Full text of "Founders of Freedom in America: A Biographical History for the Elementary Grades"

Full text of "Founders of Freedom in America: A Biographical History for the Elementary Grades"

FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA. 

A Biographical History for 

the Elementary Grades 

BY DAVID B. CORSON 

SuPT. OF Schools, Newark, N. J. 

AND HUBERT R. CORNISH 

Principal, Paterson, N. J. 

HINDS, HAYDEN & ELDREDGE, Inc. 

NEW YORK PHILADELPHIA CHICAGO 

=================================

JUN 16 1922 

---------------------

PREFACE 

The authors of this history believe that another text on 

the subject is justified at this time only by the fact that 

some of the big ideals for which this coimtry stands should 

receive greater emphasis than has been usual. These are 

now more clearly defined than formerly, making it desirable 

that a text designed as this is for the fifth and sixth grades 

shall be a helpful adjimct in teaching them. It should 

include, too, a treatment of the lives and achievements of 

some of the men and women who have influenced the great 

movements in our national life during recent years. 

The development of the ideals of Uberty and the giving 

of unselfish service for the good of mankind have been 

stressed throughout the book. In the preparation of the 

stories the fact that America has been not only a refuge for 

those who sought to escape persecution but a land of oppor- 

timity and of material and moral, as well as political, 

progress has been uppermost in the minds of the authors. 

Five connecting chapters are included in the book for 

the purpose of preparing the pupils' minds for some of 

the important events of the different periods into which 

the history is divided. The aim is to establish a viewpoint 

and to give an interpretative basis for the subsequent 

narratives. 

The biographical treatment, so appealing to children, is 

used because children in the fifth and sixth grades possess 

• • • 

lU 

IV PREFACE 

a strong love of romance and adventure and of heroic 

deeds. American history affords ample material to satisfy 

the craving of the yoimg mind. The deeds of daring 

mariners and pioneers and the action of courageous soldiers 

and statesmen and other leaders are as interesting in fact 

as are others in fiction. The stories are told, first, to kindle 

the admiration of children, and, second, to form the back- 

groimd for the development of the ideals which have made 

the United States a government imder which civil and 

religious liberty are guaranteed, and under which they are 

enjoyed by a freedom-loving people. 

The authors wish to call attention especially to the four 

projects included in the book. The dramatization of 

"Columbus' Voyage, Discovery, and Victorious Retmn," 

and the project *' Impersonation by Children of Explorers 

and Pioneers'' have been worked out by Miss Mabel L. 

Bennett, Helping Teacher, Union County, New Jersey. 

The projects, "The Life of Daniel Boone," and "How 

Clara Barton and the Red Cross have Shown us the Joy 

of Unselfish Service," have been written by Miss Vera 

M. Telfer, Helping Teacher, Warren Coimty, New Jersey. 

The pageant immediately following Chapter XLVII, entitled 

"The Development of Liberty in America," has been 

worked out by the teachers and pupils of the Belmont 

Avenue School, Newark, N. J. The authors trust that 

teachers will consider the use of tHese and similar projects 

indispensable to the successful presentation and teaching 

of this textbook in elementary American history. 

The authors wish to thank those who have read and crit- 

icized the manuscript. Many valuable suggestions have 

been received from these friends, 

D. B. C. 

tl, R, Q, 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Special Table of Maps and Studies . . . . . ix 

Prehistoric America. 

I. The Prehistoric Peoples of America 1 

II. The Norsemen and Leif Ericson — ^The Norsemen in America 5 

Period of Discovery and Exploration by Europeans, 1492-1607, 

115 Years. 

III. The New Worid: A Land of Freedom 9 

IV. Christopher Colmnbus and His Discoveries and Explorations 11 

V. Project — Dramatization of Columbus* Voyage, Discovery, and Victorious Return 21 

VI. John Cabot and His Discoveries and Explorations; the Basis of England's Later Claims in America ... 30 

VII. Juan Ponce de Leon and the Fabled Fountain — Discoveries and Explorations 34 

VIII. Other Spanish Explorers and their Discoveries — ^The Work of Balboa, Magellan, Corte/; Pizarro and De Soto 36 

IX. English Explorers of the Sixteenth Century — Spain and England on the Sea; Famous English Sailors, John Hawkins, Sir Francis Drake .42 

X. Sir Walter Raleigh and His Attempt to make Settlements 

in America. Reasons for English Colonization in America < 46 

Period of Settlement and Development, 1607-1775, 168 Years 

XI. Settlements in America 51 

XII. John Smith and the First Permanent English Settlement in 

America — ^The Settlement of Jamestown; Character of the Settlement; Success of the Settlement; Smith's Aid to the Settlement 53 

XIII. Myles Standish and the Settlement of New England — The Pilgrims and their Reason for Coming to America; 

the Majrflower Compact; Success of the Settlement; 

Myles Standish^s Part in the Settlement ... 68 

XIV. John Winthrop and Other Puritan Leaders — The Puritans in England; The First Settlement; John Winthrop's Aid as Governor 65 

XV. Henry Hudson and the Dutch in America — ^Explorations 

of Hudson; History of the Settlement of New Amsterdam 72 

XVI. Samuel de Champlain and the French in America — Discov- 

eries and Explorations of Cartier and Champlain; 

Explorations of La Salle, and the Present Borders of the United States 82 

XVII. William Penn and the Settlement of the Quakers in America 

— ^An Account of the Quakers; Penn's Part in the Settlement of Pennsylvania 89 

XVIII. Lord Baltimore and James Oglethorpe and their Services 

for Freedom — ^Brief Review of Settlements and Other 

Colonies with Special Reference to Lord Baltimore in 

Maryland; Oglethorpe's Part in the Settlement of Georgia 95 

XIX. James Wolfe and the War between England and France in 

America — ^An Account of the French and Indian War 

with Special Reference to Wolfe and Montcalm . 100 

XX. Project: Impersonation by Children of Explorers and Pio- 

neers 107 

Period op the Revolution, Marked by War for Independence, 

THE Confederation of the States, and the Establishment 

. OF THE Constitution of the United States, 1775-1789, 14 

Years. 

XXI. The Establishment of a New Nation 110 

XXII. Benjamin Franklin and the Union of the Colonies — His 

Early Life; Life in Philadelphia; His Inventions 

Work as a Printer ; His Work During the Revolutionary 

Period 112 

XXIII. The Desire for Liberty and Two of the Leaders — ^Patrick 

TABLE OF CONTENTS VU 

OHAPTBB PAOB 

Henry and Samuel Adams; Their Part in the Pre-Rev- 

olutionary Period 121 

XXrV. George Washington and the War for Independence — ^His 

Early Life; His Home Life; His Part in the French 

and Indian War; His Work during the War for Inde- 

pendence and Following 134 

XXV. John Paul Jones and the War for Independence — An 

Account of the American Navy in the War for Inde- 

pendence with Special Reference to Jones . 151 

XXVI. Thomas Jefferson and the War for Independence — ^His 

Work during the War for Independence and as Presi- 

dent of the United States, with Special Reference to 

the Declaration of Independence and to the Louisiana 

Purchase 156 

Period of Development and the Growth of Nationality, 1789- 

1865, 76 Years. 

XXVII. The Growth of a Nation .162 

XXVIII. Daniel Boone and the Settlement of tfce West — ^Early Pio- 

neer Life; Western Settlement with Special Reference 

to Boone 164 

XXIX. Project: Life of Daniel Boone 170 

XXX. Alexander Hamilton and the Finances of the New Nation — 

Hamilton During the War for Independence; His 

Great Work as an Officer in Washington's Cabinet . 173 

XXI. Robert Fulton and the Progress of Transportation — ^Inven- 

tion of the Steamboat, and the Consequences of this 

Invention 178 

XXXII. Labor-saving Machines and Their Importance in the 

Development of the Country — Invention of the 

Cotton-gin and the Consequences of this Invention . 183 

XXXIII. Andrew Jackson and Nullification — ^Jackson's Elarly life; 

His Part in the Battle of New Orleans; Question of 

States' Rights with Special Reference to Nullification. 188 

XXXrV. The Railroad and the Progress of Transportation — 

Beginning of the Railroad in America and the Conse- 

quences of this Improvement in Traveling . . . 193 

XXXV. Henry Clay and Daniel Webster and the Growth of 

Nationality — ^The Life of Clay and of Webster, with 

Vm TABLE OP CONTENTS 

CBAPTBB PAQB 

Special Reference to the Part that They took in the 

Discussion of States' Rights 197 

! XXXVI. Abraham Lincobi, the Great Emancipator — ^His Boy- 

hood Da3rs, Yomig Manhood, and life as President 

with Special Reference to His Work in Preserving 

the Union 206 

XXXin. Ulysses S. Grant, the Victorious General of the Civil 

War — ^His life and Services as General in the Civil 

War 216 

Pebiod of Matebial and Moral Progress, and the Expansion 

OP THE Nation into a World power, 1865- 

XXXVIII. The History of Our Times 222 

XXXIX. Improvements in Machinery — ^An Account of the Reaper 

with Reference to Influence on the Western Expan- 

sion; An Account of the Improved Machinery for 

Making Newspapers and the Consequences Thereof . 225 

XL. Morse and the Telegraph — ^Invention and Use of the 

Telegrailh and Telephone 232 

XLI. Thomas A. Edison, the Great Inventor — Special Refer- 

ence to His many Inventions and their Value . . 236 

XTill. Frances E. Willard and the Temperance Crusade — ^Her 

Girlhood and Education; Work as Leader of the 

Temperance Movement 242 

XUII. Clara Barton and the Red Cross — Special Reference to 

the Work of the Red Cross Society in the World War. 246 

XLTV. Project: How Clara Barton and the Red Cross have 

shown us the Joy of Unselfish Service . .251 

XLV. Theodore Roosevelt, the American — ^His Life as Boy, 

Young Man, and as President; His many Public 

Services 256 

XLVI. Anna Howard Shaw and Woman Suffrage — ^Miss Shaw's 

Part in the Woman Suffrage Movement . 263 

XLVII. Woodrow Wilson and the World War— Special Refer- 

ence to America's Part in this War; Woodrow 

Wilson's Part in the World War 267 

XLVIIL Project: The Development of Liberty in America . . 279 

Important Dates in our History 290 

Index 293 

MAP STUDIES 

Fig. 1— Voyages and Settlements, 1492-1607 facing page 36 

Fig. 2 — ^The West Indies facing page 37 

Fig. 3 — The French in the Mississippi Valley facing page 84 

Fig. 4 — Map Showing Location of Indian Tribes facing page 85 

Fig. 5 — The English Colonies in 1700 following page 96 

Fig. 6 — Map Showing Rival Claims of European Nations 

facing page 100 

Fig. 7 — ^United States, Showing Southern Confederacy 

following page 212 

Fig. 8 — ^Land Acquired by the United States following page 258 

IX 

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FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

CHAPTER I THE PREHISTORIC PEOPLES OF AMERICA 

The United States is now a great nation of many people 

living on fanns, in villages, and in large cities. They have 

made many inventions, such as the automobile, telegraph, 

telephone, electric light, and have made wonderful progress 

in manufacturing articles for their daily use, in architectiu-e, 

in the practical arts, and in education. Only a few him- 

dred years ago a different race lived here xmder different 

conditions. The coimtry was a vast wilderness unknown 

to the civilized peoples of Eiu-ope. 

In the Mississippi Valley great moimds of earthworks are 

found— the work of a prehistoric people. Little is known 

of these people or of the Cliff Dwellers who built houses 

upon ledges and in the cliffs of the moimtains of New Mex- 

ico. These and other Indians, as they were later named by 

Colmnbus, had instead of roads only paths through the 

forest. They made no bridges over the streams or rivers 

and no boats except the birch canoe. 

The most civilized of the Indian tribes lived in Mexico 

and Peru and other parts of the American continent. 

Wonderful defensive works, aqueducts, paved roads, monu- 

ments, altars, idols, and temples are found there in ruins. 

I FOUNDEIte OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

The Spanish seekers for gold conquered great cities in these 

countries. 

The Indian of the land now known as the United States 

lived here for centuries but did nothing to improve himself 

or his people. His son followed the old customs, learning 

to hunt and to fight. His education was to catch fish with 

a spear, to shoot the arrow, to throw the tomahawk, and to 

learn the traditions of the tribe. The Indian man regarded 

labor as fit only for women. 

The Indian woman built 

the wigwam, cut the wood, 

scratched the ground with 

a stick or clam shell, 

planted the com, cooked 

the food, made theclothing 

of dressed skins, and car- 

ried the burdens on a 

journey. She was not the 

equal of her husband, but 

an underling who ate what 

was left of her lord's feast 

and took the coldest place 

. , .. in the wigwam. The In- 

Aii Indian. ,. , , 

dian man was lazy and 

shiftless. He waa revengeful, but grateful for favors and 

was hospitable to his tribesmen or friends. He talked very 

tittle, was grave and even haughty in manner. He endured 

suffering without flinching. He was superetitious, and 

beUeved that spirits lived in beasts and reptiles and bu-ds 

and rivers and lakes. He thought these spirits could 

harm him and he dreaded to offend any of them. He 

believed that at death his spirit went to the Happy Hunting . 

Grounds where he would find great joy. There was a 

THE PREHISTORIC PEOPLES OP AMERICA 3 

tradition among the North American Indians of an Indian 

of miraculous birth who was sent among them " to clear 

their rivers, forests, and fishing groimds, and to teach them 

the arts of peace." Among the different tribes he was 

called by various names, the best known of which is Hia- 

watha.* Longfellow describes him thus: 

" From his lodge went Hiawatha, 

Dressed for travel, armed for hunting; 

Dressed in deer-skin shirt and leggings. 

Richly wrought with quills and wampum; 

On his head his eagle-feathers, 

Round his waist his belt of wampum, 

In his hand his bow of ash-wood, 

Strung with sinews of the reindeer; 

In his quiver oaken arrows, 

Tipped with jasper, winged with feathers; 

With his mittens, Minjekahwun, 

With his moccasins enchanted." 

Although cruel and treacherous in warfare, the Indians 

were also alert and brave. The coming of the white men to 

America caused a long struggle between them and the red 

men. The Indians were friendly to the early English set- 

tlers in Massachusetts and in Pennsylvania because the 

people of these settlements treated them, as you will learn, 

in a kind and just manner. Their relations with the Span- * 

iards, the French, and the English are of great interest in 

American history. 

The Indians are now living in reservations, chiefly in the 

western part of the United States. At the burial of the 

unknown soldier of the World War in Arlington Cemetery 

on Armistice Day, November 11, 1921, Plenty Coups, an 

See Schoolcraft's '' Algic Researches," Vol. 1, p. 134, and ** History, 

Condition and Prospects pf th^ Io<Jifta Tribw of the United States." Part 

jn, p. 314, 

4 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

Indian chief, laid his feathered war bonnet and coup stick 

reverently on the bier as a tribute of the Indians of America 

to those of their race who fought with the Americans in that 

great struggle. In doing this he said, " I feel it an honor 

to the red man that he takes part in this great event because 

it shows that the thousands of Indians who fought in the 

great war are appreciated by the white man. ... I hope 

that the Great Spirit will grant that these noble warriors 

have not given up their lives in vain and that there will be 

peace to all men hereafter. . . . This is the Indian's hope 

and prayer.'' 

■ 

THINGS TO DO 

I. Discuss what is meant by prehistoric, 

II. Borrow from the library descriptions of the Cliff Dwellers and the 

Mound Builders of the United States to use in class. 

III. Borrow from the library descriptions of the ?incient people of 

Mexico and Peru for use in class. 

IV. Bring to school some Indian pictures for class study. 

V. Read in class a few selections from HiavxUha. 

VI. What is an Indian Reservation? Locate some of them. 

VII. Name some large cities of the United States. 

VIII. Make a list of inventions that you know have made life in America 

easy and convenient. 

CHAPTER II THE NORSEMEN AND LEIF ERICSON 

The Norsemen in America. — In early times there lived 

in the northern coimtries of Europe a strong, hardy race of 

people, called Northmen, Norsemen, or VikiQgs, who loved 

adventure and gloried in battle. Many of these people 

were sailors who scoured the seas in small boats made of 

oak timbers fastened together with iron bolts and withes 

made from the roots of trees. Some of their boats were 

ornamented at the prow with the head of a dragon, while the 

stem was built to resemble a dragon's tail. Besides the sails, 

these boats carried many oars. The largest vessels were 

very small compared with ocean-going boats of to-day. 

With these small, clumsy vessels, however, the Vikings 

made themselves feared on the sea. They would appear 

suddenly off the coast of France or England and would 

plimder and then bum what they did not want. They 

forced the French king to give them land in the northern 

part of his kingdom. Some of the Northmen settled there, 

and it has since been called Normandy. They also con- 

quered and settled a part of England. 

Some of the Vikings were driven to the shores of Iceland 

by a great storm. After a time they found their way back 

to their homes. Word of the new country spread abroad, 

and soon several boatloads of Northmen went to Iceland 

and remained there. 

Such a long journey as that from Norway to Iceland was 

not easy to make in those days. The compass had not 

5 

6 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

come into use. The sailors knew in which direction they 

were sailing only when they could see the stars or the sun. 

In times of storm they had to trust to good luck to keep 

them on the right course. There were no maps to aid 

sailors. Little of the world was known, as you will find 

when you read the next chapter. 

Ships of the Vikings, 

In vessels Uke thf^ Ihe brave Norgoinen mud? tnany [Dtii! viiyagCB. 

From Iceland, one bold Norseman, Eric the Red, sailed 

in search of other lands. It was in the short Arctic summer, 

and he discovered in the northern seas a beautiful grass- 

covered country which he called Greenland. The Vikings 

were used to cold countries, and it was not long before many 

of them settled along the shores of Greenland, cold and deso- 

late at any season except the summer. 

In the year 1000 Leif Ericson, the son of Eric the Red, 

also set out on a voyage of discover}'. After a long sail he 

THE NORSEMEN AND LEIP ERICSON 7 

reached a land that seemed strange to the Northmen 

because, instead of the ice and snow and dreary weather 

that they were accustomed to, they saw green trees, tall 

grass, and beautiful flowers. They went ashore and found 

grapes hanging in great clusters on vines growing in the 

woods. For that reason they called the country Vinland, 

meaning Vineland. 

Diacoveriee of the Vikings about 1000 a.d. 

On thii map may he tracpit the rDU(« (ollnwed by Leif Eciraon. 

Leif Ericson s'ailed back to Greenland after a short stay 

in Vinland, and after his father's death became chief of the 

Greenland colony. Because of his many adventures and 

his good fortune, he was called Leif the Lucky. 

During the next few years the Northmen made several 

attempts to plant colonies in Vinland. One man and his 

followere, after staying there three years, became discouraged 

because of the unfriendly natives and sailed back to his home 

in Greenland. We now know these natives by the name of 

Indians, but the Norsemen called them Skraellings. 

8 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

The land that Leif Ericson discovered was North America. 

We are not sure where he and his companions landed, but 

it is thought that it was somewhere along what is now called 

Massachusetts Bay. Although there was no result of any 

value from Leif Ericson's journeys, he was the first white 

man known to have reached North America. We may well 

remember him for that reason. It was nearly five himdred 

years before a voyage to the new world was again made by 

sailors from Europe. From that date, 1492, we shall take 

up the study of the history of our country. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. Why do you think the Norsemen loved the sea? 

II. Give as many reasons as you can why the Norsemen could not 

sail far from land. 

III. Why were the discoveries of Leif Ericson not important in our 

history? 

PERIOD OF DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION, 

1492—1607, 115 YEARS 

CHAPTER III 

THE NEW WORLD; A LAND OF FREEDOM 

While studying this book try to put yoiu^elf in the place 

of each man or woman about whom you are reading. If 

you do this you will be better able to imderstand why Colmn- 

bus made his voyages, why John Smith helped in settling the 

new country, and why other leaders did the work that 

helped in time to make our country " the land of the free 

and the home of the brave." 

Try, too, as you read, to see how the work of one man 

made it possible for others to do what they did. It should 

be easy to see why explorers sailed to America after Coliun- 

bus retiOTied with the great news that a new land lay in the 

ocean far to the west of Europe. After the explorers came 

the settlers, seeking freedom in religion and government, 

which they did not have in the old world. 

Through pictures and through stories about the life and 

deeds of leaders in American history you can get very well 

acquainted with them. You may be able to picture them 

as they went about their daily tasks, and if you think care- 

fully you will discover reasons for what they did in discovery 

and exploration, and later in the development of our country. 

Coliunbus and the other great explorers of America lived 

about four centuries ago. That may seem a long time to 

9 

10 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

you, but it is not long as we measure the life of man and his 

work on the earth. Some men live to be nearly one hun- 

dred years old. The lives of four such men would about 

equal the length of time that has passed since our country 

was first foimd by Columbus. 

It took nearly two hundred years to explore the coast and 

the principal rivers that led inland in America. This seems 

a long time when we think that now a man may go from 

New York to London in about six days, or in a much 

shorter time in an aeroplane. A conversation may even 

be carried on by wireless telephone between cities in America 

and cities in Europe. As you learn about early explorations, 

compare the past with the present as to means of travel 

and the sending of messages. 

Through study of the work of men like Colmnbus others 

were enabled to learn more and more about America. 

Finally, the people of Europe came to know so much about 

the new world that many began to think that men and 

women might make homes there as good as or better than 

their European homes. This was, as you will learn, the 

beginning of the period of settlement. 

Men may be tied down by customs in government, in 

religion, and in other matters. As you study the Uves of 

the early leaders, note their efforts to free themselves from 

various forms of bondage. Find out, too, the meaning of 

opportunity and then explain, as you study the different 

stories, why America has been a '^ Land of Opportunity '' 

for so many people. 

CHAPTER IV 

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS AND HIS EXPLORATIONS AND 

DISCOVERIES 

We must understand something about conditions in 

Europe during the last half of the fifteenth century before 

we begin the study of what Christopher Columbus did, and 

why he did it. If you should read a history of Eiu-ope of 

this period, you would find that many of the cities of 

southern Europe, especially Genoa, Italy, had built up a very 

prosperous trade with India and other sections of the East, 

as it was known then. This commerce was carried on 

mostly by way of the Black and Caspian Seas. You will 

see from the map that this route led by Constantinople. 

Trade prospered until the Turks captm^ Constantinople 

in 1453. They were not friendly to the people of Europe. 

As soon as they had possession of Constantinople they shut 

ofif all trade by way of the Black Sea and by other routes. 

This was a very serious matter to those cities that depended 

largely on their Eastern trade. What were they to do? 

You, who have seen maps and globes showing the world 

as it really is, could easily answer this question. You can 

find many ways of getting to India besides going through 

the Black Sea or overland through western Asia. But it 

was a very difficult matter to settle at that time because it 

was not known that the world is round. No one had sailed 

far out on the ocean. The maps of that time showed only a 

small part of Europe, a little of Asia, and northern Africa. 

XI 

12 FOUNDERS OF FHBEDOM IN AMEHICA 

Many stories were told of the terrible monsters that lived 

in the ocean, and pictures of some of these imaginary ani- 

mals were placed on the maps. One of these pictures is 

shown on the next page. If you examine it, you will know 

why the sailors were 

afraid to venture far 

out to sea. 

Most men thought 

the world was flat, 

and surrounded by 

an ocean. A few be- 

lieved the world to 

be round, as we know 

it to be, but they 

thought it was much 

smaller than it really 

is. Their writings 

and the maps they 

made show us that 

even these wise men 

thought there was 

but one ocean be- 

tween Western Eu- 

CbriBtopher Columbus.' rope and Asia. They 

His (rest disoovery opened a new world for eipkntUon had nCVCr thoUght 

of the land which 

is our home. The Norsemen did not know what they 

had discovered, five hundred years before this time, 

nor did the other peoples of Europe know of theu- explor- 

ations. 

Columbus beheved as these few learned men did. He 

was bom in Genoa, and when only a boy he showed a strong 

desire for a seaman's life. He entered the University of 

CHMSTOPHGR COLUMBUS AND HIS EXPLORATIONS 13 

Pavia at the age of ten. At that school he learned a great 

deal about nav^ation. After leaving the University he 

spent some time saihng the Mediterranean Sea. Later he 

sailed on Portuguese vessels along the coast of Western 

Europe as far north as Iceland, and southward aloi^ the 

west coast of Africa. 

About this time sailors began to use the compass. It 

was a great aid to navigators because the direction could 

always be known, no matter how dark or foggy the weather. 

The sailors of this period had, therefore, a great advantage 

over the Norsemen or Vikings, 

Bom by the sea, educated for the sea, always a student 

of navigation, and with many years of experience, it is no 

wonder that Columbxis wished to find a new route for trading 

14 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

with India. Not only was he anxious to do this, but he 

beheved he knew how to do it. 

He believed, with many of the learned men of Italy, that 

by sailing west he could reach the lands in the East, In 

order to accomplish this great undertaking, however, 

Ck)lmnbus was obliged to seek aid from someone who had 

money to fit out vessels and to pay sailors to man them. 

He first placed his plans before men in Italy, but they 

gave him no encouragement. He then went to King John 

of Portugal, who called learned men together to hear Colum- 

bus explain his ideas of the shape of the world, and how one 

could reach the East by sailing west. They were so far 

from being convinced, however, that they ridiculed him and 

asked if he thought people on the other side of the world 

could walk about with their heads hanging down. 

After his failure in Portugal, Columbus went to King 

Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. Seven years passed 

before he could persuade the King and Queen to give hun 

ships to cross the ocean. At last he convinced Queen Isa- 

bella that he was right, and she promised to pledge her 

CHRI8TOPHBH COLUMBUS AND HIS EXPLORATIONS 15 

jewels, if necessary, to help fit out ships for the great 

voyage. 

It was very difficult to find men to sail the ships. They 

believed that they would be lost if they sailed too far to the 

West. It was necessary for the King to order some sailors 

The CanivetH of Columbus. 

to go on the ships. Convicts were released from prison to 

complete the crews. 

Finally all was in readiness, and on August 3, 1492, Colum- 

bus left the port of Palos with three vessels, the Pinta, the 

Nina, and the Santa Maria. The Santa Maria, Columbus' 

flag-ship, was the largest. It was about ninety feet long 

said twenty feet wide. In the picture of these vessels you 

may see that they were open, with small decks. The 

sailors had very little protection in stormy weather. It is 

16 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

not surprising that men were afraid to go on such a voyage 

as Columbus planned, into an unknown sea, with vessels 

which were so small that we wonder now how they with- 

stood the waves. 

The first stop was at the Canary Islands, where it was 

necessary to stay three weeks to repair one of the ships. On 

September 6th, a fresh start was made, and from then for 

over a month the little vessels sailed steadily westward. 

Great tracts of seaweed were met. The sailors were afraid 

they would be caught in these weeds and would have to 

remain there and die. As the wind blew always towards 

the west they were frightened, because it seemed to them 

that they would never be able to return. They were also 

afraid of the great monsters that they had always heard 

about. 

After weeks had passed without signs of land, the discon- 

tent became so great that some of the men threatened to 

mutiny. Columbus, hopeful even in th^se trying days, 

urged them on by his strong will and words of encourage- 

ment. Finally, the air became balmy and floating sticks 

and bushes in the water showed them that land must be near. 

Queen Isabella had offered a prize to the man who first 

sighted land, and Columbus had promised to give him a 

velvet coat. After such a long voyage with its unrest and 

fear, and with the hope now of winnmg the Queen's prize, 

all were eager to see land. At last, one evening a sailor 

shouted " Land! " He had seen a light, — a. torch carried by 

someone on the shore. On the following morning Colum- 

bus and some of the members of the crews of each vessel 

landed. An impressive ceremony followed. Unfurling a 

banner they took possession of the country in the name of 

Spain. The land, which proved to be an island, they called 

San Salvador. 

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS AND HIS EXPLORATIONS 17 

America was discovered October 12, 1492. The voyage had 

taken 49 days of actual sailing. This seems very long when 

we think of the trip made by two airmen in the summer of 

1919, when the voyage across the Atlantic took but 16 hours. 

Where is the Island of San Salvador? Columbus thought 

it was north of Japan. We can see how far from correct his 

map was when we consider that San Salvador is more than 

Columbus' T endi ng, 

[ii dmaed in their finest uniiDn 

8000 miles from Japan. He saw no signs of golden-roofed 

palaces, inhabited by people dressed in beautiful silks such 

as he had read were to be found in Japan. He found only 

a savage race of people who lived in homes like tents and 

went about almost naked. They had never seen boats with 

sails before, and were frightened by Columbus' ships, which 

they thought were great birds. 

Within a short time the httle fleet left San Salvador and 

18 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

cruised about searching for Japan and its wonders. During 

this voyage Columbus discovered Cuba and Haiti. As he 

thought all these lands were a part of India, he called the 

group of islands the West Indies and the natives of the 

islands Indians. 

On Christmas morning the Santa Maria was wrecked on 

a sand bank off the coast of Haiti. As the Pinta had already 

deserted, Columbus was left with but one vessel. With the 

timbers of the wrecked Santa Maria he built a fort near the 

coast, leaving forty men there with guns and provisions. 

He then sailed for home where he arrived on March 12, 1493. 

A great welcome awaited the man who had been given 

up for lost. As he had been away seven months, few thought 

that he would ever return. Columbus, who had been ridi- 

culed and laughed at, was now greeted as a hero. The King 

and Queen showered honors upon him at their court. They 

gave him the title of " Don,'' and, rejoicing in his success, 

were never weary of hearing about the strange people and 

things which he had found in the new land. 

It was not as difficult to get men for a second voyage under- 

taken by Columbus as it had been for the first one. In 

September, 1493, a fleet of seventeen vessels carrying fifteen 

hundred men set forth. As before, they sailed westward, 

expecting to join the little group left by Columbus at San 

Salvador. To their grief, however, they found only the 

ruins of the fort when they reached there, and no trace of 

the men. They cruised about, discovered Jamaica, landed 

on the islands of Haiti and Porto Rico, and established the 

colony of Hispaniola, or '' Little Spain,'' on Haiti. They 

spent nearly three years in searching here and there for the 

treasures that they felt sure were to be found in the new 

land, but they returned empty-handed to Spain. 

There was then no such welcome as when Colmnbus 

CHHISTOPHBR COLTIMBUS AND HIS EXPLORATIONS 19 

returned the first time. The Spanish people expected gold 

and lost faith in Columbus when he was not successful in 

finding it. He was thought to be a fraud. 

Queen Isabella still had faith in him, however, and 

encouraged him to make another trial. In 1498 he set forth 

on his third voyage. On this trip he discovered the main- 

land of South America, and sailed along the northern coast, 

always in search of the great treasures of India and China. 

He cruised about amoi^ the West Indies and visited the 

colony of Hispaniola. There Columbus found discontent 

among the colonists. The Governor falsely accused him, 

put him in chains, and sent him back to Spain. The Queen, 

however, was very indignant at his treatment and released 

him. 

By this time Columbus was old and discouraged because 

he had not found a short route to India, nor the treasures 

of the eastern world. But 

Queen Isabella still beUeved in 

him, and, in 1502, sent him out 

on a foiirth voyage. This time 

he met with even greater mis- 

fortunes than before. One of his 

vessels was wrecked. He and 

his men nearly starved. 

He returned to Spain broken 

in health, to find his good friend, 

Queen Isabella, dead. The king 

paid no attention to him. He 

was ignored by those to whom Americus Vespuciua. 

his discoveries later brought '^'"^™,™^j"ui^i,^^runV"' 

great wealth and distinction. 

He gave a new world to Spain, but died, in 1506, believing 

he had reached the Indies. 

20 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

Columbus' efforts made Spain one of the wealthiest and 

most important countries of Europe. Building up a great 

trade with the colonies that he planted in the new world, 

she soon found the longed-for land of gold in South America 

and Mexico. 

As all Europe profited by the discoveries of Columbus, 

you might well suppose that the new country would have 

been called by his name, but he did not get even that honor. 

Another man, named Americus Vespucius, a Florentine 

navigator, made a voyage to the new world in 1501, and 

upon his return to Europe wrote an account of his travels. 

People soon afterwards began to call the new country 

America, after the author of this book. 

THINGS TO TfflNK ABOUT 

I. How do we know the world is round? 

II. Why did Columbus need to be a good sailor? 

III. What would you have thought if you had been living in Colum- 

bus* time and had heard his plans? 

IV. Why was it hard for him to obtain money for his voyage? 

V. Did Columbus do what he wished to do? Explain. 

VI. What do you mean by explorations? 

VII. Why was Columbus honored at first and then ill treated? 

VIII. Do you think Columbus was a great man? Why? 

CHAPTER V 

PROJECT— DRAMATIZATION OF COLUMBUS' VOYAGE, DIS- 

COVERY AND VICTORIOUS RETURN 

By Mabel L. Bennett, Union County, N. J. 

Teacher's Aim: 

To show the ideas, plans, and aims of Columbus and how they were 

received by the people of his time. To give the pupils a vivid picture 

of the manners and customs of that period, and so arouse a keen interest 

in history. 

Children's Aim: 

To write a play to be given on some particular occasion. 

Motivation : 

Let us make believe we are play writers and actors and write a play 

about Columbus. 

Procedure : 

Lesson I, — Give an oral English lesson with the purpose of having 

pupils decide upon plan of writing a play for some occasion. 

Lesson II, (This may take several lessons.) — ^Plan how to do it; plan 

scope of play and material needed. 

Lesson III, — Divide class into groups. Give each group a very 

definite assignment, the report of which is to be given on a certain date. 

Lesson IV. (and as many more as are needed) — ^Have groups report. 

Let pupils decide, at the end of each report, what material can be used 

in the play. 

Lessons IX, X, (or whatever number it may be). — Let the play be 

written by groups or by class as a whole as a board exercise. 

Give the play for a special occasion. 

After play is given, have a class discussion, bringing out how the 

presentation of the play might be improved if it is to be given again, 

21 

22 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

This project affords excellent opportunity for correlation in oral and 

written English and in Drawing. For instance, a plan of the stage 

showing the arrangement of the furniture, position of characters in the 

opening tableau, etc., would be very interesting material for a drawing 

lesson or two. Instances of the correlation of oral and written English 

have abready been given. 

MODEL PLAY 

Costumes and Stage Furniture arranged by the pupils 

Courtiers — Bloomers, capes, men's soft hats with plumes. 

King and Queen — ^Velvet and brocades (masquerade costume). 

Indians — Indian suits. 

Throne — Chairs covered with velvet hangings. 

Forest — Ferns, palms, rubber plant. 

Act I 

Scene — Court of Spain. 

Characters — Ferdinand, Isabella, Columbus, courtiers, page. 

Page — (blowing trumpet) A summons from their Majesties, King Ferdi- 

nand and Queen Isabella, that the nobles of the land assemble in the 

court one hour hence. 

Court assembles. 

King — Most noble gentlemen, the purpose of this meeting is to hear the 

plans of a certain man called Columbus, who claims that he knows 

how to reach the East in a new and wonderful way. 

Page — (enters) ' T is Columbus, Your Majesty. 

King — ^Bring the gentleman to the court. 

Foflfe — (enters, followed by Columbus). 

Columbus — Your Majesties. 

(Columbus falls before the king and queen in reverence, and 

bows low to the lords.) 

Columbus — A thousand thanks. Your Majesty, for this opportunity to 

present to this glorious court a plan that will make this country the 

richest in the world. O great and wonderful King, every nation will 

envy you, but none will rival your power and wealth. 

King — Let us hear this wonderful plan of yours, Columbus. 

Cclumhus — Not many years ago the fierce Turks captured Constanti- 

nople, and since then these robbers have made it impossible for the 

PROJECT — DRAMATIZATION OP COLtTMBUS' VOYAGE 23 

Christian nations to trade with the East. Our only hope is to find 

a new route to the Indies. I believe the earth is round and that if 

we sail west we will reach the Indies without any great difficulty. 

Courtier — ^What makes you think the world is round, Columbus? 

Columbus — Ever since I was a small boy, I have watched the boats at sea, 

, and I have noticed, noble gentlemen, that the ship does not dis- 

appear as a whole, but that at first the hull is lost to view, then the 

deck, then the lower part of the sails, and finally the top masts. This 

could happen only if the world were round. 

Courtier — If a ship sails down hill as it goes across the ocean, can it sail 

up hill to get back to port? 

Courtier — ^What a crazy idea! If the earth is round, do the people on the 

other side of the world walk with their heads down? 

Courtier — Ha! Ha! Do the trees in that land grow with their roots in the 

air? 

Courtier — What a funny idea! In that opposite land do the rain and snow 

fall up instead of down? You're a crazy fellow! 

ColumJlyus — You may laugh at my plan, but I know I am right. I believe 

that by sailing across the western sea I will reach the rich country 

of China. 

Courtier — Be careful, Columbus, remember that huge dragon in the Sea 

of Darkness that could swallow you at one gulp; yes, swallow you 

and your whole ship, too. 

Courtier — ^Before you get out very far that great bird will swoop down 

upon you, and carry you away in its claws and drop you over the 

edge of the world. 

Courtier — How will you pass through the place where the water is boiling 

and where the fogs are so black you can't see your hand before your 

face? No! No! your plan is worse than foolish. 

Columbus — ^You may think my plan foolish, but I have been reading 

Marco Polo's wonderful book, and to obtain the riches of that 

country I would be willing to risk my life on the Sea of Darkness. 

Courtier — It is indeed a wonderful country and the plan is worth con- 

sidering, but I think this fellow is crazy, nevertheless. 

Columbus — Then too, I feel that I have been chosen by Heaven to find 

this new route, and to convert the people of these lands to our 

Christian faith. It is a great work, O noble gentlemen. 

Qaeen — It is indeed a great work, Columbus, and I trust that you may 

accomplish your task and meet with the greatest success. 

24 FOrNT>EE8 or TBEKDOU IS AMERICA 

/' i-fr If tili^ et*urt iJjouW lii-Ip y<>u in tliis underUldng, wbat are the 

^,'j.um»^^^—Jm^ tiiT** fav*>f> I a~k- Fmrt: that I be mftde Admiral of 

tut hfAt, 

h^^jiA : tixat I \)tt ina^e govonor of the laodfi I disoover, and 

Tojfd : tijiX tAte-ietiih (A the gold and silver found shafl be mine. 

/:Vw^,4^— rjfje-t^th of the ffAd and silver! No, indeed! 

O/wf*^— )Miy t^litMiid thi« foreigner be granted these Immkhs? 

<^4^>% -' Tift a n^^lile undertaking and worthy of our support. 

^An^ 'U, Qiiften/— But, my dear, the Treasury is low. (To Crfumbos) 

Y^Mir lAsm in worthy of consideration and within a few days we will 

utftmn ytm of our decision. 

CUtinJ/uM \(*ry well, Your Majesty, a thousand thanks for your gracioas 

rWithdrawH.) 

dfmfiinr — ^Tlie fellow's crazy! 

/IV/iiWwr— What frnilish schemes! 

Cfmnier — Tliis fellow from Italy is very modest in his demands. 

King— The court in dismissed. 

Act n 

Same — fin l)oard Sania Maria, 

CtmrncterH - <.'olumbu8, Sailors. 

(Sailors gathered on deck, some sitting, others sta ndin g— faces 

express glmmi and despair.) 

Fir 4 Sailor- - Water, water, water ever>'where and not a sign of land! 

Stamd I'm sick and tired of this everlasting Water. For nine weeks 

now we've l)een sailing west and farther west, but we never get any- 

where. We'll all be crazy before that dreamer changes his mind. 

Third It's awful. I don't wonder our wives and children cried whea 

we left Palos. We'll never get back home and Fd rather be dead 

than kec*p on. 

F(mHh Just think of what we've gone throu^. In the first place that 

compass dot^sn't point to the North Star. I know we've been giv«i 

a reason for it, but I don't believe it any more than I bdieve the 

earth is round. Something awful will happen to us before long. 

Fijth (>f course it will. So far, the great dragon has been asle^ bat 

if we strike another bed i)f sea-weed, we'll be gobbled up, ship and all 

'» »» 

'?, 

•^>: 

t „ 

PROJECT — DRAMATIZATION OF COLUMBUS^ VOYAGE 25 

First — WeVe been disappointed many times. Do you remember that 

night when we thought we saw land, and how we stayed on deck till 

morning, only to discover that we had been fooled by a cloud? 

Second — Indeed, I do, and I remember how that stubborn captain of 

ours refused to make any change in his plan, but was determined to 

sail west, and sail west he did. 

Third — ^Yes, and I remember how he threatened to put us in chains if we 

didn't obey. 

Fovrth — Let's throw him overboard. 

Fifth — ^But what would we do without him, for he really is a fine sailor? 

First — ^Yes, he is a good sailor, but I am so tired of hearing him say, 

" Sail on ! Sail on! " whenever we ask him what to do to reach shore. 

Cry — Land birds! Land birds! (All gaze after birds.) 

Second — I wish those birds would carry me with them. They'll soon 

reach shore. 

Third — Let's follow ihem. 

Fifth — ^Who'll ask Columbus to change his course? 

Fourth — I'm ready. 

(Columbus enters and he, too, gazes after birds.) 

O Columbus, those birds are fl3ring to shore? Won't you turn 

your course and follow them? 

Columbus — ^But I know we will reach the Indies if we keep on due west. 

Fourth — Perhaps those birds will reach a nearer land. 

Cdumbus — ^But I want to reach the Indies. 

Sailor (aside) — ^The stubborn thing. 

Sailor (aside) — Let's throw him overboard. 

Fourth — We'll be crazy if we don't reach land soon. Nine weeks on this 

Sea of Darkness is enough to drive anyone insane. We beg you to 

change your course. 

AU — ^Yes, yes, you must change your course! 

Cclumhus — ^But I'm siu^ we'll reach the Indies soon. 

Sailors — ^Follow the birds! Change your course! Change your course! 

Columbus (to himself) — ^That slight change will make very little difference 

in the end. If it will satisfy these men, I guess I'll do it. (To * 

men) — ^Very well, my men, we'll turn our course a little to the south 

and follow the birds. Then I hope you'll be satisfied and that there 

will be no more grumbling. Exit Columbus. 

Sailors — ^Hurrah! Now well soon reach land. 

26 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

Act m 

Scene — ^Tropical Shore of America. 

Characters — Columbus — ^Three Spanish Noblemen — Sailors — Indians. 

Indian — (with eyes shaded and looking off in the distance calls to other 

Indians, busy in the forest.) 

My brothers, my brothers, look! Off in the distance I see a 

wonderful bird with great white wings. (All Indians come 

near the shore.) 

Indian — It is coming nearer! How large it is! (All stand gazing. X 

Indian — How strange! A boat full of people is coming from the bird. 

Indian — ^The Great Spirit must be sending a message to his children. 

Let us watch in secret. (Indians find shelter behind trees.) 

Indian — What pale faces they have! (Indians retreat further into forest; 

a grating sound is heard and into view come Columbus with noble- 

men and sailors carrying banners, spear, etc.) (All fall to their 

knees, kiss the ground in joy and sing the Doxology.) (Indians creep 

neai-er.) 

Cdumhus — (Smiting the ground with his sword.) To this beautiful land, 

I give the name of San Salvador. 

(Planting the flag.) 

In the name of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella and of Spain, I 

take possession of this land and of all the lands bordered by this 

mighty sea. 

(All members of party crowd around Columbus; some embrace 

him; others kiss his hand and kneel before him. 

Fir si — Oh, great and noble Columbus! 

Second — My brave captain! 

Third — Forgive, I pray thee, all my disobedience. 

Fourth — ^Always, through every danger will I follow thee. 

Fifth — Long live Columbus! 

AU — Long live Columbus! Long live Columbus! 

(Indians come nearer and gaze in wonder at palefaces and bow 

before them.) 

Indian — ^Welcome, brother, welcome. 

Indian — Paleface friends, the redskins bid you welcome. 

Indian — O white visitors from the skies, may the Great Spirit be kind to 

his children who welcome you to their homes. 

PROJECT — DRAMATIZATION OF COLUMBUS' VOYAGE 27 

Columbus — Many thanks, kind friends. 

(Turning to Spaniards) — Before dispersing let us salute our 

flag and sing our national anthem. 

All — (Salute flag and sing.) 

Act IV 

<Scen€-^panish Court. 

Characters— (^ueen Isabella with ladies-in-waiting; King Ferdinand with 

guards, noblemen, Indians, sailors, page, Columbus. 

Stately Assembling of court — Music. 

Sailors enter each carrying some object, — ^bird, cotton, gold, etc., 

from the new world. 

Indians enter, arrayed in feathers and paint, and take places 

near sailors. 

Columbus — (Enters, preceded by page carrying banner— bows low before 

the king and kneeling before the queen, kisses her hand.) O most 

noble monarchs, through God's providence, we have been permitted 

to return to our homeland, and with grateful hearts we present to 

this great nation and to Your Majesties all lands of the western world. 

King — (Extending hand.) Arise, Columbus; so great a discoverer is 

indeed worthy of our highest respect and esteem. We invite you 

to sit with us and relate your wonderful adventures. 

Queen — (Extending hand.) Yes, Columbus, our hearts are full of thanks- 

giving to God for your safe return. We rejoice in your success and 

welcome you most heartily to our court. 

Columbus — ^A thousand thanks. Your Majesties, for this gracious recep- 

tion, and with great delight will I make known to you the story of 

my adventures. 

King — Be seated, Columbus. 

Columbus — Many thanks, O noble king — (Pause). After leaving Palos, 

on Aug. 3, we sailed to the Canary Islands, then turned our course 

due west. For many weeks we sailed. The weather was mild and 

the sea calm and smooth. There were days of discouragement, 

especially toward the last; but finally land was sighted on Oct. 12. 

Everyone rejoiced, for our task was finished and all fears removed. 

As quickly as possible we rowed ashore and claimed the land for 

Spain. 

King — Splendid! Did you find a promising country? 

28 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

Columbus — ' Tis a wonderful land with sunny skies and balmy air. The 

forests are most luxuriant with palms and valuable woods. Among 

the trees are briUiant birds and curious animals. A few of these I 

have brought as gifts to Your Majesties. 

(Sailor carrying parrots comes forward.) 

Queen — (Examines them — as do king and ladies-in-waiting.) 

What gorgeous feathers! 

Ladif — Beautiful! 

Columbus — Listen carefully and you will hear these birds speak. 

(He rubs their heads and one parrot calls, " Long live the king!" 

while another cries, " Long live the queen! ") 

Kififf — Wonderful! 

Lddy — How extraordinary! 

Columbus — (As sailor brings up basket of fruit and flowers.) This is a 

small collection of the fruits and flowers. 

Queen — What beautiful colors! 

Lady — How sweet they are! 

Columbus — The plains are covered with fields of cotton. (Sailor displays 

cotton.) 

King — Good! 

Columbus — Here are some of the ornaments worn by the natives. (Sailor 

shows ornaments; others examine them.) 

Queen — What odd bracelets! 

Lady — How unique! 

Lady — Isn't this chain interesting? 

King — Did you find any gold mines? 

Columbus — ^The time was short and our explorations were near the coast. 

We found no mines, but the Indians told us of seven wonderful cities 

to the west, full of gold, silver, and precious stones. 

King — Were the natives friendly? 

Columbus — When first we landed, they were afraid and hid in the bushes; 

but when they found that we did not want to harm them, they grew 

friendly. They marveled at our white skin and thought us visitors 

from the skies. Three of these people have returned with us to 

Spain to be baptized into our faith. 

Queen — ' Tis a noble work you have done, Columbus. 

(Indians come forward — bow low to the queen and king.) 

Lady — ^What red skins and black hair they have! 

Lady—How strange their dress! Isn't it picturesque? 

PROJECT — DRAMATIZATION OF COLUMBUS' VOYAGE 29 

Kinff — ^Their weapons are very simple. 

Columbus — ^But they are expert marksmen, nevertheless. 

(Indians return to places.) 

Columbus — For several months we cruised about, but we were anxious 

to return to Spain with our report. As the Sarda Maria was 

wrecked shortly before we left we built a fort on Hispaniola and 

left a few men to guard it. The rest of us embarked in the Pirda 

and Nina, Because of a terrific storm we were driven far apart and 

did not see each other again until we met in the harbor of Palos. 

Queen — Grod's providence is surely marvelous. 

King — Arise, Columbus, and kneel before us while this court expresses 

its appreciation of your services. (Columbus kneels and the king 

drawing his sword strikes Columbus on the shoulder.) I herewith 

name thee Admiral of the Seas, a Spanish Don, and Grovemor of 

all the lands thou dost discover. 

(The Court pays homage to Columbus and then in great state passes 

from the throne room.) 

References and Supplementary Reading 

America's Story for American Children Mara L, Pratt 

life of Columbus Washington Irving 

Columbus \ Joaquin Miller 

"Columbus Song,'' taken from " 1492. " 

The True Story of Christopher Columbus E, S. Brooks 

Life of Christopher Columbus for Boys and Girls G. W, Moores 

CHAPTER VI 

JOHN CABOT AND ENGLAND'S CLAIM IN AMERICA 

The news of the attempts of Columbus to find a new- 

route to India and China was taken to England by mer- 

chants' ships traveling to that coimtry. In those times 

this was the only means by which news could travel. There 

was no telephone, telegraph, nor cable to carry a message 

from Spain to England, or even around the world, in a few 

minutes, as they now do. The English king, Henry VII, 

was much interested when he heard of the great discovery. 

He thought that his coimtry should share in the wealth that 

this new route to the East would make available. 

At this time there was living in England an Italian who 

was ready to imdertake such a voyage as the king desired. 

His name was John Cabot. He was bom in Genoa, where 

Columbus had been bom a few years earlier, spent a part 

of his life in Venice, and from the merchants there learned 

a great deal about China. He had also traveled in Arabia, 

where he had seen great caravans loaded with the spices and 

rich goods produced in the East. Because of this he had a 

strong desire to visit China and India. 

The king turned to John Cabot when he heard of the 

voyages of Colimibus. Cabot readily agreed to take com- 

mand of a ship to sail for the new land. In May, 1497, one 

vessel commanded by Cabot, accompanied by his son 

Sebastian and eighteen men, set sail from Bristol. You 

may see by looking at the map that the route followed by 

30 

JOHN CABOT AND ENGLAND'S CLAIU IN AUEBICA 31 

Cabot was far north of that followed by Columbus. He 

6ailed westward, and on June 24 sighted the coast of 

Labrador. He named the country New-found-land, and 

claimed it in the name of the king of England. He then 

returned home, thinkii^ he had landed on the eastern coast 

The Type of VeaaeJs used by John Cabot. 

of Asia. He did not find the new route to China that he 

was searching for, but he did establish for England a claim 

to vast regions in the new world. For his services he was 

given ten pounds, or about fifty dollars, by the king, and 

was paid a small pension by the city of Bristol. Honored 

by the king and people, he was known as the Great Admiral. 

Another voyage was undertaken by Cabot in 1498. 

32 FOUm>EBS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

With a fleet of five or six vessels he explored the coast of 

Noi^ America as far south as Cape Cod, Massachusetts. 

Sebastian Cabot and a pilot of one of the ships each made a 

map of the coast which they explored. These maps, which 

were the first ever made of this region, are still in existence. 

The light portions on the eafltem coast of North America show the diaooveriea 

made by the Cabots. 

John Cabot was lost on this voyage. In fact, only one 

of the ships ever reached England again. Sebastian Cabot, 

on his return, reported seeii^ great quantities of codfish 

near the coast of Newfoundland. This was of interest to 

Bristol, which was an important fishing town. The fish- 

eries later established near Newfoundland, as a result of 

Cabot's report, have grown to be the gii^atest in the world. 

King Henry, who wanted the wealth of China and India, 

JOHN CABOT AND ENGLAND'S CLAIM IN AMERICA 33 

lost all interest when Cabot did not find it. It was 

over fifty years before any more attempts were made by 

England to explore the new land. When, however, Eng- 

land again turned her attention to the new world, she based 

her claims wholly upon Cabot's explorations. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. What were the chief reasons for the explorations of the Cabots? 

II. What was learned from their journeys? 

III. What country profited most from the journeys of the Cabots? 

Why? 

CHAPTER VII 

JUAN PONCE DE LEON AND THE FABLED FOUNTAIN 

For a luimber of years after Columbus made his voyages, 

the Spanish people suffered no interference with their 

explorations in the new world, as it soon came to be called. 

As you have seen, the English king lost interest as soon as 

Cabot failed to bring back gold and other treasures. It 

was over fifty years before any other English explorers made 

voyages to America. But, in the meantime, the Spanish 

explorers were busy establishing colonies and exploring in 

different parts of the new world. As they were in search of 

wealth, few of them tried to build homes where they might 

live. They wanted to get rich quickly. Some of them did, 

as we shall see, but many lost their lives in their efforts to 

conquer the Indians whose property they were seeking to 

take away. 

Colonies were soon established on various islands of the 

West Indies. This made it easy to fit out armies and take 

them to different parts of the country to explore or conquer 

as they wished. 

Some of the governors of the different islands ah'eady 

were rich men. Among them was Juan Ponce de Leon, 

governor of Porto Rico. He came over with Columbus on 

his second voyage. He had heard from men who had made 

voyages to the country north of Porto Rico that they had 

seen people living on fine fruits and other foods which grew 

without cultivation. They also told him that the natives 

were rich — that they possessed beautiful jewels and much 

34 

JtTAN PONCE DB LEON AND THE FABLED FOUNTAIN 36 

gold. Best of all, however, to de Leon, who was now an 

old man, the travelers told him of a fountam, the waters 

of which would bring back a man's youth, if he bathed in 

them. Fully believing this fable, he fitted out three fine 

ships, and, in 1513, set sail for the land of the wonderful 

fountain. 

We wonder now how de Leon could have beUeved such a 

story, but men of that time were ready to accept any tale 

of the new land. They had read many stories of China and 

India which were supposed to be true,— stories as strange 

as this legend of the foimtain of youth. 

On Easter Simday, 1513, de Leon caught his first view of 

a new land of beautiful groves of trees and many flowers 

growing in the tall rich grass. Because of these flowers 

and because he found the new land on Easter Simday, 

which was called Pasqua Florida, or Flowery Easter, he 

named the land Florida. 

His landing place was probably not far from the present 

city of St. Augustine. After several weeks spent in exploring 

along the coast, he was obUged, however, to go back to 

Porto Rico an older man than when he came, having found 

no fountain, as he had hoped. 

On a second voyage, in 1521, de Leon was wounded in a 

fight with the Indians. The men who managed to escape 

sailed with him for Cuba, where he died from the effects of 

his wound. De Leon's experience was like that of other 

Spaniards who placed personal gain ahead of a desire to 

build up and make a good use of the coimtry. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. What do you think of de Leon^s reason for his voyage? 

II. What good result came from his explorations? 

III. For whom was de Leon working? 

CHAPTER VIII 

BALBOA AND OTHER SPANISH EXPLORERS AND THEIR 

DISCOVERIES 

In the year in which de Leon discovered Florida, another 

Spaniard, Balboa by name, a governor of one of the Spanish 

colonies, visited an Indian village on the Isthmus of Pan- 

ama. He was told by the Indians of a great sea that lay 

to the south. He traveled to the new sea and discovered 

the greatest ocean of the earth, which, later on, in 1519, 

was called the Pacific by 

a Portuguese sailor named 

Magellan. 

At the time of Balboa it 

was a great task to cross the 

narrow piece of land now 

known as the Isthmus of 

Panama, but in these days 

boats pass from the Atlantic 

to the Pacific Ocean through 

the great Panama Canal in 

Ferdinand Magellan. eight hours. 

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thevoy.^.™.tbeP^ificO«e«n. g^^j^ g^jjj^^ ^j^^^j^ ^^^ 

strait that now bears his name, he went westward across 

the great ocean until he reached the islands off the Eastern 

coast of Asia. Taking possession of these islands for Spain, 

he named them the Philippines, after the Spanish king. 

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BALBOA AND OTHEE SPANISH EXPLORERS 37 

United States in 1898. Magellan was killed in a fight with 

the natives on one of the Philippine Islands. One of his 

vessels continued on the voyage and finally reached home 

by sailing around the Cape of Good Hope. If you trace 

this first trip around the world on the globe, you will see 

that it proved what Columbus had believed — ^that the 

world is round and that the East may be reached by sailing 

westward. It was by this voyage, too, that people came to 

know that Colimibus had really found a new world and not 

just a part of Asia, as he thought. 

Hernando Cortez, a brave young soldier^ heard in 1519 

of great wealth in Mexico. He fitted out a small army and 

set out to conquer the Aztecs, as the people of Mexico were 

called, and to take their riches. After many trials he suc- 

ceeded, in 1521, in taking the Aztec capital. Thus Mexico 

became a possession of Spain. In this case the report of 

wealth was true. The Spaniards found riches to satisfy 

their wildest dreams. Mexico has been free from Spanish 

rule for many years, but the Spanish language is still 

spoken, and Spanish customs are still followed in that 

country. 

Pizarro, one of the soldiers in the settlement of Panama, 

led an expedition to Peru in South America, where the Incas 

dwelt. Like the Aztecs, the Incas were half-civiUzed Indi- 

ans who had built many wonderful buildings and had 

gathered together great treasures of gold, silver, and jewels. 

The Spaniards showed no mercy to these people, using every 

means, no matter how unfair, to conquer them. When the 

ruler of the Incas was captured and killed, Pizarro and his 

followers gained the gold and treasures that they valued so 

much. He met the same fate, however, as many others 

who used their strength to injure the weak. He was killed 

in a quarrel with some of his followers. His conquest, like 

38 POUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

that of Cortez, added to Spain's share of the new world 

great areas with vast riches. 

Among the soldiers who helped Pizarro conquer the Incas 

was a young Spaniard named Hernando de Soto. He, like 

many others, became very rich through the conquest of 

Peru. Moreover, for his services the king of Spain gave him 

the governorship of Cuba. It would seem that he should 

have been satisfied with these riches, and the honor of 

serving as Governor of Cuba, which at that time was a 

very important colony. But he was not. He wanted more 

wealth, and thought that he might find another Peru near 

the country explored by de Leon. In 1539 he took six 

hundred men with him and set sail to the coast of Florida 

where he landed and began his journey into the wilderness. 

He marched inland toward the North through what is now 

Florida and Georgia. He then turned to the West and 

passed through the present states of Alabama and Missis- 

sippi. It was a journey filled with hardships, and the 

treasures of gold for which he was always searching could 

not be found. The land through which he passed was the 

home of many Indian tribes. His treatment of these 

Indians was the same as Pizarro's in Peru. De Soto pun- 

ished and killed without mercy. He forced Indians to be 

his slaves, and treated them worse than we would treat 

beasts. Indians were forced to act as guides, and if they 

disobeyed in any way, they were killed by horrible tortures. 

All this angered the natives, who sent messengers through- 

out the country to spread the news of the strange traveler 

whose only thought was to gain riches, no matter what the 

cost in hmnan suffering. He was even cruel to the men in 

his army. He would not listen to pleadings to return when 

they saw what hardships they had to endure. After two 

years of wandering, they reached the banks of the Missis- 

BALBOA AND OTHEB SPANISH BXPLOREES 39 

sippi River. This was in 1541. He did not know it, but 

he achieved more distinction by discovering this great river 

than great wealth could ever have brought him. 

Discovery of the Mississippi River by De Soto. 

De Soto crossed the Mississippi and, still searching for 

gold, led his men northward and explored the country nearly 

as far as Missouri. Finally, tired out and discouraged, he 

turned back and started for home. He was taken ill before 

he had gone far and died with the thought that his journey 

40 POUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

had been a failure. He could thinlc of success only as 

measured by one thing — gold. 

His followers dared not bury his body where the Indians 

would find it, because de Soto's cruel treatment of the 

Indians had made them all enemies. With their leader 

gone, the soldiers feared the Indians might attack and prob- 

ably kill them and so they lowered de Soto's body by night 

The Burial of De Soto in the Waters of the Great River that he Discovered. 

into the waters of the great river he had discovered. Then 

they set out on the long hard journey home. When they 

did finally reach Mexico, where other Spaniards had settled, 

only half of the proud army that started out remained. 

These three hundred men were worn out with hunger and 

nearly dead from hardships. They thought they had 

gained nothing, but a great discovery had been made, and 

Spain had established a claim to still another of the richest 

regions of the world. 

BALBOA AND OTHER SPANISH EXPLORERS 41 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. Do you think any white man had seen the Pacific Ocean before 

Balboa did? Why was he called the discoverer of it? 

II. Why was Magellan's trip around the worid important? 

III. What does the history of Cortez teach us about the desires of the 

Spanish in America? 

rv. Give as many reasons as you can why de Soto's journey was 

difficult. 

V. De Soto did not find what he was searching for but he has an impor- 

tant place in our history. Why? 

CHAPTER IX DRAKE: AN ENGLISH EXPLORER OF THE SIXTEENTH 

CENTURY 

As you have already learned, the Spanish sailors were 

about the only ones who explored and conquered the new 

world for many years after Columbus discovered it. Spain 

grew rich and powerful through the conquests of Mexico, 

Peru and other coimtries, and used this wealth later on to 

wage war against other countries in Europe, particularly 

England. 

England had by the latter half of the sixteenth century 

become a great nation, and was Spain's chief rival in Europe. 

Anxious to have a share in the wealth of the new world, 

Queen EUzabeth was willing to lend her aid to English 

sailors who wished to compete with the Spaniards in getting 

this wealth. At this tune the laws of the sea were very lax, 

and, even in tunes of peace, it was not uncommon for an 

English ship to captiu-e a Spanish vessel laden with treasiures, 

rob it of food and valuables, and sail away. This was as 

true of other sailors as of the English. Today we should 

call such practice piracy. A pirate is punished with death 

if captured, but at that time the most successful sea rob- 

bers became great men and received honors from their 

rulers. 

One of these English sailors who profited by trading with 

the Spanish colonies in the new world was John Hawkins. 

He made much money by bringing negroes over to this coun- 

42 

drake: an enqush explorer 43 

try from Africa and selling them as slaves to the Spanish. 

He is said to have been the first Englishman to enga^ in the 

negro slave trade with America. While on a voyage in 1567, 

his fleet was attacked by the Spanish and all but two boats 

were destroyed. 

With Hawkins on this unfortunate trip was a youi^ 

cousin of his named Francis Drake. This young man, who 

was twenty-two years of age at this time, had been a sailor 

from youth and was as brave as he was a good sailor. 

Because he could not forgive the Spanish for the loss of his 

wealth in Hawkins' defeat, it was not 

long before he set out with a stout 

ship to capture as many Spanish 

treasureships as possible, and also to 

do what damage he could to the 

Spanish colonies in the new world. 

He succeeded in capturing many 

vessels, and raided many Spanish o- t?_ ■ r. i 

' , ^ ■ . , Sir Francis Drake. 

coast settlements. Drake made three The unt journey sround the 

voyages through the West Indies and ™''^ ™ ""i* ^y ">" 

along the coast of Mexico and South 

America, gatheri:^ a harvest of gold and spreading fear among 

the Spanish people as he went. On the third voy^e he spent 

some time on the Isthmus of Panama, and while wandering 

over the Isthmus saw the Pacific ocean, which Balboa had 

discovered sixty years before. He resolved to sail that 

great ocean in an English ship. 

Upon his return to his home-land he was greatly honored 

by his queen. After remaining in England for some time, he 

set out again with a fleet in the hope of gaining some of the 

wealth of Peru. He finally succeeded in passing through 

the Strait of Magellan, but his own vessel, the " Golden 

Hind," was the only one that made the passage into the 

44 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

Pacific. All the others were lost on the rocks, or deserted 

him when their sailors saw the dangers of the strait. 

Drake sailed northward and gathered vast treasures in 

Chile and Peru from the Spanish, who were taken by sur- 

prise and became easy prey for him both on land and sea. 

He is said to have seized nearly a million dollars' worth of 

treasure from one ship alone. 

After his adventures along the coast of South America, 

he sailed to the North and spent the winter of 1579 in what 

is now California. He claimed the land in the name of 

England, naming it New Albion. In the spring he contmued 

his journey and finally, in late summer of 1580, reached 

England, having sailed completely around the world. 

You will agree that Drake was a hardy seaman when 

you know that he made all these journeys to the Spanish 

colonies and completed a three years' voyage around the 

world in a slow sailing ship of that time, all before he was 

forty years old. 

His services to his coimtry did not close with this voyage, 

however, for in 1588 the Spanish king detemuned to put a 

stop to England's attacks on the Spanish-American trade. 

He fitted out a great fleet of vessels, called the Spanish 

Armada, and set out to invade England. Lord Howard 

commanded the English fleet against the Spanish, but Drake 

served under him as an important officer. The great sea 

fight resulted in the destruction of the Spanish fleet, and 

gave England the secure place on the seas which she has 

always held. She was thereafter '' Mistress of the Seas." 

Later voyages of Drake were not so successful as his 

earlier ones. While on a voyage with his cousin. Sir John 

Hawkins, the Spaniards defeated them. Hawkins died 

from an illness which broke out among the sailors. Drake 

still kept on, but he, too, was taken ill, died, and was buried 

drake: an ENGLISH EXPLORER 45 

at sea. He was a brave sailor, and his efforts helped to 

make England a great sea power. This power made it easy 

for her to take a prominent place among European nations 

when the time came for English colonists to settle in 

America. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

r. Why do you think the Spanish gained so much in America before 

other countries began to colonize? 

II. What is meant by a pirate? 

III. Would you like to have been a sailor with Drake? 

IV. Why was Drake honored by his queen? 

V. Do you think Drake was a patriot? 

CHAPTER X Sm WALTER RALEIGH AND HIS ATTEMPTS TO MAKE 

SETTLEMENTS IN AMERICA 

From the time of Sir Francis Drake England's interest 

in the new world rapidly increased. Spain had reaped a 

golden harvest from her conquests in America, for her trade 

with the colonies that she had established was very profit- 

able. Drake did some damage to Spanish commerce by 

raiding her colonies and destroying her ships, but it was left 

to others to build up for England colonies and trade that 

could compete with those of Spain. 

Besides the establishment of trading points for England 

in America, there were other reasons why Englishmen 

wanted to plant colonies there. They had the same hope 

as the Spanish, that there were gold and silver to be found. 

Moreover, as there were many people in England at that 

time who could find no work, it was thought that America 

would be a good place to which to send them. 

Sir Hiunphrey Gilbert first attempted in 1587 to plant a 

British colony in America, but he was unsuccessful. He 

made a second trial later, but two out of his three vessels 

were wrecked in a storm and he himself lost his life. 

Gilbert had a stepbrother named Walter Raleigh who 

took up the work of trying to colonize America for England 

after Gilbert's death. At the age of fifteen Raleigh entered 

Oxford University. He showed unusual ability in his 

studies, and, because of this and his gracious manners, he 

soon made many friends. He left the university after three 

46 

SIR WAI/TBR RALBIOH 47 

years and fought in France, Holland, and Ireland. After 

his return to England his many accomplishments brought 

him to the notice of Queen Elizabeth. She was so pleased 

■ with his wit, charm, and leamli^ that it was not long before 

he became a general favorite at her court. As she gave him 

many special privileges 

which brought him great 

wealth, we find him at 

the time of Gilbert's 

death well prepared to 

take up the work that 

Gilbert could not do. 

The queen had granted 

Gilbert a charter which 

gave him " the r^t to 

lay claim to any land 

in the West not actually 

possessed by a Chris- 

tian." This charter she 

now gave to Rale^, 

who by its terms was 

made governor over all 

colonies he might estab- Queen Elizftbetb. 

lish. The charter also Enil»otl'" peat queen h*lped io the eflDrta to ouln 

Bettlementa in AmericiL. 

granted the people who 

desired to go to America the same political and religious 

rights that they had in England. 

Raleigh thought it best to send out an exploring party 

to look over the land to find the best place for a settlement. 

Two ships set out in 1584. This expedition landed in the 

autumn on an island in Pamlico Sound in what is now 

North Carolina. They found the country beautiful with 

flowers, the climate warm, and fish and game in abundance. 

48 FOUNDERS OF FEEEDOM IN AMERICA 

They explored Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds, and then 

returned to England. The report made to the queen so 

pleased her that she named the country in her own honor. 

As she was unmarried and had the title, " The Vii^ 

Queen " she called the new land Virginia. 

Soon after the return of this expedition Raleigh sent out 

seven ships loaded with colonists. These men landed at 

Roanoke Island and estab- 

lished a colony. Unfortu- 

nately, the colonists did not 

like to work, and, instead 

of planting crops for food, 

they depended upon what 

they could get from the 

Indians. As they were not 

always fair, however, in 

their treatment of the In- 

dians, it was not long be- 

fore an unfriendly feeling 

Sir Walter Raleigh. grew up. It soon becanie 

^'^.ttTpt'ed't^^iuTZJlT"'"* difficult to get food and 

many colonists died the 

first winter. All would have probably perished if Sir 

Francis Drake had not happened along and taken the few 

survivors back to England. 

The colonists took with them two plants that they had 

foimd growing on Roanoke Island. One of these was the 

potato, which the English had never seen up to this time. 

The other plant was tobacco. The colonists had tried it 

and thought it worthy of being carried all the way to Eng- 

land. The potato ha.s become an important food in many 

countries, and tobacco is used all over the world, in every 

land. 

SIR WALTER RALEIGH 49 

In 1587 Raleigh made another attempt to make a settle- 

ment in America. This time he included women and chil- 

dren among his colonists. The expedition was under the 

command of Captain John White. These colonists also 

landed on Roanoke Island. A short time after they landed, 

the first English child was bom in what is now the United 

States. The child was a grand-daughter of Captain White 

and was named Virginia Dare. She was bom in 1587. 

After remaining with the colonists a short time, Captain 

White returned to England to report to Raleigh, and to get 

aid for the colony. He expected to return almost immedi- 

ately, but when he reached England he found everyone 

excited over the preparations to fight the Spanish Armada. 

It was not easy to provide ships and men to relieve the 

colony in the new world when England was in so much 

danger, and two years passed before White returned to 

America. When he reached Roanoke Island no trace 

could be found of the colonists. Their fate has always 

remained a mystery. 

Raleigh gave up the attempt to plant a colony in America 

after this failure. He had spent a fortune in his efforts to 

make a settlement in the new world but had failed to accom- 

pUsh his purpose. His example, however, and the lessons 

learned from his efforts encouraged other EngUsh people to 

try to settle in America, so that it was not long before many 

colonies were established. Through hard work and perse- 

verance the settlements throve and laid the foundations 

for the prosperous land which finally became the United 

States. 

50 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. What were two reasons why the English wished to have colonies 

in America? 

II. Why did Raleigh send out an exploring party to look over the land? 

III. Why did his first colony not succeed? 

rV. Why are the potato and tobacco important plants? 

V. What good did Raleigh do even though he failed to start a perma- 

nent settlement in America? 

PERIOD OF SETTLEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT, 

1607-1775, 168 YEARS 

CHAPTER XI SETTLEMENTS IN AMERICA 

In the story of Sir Walter Raleigh we learned of attempts 

to make settlements in America. His failm^s did not dis- 

courage others, but instead taught them to make better 

plans. Permanent settlements were finally established in 

Virginia and New England. 

Note the time and the nature of the homes made in the 

new world. Think of the strong men who helped to make 

these homes. They were the leaders of that period of his- 

tory called the Period of Settlement. 

As suggested in the first chapter of this book, you should 

become as well acquainted as possible with such men as 

John Smith, Myles Standish, and other leaders. Try to 

imagine yourself with them in their journeys on the sea, in 

their homes in America, and in their daily tasks in the little 

settlements that they helped to make. 

All men and women who came to America had good 

reasons that made them desire to leave their homes in the 

old world and brave the hardships of a new land. As you 

study the stories look for these reasons and then explain the 

difference between the life led by these early settlers while 

in Europe and their life as led in America. Why was this 

51 

52 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

a land of freedom for them? Find out in what ways America 

was a " Land of Opportunity '' to the eariy Virginians, the 

Pilgrims, the Puritans, the Quakers, and to others. 

The early settlers were dependent upon the mother 

country. Explain why. As time passed and the number 

of homes increased, the land that was once a wilderness 

became cultivated farms. Cities grew up where it was 

handy to take various products for trade or shipping. 

Boston, New York, and Philadelphia were the most impor- 

tant. The people grew less dependent upon the mother 

country. Explain why. There was more of a feeling that 

America was for Americans and that the colonists should be 

free from governments in Europe. As you study the dif- 

ferent stories, look for passages showing the growth of such 

a feeling. 

Determine how long it took to establish settlements in 

the country from New England to Greorgia. Compare the 

length of this period with the length of the period of 

exploration. 

Study the pictures and the maps as well as the stories, 

and make a collection of other pictures that will show some- 

thing about the early colonists and their home life in 

America. 

As you study, determine, if you can, what those men and 

women in Virginia, New England, New Jersey, Pennsyl- 

vania, and other colonies did for you. 

( , 

CHAPTER XII 

JOHN SMITH AND T^ FIRST PERMANENT ENGLISH 

SETTLEMENT 

The Gabots, Sir Francis Drake, and Sir Walter Raleigh 

were all great Englishmen and did great deeds for their 

country, but the credit for makmg the first permanent 

English settlement in what is now the United States belongs 

to men who followed them and profited by what they had. 

done. It was about twenty years after Raleigh's unsuc- 

cessful efforts to plant a colony in America that a body of 

wealthy merchants, joined together in what was called the 

London Company, sent out a group of people, one hundred' 

and five in number, for the purpose of making a settlement 

in the new world. This group of colonists set out New 

Year's Day, 1607, in three small vessels. It was May 

before they finally landed on the banks of a river which 

flows into Chesapeake Bay. This river they named the 

James in honor of James I, who was the king of England at 

that time. The settlement was named James-town for 

the same reason. 

Like those in Raleigh's colony, these settlers were not the 

kind of men to do the necessary work of building up a colony. 

Many of them were '* gentlemen " who did not think they 

should work with their hands. They thought it would be 

easy to gather a fortune in America, and then return to 

England. They were mistaken. Soon after they came 

the weather became very warm. The place where they 

settled was unhealthful. Food was hard to get. Many of 

53 

54 FOUNDERS OP FBEEDOM IN AMGBICA 

the settlers died of starvation or disease. The Indians, too, 

were unfriendly, and helped to make the colonists' life 

very hard. 

The man who did most to help the colony over the trials 

of the first year was Captain J6lm Smith. He was a 

young man twenty- 

eight years of age 

who had seen much 

of the worid, hav- 

ing had many ad- 

ventiu-es in the 

war in Holland, 

and in other parts 

of Europe. His 

adventures, as he 

tells them in the 

story of his life, 

read like those of 

a hero in a fairy 

tale. ■ We know 

from his work in 

Virginia that he 

was fearless. His 

Captain John Siniih. management of the 

Suob men M Captain Smith made it possibla for the eoHy affairs of the Colo- 

■ettlera to bnild homes and live in the new land. . , , ■ . 

nists proves that 

he was as wise as he was fearless in his relations with the 

Indians. 

John Smith showed the " gentlemen " how to work, and 

soon had them hewing trees and buildii^ log houses. It 

was not easy to keep them at such common work as building 

houses, because many of them wanted to search for the gold 

that they thought might be found. They did send a load 

JOHN SMITH AND THE FIRST ENGLISH SETTLEMENT 5j5 

of yellow sand to England, thinking it was gold, but it 

turned out to be of no value. 

A rule was made by Smith that all should work if tkey were 

to eat. At first they had a common storehouse, but: this 

plan made it easy for the lazy ones to get food as well as the 

workers. Everybody went to work when the food supply 

was stopped. 

John Smith believed Virginia was a narrow piece of land 

between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and he made 

several trips up the different rivers in the hope of finding 

the Pacific. You can see from the map how far he was 

from right in his ideas of the size and shape of the continent- 

of America. 

On one of these exploring expeditions he was captured 

by the Indians, who killed all his companions smd would 

have taken his life also had he not aroused their wonder by 

showing them his pocket compass. He also wrote a letter 

on a piece of paper to his friends in Jamestown. This 

astonished the Indians to think that Smith " could make 

paper talk." Afterwards Smith was taken before the chief 

of the tribe, Powhatan. For a time Powhatan was pleased 

with the compass and kept Captain Smith a prisoner near 

him. It was not long, however, before he tired of his 

prisoner, and would have kill^ him had not Pocahontas, 

his daughter, pleaded for Captain Smith's life. Not only 

was his life spared, but he was sent back to his friends. in 

Jamestown. . r-r^ 

The colonists were in a sad condition when John Smith 

returned from his unprisonment.^ He helped th^ to get 

com from the Indians, and to> catch fish from the rivers f oi: 

food. As they still did not work as they should have, the 

colonists could not secure enough food. The river water 

also was not good to drink. Many were taken sick ^jad 

56 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

some died. During one cold winter it was even necessary 

to kill the dogs and horses for food. 

However, more settlers kept on coming from England, 

ai^ finally a ship with women and children came. Real 

homes were made with women to care for them, and the 

colony prospered. 

In 1609 John Smith left the colony. He was injured by 

an explosion of gunpowder, and was obliged to go to Eng- 

land for surgical treatment. He revisited America later, 

exploring the coast from Maine southward. He made a 

map of the district and presented it to King Charles on his 

return to England. This map was remarkable for its accu- 

racy. John Smith named the region that he explored New 

England, a name which it has kept to this day. Later on 

he attempted to plant a colony in New England, but was 

imsuccessful. He ^pent the last years of his life at home 

in England writing books about his travels and adventures. 

By 1619 the number of colonists in Virginia had increased 

to about four thousand. These people desired to have a 

government of their own, and asked permission of the Lon- 

don Company to elect representatives from different parts 

of the colony who could meet together to make laws for the 

colony. Permission was granted, and in 1619 these repre- 

sentatives met in Jamestown. This vxis the first km- 

making body to meet in America. It afterwards came to be 

known as the House of Burgesses. 

Another event that is not so pleasant to record took place 

in 1619. In that year a shipload of negroes was brought 

to Virginia by traders and sold to the settlers as slaves. 

Trading in slaves increased and extended as the coimtry 

grew, until the slave question became one of the most 

important in the history of the United States. 

John Smitli was a brave and determined leader of men. 

JOHN SMITH AND THE FIRST ENGLISH SETTLEMENT 57 

He helped to establish the first permanent EngUsh settle- 

ment, Jamestown, m America. In this settlement in 1619 

the House of Burgesses was established and negro slavery 

was introduced. These were very important events in our 

national history. They marked the beginning of the two 

most vital questions in that history, — ^the questions of 

representative government and of slavery. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. Why did it take so long to start a successful settlement in America? 

II. Why were the first men who came to Jamestown not good men to 

make a settlement? 

III. How did John Smith help the settlers at Jamestown? 

IV. Why did the colonists wish to make their own laws? 

v. Why were men needed who could stand hardships as John Smith 

did? 

..w . .JU . 

CHAPTER Xni MTLES STANDISH AND THE SETTLEMENTS IN 

NEW ENGLAND 

Not many years after John Smith and other Englishmen 

settled in Jamestown, another group of Englishmen, women, 

and children foimded a settlement at Plymouth, in what is 

now the State of Massachusetts. This group of people did 

not go to America to get rich; instead of thai they wanted a 

home and a place to worship as they desired. They were 

called Pilgrims. 

At that time King James was the ruler of England. He 

wanted all the people to worship after the same plan. 

There were some men and women, however, who set up 

chm-ches of their own, and, as they had separated from the 

King's chm-ch, they were called Separatists. Some of the 

people wanted to change and reform, or, as they said, 

purify, this form of worship. They were called Puritans. 

The king's officers persecuted these people who differed 

from the king in their idea of worship ; and as some travelled 

from place to place to escape persecution they came to be 

called Pilgrims. 

The Pilgrims left England and settled in Holland. As 

they found the Dutch people friendly, their life in Holland 

was pleasant. After stajdng there a few years, however, 

they foimd that their children were learning the Dutch 

language and following Dutch customs. They did not like 

to see that, because they really loved their home land and 

wanted their children to grow up as English men and women. 

58 

UTLES 8TANDISH AND THE SETTLEMENT IN NEW ENQLAND 59 

On accoxmt of this they wished to leave Holland. They 

finally decided to go to the new land, America, 

'in July, 1620, about one hundred of the Pilgrims in Hol- 

land set sail for America in the Speedwell, from the port of 

Iieyden where most of them lived. Amoi^ them was 

-Captain Myles Standish, an Englishman, who, although 

he was not a Pilgrim, had joined them in Holland and had 

become well liked. He 

had shown bravery in the 

wars in Holland, and in 

America, as you shall 

see, his mihtary trainii^ 

hdped him very much 

in giving aid to the new 

Settlers. He was a small 

man, with reddish hair 

and beard. He some- 

times dressed in armor 

and his weapons con- 

sisted of a heavy sword 

and a flint-lock gun. 

Another vessel, the 

Mayflower, joined the 

SpeedweW a.t Southamp- 

ton, England. As the Myles Standish. 

„ J 71 -"^ J. 1. The vork of Standisb wu like that of Captuu 

Speedwell proved to be j^hn smith of j«».»t<,wi.. 

unfit for the voyage, one 

hundred and two of the voy^ers crowded into the Mayflower. 

They finally started in September and took nine weekg.to 

reach America. They planned to go to Virginia, but great 

storms arose and drove the Mayflower to the north of "the 

course. When they finally reached land it was near Cape Cod. 

While at anchor in Cape Cod Bay they signed an ^ree- 

ment that aU should obey for the general good of the 

60 FOUNDERa OF FBEEDOU IN AMERICA 

colony. This covenant agreed to by tlie little band of 

Pilgrims shows that they had respect for proper laws. They 

wished for freedom from laws that caused them to be per^ 

secuted, and they gained this freedom by coming to America. 

That they were law-abiding is shown by their willingness to 

put their names to the body of laws prepared by their .leader 

and the selection of a governor to execute the laws. They 

chose John Carver for their first governor. 

As it was not easy to find a good place to land and build 

homes, Myles Standish and a few other men spent several 

weeks exploring the land. At last they decided to settle at 

a place called Ply- 

mouth on John 

Smith's map of that 

region. The water 

was shallow near the 

shore, which made it 

necessary for the 

people in landii^ to 

The Mayflower. 8*«P f™™ t^e boat 

to a great stone lyii^ 

near the shore, and from that to the land. This rock, which 

may be seen to this day, is called Plymouth Rock. 

The Pilgrims landed December 21, 1620. The day was 

cold, and snow covered the ground. There was no shelter 

and food was scarce. They suffered from the severe cold 

but they set about to build a house. It was not many days 

before they had a log cabin biiilt where all hved until other 

homes could be built. 

The first winter was filled with severe trials for these brave 

people. Many of them were ill, and at one time only Myles 

Standish and a few other men were well enough to care for 

the sick people. Standish proved himself as good a nurse 

MYLES STANDISH AND THE SETTLEMENT IN NEW ENGLAND 61 

as he was a soldier. He tenderly cared for those who were 

too weak to help themselves, at the same time keeping care- 

ful watch that 'the Indians did not attack the settlement. 

Over half of the little group died the first winter. Among 

these were Rose Standish, Myles Standish's wife, and John 

Carver, the governor. In order that the Indians might not 

know how many had died, the graves were level witii the 

ground, and, in the Spring, com was planted over them as 

well as on the other land. 

An Indian named Samoset visited the settlers in the 

Spring. He had learned English from an English fisherman 

and surprised the Pilgrims by calling out, " Welcome, 

Englishmen!" He remained at the settlement over night 

and then returned to his home in the forest. He soon 

returned with another Indian named Squanto, who had 

been taken prisoner by some English explorers, had been 

taken to England, and while there had learned the English 

language. He informed the settlers that Massasoit, the 

chief of his tribe, would visit them in a short time. Prepa- 

rations were made to receive Massasoit as an important 

man should be received. Myles Standish and a group of 

soldiers met him and escorted him to the governor. Friendly 

greetings and presents were exchanged, and a peace compact 

was drawn up. This peace was kept for fifty years. 

Squanto liked the ways of the white people, and spent 

several years with them. He taught them how to raise 

com and other vegetables and how to trap the game of the 

forest. Such pleasant relations with the Indians helped 

the colonists. Many hardships that John Smith and his 

followers suffered were thus avoided in New England. 

The harvest of the first season was so plentiful that the 

Pilgrims set aside a day of thanksgiving for the good crops. 

The Indians were invited, and Massasoit and several of his 

62 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

followers spent three days of feasting and entertainment 

with the Englishmen. From this beginning, the national 

custom of having the last Thursday in November as Thanks- 

giving Day has grown up. 

Some Indians were not so friendly as Massasoit. One 

chief named Canonicus sent a bundle of arrows wrapped in 

a snake skin to Myles Standish. This meant that he was 

ready to declare war on the English. Myles Standish kept 

the arrows, but returned the snake skin filled with powder 

and shot. This was a warning to Canonicus that the set- 

tlers were willing and ready to fight. The Indian chief 

decided to leave the English alone when he received Myles 

Standish's message. 

At another time Massasoit told the Pilgrims of a plot the 

Massachuseuks tribe had formed to attack them. Myles 

Standish marched against the imfriendly Indians with such 

success that the threatened trouble quickly came to an end. 

The homes of the Pilgrims differed a great deal from ours. 

They were made from rough logs cut in the forest into dif- 

ferent lengths, depending upon the size of the house that 

was to be built. These logs were piled Upon one another 

to make the four walls, and then the roof was made over all 

and covered with large shingles split from short logs. There 

was but one large room in the house which was made to 

serve as kitchen, dining room, and parlor. The cooking 

was done in large pots over the fire in the fire-place. Some 

furniture was brought from England, and other furniture 

was made by the Pilgrims. Every home had a spinning 

wheel. 

There was a church in every community which was 

attended every Sunday by all the people. In Pljrmouth 

on Sunday morning Myles Standish and a few of his brave 

soldiers went to the meeting-house at the head of the pro- 

MTLES 8TANDISH AND THE SETTLEMENT IN NEW ENGLAND 63 

cession, followed by the men, women, and children of the 

settlement. The services lasted all day long. There was 

no heat even in the coldest weather, except from small 

foot stoves. You can imagine that it must have been very 

unpleasant in cold weather; nor was it easy for the boys 

and girls to listen to a sermon two hoiirs long without fallii^ 

asleep or getting into mischief. A man was appointed to 

Pilgrims Going to Church. 

The desire of Ihe PilirimB to worsbip u tbey wuhed bn»i(ht tbem to America. 

keep them from doing either. If they fell asleep, or behaved 

badly, it was his duty to tap them on the head with a stick 

that he carried for that purpose. All children were expected 

to give good attention to the sermon, no matter how long 

it was. 

The daily life of the boys and gu-ls was a busy one. They 

helped their parents in the daily work and attended school. 

64 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

The Pilgrims thought it was necessary to have schools, and 

school-houses were among the first public buildings that 

they erected. These school-houses were made of rough 

logs with the cracks filled with mud and dried grass. Inside 

the walls were rough; there were no pictures; and the seats 

were made out of thick boards split out of logs. These 

schools were not well lighted nor were they well heated. 

Books were very scarce; in fact, the only book in some of the 

schools belonged to the master. But with all these diffi- 

culties many Pilgrim boys and girls grew into worth-while 

men and women. Later on in our history you will see how 

their descendants took a leading pipi; in helping to lay the 

foundation of the United States as we now know it. 

Myles Standish was always ready to help in every kind 

of labor or in fighting. He later went to England to get 

money to aid the colonists. His last years were spent at 

Duxbury, not far from Plymouth settlement. Among 

others who lived there with him was his friend John Alden. 

.The story of Myles Standish, John Alden, and the Puritan 

maiden Priscilla is beautifully told in a poem called " The 

Courtship of Miles Standish," by Henry W. Longfellow. 

THINGS TO TmNK ABOUT 

I. Why did the Pilgrims go to Holland? 

II. Why was it very brave of the Pilgrims to wish to settle in America? 

III. The agreement signed on the Ma3rflower was called a compact. 

Why was it called a compact? Why was it necessary to have 

laws? 

IV. How do you think Myles Standish helped the colony? 

y. The Pilgrims believed in having a church and schools for the 

children. What does this show us about these people? 

X 

CHAPTER XIV JOHN WINTHROP AND OTHER PURITAN LEADERS 

The Pilgrims spent several lonesome years in America 

before other English people decided to settle near them. 

Their number had increased to about three himdred when 

some Puritans, imder the leadership of John Endicott, 

settled at Salem in 1628. 

These Puritans were those people of whom you read in 

the last chapter who wished to simplify or purify the form 

of worship in the English church. As this did not please 

the king he persecuted them as well as the Pilgrims. By 

1630, however, there were many educated and rich men 

among the Puritans. Some of these men, imder the leader- 

ship of John Wmthrop, obtained a charter from the kmg, 

giving them the right to settle in America and make the 

laws which were to be observed in their colony. The com- 

pany was called the Massachusetts Bay Company, and 

Winthrop was named as the first governor. He held that 

office for twelve years. 

It took a fleet of eleven vessels to carry the Puritans who 

left England in March, 1630. They carried with them tools 

that they would need in making their new homes. They 

also took horses, cattle, and other stock, as well as seeds and 

extra provisions. The voyage did not end imtil Jime. 

The land that they saw was not like that which the weary 

Pilgrims selected for their home in December, 1620. The 

fields were covered with flowers now and the weather was 

warm and pleasant. 

65 

66 FOITNDGBS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

Winthrop and his followers selected Charlestown for a 

home, but the water there was so impure that many became 

ill. They looked about for a better place and chose a piece 

of land consisting of three hills which lay across the river 

from Charlestown. 

They named this 

place Boston, after 

a fine old city in 

England. You may 

find Boston and the 

other places spoken 

of if you will look 

at the map of 

The winter of 

1630-31 was fiUed 

with suffering for 

the Puritans. Food 

became scarce. 

The weather was 

very cold. So 

many became ill 

that it was feared 

at one time that 

Governor John Winthrop. all might perish 

winth^p.. i»d=™hip bdp^b« P>^un -tu™.ot to j^^ sfaTvation. 

But when nearly 

all hope was gone a ship arrived from England with a plenti- 

ful supply of provisions and the colony was saved. 

Over a thousand people arrived from Errand the next 

year. As others followed, it was not long before Boston 

became a lai^ town. Other settlements were also started 

at Watertown, Roxbury, and other places near Boston. 

JOHN WIld«BOP AND OTHEB PURITAN LEADEBS 67 

When the settlers first came their chief thought was to get 

food, and farmii^ became the principal industry of the 

colony; but as the number of colonists increased some gave 

their attention to shlp-buildii^ land engaged in trade with 

the West Indies. Others became interested in fishing off 

Newfoundland. This industry met with so much success 

The Puritans' First Sunday in America. 

iritaiu, like the FUgrims, were a devout people. They Bje sho 

that fishing became and still is one of the most important 

industries of Massachusetts. 

Governor Winthrop was not only a good governor, but 

he set a good example for others to follow. He lived as he 

thought other Puritans should live. He believed, as they 

did, that the people should live according to very strict laws. 

68 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

many of which had a great deal to do with reUgion and the 

church. 

Every one was obliged to attend church twice on Sunday. 

A scoldmg woman was punished by duckmg, or by standing 

outside her door with a stick tied across her mouth. A man 

who told untruths was made to stand on the street; a large 

8ign with the word "liar" printed on it hangmg from his 

neck. For some crimes men were placed in the " stocks/' 

or " pillory/' where they were held stiff and rigid; and 

exposed for hours to the ridicule of people passing by. 

The daily life was a busy one. A bell rang the curfew at 

nine o'clock, when everyone had to go to bed. In the 

morning at half-past four another bell awoke them for 

their daily work. 

There were no stores where the settlers could buy food and 

clothing. It was necessary to raise grain and vegetables or 

himt game in the forest. If a suit of clothes or a dress was 

wanted, the housewife had first to spin the wool, then weave 

it into cloth, and then make the garment. 

Neighbors helped one another with work that needed 

several men, like " raising " a bam, pulling stumps, or get- 

ting in such crops as com and wheat. Women helped each 

other when butchering time came, or when it was necessary 

to sew rags for a rag carpet. No one wanted pay for help- 

ing his neighbor. They asked only for thanks and a wiUmg- 

ness to help some one else in case of need. 

The Puritans started the custom of holding town meetings 

to make the laws for the different towns of the settlement. 

At these meetings the laws which were made were supposed 

to be for all the people, but no one was allowed to vote unless 

he was a church member. 

The chief reason why the Puritans left England was their 

desire to worship as they pleased, but as soon as they 

JOHN WINTHKOP AND OTHER PURITAN LEADERS 69 

settled in America they seemed to forget that some might 

not desire to worship as they did. They not only took the 

right to vote away from those who did not belong to their 

church, but they persecuted all who preached contrary 

to their ideas. 

One man named Roger Williams thought that all should 

vote, that everyone should worship as he pleased, and that 

the king of England had no right to give away land in 

America until he paid the Indians for it. He was a young 

preacher who preached first in Salem and then in Plymouth. 

He took a great interest in the Indians and went to the 

trouble of learning their language. As he was kind to them, 

they became his friends. 

The Puritans disliked WiUiams' preaching and attempted 

to arrest him to send him back to England. He escaped 

and fled through the forest in mid- winter to the home of the 

Indian Chief Massasoit, who took him in and gave him a 

home until Spring. When springtime came, Massasoit 

presented Williams with a tract of land in what is now 

Rhode Island that he might send for his friends in the Puri- 

tan colony and establish a settlement. WiUiams called his 

land Providence, and invited all who wished to settle there, 

no matter what church they attended. This was the first 

settlement in America where there was religious freedom. 

Later on in this history you will find that religious freedom 

was considered so important that the men who wrote the 

laws of the United States gave everyone the right to worship 

as he might choose. 

Roger WiUiams lived to be an old man. He was always 

very strong, and at seventy-three years of age he rowed a 

boat thirty miles. He helped make Providence a pros- 

perous settlement. His advice was always sought after. 

The Indians so trusted him that more than once he was 

70 POUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

successful in persuading them not to fight the white men. 

At one time, when the Pequot Indians were ui^ing the Nar- 

ragansetts to join with them in an attack on Massachu- 

setts, Williams succeeded in getting the Narragansetts not 

to join with the Pequots. The Pequots, however, would 

not listen to him. They were detehnined to fight the 

English. A party of settlers marched against them, sur- 

prised them, and killed nearly the whole tribe. There was 

no other trouble with the Indians in New England for nearly 

fifty years. 

Many of the colonists, like Winthrop and Roger Williams, 

were very well educated, and believed in schools. As they 

desired to have their children well educated, Massachu- 

setts, in 1647, passed a law which made it necessary to have 

a free school in every town having fifty or more hduse- 

holders. This was the begmning of the present free school 

system of the United States. 

It' was only six years after Winthrop and his friends 

reached America that they set aside money to -establish a 

college. Two years later John Harva^ died in Charlestown, 

and left his library and half his estate to the college.- This 

was the beginning of Harvard College. 

John Winthrop lived unttl^4649. He Was a leader of men 

and always stood for what he believed was right. He met 

with many trials but was successful in building up a great 

colony in Massa;chusetts. We shall hear more' of this 

colony in the history of our country. 

In 1643 four of the New England colonies, Plymouth, 

Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Haven, united to 

protect themselves against the Indians, and against invasion 

by^ the Dutch. This union Was called The New England 

Confederation. It was one of the first steps low«ds the 

United States of America. ^ 

JOHN WINTHROP AND OTHER PURITAN LEADERS 71 

TfflNGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. Why were the Puritans punished in England? 

II. How did the Puritans differ from the Pilgrims? 

III. Why was it easier for the Puritans under Winthrop when they 

reached America than for the Pilgrims? 

rV. Would you like to have been among the Puritans when they first 

came to America? Why? 

V. Why did the neighbors help one another in early days? 

VI. Why did Roger WiUiams leave Massachusetts? 

VII. How did the colony that he established differ from the colony of 

Puritans? 

VIII. Remember that religious freedom has been an important question 

in our history aiid look for references to it as you read this book. 

IX. The group of colonies in New England that united for the sake of 

protection was called the New' England Confederacy. Look 

up the word confederacy in the dictionary. 

X. Which New England colony was not allowed to join the Con- 

federacy? Why? 

CHAPTER XV 

HENRT HUDSON AND THE DUTCH IN AHSRICA 

For many years after the people in Europe learned that 

America lay between them and Eastern Asia, they sought 

a waterway to Asia either 

across or north of North 

America, or north of Europe. 

While John Smith was 

exploring the rivers of Vir- 

ginia with the hope that 

some of them might lead to 

the Pacific Ocean, another 

Englishman named Henry 

Hudson was attempting to 

find a north passage to 

China. HLs explorations 

Th, di«o™,. TZ^li rfv.r th.t h«™ attracted so much attention 

hi. name gjvf Henry Hud.on *n imporUnt that thC gtBat trading COm- 

™ '" " "' pany in Holland, the Dutch 

East India CompMiy, engaged him to seek a shorter western 

route to India than the one by way of the Cape of Good 

Hope which they ware using. 

Plans were soon made, and on April 4, 1609, Hudson set 

forth from the Zuyder Zee in a small vessel called the Half 

Moon. He carried with him maps and other papers pre- 

pared by explorers who had visited America. Among them 

was a letter from Captain John Smith, in which he stated 

72 

HENRY HUDSON AND THE DUTCH IN AMERICA 73 

that there was '* a strait leading into the western ocean, 

by the north English colony in Virginia/' 

The Half Moon sailed to the northwest^ from Holland 

until Hudson was forced to turn southward to escape the 

great icebergs that were floating in the ocean. After a 

voyage of three months the accoimt of his travels shows 

that he was near Newfoimdland. From there he journeyed 

southward, exploring the coast waters very carefully with 

the hope that he would find the long soiight-f or passageway 

to the Pacific Ocean. He sailed as far south as Jamestown, 

and then turned and sailed to the north again. On Sep- 

tember 3, 1609, he reached the entrance of a beautiful bay. 

He entered the harbor and foimd himself at the mouth of 

what we know now as the Hudson River. The bay later 

came to be called New York Harbor and has become the 

greatest harbor in the world. 

Hudson sailed slowly up the beautiful river, filled with 

the hope that he had at last foimd the short route across 

America. It is hard for us to understand how he could 

have thought that the Hudson River extended across this 

great continent, but we must remember that when Henry 

Hudson and the other early explorers were making the first 

visits to this land they had very few maps, and those were 

made by men who knew little of the new world. 

It was not long before the river became shallower, and 

Hudson saw that much land lay beyond before the west- 

ward ocean could be reached. He returned to Europe and 

sent a report of his discovery to the Dutch East India 

Company. 

While on his voyage up the Hudson River, Hudson was 

visited at different times by the Indians, who exchanged 

presents with him. He also went ashore at one place and 

was entertamed at a great feast given by them in his honor. 

74 

FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IK AMERICA 

The friendly feeling toward the Dutch which resulted from 

Henry Hudson's treatment of the Indians proved to be of 

great value to the men and women who later came to settle 

on the lands that he explored. 

In April, 1610, Henry Hudson again sailed for America, 

this time under the Engli^ flag. He travelled far to the 

The Half Moon. 

■1 of Hudagn'e vwael which was ms 

celebration of New York, in 1906. 

ir the Kudaon-Fiilkiq 

North, and finally reached the entrance of the great bay 

that now bears his name. Here bis ship was frozen fast for 

the winter. When springtime came he attempted to con- 

tinue the voyage to the West. His sailors rebelled, how- 

ever, and, putting Hudson, his son, and a few sick men in an 

open boat, they left them to drift on the icy waters of 

Hudson Bay. No one knows the exact fate of this brave 

HENRY HUDSON AND THE DTPTCH IN AMERICA 75 

man. No doubt, he soon died from the cold. His great 

discoveries, however, will always remind us that Henry 

Hudson was one of the real heroes of his time. 

Diuing bis voyage for the Dutch Company Hudson 

traded beads, cloth, and other things to the Indians for 

furs which be took to Holland in the Half Moon. When 

the Dutch saw the valuable furs that America produced 

Henry Hudson Trading with the Indians. 

they sent men to trade with the Indians along the Hudson 

River. Soon many trading posts were established, the 

most important being Fort Amsterdam on Manhattan 

Island at the mouth of the Hudson River. 

It was several years before settlers came from Holland 

in lai^e niunbers. Those who came during the first few 

years wanted only to trade with the Indians, with no 

thought of home-making. 

76 * POUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

In 1625 the Dutch West India Company, as the East 

India Company was then called, sent out Peter Minuit to 

act as Governor of the whole region claimed by the Dutch, 

known as New Netherlands. This consisted of the land 

on both banks of the Hudson and what is now the New Jer- 

sey coast, as far south as Delaware Bay. 

Up to the time that Peter Minuit was sent to America, 

the Dutch had been living on Manhattan Island without 

questioning who owned the land. Minuit quickly decided 

that the land should be bought from the Indians, the right- 

ful owners, if the Dutch were to have a good claim to it. 

So he bargained with some of the Indian chiefs and gave them 

blankets, cloth, beads, ribbons, and buttons to the value 

of twenty-four dollars for the island. Both the Indians and 

the Dutch thought they had made a good bargain. The 

Indians knew nothing of money in the form of gold and 

silver. Their money was called Wampum, and consisted 

of shells or beads with holes in them so they could be strung 

on a string. Belts of this Wampum were woven in such 

forms that the Indians could tell from the woven figures 

for what they stood. Belts like these served as treaties 

between the Dutch and the Indians. 

The Indians and the people of New Amsterdam, as the 

settlement on Manhattan Island was then called, were very 

friendly. As the Indians brought furs to the Dutch traders, 

a fine business soon grew up. The ship which brought 

Governor Minuit to New Amsterdam carried a great cargo 

of furs back to Holland. 

When Peter Minuit first arrived in New Amsterdam the 

settlement consisted of about thirty houses. A log fort was 

soon built, windmills were erected, and before long some of 

the colonists began to build ships. More colonists came, 

and in a short time several real Dutch homes sprang up, 

HBNBY HUD80N AND THE DUTCH IN AMERICA 77 

with pretty littie gardens in place of the dirty, smoky Indian 

wigwams that Henry Hudson saw on the island. 

There were fine opportunities to engage in fur tradii^, 

ship building, and trading with the English colonies in New 

England and Virginia, and the Spanish colonies in the West 

Indies. It seems as though many settlers would have 

wanted to come to New Amsterdam, but apparently people 

liked Holland so well that few cared to make the voyage. 

New Amsterdam in 1664. 

It would be inUiregtini to compsrs this picti 

■hov the d 

In order to get colonists to settle in the lands under the 

control of -the Dutch West India Company, the Company 

offered to any man who would make a settlement of fifty 

persons a tract of land sixteen miles long on one bank of 

any river in the land claimed by the compMiy. If the 

settler preferred he could have a tract of hmd eight miles 

long on each bank of the river. The land might run back 

from the river as far as the settler desired. The man who 

made this settlement was to be called a " patroon," and 

78 FOUNDEBS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

was to have full charge of the land and the people whom he 

brought as settlers. He was the judge m all disputes. He 

could compel the settlers to pay him rents for the land on 

which they lived, and if he desired he might compel them to 

grind then- grain in his mill. In return for the land, he was 

obliged to provide his settlers with a schoolmaster and a 

minister. 

It was not long before the proprietors of some of these 

estates became more interested in their own fortime than 

in the good of the settlers whom they had persuaded to come 

to America with them. Trouble soon arose, and word was 

sent back to the Dutch West India Company that Peter 

Minuit was favoring the " patroons.'' Because of this the 

Company recalled him in 1632. 

Whether this accusation was true or not, while Peter 

Minuit was Governor of the little Dutch colony he did many 

things to make it a prosperous settlement. At all times he 

seemed to be working to make a home where Dutch people 

could settle and be happy. 

Other governors followed Peter Minuit. We shall have 

time to learn about only the last one appointed. His name 

was Peter Stuyvesant and he was appointed in 1647. He 

was governor for seventeen years, during which time he did 

a great deal of valuable work for the colony. 

Peter Stuyvesant was a man with a strong will. He met 

all diflSculties with a firm hand and settled them without 

delay. He foimd the colony in trouble with the Indians. 

He soon made a treaty with them. He next settled a dis- 

pute between the Dutch and some English settlers in Con- 

necticut who laid claim to the same tract of land. After 

that he turned his attention to a settlement that had been 

made on the Delaware River by some Swedish settlers 

under the leadership of Peter Minuit, who had gone to Sweden 

HENRY HUDSON AND THE DUTCH IN AMERICA 

79 

aft^ his dismissal by the Dutch West India Company. 

Stuyvesant sailed against the settlement with seven ships 

and took possession of the colony for the Dutch. He 

encouraged fur trading and helped those who were inter- 

ested in ship building. He forced the settlers to observe 

the laws of the Sabbath, 

forbade the sale of gims 

and liquor to the Indians, 

and helped the people to 

start public schools like 

those the Ei^ish had 

established in New Eng- 

land. 

You might think be- 

cause of all these good 

deeds that Peter Stuy- 

vesant was liked by the 

settlers, but he was not. 

He was headstrong, 

quick-tempered, and al- 

ways wanted to have his 

own way. He thought 

first of all of the West 

India Company and then 

of the people. It was 

not long before the people 

had a chance to choose 

whether or not they wanted him to continue as their gov- 

ernor. 

England had always laid claim to the whole coast of North 

America from Labrador to the Carolinas because of Cabot's 

explorations. In 1664, therefore, a fleet of English vessels 

appeared in New Amsterdam harbor and demanded the 

Governor Peter Stuyveaant. 

n StuyvHsDt atanda high amoni the early 

ovepnoTB who had charge of settlementi. 

80 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

surrender of the town to the English. Peter Stuyvesant 

was very angry and tore to pieces the English officer's 

letter, but, as he soon found that the other Dutch people 

would not help him defend the settlement against the 

English, he was obliged to surrender. Thus the rule of the 

Dutch in America came to an end. A treaty was signed 

at Stuyvesant's " Bouwerie," or country home, on Sep- 

tember 3, 1664. By this treaty the name of the settlement 

Surrender of New Amaterdam by Peter Stuyvesant in 1664. 

Thii scene ghowa the pusiiic of Dutch control in North Amariot to the Bm^igh, 

was changed to New York in honor of the Duke of York, to 

whom King Charles II of England had given the tract of 

land in America which included the Dutch settlements. 

THmCS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. Is there a waterway across North America to the Pacific? 

II. Why do you think Hudson believed the river that bears his name 

reached the Pacific Ocean? 

Ill What reasons had the Dutch for coming to America? 

HENRY HtJDSON AND THE DUTCH IN AMERICA 81 

IV. Why do you think both the Indians and the Dutch thought the sale 

of Manhattan Island was a good bargain? Who got the better 

of the bargain? Why? 

V. Why did the Enghsh claim New Netherlands? 

VI. Do you think Peter Stu3rvesant was a good governor? Why? 

VII. The Dutch people would not help defend New Amsterdam against 

the English. Why? 

CHAPTER XVI 

SAMUEL DE CHAHPLAIK AND THE FRENCH Df AMERICA 

You have learned how the Spanish, English, and Dutch 

explored and laid claim to di£Fercnt parts of North America. 

We shall now turn our attention to another great country of 

Europe which sent out explorers and afterwards settlers 

to the new world. This country was France. 

The man who first succeeded in making a French settle- 

ment in North America was named Samuel de Champlain. 

He was a trained sailor, a brave, de- 

vout, and honest man. He first arrived 

in America in 1603. During the sum- 

mer of that year he and his followers 

explored the St. Lawrence River, which 

had been discovered by Cartier, a 

Frenehmfoi, in 1535. They visited 

Hochelaga, which Cartier had seen 

Samuel de ChomplaiD. as a great Indian village beautifully 

cii.mpiain'»weoe» i° ""^ sltuatcd on a hill by the river side, 

■tHngthened the cium of but they fouud thc towii in ruins. 

w™1X *" "^ °' "" "" Later both this hill and the city which 

the French settlers built upon it were 

called Montreal (Mount Royal). A short time after this 

the voyagers returned to France. 

The next year Champlain brought a few settlers to Acadia, 

as the land claimed by the French was l^en called. These 

people met with so many hardships that after three years 

SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN AND THE FRENCH IN AMERICA 83 

at Port Royal they became discouraged and returned to 

France. 

This failure did not discourage Champlain, however. As 

his main desire was to estabhsh the French in the new world, 

we again find him in America. This time, 1608, he started 

a settlement at the trading port on the St. Lawrence called 

Quebec. The first winter was a very hard one for the few 

men who were left there when their ships returned to France. 

Other settlers came in the spring, however, and the little 

colony soon became a prosperous group of people. 

Champlain's settlement had as neighbors a tribe of Indi- 

ans called the Algonquins. These Indians were at war 

with the Iroquois, who lived to the south in what is now the 

state of New York. He thought that it would be to his 

advantage to gain the friendship of the Algonquins, and, 

in order to do so, he agreed to help them against their ene- 

mies. While on the way to meet the Iroquois he discovered 

the beautiful lake which now bears his name, Lake Cham- 

plain. Look for this lake on the map and you wiU see where 

the battle between the two Indian tribes took place at the 

southern end of the lake. 

When the war parties met, Champlain and his fellow 

Frenchmen killed two of the Iroquois chiefs. The Iroquois 

were so frightened when they heard the guns and saw their 

chiefs fall that they fled. It was a costly victory for the 

French, however, because from that time the Iroquois were 

their enemies, keeping them from carrying on trade or mak- 

ing explorations in their lands. They kept the French from 

reaching the Mississippi River valley by way of Lake Erie 

and the Ohio River as they desired, and forced them to go 

by way of the Great Lakes, — ^a route which offered many 

very great difficulties, as you will learn in the story of other 

French explorers. 

84 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

Champlain was making enemies of the Indians near the 

Hudson River at the time that Henry Hudson was winning 

then- friendship. Their trade went to the Dutch, and after- 

wards to the English, instead of to the French, as it proba- 

bly would have gone but for Champlain's mistake. 

For what he did in encouraging the early settlers and 

helping to make Quebec a permanent settlement, Champlain 

was given the affectionate title " Father of Canada.'' He 

died December 25, 1635, after a lifetime filled with service 

for his country. 

It was several years after the French settled at Quebec 

before they did much exploring of the country west of that 

place. Even then much of the exploration done by the 

French must be credited to the Jesuit missionaries. These 

men were so filled with a desire to teach the Indians the 

truths of their church that they risked their health and even 

their lives for this piupose. 

One of the greatest of these missionaries was Father 

Marquette, who spent years of his life going from tribe to 

tribe for the piupose of teaching the Indians. In 1673, 

accompanied by Louis Joliet, he floated down the Wisconsin 

River into the Mississippi. They journeyed down that 

river until they reached the mouth of the Arkansas, and 

then returned to their starting place on Lake Michigan. 

Chief of the French explorers, however, was Robert de 

lia Salle, who came to America in 1666. After exploring 

the Great Lakes and discovering the Ohio River, he returned 

to France to obtain permission from King Louis XIV to 

explore and start colonies, and to open up trade with the 

Indians in the land lying around the Lakes and in the 

Mississippi Valley. His great purpose was to build forts 

and start trading posts along the St. Lawrence, around the 

Great Lakes, and along the Mississippi. He also wanted 

1G73 itOKM tf. jr«rg«et(e and JMt»^_ 

1679itou<e «/ £a AaUr to Ft. Orneemur 

amdhadt. 

1680 Awte of Omnuphk. 

l&JUBouU 9f £« BaUt fr«m Vt. St. 

Ltndt to •*• ChiV if Mitcfeo 

90 

Lonsituda West 86 from OraenwJch 

o 

d 

bO 

IS 

SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIK AND THE FRENCH IN AMERICA 85 

to start a colony at the mouth of the Mississippi River so 

that it would be easier for the French to carry on fur trading 

with the Indians of the region which he meant to open up. 

The St. Lawrence is so far north that for much of the year 

it is frozen over and all navigation must stop, while the 

Mississippi River, being further south, is open during the 

whole year. The Iroquois Indians, too, were giving the 

French much trouble near the St. Lawrence River. 

In 1679, after many hardships and disappointments, 

La Salle set forth ■ on Lake Erie in a 

boat called the Griffin, that he and his 

men had made. They sailed through 

Lake Erie and Lake Ontario to the 

head of Lake Michigan. There men 

sent ahead by La Salle loaded the 

Griffin with furs which they had col- 

lected. They then returned. 

Meanwhile U Salle and a few of R^^ert de u Salle, 

his followers journeyed to the southern lb saiie's eipiorations mark 

end of Lake Michigan and paddled h'™a»''n™nMt worker m 

their canoes up the St. Joseph River 

until they came to the place where that river and the 

head-waters of the Illinois River nearly meet. They 

carried their canoes from the St. Joseph to the Illinois, 

and, at the place where the city of Peoria now stands, they 

built a fort called Crevecceur, meaning " broken heart." 

This seems a good name for the fort, because I-a Salle 

had trouble enough to break his heart. He had hoped 

that his boatload of furs would bring him enough money 

to make it possible for him to carry on his explorations 

towards the Mississippi River, but the boat was never 

heard from again, and, to get his "Supplies, La Salle 

was obUged to make the difficult journey from Fort 

86 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

Crevecoeur overland through southern Michigan to Canada. 

The country was covered with forests filled with under- 

brush and many marshes. The travelers always had to be 

on the lookout for unfriendly Indians. Food was hard to 

obtain, and their clothes were soon worn out. But after 

several weeks La Salle reached Canada and, after making 

arrangements for supplies, returned to the Illinois River. 

When he arrived there other difficulties arose, so that he 

was obliged to make another journey to Canada. 

At last, however, all obstacles were overcome, and the 

party started down the Illinois River in the Indian canoes 

to which La Salle had decided to trust. On February 6, 

1682, they entered the Mississippi, down which they sailed 

until they reached the Gulf of Mexico, April 9, 1682. 

La Salle and his men landed and with impressive ceremonies 

took possession of the land in the name of King Louis of 

France. He called the whole region Louisiana, in honor 

of the king. This included the Mississippi River Valley 

from the Rocky Mountains in the west to the Allegheny 

Mountains in the east and the land around the Great Lakes. 

He built a small fort which he called Fort St. Louis. Leav- 

ing a few men there, he returned to Montreal in Canada and 

shortly afterwards sailed for France, hoping to persuade 

the French king to help him establish a colony of French 

people at the mouth of the Mississippi River. 

As France and Spain were at war, the Spaniards had for- 

bidden Frenchmen to trade with any of the Spanish colonies 

in America or even enter the Gulf of Mexico. The French 

king thought a settlement at the mouth of the Mississippi 

River would be valuable in helping him to break the power 

of Spain in America and was very willing to start such a 

colony. 

With a fleet of four vessels La Salle set forth with a glad 

SAMUEL DB CHAMPLAIN AND THE FRENCH IN AMERICA 87 

heart to establish a settlement at the mouth of the 

Mississippi. Misfortune always seemed to follow him 

in his explorations in America, and this voyage was no 

exception. Instead of landing at the mouth of the Missis- 

La Salle Taking Possession of Louisiana. 

sippi he missed it and sailed on several miles to the west. 

He searched about for the great river, but could not find 

it, and finally landed on the coast of what is now Texas. 

As some of his boats returned to France and another was 

wrecked, soon he and a few colonists were left in a desolate 

88 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

condition. After three years had passed he thought that he 

might get help in Canada and so set out on the long journey 

northward. But he had made so many enemies among his 

followers that they had not gone far toward Canada before 

one of his men killed him. 

La Salle gave his life for his country. In all of his explora- 

tions his first thought was to serve France. He met with 

many difficulties but he never gave up. He first explored 

what has become one of the most valuable regions of the 

United States. He was the first white man to explore the 

Mississippi River to its mouth, and his attempt to build 

forts and trading posts encouraged other Frenchmen to 

imitate him. It was not long before France had a good 

claim to all of that great region from the Great Lakes to 

the mouth of the Mississippi River. 

THINGS TO THINK A30UT 

I. Why is the discovery of a great river like the' St. Lawrence an impor- 

tant event? 

II. Cham plain offended the Iroquois Indians by helping the Algon- 

quins. How did this hurt the French who came after Champlain? 

III. Would you like to have been with La Salle on his journeys? Why? 

IV. Many places in Michigan have French names. Why? 

y. La Salle thought it was worth while to explore the Mississippi 

River. Why? 

VL Do you admire La Salle? Why? 

================

CHAPTER XVII WILLIAM PENN AND THE SETTLEMENT OF THE QUAKERS 

IN AMERICA 

We have already learned how the Puritans were persecuted 

m England. Besides the Puritans there was another group 

of people who did not believe in the form of worship of the 

English church. These people, the Religious Society of 

Friends, or Quakers, as they are often called, were as cruelly 

punished on account of their religious belief as the Puritans 

were. The Quakers were at first under the leadership of 

George Fox. He taught that all men are equal in the sight 

of God. They showed this belief by always keeping their 

hats on in public places, and even in the presence of the king. 

They refused to take an oath in court because men should 

tell the truth at all times. They also refused to go to war 

or to pay taxes in support of war or the English chiu'ch. 

They used " thee '' and " thou " in addressing everybody, 

instead of saying '' you '' to persons of greater rank or 

wealth, as was then the custom. They thought that men 

and women should have equal rights. As a protest against 

the extravagant clothes of rich-colored cloth worn by many 

people at that time, they dressed in very plain clothes of dark 

or gray color. 

Because of these beliefs they were persecuted by being 

thrown into prison, whipped in public, and in some cases 

put to death. They were punished both in England and 

in the Puritan colonies of the new world. The Puritan 

leaders seemed especially to dislike the Quakers, and were 

80 

90 FOUNDEES OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

very severe in their punishment of them. They sent many 

of them out of the Puritan colonies and even put some to 

death. 

There were many great leaders among the QuakCTS, but 

the one in whom we are most interested was William Penn. 

Penn was bom in London. He was the son of Sir William 

Penn, a very wealthy man who served as admiral in the 

British navy. Sir William Penn was a close friend of the 

king. Having wealth and 

rank, he naturally desired 

to give his son such a 

training as would fit him 

to take a position at court 

when he became older. 

This was not to be, how- 

ever, because the young 

man while at Oxford Uni- 

versity became interested 

in the Friends, and after 

listening to one of their 

William Penn. leaders he believed in their 

'^rh^',^tim*'rtJQt'^XreZ,^Amer'i« °' cause. Hc Tefused to at- 

tend the religious exercises 

held at the college. He would not even wear the gown 

required to be worn by the students, because he thought it 

showed pride. For these and other offenses he was expelled 

from the college. 

When Penn's father heard what his son had done he was 

very angry, but he knew yoimg William was honest in his 

belief and so did not try to argue with him. Instead, he 

sent him to Paris, hoping that the yoxmg man would foi^et 

the Quakers if he were to live the gay life of that city. 

Although William did enter somewhat into the gay life 

WILLIAM PENN AND THE SETTLEMENT OF QUAKERS 91 

of Paris and actually fought a duel there, his father's hopes 

were in vain. It was not many years before William Perm 

was thrown into jail in Ireland because he was found with 

others listening to a Quaker preacher. This time his angry 

father had him return to his home in England, and there 

informed him that unless he would remove his hat in the 

presence of King Charles II and himself, he would turn 

him out of his house. Young Perm showed that he was an 

earnest Friend by refusing his father's request, though with 

sorrow because of the offence it gave. For his refusal he 

was driven from his home. 

His mother and the king were his friends even though his 

father would not forgive him. At one time when the king 

and Peim met, the king removed his hat. Penn said, 

" Friend Charles, why dost thou remove thy hat? " 

" Because," answered the king with a smile, '' where I am, 

it is the custom for only one to remain imcovered." 

As the years passed Penn wrote and spoke for the Quaker 

cause. For his defence of the Quaker ideas he was obliged 

to suffer a great deal. He was fined, and sometimes he 

was kept in prison for weeks. 

His father finally forgave him after he saw that his son 

was so much in earnest; and when he died he left his great 

fortune to the young Quaker. 

The king owed Penn's father a large sum of money which 

he found it difficult to pay. Since Penn had for some time 

been looking about for a way to help his friends among the 

Quakers, he now proposed to the king to give him a tract of 

land in America for the debt. This the king was glad to do 

and granted to Penn a large tract on the west side of the 

Delaware River. Penn desired to call the land Sylvania, 

meaning woodland, but the king named it Pennsylvania, 

Perm's woods, in honor of his friend. Sir William Penn. 

92 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

As soon as he had received his land Penn invited the 

Friends to settle there and build up a colony where they 

could govern themselves and worship as they desired. The 

invitation was gladly accepted by three thousand Quakers 

who sailed for the Delaware River in 1681. Penn did not 

come to America until the following year. He landed at 

Newcastle on the Delaware River in October and was given 

a hearty welcome by the settlers. 

It was not long after his arrival before he called an 

assembly or meeting of the people to make the laws of the 

colony. The laws made by this assembly are interesting 

because they show Perm's idea of government and because 

they were so much more liberal than the laws of England. 

The most important items were: 

1. Everybody was to be allowed to worship as he desired. 

2. The first day of the week was to be kept as a day of rest. 

3. All members of the family were to be thought of as 

equal in the sight of the law. 

4. No oath was to be required in courts of justice. 

5. Every taxpayer was to have the right to vote. 

6. Every Christian should have the right to hold oflSce. 

7. No tax could be collected except by law. 

8. Murder was the only crime punishable by death. 

9. Prisoners were to be taught useful trades. 

Before sailing from England Penn had made plans to 

build a city in Pennsylvania. After looking about he 

selected the place where the Schuylkill River flows into the 

Delaware as the best place for this city. He planned it 

carefully. It was laid out like a checker board, with broad 

streets and large building lots, giving each house plenty of 

room. The streets were given such names as Walnut, 

WILLIAM PBNN AND THE SETTLEMENT OF QUAKERS 93 

Chestnut, Spruce, Mulberry and Pine, after the trees of 

the forest. The city was called Philadelphia, meaning, 

brotherly love. 

One of William Penn's first acts was to call a meeting of 

the Indians at which he told them that the Quakers were 

willing to buy the land from them. As the Indians were 

willing to sell, they were given knives, blankets, and hatchets, 

as they wished, for their claim on the lands. William Pemi 

had alsa prepared a treaty of peace. When they were all 

together he read the treaty and explained to the Indians 

Thb b«1t OH renlly a treHt; ol peace— a treaty that was never broken. 

that the Quakers wished to deal fairly with them and did 

not care to fight. He also told them that in case of trouble 

the dispute was to be settled by a council of six white men 

and six Indians. The Indians were so much pleased with 

William Penn's words and maimer that they agreed to the 

treaty. Both parties were true to their promise, for the 

treaty was never broken during Penn's life. 

The treaty made between William Penn and the Indians 

was not in the form of the treaties of to-day which are 

written on paper. That treaty, which is still in existence, 

is a woven belt of wampum consisting of eighteen strings 

of beads. There are two figures shown on the belt. They 

94 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

axe clasping hands to show that the Indians and English- 

men were to be friends. 

The city of Philadelphia grew so rapidly that by 1683 

it numbered over three hmidred and fifty houses. By 1685 

there were over twenty-five himdrfsd people in the city. 

Returning to England in 1684, William Penn remained 

there for fifteen years, spending much time and money in 

helping the Quakers. 

In 1699 he again returned to Philadelphia, this time for a 

period of two years. He had a fine home in the city and 

another in the country, with beautiful grounds around them. 

He was very hospitable; he gave great dinners and enter- 

tained many visitors. 

Penn's last days were > spent in England, where he died in 

1718. No other one of the early leaders of America was 

loved as William Penn was. His colony was a great suc- 

cess. The men and women who lived in Pennsylvania 

were happy because they were always treated fairly, could 

worship as they desired, and share in making the laws. 

TmNGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. What do you admire most in the Quakers' belief? 

II. William Pemi was a good Quaker. How may this be proven? 

III. William Penn planned his city carefully. Explain what is meant 

by this statement. 

IV. Why did William Penn have no trouble with the Indians? 

V. What does the name Philadelphia mean? Do you think that this 

name was a good one for Penn's city? Why? 

Brinton CH 10 Quaker Thought and the Present

CHAPTER 10 Quaker Thought and the Present.

 Through the three centuries of Quaker history the four primary elements present in all religion have at different times exerted their influence in varying degrees. 

During the first century and a half mysticism and evangelicalism were in balance in the group as a whole though many individuals tended to stress one or the other; 

during the nineteenth century mysticism and evangelical­ism were in conflict, each pressing the other to extremes in the group as a whole, though in many individuals the two were in balance; and 

during the past half century rationalism and humanitarianism have assumed greater prominence, sometimes becoming dominant, though here again there are some individuals in whom the four tendencies are in balance.

The best type of religion is one in which the mystical, the evangelical, the rational and the social are so related that each exercises a restraint on the others. 

• Too exclusive an emphasis on mysticism results in a religion which is individualistic, sub­jective and vague; 
• too dominant an evangelicalism results in a religion which is authoritarian, creedal and external; 
• too great an emphasis on rationalism results in a cold, intellectual religion which appeals only to the few; 
• too engrossing a devotion to the social gospel results in a religion which, in improving the outer environment, ignores defects of the inner life which cause the outer disorder. 

 

In Quakerism the optimum is not equality in rank of the four elements. The mystical is basic. The Light Within occasions the acceptance or rejection of a particular authority, reason or service.

Mysticism and evangelicalism are directed toward the super­human. 

Reason and good works are human. 

Yet man may let his attention slip below the human level.

 

 The three levels can be designated as follows:

 

Inward           Outward

 

Superhuman        Mysticism       Evangelicalism

Human                 Rationalism     Humanitarianism

Subhuman           Vitalism          Materialism

 

Let us first consider the inner three, even though they are so intimately related to the outer three that they cannot be fairly treated separately.

By vitalism is meant a religion which worships the life-force in its biological sense. This includes what might be called "tribal mysticism," the sense of kinship in a family, tribe, caste or race which finds expression in ancestor worship or worship of a tribal god. Included also is the cult of patriotism which, through symbols and rituals, worships the nation as a kind of pervasive personality. The Nazis, in their emphasis on "blood and soil," represent an extreme modem form of this type of mysticism. 

In the primitive fertility religions which worshiped the reproductive powers of nature we have older examples of mysticism on this level, the feeling which all persons have in some degree, that there is in man and nature an inner vital creative power which is worthy of reverence.

That the divine is immanent in nature is a creed not only of simple folk, but also of philosophers and poets, a creed which ranges all the way from primitive animism and magic to the highest flights of absolute idealism, finding the whole universe to exist only as a thought of God or as a body of which God is the universal soul. Hinduism today includes all these stages from animism to absolute idealism. Wordsworth expresses this nature mysticism in comprehensible terms in his "Lines, Com­posed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey":

a sense sublime Of something far more deeply interfused, Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns, And the round ocean, and the living air, And the blue sky, and in the mind of man:

A motion and a spirit, that impels
All thinking things, all objects of all thought, And rolls through all things.205.

Nature mysticism, whether limited to the tribe or directed to­ward all nature, is a right beginning to religious progress; its limitation appears, however, if it does not grow into something higher. To center our worship on nature whether in whole or in part, or on family, race or nation, is to include the evil in these orders as well as the good. Nature "red in tooth and claw" is an incomplete expression of God. Loyalty to family, race or nation, while of value as far as it goes, is not good if the evils of these objects of loyalty and devotion are overlooked.

Nature mysticism or tribal mysticism runs the risk of leveling down instead of leveling up. By seeing God in all things we behold Truth, but that does not mean that all things should remain as they are, simply because God is immanent in them. God still creates and His presence, even in the lowest of His creatures and even in the most sensual desires, is evidence that His work has been begun, though not finished. 

Only as we turn our thoughts to God Himself do we find the Being worthy of our individual, loyalty and worship. Christ, the revelation of God in human terms, is the culmination of the process of which nature is the beginning.

The Quakers believe that God is in nature and in all human beings, including what Robert Barclay called the "natural man," that is, man as a child of nature, an animal who is the descendant of a long line of animal ancestors. 

God, Barclay said, exists in "natural man" as a "Seed." This is a useful figure, for it implies growth. The Seed, or "that of God in every man" even the unregenerate, can be cultivated or "answered" and so started on a process of growth. As it grows man is lifted from the animal level to the human level and finally from the human to the divine.

The Seed will grow of itself if the soil is fertile and the surface not too hard or stony. The plant can be watered and nourished but its growth cannot be forced. The divine Life, like a plant, cannot be helped to grow by stretching or pulling. Finally it matures. 

It is interesting to notice that in the New Testament the word translated as "perfect" means also mature. * Perfection is the maturing of inner capacities, be they small or great; it is not the end of an infinite process but it is an attainable goal. 206.