CONTENTS. II. Discoveries of Columbus, . III. Mound-Builders.-Indians.-Esquimaux, IV. Early Discoveries of Different Nations, V. Early English Voyages.-Settlement of Virginia, VI. Dutch Settlements.-New France, VII. First Settlements in New England, VIII. Settlement of Connecticut, Maryland, and Delaware, . IX. The New World from 1640 to 1675, XIII. Queen Anne's War.-Settlement of Georgia.-The South-west, 101 XIV. King George's War.—Washington's Mission, XV. French and Indian War begun, XVI. French and Indian War concluded, XVII. The Eve of the Revolution, XVIII. Beginning of the Revolution, XIX. Revolutionary War: Events of 1776, XX. Revolutionary War: Events of 1777, XXI. Revolutionary War: Events of 1778-1779, XXII. Revolutionary War: Events of 1780, AMERICAN HISTORY. CHAPTER I. THE WESTERN CONTINENT. The Fifteenth Century (extending from 1400 to 1500 A. D.) was an era of great changes in Europe. It put an end to the darkness of the Middle Ages. It witnessed the revival of learning and science, and the birth of many useful arts, among which not the least was Printing. The invention of the Mariner's Compass in the preceding century having enabled sailors to go out of sight of land, a thirst for exploring unknown seas was awakened. Long voyages were undertaken, and important discoveries made. It was in this age of mental activity and growing knowledge that AMERICA WAS DISCOVERED. America is often called the New World; not that it is younger than the other continents, but because at the time of its discovery in 1492 it was unknown, or new, to Europeans. It is also called the Western Continent, to distinguish it from the Eastern, which embraces Europe, Asia, and Africa,—and the South-eastern, or Australia. Position of the Western Continent.-The map on the next page shows how these continents lie. The Western is separated from the Eastern, on one side by the Atlantic Ocean, varying in width from 800 to 3,600 miles; and on the other, by the Pacific. The Pacific, from its greatest width of 10,000 miles nar rows toward the north by reason of the convergence of the shores. It will be seen from the map that the north-western point of the Western Continent approaches very near to the north-eastern extremity of Asia. Behring (beer'ing) Strait, which separates them, at its narrowest part, is only thirty-six miles wide. Size.-Divisions.-The Western Continent includes more than one-fourth of the land-surface of the earth. It is nearly divided by an arm of the Atlantic into two parts, distinguished as North and South America, connected by the Isthmus of Panama (pan-a-mah'), or Darien'. The present territory of the United States embraces nearly half of North America, and one-fourth of the entire continent. The other half of North America is composed of the British Possessions, Mexico, and the republics of Central America. In South America are included the empire of Brazil and a number of independent republics. Natural Features.-The natural features of the New World are on the grandest scale. Its lakes and rivers, unsurpassed in size and number, afford wonderful facilities for inland navigation. It is traversed throughout its length by a vast mountain-chain, containing numerous snow-crowned peaks and volcanoes of stupendous grandeur. From this great chain spread out immense table-lands, which lose themselves in low plains rendered fruitful by the streams that intersect them. Six-sevenths of the soil is capable of cultivation, and much of it is unsurpassed in fertility. Invaluable fields of coal, and rich deposits of the useful and precious metals, are found in various parts. Animal Life.-Remains found buried beneath the surface show that gigantic animals, now extinct, once inhabited the Western Continent. Among these were the mammoth, a clumsy, hairy ani ten feet long, and a tenant of the waters, seventy feet in length. The wild ani mals now found in America, how THE MAMMOTH. ever, are mostly inferior to the corresponding ones of the Old World. The lion of the Eastern Continent is here replaced by the puma (panther, or cougar), the tiger by the jag'uar, the rhinoceros by the tapir, the camel by the llama. But to the New World belong the largest members of the bear and the deer family. The horse, the ox, and other domestic animals, were introduced by Europeans after the discovery of the continent. Among birds, the wild-turkey, the toucan, and the hummingbird are peculiar to America. Discovery by Norsemen.-We have said that America was discovered in the fifteenth century; but the northern parts of the continent were known to the bold sailors of Norway nearly five hundred years before. Iceland (see Map below), discovered by accident, was colonized by these Norsemen (Northmen) in 874; and somewhat later a Norwegian navigator, attempting to reach the island, was driven by a storm to the south-west. Here he discovered a snowy headland, which he named Hvidsaerk (white shirt), and which is now known as Cape Farewell, the southern extremity of Greenland. No attempt to follow up this discovery appears to have been made for more than a hundred years; till finally Red Er'ic, compelled to fly from Iceland, sought this distant coast of which traditions were still preserved, found it, and spent three years in exploring the surrounding waters. Through his efforts, the Greenland coast was speedily settled; and in the year 1000 one of Eric's sons sailed thence to the south-west in quest of new discoveries. He coasted the mainland for many miles, sighted Cape Cod, and finally` wintered in what he called Vinland (vine-land), supposed to be identical with parts of Rhode Island and Massachu setts. |