A Short History of the United States by Channing

by Edward Channing

  CHAPTER 10

  EXPULSION OF THE FRENCH

  [Sidenote: Louis of France and William of Orange.]

  89. Causes of the French Wars.--At the time of the "Glorious Revolution" (p. 58) James II found refuge with Louis XIV, King of France. William and Louis had already been fighting, and it was easy enough to see that if William became King of England he would be very much more powerful than he was when he was only Prince of Orange. So Louis took up the cause of James and made war on the English and the Dutch. The conflict soon spread across the Atlantic.

  [Sidenote: Disadvantages of the English colonists.]

  [Sidenote: Advantages of the French colonists.]

  90. Strength of the Combatants.--At first sight it might seem as if the English colonists were much stronger than the French colonists. They greatly outnumbered the French. They were much more prosperous and well-to-do. But their settlements were scattered over a great extent of seacoast from the Kennebec to the Savannah. Their governments were more or less free. But this very freedom weakened them for war. The French colonial government was a despotism directed from France. Whatever resources the French had in America were certain to be well used.

  [Illustration: A "GARRISON HOUSE" AT YORK, MAINE, BUILT IN 1676.]

  [Sidenote: King William's War, 1689-97. Eggleston, 122-123.]

  91. King William's War, 1689-97.--The Iroquois began this war by destroying Montreal. The next winter the French invaded New York. They captured Schenectady and killed nearly all the inhabitants. Other bands destroyed New England towns and killed or drove away their inhabitants.

  The English, on their part, seized Port Royal in Acadia, but they failed in an attempt against Quebec. In 1697 this war came to an end. Acadia was given back to the French, and nothing was gained by all the bloodshed and suffering.

  [Sidenote: Queen Anne's War, 1701-13. Higginson, 143-147; Source-Book, 98-100.]

  92. Queen Anne's War, 1701-13.--In 1701 the conflict began again.

  It lasted for twelve years, until 1713. It was in this war that the Duke of Marlborough won the battle of Blenheim and made for himself a great reputation. In America the French and Indians made long expeditions to New England. The English colonists again attacked Quebec and again failed. In one thing, however, they were successful. They again seized Port Royal. This time the English kept Port Royal and all Acadia. Port Royal they called Annapolis, and the name of Acadia was changed to Nova Scotia.

  [Sidenote: King George's War, 1744-48.]

  93. King George's War, 1744-48.--From 1713 until 1744 there was no war between the English and the French. But in 1744 fighting began again in earnest. The French and Indians attacked the New England frontier towns and killed many people. But the New Englanders, on their part, won a great success. After the French lost Acadia they built a strong fortress on the island of Cape Breton. To this they gave the name of Louisburg. The New Englanders fitted out a great expedition and captured Louisburg without much help from the English. But at the close of the war (1748) the fortress was given back to the French, to the disgust of the New Englanders.

  [Sidenote: La Salle on the Mississippi, 1681.]

  [Sidenote: McMaster, 62-65; Source-book, 96-98.]

  94. The French in the Mississippi Valley.--The Spaniards had discovered the Mississippi and had explored its lower valley. But they had found no gold there and had abandoned the country. It was left for French explorers more than one hundred years later to rediscover the great river and to explore it from its upper waters to the Gulf of Mexico. The first Frenchman to sail down the river to its mouth was La Salle. In 1681, with three canoes, he floated down the Mississippi, until he reached a place where the great river divided into three large branches. He sent one canoe down each branch. Returning, they all reported that they had reached the open sea.

  [Sidenote: La Salle attempts to found a colony. McMaster, 79-80.]

  [Sidenote: Louisiana settled, 1699.]

  95. Founding of Louisiana.--La Salle named this immense region Louisiana in honor of the French king. He soon led an expedition to plant a colony on the banks of the Mississippi. Sailing into the Gulf of Mexico, he missed the mouth of the Mississippi and landed on the coast of Texas. Misfortune after misfortune now fell on the unhappy expedition. La Salle was murdered, the stores were destroyed, the Spaniards and Indians came and killed or captured nearly all the colonists. A few only gained the Mississippi and made their way to Canada. In 1699, another French expedition appeared in the Gulf of Mexico. This time the mouth of the Mississippi was easily discovered.

  But the colonists settled on the shores of Mobile Bay. It was not until 1718 that New Orleans was founded.

  [Sidenote: The French on the Ohio, 1749. McMaster, 82-86.]

  [Sidenote: The English Ohio Company, 1750.]

  96. Struggle for the Ohio Valley.--At the close of King George's War the French set to work to connect the settlements in Louisiana with those on the St. Lawrence. In 1749 French explorers gained the Alleghany River from Lake Erie and went down the Ohio as far as the Miami. The next year (1750) King George gave a great tract of land on the Ohio River to an association of Virginians, who formed the Ohio Company. The struggle for the Ohio Valley had fairly begun. Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia learned that the French were building forts on the Ohio, and sent them a letter protesting against their so doing. The bearer of this letter was George Washington, a young Virginia surveyor.

  [Sidenote: George Washington. Scudder's Washington; Hero Tales 1-15.]

  [Sidenote: He warns the French to leave the Ohio.]

  97. George Washington.--Of an old Virginia family, George Washington grew up with the idea that he must earn his own living. His father was a well-to-do planter. But Augustine Washington was the eldest son, and, as was the custom then in Virginia, he inherited most of the property. Augustine Washington was very kind to his younger brother, and gave him a good practical education as a land surveyor. The younger man was a bold athlete and fond of studying military campaigns. He was full of courage, industrious, honest, and of great common sense. Before he was twenty he had surveyed large tracts of wilderness, and had done his work well amidst great difficulties. When Dinwiddie wanted a messenger to take his letter to the French commander on the Ohio, George Washington's employer at once suggested him as the best person to send on the dangerous journey.

  [Sidenote: The French build Fort Duquesne.]

  [Sidenote: Washington's first military expedition, 1754.]

  98. Fort Duquesne.--Instead of heeding Dinwiddie's warning, the French set to work to build Fort Duquesne (Dü-kan') at the spot where the Alleghany and Monongahela join to form the Ohio,--on the site of the present city of Pittsburg. Dinwiddie therefore sent Washington with a small force of soldiers to drive them away. But the French were too strong for Washington. They besieged him in Fort Necessity and compelled him to surrender (July 4, 1754).

  [Illustration: BRADDOCK'S CAMPAIGN.]

  [Sidenote: Braddock's expedition, 1755. Higginson, 152-154; Eggleston, 129-131; Source-book, 103-105.]

  99. Braddock's Defeat, 1755.--The English government now sent General Braddock with a small army of regular soldiers to Virginia.

  Slowly and painfully Braddock marched westward. Learning of his approach, the French and Indians left Fort Duquesne to draw him into ambush. But the two forces came together before either party was prepared for battle. For some time the contest was even, then the regulars broke and fled. Braddock was fatally wounded. With great skill, Washington saved the survivors,--but not until four shots had pierced his coat and only thirty of his three companies of Virginians were left alive.

  [Sidenote: The French and Indian War.]

  [Sidenote: William Pitt, war minister, 1757.]

  100. The War to 1759.--All the earlier French and Indian wars had begun in Europe and had spread to America. This war began in America and soon spread to Europe. At first affairs went very ill. But in 1757 William Pitt became the British war minister, and the war began
to be waged with vigor and success. The old generals were called home, and new men placed in command. In 1758 Amherst and Wolfe captured Louisburg, and Forbes, greatly aided by Washington, seized Fort Duquesne. Bradstreet captured Fort Frontenac, on Lake Ontario. There was only one bad failure, that of Abercrombie at Ticonderoga. But the next year Amherst captured Ticonderoga and Crown Point and opened the way to Canada by Lake Champlain.

  [Illustration: WOLFE'S RAVINE. This shows the gradual ascent of the path from the river to the top of the bluff.]

  [Sidenote: Capture of Quebec, 1759. Higginson, 154-156; Eggleston, 137-139; Source-Book, 105-107.]

  [Sidenote: Battle of Quebec.]

  101. Capture of Quebec, 1759.--Of all the younger generals James Wolfe was foremost. To him was given the task of capturing Quebec.

  Seated on a high bluff, Quebec could not be captured from the river. The only way to approach it was to gain the Plains of Abraham in its rear and besiege it on the land side. Again and again Wolfe sent his men to storm the bluffs below the town. Every time they failed. Wolfe felt that he must give up the task, when he was told that a path led from the river to the top of the bluff above the town. Putting his men into boats, they gained the path in the darkness of night. There was a guard at the top of the bluff, but the officer in command was a coward and ran away. In the morning the British army was drawn up on the Plains of Abraham. The French now attacked the British, and a fierce battle took place. The result was doubtful when Wolfe led a charge at the head of the Louisburg Grenadiers. He was killed, but the French were beaten.

  Five days later Quebec surrendered. Montreal was captured in 1760, and in 1763 the war came to an end.

  [Sidenote: Peace of Paris, 1763.]

  102. Peace of Paris, 1763.--By this great treaty, or set of treaties, the French withdrew from the continent of North America. To Spain, who had lost Florida, the French gave the island of New Orleans and all of Louisiana west of the Mississippi. To Great Britain the French gave up all the rest of their American possessions except two small islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Spain, on her part, gave up Florida to the British. There were now practically only two powers in America,--the British in the eastern part of the continent, and the Spaniards west of the Mississippi. The Spaniards also owned the island of New Orleans and controlled both sides of the river for more than a hundred miles from its mouth. But the treaty gave the British the free navigation of the Mississippi throughout its length.

  QUESTIONS AND TOPICS

  CHAPTER 8

  §§ 65, 66.--a. What government did England have after the execution of Charles I? Give three facts about Cromwell.

  b. How did the accession of Charles II affect the colonies?

  c. What laws were made about the commerce of the colonies?

  § 67.--a. How did the new government of England regard Massachusetts? Why?

  b. Describe the treatment of the Quakers in Massachusetts.

  § 68.--a. Describe the charters given to Connecticut and Rhode Island.

  Why did Connecticut need a charter when she already had a constitution?

  b. What other colony was united with Connecticut?

  §§ 69,70.--a. Why did England wish to conquer New Netherland? Why did not the people of New Amsterdam wish to fight the English?

  b. To whom did Charles give this territory?

  §§ 71, 72.--a. Mark on a map the position of New Jersey.

  b. Describe the division of New Jersey and its sale to the Quakers.

  c. Why was the colony prosperous?

  §§ 73, 74.--a. Describe the founding of Carolina.

  b. Describe northern and southern Carolina, and note the differences between them.

  §§ 75, 76.--a. What complaints did the people of Virginia make? Was Bacon a rebel?

  b. Describe the later government of Virginia.

  c. Why was the founding of William and Mary College important?

  § 77.--a. What was the cause of King Philip's War?

  b. What were the results of the war?

  §§ 78-80.--a. Find out three facts about the early life of William Penn. Why did colonists come to Pennsylvania?

  b. What trouble arose with Maryland about the boundary line?

  c. How was Mason and Dixon's line famous later?

  CHAPTER 9

  §§ 81-84.--a. Why did Charles and James dislike the growing liberty of the colonies?

  b. What changes did Andros make in New England?

  c. Describe the "Glorious Revolution" in America.

  d. What changes did William and Mary make in the colonial governments?

  §§ 85-88.--a. How did the Carolina proprietors treat their colonists? What was the result of their actions?

  b. Explain the reasons for the founding of Georgia.

  CHAPTER 10

  §§ 89,90.--a. Compare the strength of the English and French colonies.

  What is a "despotism"?

  b. Draw a map showing the position of the English and French colonies.

  §§ 91-93.--a. Mark on a map all the places mentioned in the text.

  b. Describe the expedition against Louisburg.

  c. What was the result of these wars?

  §§ 94-97.--a. Which country, England, France, or Spain, had the best claim to the Mississippi valley? Why?

  b. Follow route of La Salle on a map, marking each place mentioned.

  Describe the settlement of Louisiana.

  c. Why did the struggle between England and France begin in the Ohio valley?

  d. Describe Washington's early training.

  §§ 98-101.--a. Where was Fort Duquesne? Why was its position important? Describe Braddock's expedition and trace his route.

  b. Mark on a map the important routes to Canada.

  c. Describe the capture of Quebec. Why was it important?

  § 102.--a. What territory did England gain in 1763? What did Spain gain? What did France lose?

  b. What was the great question settled by this war?

  GENERAL QUESTIONS

  a. Were the New England colonies difficult to govern? Why?

  b. In what respects were the colonial governments alike? In what respects were they unlike?

  c. What events in any colony have shown that its people desired more liberty?

  TOPICS FOR SPECIAL WORK

  a. The Revolution of 1688 in England and America.

  b. Write an account of the life of a boy or girl in any colony; tell about the house, furniture, dress, school, and if a journey to another colony is made, how it is made and what is seen on the way.

  c. Arrange a table similar to that described on p. 18.

  SUGGESTIONS TO THE TEACHER

  In this period the growing difficulties between England and the colonies can be traced--especially in commercial affairs and in governmental institutions. Thus many of the causes of the Revolution may be brought out as well as the difficulties in the way of colonial union. This may be emphasized by noting the difference between the English and French colonies.

  [Illustration: A MAP OF THE BRITISH DOMINIONS IN NORTH AMERICA., ACCORDING TO THE TREATY IN 1763, By Peter Bell, Geographer, 1772.]

  IV

  COLONIAL UNION, 1760-1774

  Books for Study and Reading

  References.--Fiske's War of Independence, 39-86; Scudder's George Washington; Lossing's Field-Book of the Revolution; English History for Americans, 244-284 (English political history).

  Home Readings.--Irving's Washington (abridged edition); Cooke's Stories of the Old Dominion; Cooper's Lionel Lincoln; Longfellow's Paul Revere's Ride.

  CHAPTER 11

  BRITAIN'S COLONIAL SYSTEM

  [Sidenote: England's early liberal colonial policy.]

  [Sidenote: England's changed colonial policy.]

  103. Early Colonial Policy.--At the outset, England's rulers had been very kind to Englishmen who founded colonies. They gave them great grants of land. They gave them rights of self-government greater than any Englishmen living in E
ngland enjoyed. They allowed them to manage their own trade and industries as they saw fit. They even permitted them to worship God as their consciences told them to worship him. But, as the colonists grew in strength and in riches, Britain's rulers tried to make their trade profitable to British merchants and interfered in their government. On their part the colonists disobeyed the navigation laws and disputed with the royal officials. For years Britain's rulers allowed this to go on. But, at length, near the close of the last French war Mr. Pitt ordered the laws to be enforced.

  [Sidenote: Difficulties in enforcing the navigation laws.]

  [Sidenote: James Otis. Eggleston, 163. His speech against writs of assistance, 1761.]

  104. Writs of Assistance, 1761.--It was a good deal easier to order the laws to be carried out than it was to carry them out. It was almost impossible for the customs officers to prevent goods being landed contrary to law. When the goods were once on shore, it was difficult to seize them. So the officers asked the judges to give them writs of assistance. Among the leading lawyers of Boston was James Otis. He was the king's law officer in the province. But he resigned his office and opposed the granting of the writs. He objected to the use of writs of assistance because they enabled a customs officer to become a tyrant.

  Armed with one of them he could go to the house of a man he did not like and search it from attic to cellar, turn everything upside down and break open doors and trunks. It made no difference, said Otis, whether Parliament had said that the writs were legal. For Parliament could not make an act of tyranny legal. To do that was beyond the power even of Parliament.

  [Sidenote: Patrick Henry. Eggleston, 162.]