Chapter D: H. Montgomery (7)

244. The Lincoln family move to Indiana; "Abe" helps his father build a new home; what it was like.--Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12th, 1809, in a log shanty on a lonely little farm in Kentucky.[1] When "Abe," as he was called, was seven years old, his father, Thomas Lincoln, moved, with his family, to Indiana;[2] there the boy and his mother worked in the woods and helped him build a new home. That new home was not so good or so comfortable as some of our cow-sheds are. It was simply a hut made of rough logs and limbs of trees. It had no door and no windows. One side of it was left entirely open; and if a roving Indian or a bear wanted to walk in to dinner, there was nothing whatever to stop him. In winter "Abe's" mother used to hang up some buffalo skins before this wide entrance, to keep out the cold, but in summer the skins were taken down, so that living in such a cabin was the next thing to living out-of-doors.

[Footnote 1: Kentucky: Abraham Lincoln was born on the banks of the Big South Fork (or branch) of Nolin Creek in Hardin (now La Rue) County, Kentucky.]

[Footnote 2: Indiana: the Lincoln family moved to a farm on Little Pigeon Creek, near Gentryville, in what is now Spencer County, Indiana.]

245. The new log cabin with four sides to it; how the furniture was made; "Abe's" bed in the loft.--The Lincoln family stayed in that shed for about a year; then they moved into a new log cabin which had four sides to it. They seem to have made a new set of furniture for the new house. "Abe's" father got a large log, split it in two, smoothed off the flat side, bored holes in the under side and drove in four stout sticks for legs: that made the table. They had no chairs,--it would have been too much trouble to make the backs,--but they had three-legged stools, which Thomas Lincoln made with an axe, just as he did the table; perhaps "Abe" helped him drive in the legs.

In one corner of the loft of this cabin the boy had a big bag of dry leaves for his bed. Whenever he felt like having a new bed, all that he had to do was to go out in the woods and gather more leaves.

He worked about the place during the day, helping his father and mother. For his supper he had a piece of cornbread. After he had eaten it, he climbed up to his loft in the dark, by a kind of ladder of wooden pins driven into the logs. Five minutes after that he was fast asleep on his bed of sweet-smelling leaves, and was dreaming of hunting coons, or of building big bonfires out of brush.[3]

[Footnote 3: Brush: bushes and limbs of trees.]

246. Death of "Abe's" mother; the lonely grave in the woods; what Abraham Lincoln said of his mother after he had grown to be a man; what "Abe's" new mother said of him.--"Abe's" mother was not strong, and before they had been in their new log cabin a year she fell sick and died. She was buried on the farm. "Abe" used to go out and sit by her lonely grave in the forest and cry. It was the first great sorrow that had ever touched the boy's heart. After he had grown to be a man, he said with eyes full of tears to a friend with whom he was talking: "God bless my mother; all that I am or ever hope to be I owe to her."

At the end of a year Thomas Lincoln married again. The new wife that he brought home was a kind-hearted and excellent woman. She did all she could to make the poor, ragged, barefooted boy happy. After he had grown up and become famous, she said: "Abe never gave me a cross word or look, and never refused to do anything I asked him: Abe was the best boy I ever saw."

247. The school in the woods; the new teacher; reading by the open fire; how "Abe" used the fire-shovel.--There was a log schoolhouse in the woods quite a distance off, and there "Abe" went for a short time. At the school he learned to read and write a little, but after a while he found a new teacher, that was--himself. When the rest of the family had gone to bed, he would sit up and read his favorite books by the light of the great blazing logs heaped up on the open fire. He had not more than half a dozen books in all. They were "Robinson Crusoe," "Pilgrim's Progress," AEsop's[4] Fables, the Bible, a Life of Washington, and a small History of the United States. The boy read these books over and over till he knew a great deal of them by heart and could repeat whole pages from them.

Part of his evenings he spent in writing and ciphering. Thomas Lincoln was so poor that he could seldom afford to buy paper and pens for his son, so the boy had to get on without them. He used to take the back of the broad wooden fire-shovel to write on and a piece of charcoal for a pencil. When he had covered the shovel with words or with sums in arithmetic, he would shave it off clean and begin over again. If "Abe's" father complained that the shovel was getting thin, the boy would go out into the woods, cut down a tree, and make a new one; for as long as the woods lasted, fire-shovels and furniture were cheap.

[Footnote 4: AEsop (E'sop): the name of a noted writer of fables. Here is one of AEsop's fables: An old frog thought that he could blow himself up to be as big as an ox. So he drew in his breath and puffed himself out prodigiously. "Am I big enough now?" he asked his son. "No," said his son; "you don't begin to be as big as an ox yet." Then he tried again, and swelled himself out still more. "How's that?" he asked. "Oh, it's no use trying," said his son, "you can't do it." "But I will," said the old frog. With that he drew in his breath with all his might and puffed himself up to such an enormous size that he suddenly burst.

Moral: Don't try to be bigger than you can.]

248. What Lincoln could do at seventeen; what he was at nineteen; his strength.--By the time the lad was seventeen he could write a good hand, do hard examples in long division, and spell better than any one else in the county. Once in a while he wrote a little piece of his own about something which interested him; when the neighbors heard it read, they would say, "The world can't beat it."

At nineteen Abraham Lincoln had reached his full height. He stood nearly six feet four inches, barefooted. He was a kind of good-natured giant. No one in the neighborhood could strike an axe as deep into a tree as he could, and few, if any, were equal to him in strength. It takes a powerful man to put a barrel of flour into a wagon without help, and there is not one in a hundred who can lift a barrel of cider off the ground; but it is said that young Lincoln could stoop down, lift a barrel on to his knees, and drink from the bung-hole.

249. Young Lincoln makes a voyage to New Orleans; how he handled the robbers.--At this time a neighbor hired Abraham to go with his son to New Orleans. The two young men were to take a flat-boat loaded with corn and other produce down the Ohio and the Mississippi. It was called a voyage of about eighteen hundred miles, and it would take between three and four weeks.

Young Lincoln was greatly pleased with the thought of making such a trip. He had never been away any distance from home, and, as he told his father, he felt that he wanted to see something more of the world. His father made no objection, but, as he bade his son good by, he said, Take care that in trying to see the world you don't see the bottom of the Mississippi.

The two young men managed to get the boat through safely. But one night a gang of negroes came on board, intending to rob them of part of their cargo. Lincoln soon showed the robbers he could handle a club as vigorously as he could an axe, and the rascals, bruised and bleeding, were glad to get off with their lives.

250. The Lincolns move to Illinois; what Abraham did; hunting frolics; how Abraham chopped; how he bought his clothes.--Not long after young Lincoln's return, his father moved to Illinois.[5] It was a two weeks' journey through the woods with ox-teams. Abraham helped his father build a comfortable log cabin; then he and a man named John Hanks split walnut rails, and fenced in fifteen acres of land for a cornfield.

That part of the country had but few settlers, and it was still full of wild beasts. When the men got tired of work and wanted a frolic, they had a grand wolf-hunt. First, a tall pole was set up in a clearing;[6] next, the hunters in the woods formed a great circle of perhaps ten miles in extent. Then they began to move nearer and nearer together, beating the bushes and yelling with all their might. The frightened wolves, deer, and other wild creatures inside of the circle of hunters were driven to the pole in the clearing; there they were shot down in heaps.

Young Lincoln was not much of a hunter, but he always tried to do his part. Yet, after all, he liked the axe better than he did the rifle. He would start off before light in the morning and walk to his work in the woods, five or six miles away. There he would chop steadily all day. The neighbors knew, when they hired him, that he wouldn't sit down on the first log he came to and fall asleep. Once when he needed a new pair of trousers, he made a bargain for them with a Mrs. Nancy Miller. She agreed to make him a certain number of yards of tow cloth,[7] and dye it brown with walnut bark. For every yard she made, Lincoln bound himself to split four hundred good fence-rails for her. In this way he made his axe pay for all his clothes.

[Footnote 5: Illinois: he moved to a farm on the North Fork (or branch) of the Sangamon River, Macon County, Illinois. Springfield, the capital of the state, is in the next county west.]

[Footnote 6: Clearing: an open space made in a forest.]

[Footnote 7: Tow cloth: a kind of coarse, cheap, but very strong cloth, made of flax or hemp.]

251. Lincoln hires out to tend store; the gang of ruffians in New Salem; Jack Armstrong and "Tall Abe."--The year after young Lincoln came of age he hired out to tend a grocery and variety store in New Salem, Illinois.[8] There was a gang of young ruffians in that neighborhood who made it a point to pick a fight with every stranger. Sometimes they mauled him black and blue; sometimes they amused themselves with nailing him up in a hogshead and rolling him down a hill. The leader of this gang was a fellow named Jack Armstrong. He made up his mind that he would try his hand on "Tall Abe," as Lincoln was called. He attacked Lincoln, and he was so astonished at what happened to him that he never wanted to try it again. From that time Abraham Lincoln had no better friends than young Armstrong and the Armstrong family. Later on we shall see what he was able to do for them.

[Footnote 8: New Salem is on the Sangamon River, in Menard County, about twenty miles northwest of Springfield, the capital of Illinois.]

252. Lincoln's faithfulness in little things; the six cents; "Honest Abe."--In his work in the store Lincoln soon won everybody's respect and confidence. He was faithful in little things, and in that way he made himself able to deal with great ones.

Once a woman made a mistake in paying for something she had bought, and gave the young man six cents too much. He did not notice it at the time, but after his customer had gone he saw that she had overpaid him. That night, after the store was closed, Lincoln walked to the woman's house, some five or six miles out of the village, and paid her back the six cents. It was such things as this that first made the people give him the name of "Honest Abe."

253. The Black Hawk War; the Indian's handful of dry leaves; what Lincoln did in the war.--The next year Lincoln went to fight the Indians in what was called the Black Hawk War. The people in that part of the country had been expecting the war; for, some time before, an Indian had walked up to a settler's cabin and said, "Too much white man." He then threw a handful of dry leaves into the air, to show how he and his warriors were coming to scatter the white men. He never came, but a noted chief named Black Hawk, who had been a friend of Tecumseh's,[9] made an attempt to drive out the settlers, and get back the lands which certain Indians had sold them.

Lincoln said that the only battles he fought in this war were with the mosquitoes. He never killed a single Indian, but he saved the life of one old savage. He seems to have felt just as well satisfied with himself for doing that as though he had shot him through the head.

[Footnote 9: Tecumseh: See paragraph 202.]

254. Lincoln becomes postmaster and surveyor; how he studied law; what the people thought of him as a lawyer.--After Lincoln returned from the war he was made postmaster of New Salem. He also found time to do some surveying and to begin the study of law. On hot summer mornings he might be seen lying on his back, on the grass, under a big tree, reading a law-book; as the shade moved round, Lincoln would move with it, so that by sundown he had travelled nearly round the tree.

When he began to practise law, everybody who knew him had confidence in him. Other men might be admired because they were smart, but Lincoln was respected because he was honest. When he said a thing, people knew that it was because he believed it, and they knew, too, that he could not be hired to say what he did not believe. That gave him immense influence.

255. The Armstrong murder trial; how Lincoln saved young Armstrong from being hanged.--But Lincoln was as keen as he was truthful and honest. A man was killed in a fight near where Lincoln had lived, and one of Jack Armstrong's[10] brothers was arrested for the murder. Everybody thought that he was guilty, and felt sure that he would be hanged. Lincoln made some inquiry about the case, and made up his mind that the prisoner did not kill the man.

Mrs. Armstrong was too poor to hire a lawyer to defend her son, but Lincoln wrote to her that he would gladly do it for nothing.

When the day of the trial came, the chief witness was sure that he saw young Armstrong strike the man dead. Lincoln questioned him closely. He asked him when it was that he saw the murder committed. The witness said that it was in the evening, at a certain hour, and that he saw it all clearly because there was a bright moon. Are you sure? asked Lincoln. Yes, replied the witness. Do you swear to it? I do, answered the witness. Then Lincoln took an almanac out of his pocket, turned to the day of the month on which the murder had been committed, and said to the court: The almanac shows that there was no moon shining at the time at which the witness says he saw the murder.[11] The jury was convinced that the witness had not spoken the truth; they declared the prisoner "Not guilty," and he was at once set free.

Lincoln was a man who always paid his debts. Mrs. Armstrong had been very kind to him when he was poor and friendless. Now he had paid that debt.

[Footnote 10: See Jack Armstrong, in paragraph 251.]

[Footnote 11: The almanac usually gives the time when the moon rises; and so by looking at any particular day of the month, one can tell whether there was a moon on that evening.]

256. Lincoln and the pig.--Some men have hearts big enough to be kind to their fellow-men when they are in trouble, but not to a dumb animal. Lincoln's heart was big enough for both.

One morning just after he had bought a new suit of clothes he started to drive to the court-house, a number of miles distant. On the way he saw a pig that was making desperate efforts to climb out of a deep mud-hole. The creature would get part way up the slippery bank, and then slide back again over his head in mire and water. Lincoln said to himself: I suppose that I ought to get out and help that pig; for if he's left there, he'll smother in the mud. Then he gave a look at his glossy new clothes. He felt that he really couldn't afford to spoil them for the sake of any pig, so he whipped up his horse and drove on. But the pig was in his mind, and he could think of nothing else. After he had gone about two miles, he said to himself, I've no right to leave that poor creature there to die in the mud, and what is more, I won't leave him. Turning his horse, he drove back to the spot. He got out and carried half a dozen fence-rails to the edge of the hole, and placed them so that he could get to it without falling in himself. Then, kneeling down, he bent over, seized the pig firmly by the fore legs and drew him up on to the solid ground, where he was safe. The pig grunted out his best thanks, and Lincoln, plastered with mud, but with a light heart, drove on to the court-house.

257. Lincoln is elected to the state legislature; he goes to Springfield to live; he is elected to Congress.--Many people in Illinois thought that they would like to see such a man in the state legislature[12] helping to make their laws. They elected him; and as he was too poor at that time to pay so much horse-hire, he walked from New Salem, a distance of over a hundred miles, to Vandalia,[13] which was then the capital of the state.

Lincoln was elected to the legislature many times; later, he moved to Springfield, Illinois, and made that place his home for the rest of his life.

The next time the people elected him to office, they sent him to Congress to help make laws, not for his state only, but for the whole country. He had got a long way up since the time when he worked with John Hanks[14] fencing the cornfield round his father's cabin; but he was going higher still,--he was going to the top.

[Footnote 12: Legislature: persons chosen by the people of a state or country to make its laws.]

[Footnote 13: Vandalia (Van-da'li-a).]

[Footnote 14: John Hanks: see paragraph 250.]

258. The meeting for choosing a candidate[15] for President of the United States; the two fence-rails; the Chicago meeting; Abraham Lincoln elected President of the United States.--In the spring of 1860 a great convention, or meeting, was held in one of the towns of Illinois. Lincoln was present at that convention. The object of the people who had gathered there was to choose a candidate that they would like to see elected President of the United States. A number of speeches had been made, when a member of the convention rose and said that a person asked the privilege of making the meeting a present. It was voted to receive it. Then John Hanks and one of his neighbors brought in two old fence-rails and a banner with these words painted on it:--

ABRAHAM LINCOLN, THE RAIL CANDIDATE FOR THE PRESIDENCY IN 1860. TWO RAILS FROM A LOT OF 3000 MADE IN 1830 BY JOHN HANKS AND ABE LINCOLN.

The rails were received with cheer after cheer, and Lincoln was chosen candidate. About a week after that a much greater meeting was held in Chicago, and he was chosen there in the same way. The next November Abraham Lincoln, "the Illinois rail-splitter," was elected President of the United States. He had reached the top. There he was to die.

[Footnote 15: Candidate (can'di-date): a person who seeks some office, such as that of governor or president, or a person who is recommended by a party for such an office. The people in favor of the candidate vote for him; and if he gets a sufficient number of votes, he is elected.]

259. The great war between the North and the South; why a large part of the people of the South wished to leave the Union.--In less than six weeks after Lincoln actually became President, in the spring of 1861, a terrible war broke out between the North and the South. The people of South Carolina fired the first gun in that war. They, together with a great part of the people of ten other southern states, resolved to leave the Union.[16] They set up an independent government called the Confederate States of America, and made Jefferson Davis its president.

The main reason why so many of the people of the South wished to withdraw from the United States was that little by little the North and the South had become like two different countries.

At the time of the Revolution, when we broke away from the rule of England, every one of the states held negro slaves; but in the course of eighty years a great change had taken place. The negroes at the North had become free, but those of the South still remained slaves. Now this difference in the way of doing work made it impossible for the North and the South to agree about many things.

They had come to be like two boys in a boat who want to go in opposite directions. One pulls one way with his oars, the other pulls another way, and so the boat does not get ahead.

At the South most of the people thought that slavery was right, and that it helped the whole country; at the North the greater part of the people were convinced that it was wrong, and that it did harm to the whole country.

But this was not all. The people who held slaves at the South wanted to add to the number. They hoped to get more of the new country west of the Mississippi River for slave states, so that there might always be at least as many slave states in the Union as there were free states. But Abraham Lincoln like most of the people at the North believed that slavery did no good to any one. He and his party were fully determined that no slaves whatever should be taken into the territories west of the Mississippi River, and that every new state which should be added should be entirely free.

For this reason it happened that when Lincoln became President most of the slave states resolved to leave the Union, and, if necessary, to make war rather than be compelled to stay in it.

[Footnote 16: Union: several years after the close of the Revolutionary War, by which we gained our independence of Great Britain, the people of the thirteen states formed a new government. That new government bound all the states together more strongly than before, thus making, as was then said, "a more _perfect union_."

In 1861 eleven of the southern states endeavored to withdraw from the Union; this attempt brought on the war.]

260. The North and the South in the war; President Lincoln frees the slaves; General Grant and General Lee; peace is made.--The North had the most men and the most money to fight with, but the people of the South had the advantage of being able to stay at home and fight on their own ground.

The war lasted four years (1861-1865). Many terrible battles were fought; thousands of brave men were killed on both sides. During the war President Lincoln gave the slaves their freedom in all the states which were fighting against the Union, and those in the other slave states got their freedom later. After a time General Grant obtained the command of all the armies of the North, and General Lee became the chief defender of the South.

The last battles were fought around Richmond, Virginia, between these two great generals. When the Southern soldiers saw that it was useless to attempt to fight longer, they laid down their arms, and peace was made--a peace honorable to both sides.

261. The success of the North preserves the Union and makes all slaves free; the North and the South shake hands; murder of President Lincoln.--The success of the North in the war preserved the Union, and as all negro laborers were now free, there was no longer any dispute about slavery. The North and the South could shake hands and be friends, for both were now ready to pull in the same direction.

The saddest thing at the close of the war was the murder of President Lincoln by a madman named Booth. Not only the people of the North but many of those at the South shed tears at his death, because they felt that they had an equal place in his great heart. He loved both, as a true American must ever love his whole country.

262. Summary.--Abraham Lincoln, of Illinois, became President of the United States in 1861. He was elected by a party in the North that was determined that slaves should not be taken into free states or territories, and that no more slave states should be made. On this account most of the slave-holding states of the South resolved to withdraw from the Union. A great war followed, and President Lincoln gave the slaves their freedom. The North succeeded in the war, and the Union was made stronger than ever, because the North and the South could no longer have any dispute over slavery. Both sides now shook hands and became friends.

Who was the tall man in Congress from Illinois? What did the people of his state like to call him? When was Abraham Lincoln born? Where was he born? To what state did his father move? Tell about "Abe's" new home. Tell about the new cabin and its furniture. Tell about "Abe's" bed. What is said about the boy's mother? What did "Abe" do? What did he say after he became a man? What did Thomas Lincoln's new wife say about "Abe"? Tell about "Abe's" going to school; about his new teacher; about his books. What did he use to write on? What is said of Abraham Lincoln at seventeen? What about him when he was nineteen? Tell about his voyage to New Orleans.

Tell about his moving to Illinois. What did Abraham Lincoln and John Hanks do? Tell about the hunting frolics. Tell how Lincoln chopped in the woods. What kind of a bargain did he make for a new pair of trousers? What did Abraham Lincoln hire out to do in New Salem? Tell about the gang of ruffians. What is said of Jack Armstrong? Why did Lincoln get the name of "Honest Abe"? Tell about the Black Hawk War. What did Lincoln do in that war.

After he returned from the Black Hawk War, what did Lincoln do? Tell how he used to read law. What did people think of him after he began to practise law? Tell about the Armstrong murder trial. Tell about Lincoln and the pig. To what did the people of Illinois elect Lincoln? Did they ever elect him to the state legislature again? Then where did they send him? Was he going any higher?

Tell about the great meeting in one of the towns of Illinois in 1860. Can any one in the class repeat what was on the banner? What happened at Chicago? What the next November? What happened in the spring of 1861? Who fired the first gun in the war? What was done then?

Tell why so many people in the South wished to leave the Union? What is said about negro slaves at the time of the Revolution? What happened in the course of eighty years? What had the North and the South come to be like? How did most of the people at the South feel about slavery? How did most of the people at the North feel about it? What did the people who held slaves at the South want to do? What did most of the people at the North think about this? What is said about Abraham Lincoln and his party? How did most of the people of the slave states feel when Lincoln became President?

What is said about the North and the South in the war? How long did the war last? What is said about it? What did President Lincoln do for the slaves? After a time what general got the command of all the armies of the North? Who became the chief defender of the South? Where were the last battles fought? What did the South do at last? What happened then? What did the success of the North do? What is said about slavery? What could the North and the South do? What was the saddest thing which happened at the close of the war? How did the North and the South feel about President Lincoln?

SINCE THE WAR.

263. How the North and the South have grown since the war; the great West.--Since the war the united North and South have grown and prospered[1] as never before. At the South many new and flourishing towns and cities have sprung up. Mines of coal and iron have been opened, hundreds of cotton-mills and factories have been built, and long lines of railroads have been constructed.

At the West changes equally great have taken place. Cities have risen up in the wilderness, mines of silver and gold have been opened, and immense farms and cattle ranches[2] produce food enough to feed all America. Three great lines of railroads have been built which connect with railroads at the East, and stretch across the continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Into that vast country beyond the Mississippi hundreds of thousands of industrious people are moving from all parts of the earth, and are building homes for themselves and for their children.

ON THE COMPLETION OF THE FIRST RAILROAD TO THE PACIFIC IN 1869.]

[Footnote 1: Prospered: to prosper is to succeed, to get on in life, to grow rich.]

[Footnote 2: Ranches (ran'chez): farms at the West for raising horses and cattle, or sheep.]

[Footnote 3: The last spikes (one of gold from California, one of silver from Nevada, and one made of gold, silver, and iron from Arizona) were driven just as the clock struck twelve (noon) on May 10th, 1869, at Promontory Point, near Salt Lake, Utah. Every blow of the hammer was telegraphed throughout the United States.]

264. Celebration of the discovery of America by Columbus; the unfinished pyramid; making history.--Four hundred years have gone by since the first civilized man crossed the ocean and found this new world which we call America. We are now about to celebrate that discovery made by Columbus, not only in the schools throughout the country, but by a great fair--called the "World's Columbian Exposition"--to be held at Chicago; and we shall invite all who will to come from all parts of the globe and join us in the celebration.

On one of the two great seals[4] of the United States a pyramid is represented partly finished. That pyramid stands for our country. It shows how much has been done and how much still remains to be done. The men whose lives we have read in this little book were all builders. Little by little they added stone to stone, and so the good work grew. Now they have gone, and it is for us to do our part and make sure that the pyramid, as it rises, shall continue to stand square, and strong, and true.

[Footnote 4: Seals: the first great seal, having the eagle and the Latin motto "_E Pluribus Unum_," meaning "_Many in One_,"--or one nation made up of many states,--was adopted June 20, 1782. The spread eagle signifies strength; the thirteen stars above his head, and the thirteen stripes on the shield on his breast, represent the thirteen original states; the olive branch, held in the eagle's right talon, shows that America seeks peace, while the bundle of arrows in his left talon shows that we are prepared for war. This seal is used in stamping agreements or treaties made by the United States with other nations, and also for other important papers.

The second great seal, adopted at the same time, was never used. It was intended for stamping the wax on a ribbon attached to a treaty or other important paper, thus making a hanging seal. The Latin motto "_Annuit Coeptis_," above the all-seeing eye looking down with favor on the unfinished pyramid, means "_God has favored the Work_." The date MDCCLXXVI, or 1776, marks the Declaration of Independence. The Latin motto at the bottom, "_Novus Ordo Seclorum_," means "_A New Order of Ages_"--or a new order of things, such as we have in this New World of America.]

What is said about the North and the South since the war? Tell about the growth of the South. What is said about the West? What about railroads? What about people going west?

How long is it since Columbus discovered America? What is said about the celebration of that discovery? What is said about one of the great seals of the United States? What does the unfinished pyramid stand for? What does it show us? What is said of the men whose lives we have read in this book? Is anything left for us to do?

A SHORT LIST OF BOOKS OF REFERENCE (_For the Use of Teachers._)

This brief list is arranged alphabetically. It consists, with a few exceptions, of small, one-volume biographies; all of which are believed to be of acknowledged merit.

A much fuller reference list will be found in the appendix to the author's larger work, entitled _The Leading Facts of American History_.

Balboa: Irving's Companions of Columbus, and Winsor's America, Vol. II.

Baltimore, Lord: William H. Browne's Lords Baltimore;[3] G. W. Burnap's Baltimore.[1]

Boone, Daniel: C. B. Hartley's Boone (including Boone's autobiography); J. M. Peck's Boone;[1] and see the excellent sketch of Boone's life in Theodore Roosevelt's The Winning of the West, Vol. I.

Cabot (John and Sebastian): J. F. Nicholls's Cabot; C. Hayward's Cabot.[1]

Clark, George Rogers: see Theodore Roosevelt's The Winning of the West, Vol. II.

Columbus: Irving's Columbus, abridged edition; Charles K. Adams's Columbus;[3] Edward Everett Hale's Columbus.

De Leon: Irving's Companions of Columbus, and Winsor's America, Vol. II.

De Soto: see Winsor's America, Vol. II.

Franklin, Benjamin: D. H. Montgomery's Franklin (autobiography and continuation of life);[2] John T. Morse's Franklin.[7]

Fulton, Robert: J. Renwick's Fulton;[1] R. H. Thurston's Fulton;[3] Thos. W. Knox's Fulton.[4]

Gray, Robert: see H. H. Bancroft's Pacific States, Vol. XXII.

Harrison, William Henry: H. Montgomery's Harrison; S. J. Burr's Harrison.

Houston, Sam: Henry Bruce's Houston;[3] C. E. Lester's Houston.

Hudson, Henry: H. R. Cleveland's Hudson.[1]

Jackson, Andrew: James Parton's Jackson; W. G. Sumner's Jackson.[7]

Jefferson, Thomas: James Schouler's Jefferson;[3] John T. Morse, Jr.'s Jefferson.[7]

Lincoln, Abraham: Carl Schurz's Lincoln; Isaac N. Arnold's Lincoln; Noah Brooks's Lincoln;[4] J. G. Holland's Lincoln; F. B. Carpenter's Six Months at the White House with Lincoln.

Morse, Samuel F. B.: S. I. Prime's Morse; Denslow and Parke's Morse (Cassell).

Oglethorpe, James Edward: Bruce's Oglethorpe;[3] W. B. O. Peabody's Oglethorpe.[1]

Penn, William: G. E. Ellis's Penn;[1] W. H. Dixon's Penn; J. Stoughton's Penn.

Philip, King: H. M. Dexter's edition of Church's King Philip's War (2 vols.); Richard Markham's King Philip's War.

NOTE.--The story of Colonel Goffe's appearance at Hadley during the Indian attack on that town rests on tradition. Some authorities reject it; but Bryant and Gay say (History of the United States, II., 410): "There is no reason for doubting its essential truth."

Putnam, Rufus: see H. B. Carrington's Battles of the Revolution, Rufus King's History of Ohio, and Bancroft's United States.

Raleigh, Walter: L. Creighton's Raleigh; E. Gosse's Raleigh; W. M. Towle's Raleigh.[8]

Robertson, James: see Theodore Roosevelt's The Winning of the West, Vol. I.

Sevier John: see Theodore Roosevelt's The Winning of the West, Vol. I.

Smith, John: G. S. Hillard's Captain John Smith;[1] C. D. Warner's Smith.[6]

NOTE.--The truth of the story of Pocahontas has been denied by Mr. Charles Deane and some other recent writers; but it appears never to have been questioned until Mr. Deane attacked it in 1866 in his notes to his reprint of Captain John Smith's _True Relation or Newes from Virginia_. Professor Edward Arber discusses the question in his Introduction (pp. cxv.-cxviii.) to his excellent edition of Smith's writings. He says, "To deny the truth of this Pocahontas incident is to create more difficulties than are involved in its acceptance." See, too, his sketch of the life of Captain Smith in the _Encyclopaedia Britannica_.

Standish, Myles: see J. A. Goodwin's Pilgrim Republic, and Alexander Young's Chronicles of the Pilgrims.

Sutter, John A.: see H. H. Bancroft's Pacific States, Vol. XVIII.

Washington, George: John Fiske's Irving's Washington and his Country;[2] E. E. Hale's Washington;[4] Horace E. Scudder's Washington.[5]

Whitney, Eli: Denison Olmsted's Whitney.

Williams, Roger: W. R. Gammell's Williams;[1] H. M. Dexter's Williams.

Winthrop, John: Joseph H. Twichell's Winthrop.[3]

[Footnote 1: In Sparks's _Library of American Biography_: Little, Brown & Co., Boston.]

[Footnote 2: In _Classics for Children Series_: Ginn & Co., Boston.]

[Footnote 3: In _Makers of America Series_: Dodd, Mead & Co., New York.]

[Footnote 4: In _Boys' and Girls' Library of American Biography_: G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York.]

[Footnote 5: In the _Riverside Library for Young People_: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston.]

[Footnote 6: In _Lives of American Worthies_: Henry Holt & Co., New York.]

[Footnote 7: In _The American Statesmen Series_: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston.]

[Footnote 8: In _The Heroes of History Series_: Lee & Shepard, Boston.]

INDEX.

(_With pronunciation of difficult words._) The numbers refer to paragraphs.

Admiral (Ad'mi-ral) (note), 7.

Alamance (Al'a-mance), battle of, 156.

Alamo (Al'a-mo), battle of, 230.

Alaska purchased, 240.

America, Northmen discover (note), 21.
Columbus discovers, 12.
Cabot's voyage to, 21.
name of, given, 26.
Spaniards settle in, 30.
English settle in, 33, 37.
independence of, declared, 137.
See United States.

Americans, name of, 133.

Amerigo (A-ma-ree'go), see Vespucci, 26.

Apprentice (note), 111.

Armstrong, Jack, 251, 255.
murder trial, 255.

Arnold, Benedict, 141.

Atlantic called the "Sea of Darkness," 8.
crossed by the Northmen (note), 21.
crossed by Columbus, 8.

Augustine, St. (Aw'gus-teen'), founded, 30.

Bacon's war in Virginia, 49.

Balboa (Bal-bo'ah) discovers the Pacific, 28.

Baltimore founded, 80.
in the Revolution, 80.

Baltimore, Lord, in Newfoundland, 76.
Maryland granted to, 77.
power of, 77.
son of, settles Maryland, 78.
grants religious liberty in Maryland, 79.
is persecuted, 80.
summary of, 81.

Battle, playing at, 210.

Battle of Alamance (Al'a-mance), 156.
Alamo (Al'a-mo), 230.
Bunker Hill, 134.
Camden, 212.
Concord, 134.
Cowpens, 140, 210.
Fort Moultrie, 140.
Lexington, 134.
Long Island, 137.
New Orleans, 217.
Princeton, 139.
Saratoga, 139.
Tippecanoe, 203.
Trenton, 138.
Vincennes (Vin-senz'), 167.
Yorktown, 142.

Battles of the Civil War, 260.
with Indians, see Indians and War.

Bees, the, and the "Red-Coats," 208.

Berkeley, governor of Virginia, 49.

Black Hawk War, 253.

"Blazing" trees, 105.

Boone, Daniel, birth and boyhood of, 146.
how he could handle a gun, 147.
his bear tree, 147.
goes to Kentucky, 148.
makes the "Wilderness Road," 150.
builds a fort, 150.
his daughter stolen by Indians, 151.
he is captured and adopted by Indians, 152.
his escape, 153.
how he used tobacco dust, 153.
his old age, 154.
goes to Missouri, 154.
Kentucky helps him, 154.
grave of, 154.
summary of, 155.

Boston founded, 73.
name of, 73.
"Tea Party," 132.
port of, closed, 133.
British driven from, 136, 169.

Bowie (Bow'e), Colonel, 230.

Braddock's defeat, 130.

Bradford, William, caught in trap, 65.

Bradford, Governor, 65.
and Canonicus, 70.

Brewster, Elder, 67.

British, the name, 133.

Brookfield burnt by Indians, 90.

"Brother Jonathan," 241.
origin of name (note), 241.

Brush (note), 245.

Cabot (Cab'ot), John and Sebastian, 21.
discover continent of America, 21.
take possession of, for England, 22.
return to Bristol, 23.
what they carried back, 24.
second voyage of, 25.
how much of America they discovered, 25.
summary of, 27.

California, Captain Sutter in, 236.
gold discovered in, 237.
effects of discovery of gold, 239.
acquisition of, 239.
emigration to, 239.

Camden, battle of, 212.

Canal, Erie, opened, 220.

Candidate (note), 258.

Canonchet (Ka-non'chet) braves death, 93.

Canonicus (Ka-non'i-kus) sends challenge to Bradford, 70.
and Roger Williams, 84, 85.

Cape Cod, arrival of Pilgrims at, 64.
explored by Pilgrims, 65.

Capitol, the, burned, 204.
rebuilt, 204.

Carolina, North, Governor Tryon in, 156.
battle of Alamance in, 156.
the Revolution in, 207.
South, see Charleston.

Carver chosen governor, 64.
his kindness to the sick, 67.
makes treaty with Massasoit, 69.

Catholics cruelly treated in England, 76.
colony of, in Newfoundland, 76.
colony of, in Maryland, 77.
give equal religious rights to Protestants, 78, 79.
persecuted in Maryland, 80.
first English Church of, in America, 78.

Charles II. and Penn, 96, 98.

Charleston helps Georgia, 104.
in the Revolution, 140.
secedes, 259.
begins the Civil War, 259.

Chicago, Columbian Exposition at, 264.

Church, Captain Benjamin, 93.

Church, the first English Protestant, in America, 39.
first English Catholic, in America, 78.

Civil War, the, 259, 260.
causes of the, 259.
battles of the, 260.
Grant and Lee in the, 260.
Lincoln in the, 260.
result of the, 261.

Clark, George Rogers, birth of (note), 162.
expedition against Fort Kaskaskia, 162.
march against, 163.
takes the fort, 163.
is helped by a Catholic priest, 164.
gets Fort Vincennes, 164.
loses the fort, 164.
Vigo offers help to, 164.
marches against Fort Vincennes, 165.
in the "Drowned Lands," 165.
wading to victory, 166.
takes Fort Vincennes, 167.
results of the victory, 167.
grave of, 167.
summary of, 168.

Clearing (note), 250.

Coloma (Ko-lo'ma), gold discovered at, 237.

Colonel (kur'nel) (note), 91.

Colonies, the thirteen (note), 102.

Colony (note), 73.

Columbian Exposition, the, 264.

Columbus, birth and boyhood of, 1.
becomes a sailor, 2.
has a sea-fight, 3.
goes to Lisbon, 3.
his maps of the world, 4.
plan for reaching Indies, 5.
goes to Spain for help, 7.
his reception at the convent, 6.
leaves his son at the convent, 7.
gets help for his voyage, 7.
sails from Palos, 8.
voyage of, 9-11.
discovers land, 12.
names it, 13.
discovers large islands, 15.
returns to Spain, 16.
his reception in Spain, 16.
last voyages of, 17.
his sorrowful old age, 18.
sent back to Spain in chains, 18.
his letter to Ferdinand and Isabella, 18.
death and burial, 19.
summary of, 20.
celebration of his discovery of America, 264.

Compass, Smith's use of the, 41.
Roger Williams', 84.
Washington's use of, 129.

Concord, battle of, 134.

Congress, meeting of the first, 100, 133.
makes Washington commander-in-chief, 135.
declares independence, 100, 137.
meaning of word (note), 133, 225.
votes money for first telegraph lines, 226.

Convent of St. Mary at Palos, 6.

Convent (note), 6.

Cornwallis, Lord, in the Revolution, 137-142.
his pursuit of Washington, 137.
and Arnold, 141.
surrender of, 142.

Cotton, how it grows, 179.
seeds of, 179.
price of, 181.
effect of cotton-gin on, 181.
export of, 183.
size of bales (note), 183.

Cotton-gin, invention of, 180.
effect of the, 181.

Cowpens, battle of, 140, 210.

Crockett, David, motto of, 230.

Declaration of Independence made, 100, 137.
written by Jefferson, 186.
Franklin has part in, 121.
sent throughout the country, 186.

De Leon, pronunciation of name (note), 28.
discovers Florida, 28.

De Soto, pronunciation of name (note), 28.
discovers the Mississippi, 29.

Detroit, Fort, 161.

Discovery, right of (note), 234.

"Drowned Lands," the, 165.

Earthquake, great, of 1811, 198.

Ebenezer (Eb-e-ne'zer), settlement of, 105.
name of, 105.

Electricity, Franklin's experiments in, 118, 119.

Eliot, Rev. John, 89.

Elizabeth, Queen, names Virginia, 33.

Ellsworth, Miss Annie, 226, 227.

Elm, the treaty, at Philadelphia, 99.
the Washington, at Cambridge, 135.

Emigrants (note), 33.

Experiments (note), 118.

Explorer (note), 2.

Fable of the Frog (note), 247.

Fairfax estate, 126.
Lord, and Washington, 126.
his land, 127.
hires Washington to survey, 127.
death of, 143.

Father Gibault (Zhe-bo'), 164.
White, 78, 80.

Ferdinand and Isabella, 6, 7, 16.

Flag, first American, 135.
the British (note), 142.
torn down at New York, 144.
U.S., origin of (note), 142.
carried round the world, 233.
"Star Spangled Banner" (note), 181.
of Texas, 230.
Jasper saves the, 140.

Flint and steel, 84.

Florida, discovery of, 28.
name of (note), 28.
settlement of, 30.
Indian war in, 218.
purchase of, 30, 218.

Fort, Boone's, 150.
Detroit, 161.
Indian, 93.
Jamestown, 38.
Kaskaskia, 161-163.
Manhattan, 59.
McHenry (note), 181.
Moultrie, 140.
Necessity, 130.
Plymouth, 70.
St. Augustine, 30.
Sutter's, 236.
Vincennes, 161, 164-167.

Fortifications on Dorchester Heights, 169.
at New Orleans, 217.

Forts, British, at the West, 161.
French, at the West, 128.

Founds (note), 73.

Fountain, the magic, 28.

Franklin, Benjamin, boyhood of, 111.
works for his father, 111.
is apprenticed to his brother, 111.
boards himself, 111.
is badly treated, 111.
runs away, 112.
his walk across New Jersey, 112.
lands in Philadelphia, 113.
buys some rolls, 113.
sees Miss Read, 113.
goes to a Quaker meeting, 113.
gets work in a printing-office, 114.
goes to Boston on a visit, 114.
learns to stoop, 114.
returns to Philadelphia, 115.
goes to London, 115.
called the "Water American," 115.
returns to Philadelphia, 116.
sets up a newspaper, 110, 116.
his "sawdust pudding," 116.
his almanac, 110.
his sayings, 110.
his plan of life, 117.
what he did for Philadelphia, 109, 117.
experiments with electricity, 118, 119.
his electrical picture, 118.
his electrical kite, 119.
his discoveries in electricity, 119.
invents the lightning-rod, 120.
receives title of Doctor, 120.
services in the Revolution, 121.
thinks we must fight with bows and arrows, 136.
gets help for us from France, 121.
his funeral, 121.
counties named for him, 121.
summary of, 122.

Friends (or Quakers), religion of, 97.
persecuted in England, 97.
go to Pennsylvania, 98.
friendly relations with the Indians, 99.
See William Penn.

Fulton, Robert, birth and boyhood of, 193.
his paddle-wheel scow, 193.
care of his mother, 193.
goes to England and France, 194.
builds iron bridges, 194.
his diving-boat, 194.
torpedo experiments in France, 194.
torpedo experiments in England, 195.
England's offer of money, 195.
his reply, 195.
builds his first steamboat, 196.
returns to America, 197.
builds steamboat here, 197.
trip up the Hudson, 197.
builds steamboat for the West, 198.
what he did for Western emigration, 199.
his grave, 199.
summary of, 200.

Gadsden Purchase, the, 240.

Gage, General, in Boston, 133, 134.
his nose, 136.
leaves Boston, 136.

Genoa (Jen'o-ah) (note), 1.

George II. and Georgia, 102.

George III., resolves to tax Americans, 131.
sends over taxed tea, 132.
closes port of Boston, 133.
hires German soldiers, 134.
his statue pulled down, 137.
his character, 161.

Georgia, name of, 102.
settlement of, 102.
Savannah, 104.
Ebenezer, 105.
silk raised in, 106.
keeps out Spaniards, 107.
in the Revolution, 107.
summary of, 108.

Gibault (Zhe-bo'), Father, 164.

Gin, the cotton, 180, 181.
name of (note), 180.

Goffe, Colonel, at Hadley, 91, and note in A Short List of Books.

Gold, discovered in California, 237.
tested by Sutter, 238.
carried to San Francisco, 239.
excitement over, 239.
effect of discovery of, 239.

Grant, General, 260.

Gray, Captain, voyage to the Pacific, 233.
carries American flag around the world, 233.
names the Columbia River, 234.
helps us to get Oregon, 234.
summary of, 235.

Greene, General (Revolution), 140, 178, 212.

Greene, Mrs. General, 178, 179.

Hadley, Indian attack on, 91.
Goffe at, 91, and note in A Short List of Books.

Hamilton, Colonel, 161, 164.

Hanks, John, and Lincoln, 250, 257, 258.

Harrison, General, birthplace of (note), 203.
governor of Indiana Territory, 203.
marches against the Indians, 203.
gains victory of Tippecanoe, 203.
beats the British, 204.
elected President, 204.
death of, 204.
summary of, 205.

Henry, Patrick, speech of, 185.
sends Clark to take British forts, 162.

Henry VII., sends Cabot on voyage of discovery, 21.
claims part of North America, 22.

Holland, gives Pilgrims a refuge, 62.
takes possession of the country on the Hudson, 59.

Houston (Hew'ston), Sam, birthplace of (note), 229.
in war with Indians, 229.
governor of Tennessee, 229.
goes to live with the Indians, 229.
goes to Texas, 230.
fights for Texas, 230.
is made president of Texas, 230.
in the Civil War, 231.
death of, 231.
summary of, 232.

Howe, General, driven from Boston, 136.

Hudson, Henry, first voyage of, 52.
hired by the Dutch, 53.
sails for America, 53.
discovers the "Great River," 54.
what he said about the country, 55.
voyage up the river, 56.
is feasted by the Indians, 56.
what the Indians thought of him, 56.
has fight with Indians, 57.
sails for Europe, 58.
Hudson River is named for him, 58.
death of, in Hudson Bay, 58.
what he would think of New York now, 60.
summary of, 61.

Hudson River described, 55, 56.
named, 58.
Dutch settle on the, 59.

Illinois, Clark's conquest of, 162, 163.

Independence, see Declaration of Independence.

Indians, Columbus names the, 14.
described, 13.
welcome the English, 32.
of Virginia, 40.
how they lived, 40.
and Captain Smith, 41, 42.
feast Henry Hudson, 56.
make treaty with Pilgrims, 69.
help the Pilgrims, 69.
challenge Pilgrims to fight, 70.
Standish's fight with the, 71.
help the settlers of Maryland, 78.
Roger Williams defends rights of, 83.
how they helped Williams, 84, 85.
great war with, in N. E., 90-94.
Penn defends rights of, to land, 98.
make treaty with Penn, 99.
friendly to the Quakers, 99.
war dance of, 127.
and Daniel Boone, 148-153.
their tricks and stratagems, 149.
capture Boone's daughter, 151.
capture Boone and adopt him, 152.
in the Revolution, 161, 167.
war in Ohio, 172, 173.
what they called the steamboat, 198.
forced to move West, 201, 218.
story of the log, "move on," 201.
victory of Harrison over, 203.
victory of Jackson over, 216, 229.
Sam Houston goes to live with the, 229.
move west of the Mississippi, 218.
See Canonchet, Canonicus, Black Hawk, King Philip, Massasoit,
Pocahontas, Powhatan, Samoset, Squanto, Tecumseh, "The
Prophet," Wamsutta, Weathersford.

Indian treaty with Pilgrims, 69.
with Penn, 99.

Indian wars, King Philip's War, 90-94.
in Kentucky, 148.
at the West, in the Revolution, 161.
in Ohio, 172, 173.
in Illinois, 253.
in Indiana, 203.
in Alabama, 215, 216.
in Florida, 218.
Black Hawk War, 253.

Jackson, Andrew, birth and boyhood of, 206.
and the gun, 206.
and Tarleton, 207.
his mother, 207.
his hatred of the British, 208.
dangers exposed to, 209.
taken prisoner, 211.
and the boots, 211.
sees a battle through a knot-hole, 212.
death of his mother, 213.
what he said of her, 213.
begins to learn a trade, 214.
studies law, 214.
goes to Tennessee, 214.
becomes judge, 214.
becomes general, 214.
fights the Indians, 216.
interview with Weathersford, 216.
wins the great battle of New Orleans, 217.
conquers Indians in Florida, 218.
elected President, 218.
four steps in life of, 218.
summary of, 219.

James I., Jamestown named for, 38.
denies religious liberty to his subjects, 62, 73.

Jamestown settled, 38.
burned, 49.

Jasper, Sergeant, how he saved the flag, 140.

Jefferson, Thomas, birth of, 184.
home at Monticello, 184.
beloved by his slaves, 184.
desires to free, 184.
hears Patrick Henry speak, 185.
writes Declaration of Independence, 186.
elected President, 187.
what he said about New Orleans and Louisiana, 187.
buys Louisiana, 188.
his death, 189.
inscription on his tombstone, 189.
summary of, 190.

"Jonathan, Brother," 241.
origin of name (note), 241.

Jury trial, first in America, 39.

Jury (note), 39.

Kaskaskia (Kas-kas'ki-a) Fort, 161-163.

King Philip, son of Massasoit, 87.
becomes chief, 88.
how he dressed and lived, 88.
his hatred of the whites, 88.
determines to make war 89.
Indians attack Swansea, 90.
attack other towns, 90.
burn Brookfield, 90.
attack Hadley 91.
bravery shown by a woman 92.
the great swamp fight, 93.
Canonchet taken, 93.
Philip's wife and son taken, 94.
wife and son sold into slavery, 94.
Philip shot, 94.
destruction caused by the war, 94.
cost of the war, 94.
Indian power broken, 94.
summary of, 95.