to send any tobacco out of the country except in English vessels going to England, or to purchase any foreign goods except those brought over in English vessels. 1676. Bacon's Rebellion. Nathaniel Bacon raises a force to_ defend the settlement against the attacks of the Indians. He defeats the Indians, but is declared a traitor by Governor Berkeley. Bacon destroys Jamestown by fire; the town was never rebuilt. NEW NETHERLAND, OR NEW YORK. 1609 1614 Henry Hudson, an Englishman in the service of Holland, crosses the Atlantic in his little ship, the Half-Moon, and enters New York Bay. He sails up the Hudson and reaches a point about 150 miles from the mouth of the river, near where Albany now stands. Holland claims possession of the country between the Connecticut and the Delaware Rivers and calls it New Netherland. The Dutch build small settlements on the Hudson, or North River, and on the Delaware, or South River. They erect Fort Orange on the site of Albany, and Eight Fort Nassau on the Delaware. All these settlements become centers of the fur trade, which is the main interest of the colony. 1626. Peter Minuit takes charge of the settle- ments as governor. He buys Manhattan Island from the Indians for twenty-five dollars, estab- lishes a settlement there and calls it New Amsterdam. To encourage farming the Dutch West India Company, chartered in 162 1, offers a large tract of land, sixteen miles on any navigable river, to any member of the company who should take out a colony of fifty families. These land owners are called *'Patroons." 1645. Peter Stuyvesant, "Old Silverleg," comes to New Amsterdam as fourth and last Dutch governor. 1664 I The English claim all the land occupied by the Dutch on the ground that Cabot had discov- ered the coast, and King Charles II gives it to his brother James, Duke of York. An Eng- lish fleet suddenly appears off New Amster- dam and Stuyvesant is forced to surrender. New Amsterdam is called New York in honor of the new proprietor; Fort Orange is named Albany. :689. Leisler's Rebellion. Jacob Leisler, a rich merchant, leads an uprising against the tyran- nical rule of Governor Andros and his deputy, Nicholson, and assumes the office of lieutenant governor. But he is finally forced to surrender and is hanged for rebellion. NEW JERSEY. 1617 I The Dutch, crossing over from Manhattan Island, build a small fort at Bergen, on the west bank of the Eludson ; later they erect a second fort opposite the site of Philadelphia and claim the whole territory between the Hudson and the Delaware as part of New Netherland. Nine 1664 The Duke of York, after having taken possession of New Netherland, gives the territory between the Delaware and the Hudson to his friends, Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret, and calls the country New Jersey, from the British Island of Jersey. The town of Elizabeth is founded, 1675. 1674. Quakers buy Lord Berkeley's share. West Jersey. 1681. William Penn and twenty-three associates buy the other half, East Jersey, the whole province thus falling into the hands of the Quakers, who grant self-government to the colonists. 1702. The rights of the proprietors are acquired by the English crown, and the two Jerseys united in one become a royal colony, under the jurisdiction of the governor of New York. 1732 New Jersey becomes a separate province with its own governor and legislature. MASSACHUSETTS. Plymouth Colony. 1620 A party of Separatists, the Pilgrims, sail on the Mayflower from Plymouth, England, and reach Cape Cod. Their captain, Myles Standish, ex- plores the Massachusetts coast and reaches the harbor which John Smith, of Virginia, had called Plymouth. Here the Pilgrims settle. John Carver is elected first governor. During the first winter half of the settlers perish, but others come from England. A treaty with the neighboring Indians is kept for many years. 162 1. William Bradford is chosen governor. He holds this office for thirty years. All public matters of the colony are discussed and decided in town meetings' — ''government by the peo- ple." Ten 1626. The Pilgrims buy out the share which English merchants by a grant from the gov- ernment had in this territory. The colony in- creases slowly. 169 1. The Plymouth colony is united with the ^lassachusetts colony. Bay Colony. 1628 John Endicott, with a number of Puritans, plants the colony of Salem. The London Company, owner of the land, makes him governor of the colony. 1630 The Massachusetts Bay Company, of London, appoints John Winthrop governor of Massa- chusetts. He sails with eleven vessels, bring- ing nearly a thousand Puritans and all things needed for establishing a thriving colony. After landing at Salem they soon remove to a little three-hilled peninsula, where they build the town of Boston. Within the next ten years more than twenty thousand of Winthrop's countrymen come to this shore and settle the cities of Charlestown, Roxbury, Dorchester, Watertown and Cambridge. The laws of the colony are made by the legis- lature, or General Court, consisting of repre- sentatives of the different towns. Provision is made for public schools. 1635. Roger Williams, a minister who believed in religious freedom, is ordered to leave the colony. He takes refuge among the Indians, reaches Nara- gansett Bay the next spring and founds the city of Providence. The same year Mrs. Anne Hutchinson, vv'ho attacked many of the Massachusetts clergy about their belief, is also ordered to leave the colony. 1636 The General Court votes to give 400 pounds for the establishment of a college at Newton, afterwards called Cambridge. Three years later Rev. John Harvard, of Charlestown, leaves his library and estate to the college. The General Court orders the new institution to be called by his name. Harvard University. Eleven i643- The Massachusetts Bay Colony unites with Plymouth and the colonies of Connecti- cut and New Haven in a league for mutual defense. This league is maintained for forty years. 1656. Quakers, who arrive in Boston, are perse- cuted and driven out of the colony. 1675. King Philip's War. The Indian King Philip be- gins war against the colonists. After two years of desperate fighting Philip is captured and killed. Therewith the power of the neighboring Indian tribes is broken. 1684. Massachusetts loses its charter and be- comes a royal province. NEW HAMPSHIRE AND MAINE. 1623 The Council for New England grants to John Mason and to Sir Fernando Gorges the ter- ritory between the Merrimac and the Kennebec Rivers, called Maine. English colonists plant the settlements of Dover and Portsmouth. Chief object of the colonies is the fur trade with the Indians. 1629. The territory is divided. Mason takes the part west of the Piscataqua River and calls it New Hampshire, while Gorges takes the part east of the river and calls it Maine. 1632, Portland is founded. Later emigrants from Massachusetts and Scotch- Irish colonists settle the towns of Exeter and Londonderry. The Scotch-Irish establish the manufacture of linen. 1641. New Hampshire is united with Massa- chusetts, but becomes, in 1679, a separate royal province. 1652-1820. Massachusetts holds control of Maine. 1820. Maine is admitted into the Union a^ an independent state. Twelve RHODE ISLAND. 1636 Roger Williams, expelled from the Massachu- setts colonies for his religious views, flees to the Indians and reaches Naragansett Bay. Here, with a few companions, he founds a set- tlement and calls it Providence. In 1639, he establishes the first Baptist Church in Amer- ica. Many settlers come to this colony. Free- dom of religious belief is given to everyone. 1638. William Coddington and Mrs. Anne Hut- chinson, also expelled from the Massachusetts colony, buy the island of Rhode Island and plant there the colonies of Portsmouth and Newport. 1643. Roger Williams obtains a charter, which unites these colonies and gives him full power of government. Rhode Island keeps her form of government until long after the revolution. CONNECTICUT. The rich lands of the Connecticut valley attract the Dutch of New Amsterdam and settlers of Massachusetts. 1635 Emigrants from the vicinity of Boston build the towns of Wethersfield and Windsor. In the same year an English company holding a grant of the territory sends out John Winthrop with the title of Governor of the River Connecticut. He builds Fort Saybrook at the mouth of the river. 1636. The Rev. Thomas Hooker of Newton, Massachusetts, sets out and reaches Hartford, where a small settlement of English had al- ready been made. 1637. The towns of Hartford, Wethersfield and Windsor unite in an attack against the Pequot Indians, who attempt to destroy the new set- tlements. Thirteen i639- The inhabitants of the three colonies meet at Hartford, draw up the first written American constitution, and thus found a republic which they call Connecticut. 1638 New Puritan emigrants from England, led by John Davenport and others, settle New Haven, Milford, Guilford and Stamford. These four towns unite* in 1643 and take the name New Haven Colony. 1643-1684. Massachusetts, Plymouth, Connecti- cut and! New Haven join in a league for de- fense against the Indians and the Dutch : "The United Colonies of New England." 1662. New Haven is united with Connecticut. 1687. King Charles II, of England, who had granted to the Connecticut people a charter confirming their right of self-government, sends a body of troops to Hartford to demand the surrender of the charter. The Connecticut people, however, hide it in a hollow oak (Charter Oak), and thus save it. Except for a few years, Connecticut practically continues to maintain her own laws. Thus, after 1691, the New England colonies were New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. MARYLAND. 1634 Lord Baltimore, a Catholic English nobleman, gets a grant of the land north of the Potomac, to which Charles I gives' the name of Mary- land, in honor of the Queen, a Catholic. A brother of this Lord Baltimore lands with about three hundred colonists, most of them Catholics, on the northern bank of the Potomac and founds the town of St. Marys. This is the first colony in America in which freedom of worship for all Christians is established. It soon becomes, therefore, the refuge for op- pressed Catholics, Puritans and Quakers. 1645. The peace of the colony is interrupted by civil war; the enemies of Lord Baltimore, join- Fotu'teen 1763-1767 ing with Puritan settlers, overthrow the gov- ernment and forl)id the exercise of the Catholic religion. 1658. The English Parliament restores Lord Baltimore to his rights ; freedom of worship is again established. 1689. The English King takes possession of the province and the Church of England is estab- lished as the government church of Maryland. 1715. Lord Baltimore, a descendant of the founder of the colony, becomes proprietor and governor of Maryland. He and his descend- ants hold it until the revolution. 1729. The city of Baltimore is founded and named in honor of the founder of the colony. Mason and Dixon Line. To end the dispute about the boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland, Mason and Dixon, two* English sur- veyors, established the boundary line, which runs from the northeast corner of Maryland due west nearlv three hundred miles. DELAWARE, OR NEW SWEDEN. 1638 The Swedish government sends over a colony of Swedes who land on the Delaware River. The Western bank of this river is bought from the Indians and a fort, Christina, is built on the site of Wilmington. 1654. The Dutch, of New Netherland, claim this territory ; Governor Stuyvesant, of New Am- sterdam, arrives with a fleet and takes pos- session of it. 1655. The Duke of York, having seized New Netherland, also claims possession of Dela- ware. 1681 William Penn buys this territory from the Duke of York and governs it as part of Pennsylvania, "Territories of Pennsylvania.'' Fifteen 1776 The "Territories'' declare themselves a free and independent state and take the name of Dela- ware. NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA. 1663 Charles II of England grants an immense tract of land south of Virginia to Lord Clarendon and seven associates and names the territory Carolina. Settlers from Virginia plant the colony of Albemarle. 1664. English planters from the West Indies found a second colony, named Clarendon, in honor of Lord Clarendon, on Cape Fear River. 1670. Immigrants from England lay the foun- dation of the city of Charleston. Religious liberty is granted to all colonists. Many Huguenots come to Carolina. The Eng- lish Company owning this provmce undertakes to govern it by a constitution called the "Grand Model," but the people refuse to accept it and insist on governing themselves. 1712 1712. The province is divided into North and South Carolina, each being subject to a gov- ernor appointed by the King. In North Caro- lina the manufacture of tar, pitch and turpen- tine becomes predominant ; in South Carolina the culture of rice, indigo and cotton proves enormousl}^ profitable. 1681 PENNSYLVANIA. William Penn, the most influential of English Quakers, obtains by a grant from Charles II a vast tract of land lying west of the Delaware River and calls it Pennsylvania. Three ship- loads of colonists from England, Ireland, Wales, Holland and Germany are sent over. 1682. Penn arrives with a company of about a hundred Quakers and founds the city of Phila- delphia. Sixteen He makes a treaty with the Indians and solemn promises of mutual friendship are given, which are kept by both parties. Delaware, which Penn had bought from the Duke of York, governor of New York, forms a part of Pennsylvania, called ''Territories of Penn- sylvania," with a legislature of its own, till 1776. Penn gives the settlers a constitution, which he calls the "Frame of Government." It provides for a governor appointed by the proprietor, a legislature of two houses elected by the people, for judges and a vote by ballot. The toleration and liberality of Penn attracts many emigrants from England, Ireland, and Germany. As a consequence, Pennsylvania becomes one of the most populous of the colonies, with many flourish- ing towns. Philadelphia grows rapidly and is, at the beginning of the revolution, the largest and in every respect the most important city in the Amer- ican colonies. 1 763- 1 767. The English surveyors Mason and Dixon established the boundary line between Pennsylvania and Maryland, Mason and Dixon Line. GEORGIA. 1732 General James Oglethorpe obtains a charter from George II of England, for settling the land be- tween the Savannah and Altamaha Rivers and calls this territory Georgia. 1733. The first immigrants, under Oglethorpe, plant a settlement on the Savannah River and name it Savannah. Later, Germans, Italians and Scottish Highlanders arrive and establish colonies. The cotton industry is introduced. The prosperity of this colony begins when, in 1752, it comes under the royal government. 1660- 1 760. The population; of the thirteen col- onies increases nearly tenfold, from 200,000 to 2,000,000. Commerce develops, but little man- ufacturing is done. Stage coaches, post offices and newspapers are introduced. Seventeen THE FRENCH EXPLORATION OF THE WEST. 1534 1604 1608 1673 1679 Cartier, a French navigator, discovers the St. Lawrence River. Ascending the stream he comes to a lofty hill, which he calls Montreal, or royal mountain. He takes possession of the country in the name of France. Samuel de Champlain and De Monts arrive with two shiploads of colonists on the shore of what is now Nova Scotia and settle at Port Royal. Champlain sails up the St. Lawrence and builds a fort at the site of Quebec as a fur trade post. From the two settlements at Port Royal and Quebec grow up the two French colonies called Acadia and New France, or Canada. Champlain soon afterwards discovers the beautiful lake that bears his name, and pushes his explora- tions westward as far as Lake Huron. In the war of the Huron Indians against the Iroquois, the French colonists take the part of the Hurons. The muskets of the whites win the Hurons an easy vic- tory; but the Iroquois become hereafter bitter enemies of the French. From now on the fur traders and Jesuit missionaries push their way into the wilderness and reach the western shore of Lake Michigan (1669). Missions are planted among the Indians at Mackinaw, Sault Ste. Marie, and Green Bay. Father Marquette, a missionary, and Joliet, an explorer, hearing of a great river called by the Indians the "Father of the Waters," float down the Wisconsin to the Mississippi, which they descend to the mouth of the Arkansas. La Salle, the greatest of the French explorers, crosses Lake Erie, Huron and Michigan on a sailing vessel to Mackinaw; he builds a fort on the St. Joseph River and pushes through the Eighteen wilderness to the Illinois River. From there he makes his way through a thousand miles of wild country to Montreal for the purpose of obtaining supplies. Meanwhile Father Hen- nepin, a'jesuit priest in La Salle's expedition, explores the upper Mississippi to the Falls of St. Anthony. 1682 La Salle, on his return to the Illinois, launches his canoes on this river, enters the Mississippi and floats down that stream to its mouth. Here he plants the banner of France and takes possession of the stream and the country drained by the river and its tributaries in the name of Louis XVI of France. He names the country Louisiana. The occupation of the Mississippi valley by the French follows; forts and trading stations are built. 1 71 8. New Orleans is founded and becomes the capital of Louisiana in 1723. The French in America. While the English took possession of the Atlantic coast the French had spread their thin settlements along the St. Lawrence River, thence out to the Great Lakes and along the Mississippi River. They grad- ually pushed their posts farther and farther, along the Ohio, Wisconsin, and Illinois rivers, claiming the whole country drained by the great rivers, until their lands completely surrounded the lands claimed by the English. Quebec was the great French cen- ter and military post, and the seat of the governor of New France. One object which the French had in view was the fur trade. Indian hunters would range the deep wilderness, kill the game, and bring the furs to the French forts, or trading posts, where the traders would exchange them for cheap jewelry, arms, clothes, or whiskey. Another object was that of converting the savages to Christianity. Among the boldest and most sacrificing of the pioneers were the French priests. They set up their little chapels in the villages of the Indians, teaching them the customs of civilized life, enduring all sorts of hardship, and frequently ending their lives in the horrors of savage torture. Nineteen ERA OF COLONIAL WARS. 1689 1689-1697 1702-1713 The long struggle between England and France for colonial dominion in America begins. King William's War. War breaks out between England and France in Europe. The hostilities extend to America and result in frightful massacres by the Indian allies of France. 1690. Count Frontenac, the governor of New France, sends an expedition of French and Indians to attack the EngHsh colonies on the Hudson, in New Hamp- shire and Maine. These troops destroy Schenectady, Durham (N. H.), and Haverhill (Mass.), and massacre the inhabitants or make them captives. 1691. An English expedition from Boston, led by William Phips of Maine, captures the French fort at Port Royal, Acadia. For seven years more the French and Indians ravage the English frontier settlements. English expeditions to capture Quebec and Montreal fail. 1697. By the terms of peace Acadia with Port Royal is restored to France. Queen Anne's War. The French and their Indian allies attack and burn Deerfield and Haverhill, Mass., and massacre the inhabitants or carry them into captivity. 1710. New England colonists capture Port Royal and name it Annapolis. An expedition to conquer Quebec ends in shipwreck. 1713. By the terms of peace France is forced to give up to England Acadia, which is now called Nova Scotia, New Foundland, and all claim to the territory that is drained by the rivers that flow into Hudson Bay. During the time of peace that lasts for thirty years the French, determined to keep the British out of Louisiana and New France, con- struct a chain of forts from Quebec to the Great Twenty 1744-1748 1754-1763 1755 Lakes and thence down the Illinois and Miss- issippi to the Gulf. King George's War. During this war Louisburg, a strongly fortified French town on Cape Bre- ton Island, is taken by New England militia under William Pepperell and four British ves- sels. By the terms of peace Louisburg is restored to France. The Fourth, or French and Indian, War. Influential Virginians and London merchants or- ganize the Ohio Company for the purpose of planting settlements on the bank of the Ohio to gain possession of the territory west of the Alleghenies. The French resolve to stop this movement and build a new line of forts from Lake Erie to the Ohio. 1753- Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia, sends George Washington to Venango, one of the French forts, to warn the French against intruding upon the Ohio territory. The French commander refuses to with- draw. 1754. Dinwiddie sends a party of backswoodsmen, un- der George Washington, to build a fort at the place where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers unite into the Ohio. The French drive off the expedition and build a fort themselves, which they name Fort Duquesne. England sends General Braddock with two regiments to take Fort Duquesne. Washington accompanies him. The English suffer defeat. Washington covers their retreat with the remnants of the colonial troops. 1755. An English expedition from Boston captures the French forts at the head of the Bay of Fundy, Acadia, and drives many thousands of Acadians, or French inhabitants of Nova Scotia, into exile. The Battle of Lake George. To take the French fort Crown Point, on Lake Champlain, an army starts from New York and meets the French on Lake George. The French are defeated but keep Crown Point and build Fort Ticonderoga, on Lake George. The English build Fort William Henry at the head of the lake. Twenty-one 1758 1763 1763-1766 1/56. Montcalm, commander-in-chief of the French troops in America, takes Fort Oswego. Then, in 1757, he descends Lake Champlain and Lake George and forces Fort William Henry to surrender. The English garrison is partly massacred by Montcalm's Indian allies. In the following year Montcalm de- feats General Abercrombie, who tries to take Fort Ticonderoga. William Pitt, the new minister of England, sends fresh troops to the colonies. The fortune of war changes in favor of the English. The English capture Louisburg, on Cape Breton Island. A second expedition to Fort Duquesne, in which Washington takes part, takes this fort and names it Fort Pitt, Pittsburg. 1759- Forts Niagara, Ticonderoga and Crown Point surrender to the British. An expedition, under General Wolfe, sails against Quebec. After a siege of many months, the fortress, defended by Montcalm, surrenders to the English. 1760. An English army marches against Montreal and captures it. The whole of Canada is conquered. By the terms of peace, France withdraws from America. She cedes to Great Britain all of New France (Canada), all islands at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River, and all Louisiana east of the Mississippi, except New Orleans and the neighboring- territory. Spain, having aided France in the last year of war, is forced to give up Florida to Great Britain, but obtains from France the Louisiana territory west of the Mississippi with the capital of New Orleans. Pontiac's War. After peace between England and France had been concluded the former Indian allies of the French create a great uprising against their new masters, the English. Pontiac, chief of a Michigan tribe, forms a secret league with other tribes to drive the English from the whole western country. The effort is largely suc- cessful. The Indians burn many English forts and massacre their inhabitants. Only Fort Detroit and Fort Pitt resist the assault. The war continues for three years. , 1764. The savages suffer defeat at Bushy Run, Pa., and make peace, 1766. The failure of the conspiracy of Pontiac breaks the backbone of Indian resistance forever. Twenty-tzvo THE REVOLUTION, 1763-1789. ITS CAUSES. 1763-1775 The causes of the Revolution arose chiefly from an attempt of the English motherland: (i) to enforce the trade laws, by which the develop- ment of the trade of the English colonies was greatly impeded ; (2) to quarter royal troops in the colonies, that is to compel the colonies to furnish quarters for the troops to live in ; (3) to support the troops by taxes imposed without the consent of the colonies. 1764. King George of England tries to enforce the Navigation Acts passed in 165 1 and 1663, by which the American colonies should trade only with Great Britain. All trade was re- stricted to ships' built in English yards. Up to this time these laws had not been rigidly en- forced and smuggling had been very common. 1765. The English Parliament passes the Stamp Act, by which all public documents of the thirteen colonies were to have government stamps affixed to them in order to raise the money for keeping troops in the colonies. The colonies resist the Stamp Tax on the ground that they are not represented in the Parliament, and taxes could lawfully be laid on them only by their chosen representatives. The attempt to enforce the tax leads to resistance, and a congress of delegates of the colonies held in New York issues a declaration of rights and grievances. 1766. Parliament repeals the Stamp Act, but at the same time asserts the right to tax. 1767. Parliament passes the Townshend Acts, to raise a revenue by import duties on goods Tiventy-three brought into the colonics. The colonics re- fuse to buy the taxed articles. 1770 Boston Massacre. Meanwhile royal troops for the defense of the colonies begin to arrive. This leads to new trouble; in Boston the peo- ple and the troops come to blows. 1770. The refusal of the colonies to buy the taxed articles leads to the repeal of all the taxes except that on tea. However, the col- onies refuse to buy taxed tea, whereupon Parliament enables the East India Company to send over tea at a lower price than before. 1773 Boston Tea Party. The colonies prevent the landing of tea in American harbors. In Bos- ton a cargo of tea is destroyed. 1774. As a punishment Parliament enacts the five Intolerable Acts. The port of Boston is closed to all trade. The charter of Massachu- setts is annulled and General Page is appointed governor with despotic power. Thereupon the First Continental Congress, called by Massachusetts, meets in Carpenter's Hall, Philadelphia. It issues a declaration of rights, and petitions for redress. It also calls a second Congress to meet the next year. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, 1875-1783. From the Beginning of the Revolutionary War, 1775, to the Declaration of Independence, 1776. 1775 Governor Gage of Massachusetts, having learned that the patriots were gathering military stores at Con- cord, about twenty miles from Boston, sends troops there to destroy them. The English meet armed resistance, and battles are fought at Lexington and Concord. The "minutemen" drive the English back to Boston. The militia from the neighboring- colonies gather about Boston and besiege it. The second Continental Congress meets at Phila- delphia on May 10, 1775. It calls for recruits to join the militia at Boston (Continental Army), and appoints George Washington commander-in-chief. Twenty-four On the same day "Green Mountain Boys" take Fort Ticonderoga and Fort Crown Point from the Eng- lish. 17th of June. The Americans, under Prescott, are driven from Bunker Hill, Boston, after a valiant resistance, Battle of Bunker Hill. George Washington takes command of the army around Boston. He gathers guns, powder, cannon, trains the men, and for eight months keeps the British shut up in Boston. Meantime troops from Virginia, Mary- land, Pennsylvania, and the four New England col- onies join the Continental Army. An expedition, led by Montgomery and Benedict Arnold, for the conquest of Quebec fails. 1776 Washington seizes Dorchester Heights, near Boston, and thus forces the British to leave this city, March 17. An English fleet, under Clinton, attacks Charleston, South Carolina, but is forced to withdraw and re- turns to New York. King George now hires 30,000 Hessians to fight the American "rebels." Whigs and Tories. During the excitement of this period people were divided into three parties. Those who resisted and rebelled were called Whigs, Patriots, "Sons of Liberty." Those who supported King and Parliament were called Tories. Between these two parties the great mass of the population cared little which way the struggle ended. In New York, Penn- sylvania, and the Carolinas the Tories were numer- ous; they raised regiments and fought for the King. 4th of A committee of the Continental Congress, con- July sisting of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Frank- 1776 lin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston, draws up a Declaration of In- dependence. The Congress adopts this Dec- laration on the 4th of July, 1776. The War from July 4, 1776, to the Victory of Saratoga, October 17, 1777. 1776 Having been defeated at Boston, the British under General Howe sail to New York to get possession of the city and the Hudson River. Thereupon Washington moves his army also south, holds New York City, Fort Washington and Fort Lee and takes position on Brooklyn Heights, Long Island. Twenty-five In the Battle of Long Island General Howe drives the Americans from their positions. Washington re- treats to New York; he loses Fort Washington and Fort Lee and is driven up the Hudson to White Plains. He crosses the Hudson, retreats through New Jersey toward Pennsylvania, and crosses the Delaware. On Christmas night he recrosses this river and surprises and defeats a body of Hessians at Trenton, December 26, 1776. 1777 On January 3, 1777, Washington defeats a part _ of Cornwallis' army at Princeton, and takes possession of the hills at Morristown, where he spends the rest of the winter. Robert Morris, a Philadelphia banker, supports the American army with the necessary funds. Lafayette, a French nobleman, the German officers Baron De Kalb and Baron Steuben, and the Polish patriots Kosciusko and Pulaski join the American army. The British plan for the campaign of 1777 was to cut off New England from the Middle States. General Burgoyne was to come down from Canada and meet General Howe, who was to move up the Hudson. Burgoyne, on his march from Canada to New York, is attacked by the militia of the northern states, loses several battles, and is forced to surrender at Saratoga, October 17, 1777. Howe, instead of going up the Hudson, starts from New York for Philadelphia and defeats Washington, who is trying to check his advance, at Brandywine Creek, September 11. Then he takes Philadelphia. The Continental Congress flees to York, Pa. On October 4, Washington attacks the English army at Germantown, but suffers defeat. He then goes into winter quarters at Valley Forge, where the patriots suffer greatly from cold and hunger, but are thoroughly drilled by Baron von Steuben. National Flag. Congress, on June 14, adopts our national flag. The War From the Victory at Saratoga to the End, 1777-1787. 1778 After the victories of Trenton, Princeton, and Saratoga, France recognizes the independence of the colonies and Benjamin Franklin, sent to France to seek for help, obtains a treaty of alliance. Twtnty-six 1779 1780 1781 Fearing that the French fleet might attack New York, the English General Clinton, successor to Howe, leaves Philadelphia with his army for New York. Washington follows him and fights the battle of Monmouth, which he barely wins. Then Washing- ton follows the British army to New York and re- mains near that city for three years constantly threatening the enemy. Congress, in December, 1775, had created a little navy; some of these vessels win victories under Esek Hop- kins and John Barry. John Paul Jones sails, in the "Ranger," to the Irish Channel and destroys and captures several British ships. In 1779, he wins, in his "Bonhomme Richard," a victory over the Eng- lish frigate "Serapis" off the east coast of Great Britain. Bands of Iroquois Indians, led by Tory captains, com- mit horrible massacres at Wyoming, Pa., and at Cherry Valley, N. Y. 1778-1779. Clark's Expedition. In the country north of the Ohio were a few old French towns and a few old forts garrisoned by the British, from which the Indians obtained guns and powder to attack the frontier. Against these forts and towns George Rogers Clark, a young Virginian, plans an expedition. He starts with a band of backwoodsmen from Pitts- burgh, in boats, floats down the Ohio to its mouth, marches across the prairies of southwestern Illinois and takes Kaskaskia, on the Mississippi. Then he marches under terrible hardships against Vincennes, on the Wabash, captures it and conquers the country near the Wabash and Illinois Rivers. War in the South: An English fleet and army sail from New York and capture Savannah, December 29, 1778. American forces, aided by a French fleet, try to regain Savan- nah, but are repulsed. The British, reinforced by a fleet and army, overrun Georgia, march through South Carolina, and capture Charleston. American forces, under General Gates, suffer decisive defeat at Camden, S. C, by the English under Corn- wallis. But a British force is completely beaten by backwoodsmen at King's Mountain, on the border of North and South Carolina. In the North, Benedict Arnold, commander at West Point, turns traitor and seeks in vain to deliver this fort to the British. General Nathanael Greene takes command of the Amer- ican army in the South. A part of his men, led by TzveHtv-seven 1782 1783 1781 Morgan, wins the battle at Cowpens, S. C. Then Greene retreats to Virginia, drawing Cornwallis away from his supplies in Charleston. At Guilford Court- house, N. C, Cornwallis attacks the American army, but loses so heavily that he has to retreat to Wil- mington, N. C. Greene now turns back, drives the British force out of Camden and reconquers the Carolinas. Savannah and Charleston are the only towns that remain in the hands of the British. Cornwallis marches from Wilmington into Virginia and fortifies himself at Yorktown. Thereupon Wash- ington hurries with his army from New York to Yorktown and besieges the British from the land, while a French fleet closes the harbor. Cornwallis, being surrounded from all sides, surrenders, Octo- ber ig, 1781. Only New York, Savanah, and Charles- ton remain in the hands of the British. In a preliminary treaty Parliament acknowledges the independence of the colonies. The final treaty of peace, negotiated for the United States by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay, is signed in Paris, Sep- tember 3, 1783. The British leave New York, and Washington takes possession of it. By the terms of peace, it is decided that the ter- ritory of the new nation shall extend from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi River. Great Britain retains Canada, but gives Florida back to Spain. The region west of the Mississippi is held by Spain. AFTER THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, 1783-1789. During the war the Continental Congress pre- pares a plan for general government, called Articles of Confederation. By these articles the government is in the hands of the Congress, a single body, to which each state sends at least two, but not more than seven delegates. After some delay the articles are signed by all the states and put in force in 1781. Congress appeals to the states to give up their claims on the territory west of the mountains. Twenty-eight especially on the Northwest Territory, which extends from the Lakes to the Ohio, and from Pennsylvania to the Mississippi, that it might sell the land, pay the debts of the United States, and cut the region into states. 1787 By the year 1787 the land has been ceded, and Congress issues now the famous Northwest Territory Ordinance for the government of the territory. This ordinance provides that slavery should not be permitted in the territory, that it should in time be cut into not more than five, or less than three states; it grants entire religious freedom and encourages education. Six years of trial prove that the government of the United States under the Articles of Con- federation is too weak. Delegates from twelve states meet at Philadelphia to frame the Con- stitution of the United States. Washington is made president of the convention. Having finished its work in September, 1787, the con- vention sends the Constitution to the different states to be ratified. 1788 By July, 1788, eleven states have ratified the Constitution, which provides for a President, a Vice-President, a Congress consisting of the Senate, and the House of Representatives, and for a Supreme Court. 1789 The Constitution is set into effect. George Washington is elected President, John Adams, Vice-President. Twentv-nine THE NEW GOVERNMENT. 1789-1798 1 George Washington, President for two terms; j John Adams, Vice-President. On the 30th of April, 1789, Washington takes the oath of office on the balcony of Federal Hall, New York. He appoints Thomas Jefiferson Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Alexander Ham- ilton Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Knox Secretary of War, and Edmund Randolph Attorney General. Congress selects Philadelphia as the national capital for the ten years, 1790-1800. In 1800 the capital is to be removed to a new city to be built on the Potomac and named Washington in honor of the President. Congress assumes and funds the debts incurred by the different states during the revolution. Import and excise taxes are laid, a national bank is chartered in Philadelphia with branch offices in other cities and a mint is established for coining United States money. The discussion of the acts of Congress leads to the rise of two parties: the Federalists, with their leaders Washington, Adams, and Hamilton, and the (Demo- cratic) Republicans, with their leaders Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe. The former are supporters of a strong government, while the latter oppose a strong government as dangerous to the liberties of the people. In the course of time the former become known as Republicans, the latter as the Democratic Party. 1791 At the suggestion of Jefiferson, the Constitution is amended by twelve articles, Bill of rights, to guard the rights of the people and of the states. 1792. At the election of 1792 both parties, the Federahsts and the Democrats, support Wash- ington for President. The Republicans try. Thirty though ill President. vain, to defeat Adams for Vicc- 1797-1801 1794. The tax on whiskey causes an insurrection in Pennsylvania, which is easily suppressed by a force of militia. Whiskey Rebellion. A five years' Indian war in the Northwest Territory is ended by Wayne's victory and the Treaty of Green- ville, 1795. 1795- Jay's Treaty. At the outbreak of war be- tween France and England, Washington issues a proclamation of neutrality, although the Democratic-Republican party urges the admin- istration to support France for her assistance during the Revolution. To settle differences with England, Chief Justice Jay is sent to Lon- don and obtains a new treaty, whereby Eng- land withdraws from the posts held by her in our country. The Republican Party opposes this treaty as unfavorable to the United States. By a treaty with Spain the latter withdraws from the posts on our southern frontier and grants the right of deposit at New Orleans. During this period three new states enter the Union: Vermont, 1791, Kentucky, 1792, and Tennessee, 1796. Already before and during the Revolution, American pioneers from Virginia and North Carolina crossed the mountains and built settlements on the Kentucky and Tennessee Rivers. On the Kentucky the towns of Harrodsburg, Boonesborough, Lexington, and Louisville were settled; on the Tennessee, Green- ville. Within twenty years these commonwealths grew so populous that they desired to become sep- arate states. By the invention of the cotton-gin by Eli Whitney (1793) the production of cotton becomes one of the leading industries of the country. But unfortunately a large class of people now becomes interested in maintaining slave labor. Washington refuses to serve a third term. John Adams, Federalist, President; Thomas Jef- ferson, Vice-President. France, enraged by our Jay Treaty and the elec- tion of Adams, makes insulting demands upon Thirty -one our commissioners sent to that country to set- tle some differences. The X. Y. Z. letters con- taining these demands arouse! the country. ''Millions for defense, not one cent for tribute." Congress makes preparations for war, creates the Navy Department, and the first Secretary of Navy is appointed. Several French vessels are captured at the French West Indies. How- ever, when Napoleon comes into power in France, he concludes a new treaty with the United States and thus prevents war, 1800. At this time, 1798, Joseph Hopkinson, of Philadelphia, writes our national song Hail, Columbia! 1798. Congress passes the Alien and Sedition Acts. 