Formation of the Union, 1750-1829 by Albert Bushnell Hart
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Title: Formation of the Union

Author: Albert Bushnell Hart

Release Date: October, 2004 [EBook #6767] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on January 25, 2003]

Edition: 10

Language: English

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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FORMATION OF THE UNION ***

Produced by Anne Soulard, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.

FORMATION OF THE UNION

1750-1829

BY ALBERT BUSHNELL HART, PH.D.

To the Memory

OF

THOMAS H. LAMSON,

A GENEROUS FRIEND OF LEARNING.

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.

The second volume of the EPOCHS OF AMERICAN HISTORY aims to follow out the principles laid down for “THE COLONIES,”—the study of causes rather than of events, the development of the American nation out of scattered and inharmonious colonies. The throwing off of English control, the growth out of narrow political conditions, the struggle against foreign domination, and the extension of popular government, are all parts of the uninterrupted process of the Formation of the Union.

So mighty a development can be treated only in its elements in this small volume. Much matter is thrown into graphic form in the maps; the Suggestions for Readers and Teachers, and the bibliographies at the heads of the chapters are meant to lead to more detailed accounts, both of events and of social and economic conditions. Although the book includes three serious wars, there is no military history in it. To the soldier, the movement of troops is a professional question of great significance; the layman needs to know, rather, what were the means, the character, and the spirit of the two combatants in each case, and why one succeeded where the other was defeated.

To my colleague, Professor Edward Channing, I am indebted for many suggestions on the first four chapters.

ALBERT BUSHNELL HART. CAMBRIDGE, July 1, 1892.

PREFACE TO THE EIGHTH EDITION.

During the five years since this volume of the Epochs of American History was first issued, the literature of the subject has made constant advances; and hence the Suggestions for Readers and Teachers and the bibliographies at the head of each chapter have been pruned, enlarged, and rewritten. The text has undergone fewer changes. The good-will of users of the book has pointed out some errors and inaccuracies, which have been corrected from time to time; and new light has in some cases dawned upon the author. I shall always be grateful for corrections of fact or of conclusions.

ALBERT BUSHNELL HART CAMBRIDGE, July 1, 1897.

SUGGESTIONS FOR READERS AND TEACHERS.

Each of the volumes in the series is intended to be complete in itself, and to furnish an account of the period it covers sufficient for the general reader or student. Those who wish to supplement this book by additional reading or study will find useful the bibliographies at the heads of the chapters.

For the use of teachers the following method is recommended. A chapter at a time may be given out to the class for their preliminary reading, or the paragraph numbers may be used in assigning lessons. From the references at the head of the chapter a report may then be prepared by one or more members of the class on each of the numbered sections included in that chapter; these reports may be filed, or may be read in class when the topic is reached in the more detailed exercises. Pupils take a singular interest in such work, and the details thus obtained will add a local color to the necessarily brief statements of the text.

STUDENTS’ REFERENCE LIBRARY.

The following brief works will be found useful for reference and comparison, or for the preparation of topics. The set should cost not more than twelve dollars. Of these books, Lodge’s Washington, Morse’s Jefferson, and Schurz’s Clay, read in succession, make up a brief narrative history of the whole period.

1. EDWARD CHANNING: The United States of America, 1765-1865. New York: Macmillan Co., 1896.—Excellent survey of conditions and causes.

2. ALEXANDER JOHNSTON: History of American Politics. 2d ed. New York: Holt, 1890.—Lucid account of political events in brief space.

3, 4. HENRY CABOT LODGE: George Washington (_American Statesmen Series_). 2 vols. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1889.—Covers the period 1732-1799.

5. JOHN T. MORSE, JR.: Thomas Jefferson (_American Statesmen Series_). Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1883.—Covers the period 1750-1809.

6. CARL SCHURZ: Henry Clay, I. (_American Statesmen Series_). Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1887.—Covers the period 1777-1833.

7. EDWARD STANWOOD: A History of Presidential Elections. 3d ed. revised. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1892.—An account of the political events of each presidential campaign, with the platforms and a statement of the votes.

8. SIMON STERNE: Constitutional History and Political Development of the United States. 4th ed. revised. New York: Putnam’s, 1888.—An excellent brief summary of the development of the Constitution.

9. HERMANN VON HOLST: The Constitutional and Political History of the United States. Vol. I. 1750-1833. State Sovereignty and Slavery. Chicago: Callaghan & Co., 1877.—Not a consecutive history, but a philosophical analysis and discussion of the principal constitutional events.

SCHOOL REFERENCE LIBRARY.

The following works make up a convenient reference library of secondary works for study on the period of this volume. The books should cost not more than thirty-five dollars.

1-9. The brief works enumerated in the previous list.

10. EDWARD CHANNING and ALBERT BUSHNELL HART. Guide to the Study of American History. Boston: Ginn & Co., 1896.—A classified bibliography, with suggestions as to methods.

11. 12. GEORGE TICKNOR CURTIS: Constitutional History of the United States from their Declaration of Independence to the Close of their Civil War. 2 vols. New York: Harpers, 1889-1896.—Volume I. is a reprint of Curtis’s earlier History of the Constitution, in two volumes, and covers the period 1774-1790. Chapters i.-vii. of Volume II. come down to about 1830.

13. RICHARD FROTHINGHAM: The Rise of the Republic of the United States. Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1872.—A careful study of the progress of independence, from 1750 to 1783. Indispensable.

14. SYDNEY HOWARD GAY: James Madison (American Statesmen Series). Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1884.

15. JUDSON S. LANDON: The Constitutional History and Government of the United States. A Series of Lectures. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1889.—The only recent brief constitutional history, except Sterne.

16. HENRY CABOT LODGE: Alexander Hamilton (American Statesmen Series). Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1882.

17. JOHN T. MORSE, JR.: John Adams (American Statesmen Series). Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1885.

18. JOHN T. MORSE, JR.: John Adams (American Statesmen Series). Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1882.

19-21. JAMES SCHOULER: History of the United States of America under the Constitution. New ed. 5 vols. New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1895.— This is the only recent and complete history which systematically covers the whole period from 1783 to 1861. The style is very inelegant, but it is an excellent repository of facts. Vols. I.-III. (sold separately) cover the period 1783-1830.

22. WILLIAM MILLIGAN SLOANE: The French War and the Revolution (American History Series). New York: Scribners, 1893.—Covers the period 1700-1783.

23. FRANCIS A. WALKER: The Making of the Nation (American History Series). New York: Scribners, 1894.—Covers the period 1783-1817.

LARGER REFERENCE LIBRARY.

For school use or for extended private reading, a larger collection of the standard works on the period 1750-1829 is necessary. The following books ought to cost about a hundred and fifty dollars. Many may be had at secondhand through dealers, or by advertising in the Publishers’ Weekly.

Additional titles may be found in the bibliographies at the heads of the chapters, and through the formal bibliographies, such as Foster’s References to Presidential Administrations, Winsor’s Narrative and Critical History, Bowker and Iles’s Reader’s Guide, and Channing and Hart’s Guide.

1-23. The books enumerated in the two lists above.

24-32. HENRY ADAMS: History of the United States of America. 9 vols. New York: Scribners, 1889-1891.—Period, 1801-1817. Divided into four sets, for the first and second administrations of Jefferson and of Madison; each set obtainable separately. The best history of the period.

33. HENRY ADAMS: John Randolph (American Statesmen Series). Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1882.

34-43. GEORGE BANCROFT: History of the United States, from the Discovery of the American Continent. 10 vols. Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1834-1874.—Vols. IV.-X. cover the period 1748-1782. Of the third edition, or “author’s last revision,” in six volumes (New York: Appleton, 1883-1885), Vols. III.-VI. cover the period 1763-1789. The work is rhetorical and lacks unity, but is valuable for facts.

44. WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT and SYDNEY HOWARD GAY: A Popular History of the United States. 4 vols. New York: Scribners, 1876-1881.—Entirely the work of Mr. Gay. Well written and well illustrated.

45,46. JOHN FISKE: The American Revolution. 2 vols. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1891.

47. JOHN FISKE: The Critical Period of American History, 1783-1789. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1888.—Remarkable narrative style.

48. DANIEL C. GILMAN: James Monroe (American Statesmen Series). Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1883.

49-52. RICHARD HILDRETH: The History of the United States of America. Two series, each 3 vols. New York: Harpers, 1849-1856 (also later editions from the same plates).—Vols. II.-VI. cover the period 1750-1821. Very full and accurate, but without foot-notes. Federalist standpoint.

53. JAMES K. HOSMER: Samuel Adams (American Statesmen Series). Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1885.

54-57. JOHN BACH MCMASTER: A History of the People of the United States, from the Revolution to the Civil War. 4 vols. New York: Appleton, 1883-1895.—The four volumes published cover the period 1784-1820. The point of view in the first volume is that of social history; in later volumes there is more political discussion.

58. JOHN T. MORSE, JR.: Benjamin Franklin (American Statesmen Series). Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1889.

59, 60. FRANCIS PARKMAN: Montcalm and Wolfe. 2 vols. Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1885.

61. GEORGE PELLEW: John Jay (American Statesmen Series). Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1890.

62, 63. TIMOTHY PITKIN: A Political and Civil History of the United States of America, from the Year 1763 to the Close of the Administration of President Washington, in March, 1797. 2 vols. New Haven: Howe and Durrie & Peck, 1828.—An old book, but well written, and suggestive as to economic and social conditions.

64. THEODORE ROOSEVELT:_ Gouverneur Morris (American Statesmen Series)_. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1888.

65. JOHN AUSTIN STEVENS: Albert Gallatin (American Statesmen Series). Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1884.

66-69. GEORGE TUCKER: The History of the United States, from their Colonization to the End of the Twenty-Sixth Congress, in 1841. 4 vols. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1856-1857.—Practically begins in 1774. Written from a Southern standpoint.

70. MOSES COIT TYLER: Patrick Henry (American Statesmen Series). Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1887.

71-78. JUSTIN WINSOR: Narrative and Critical History of America. 8 vols. Boston & New York: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1886-1889.—Vol. VI. And part of Vol. VII. cover the period 1750-1789. The rest of Vol. VII. covers the period 1789-1830. Remarkable for its learning and its bibliography, but not a consecutive history.

SOURCES.

In the above collections are not included the sources which are necessary for proper school and college work. References will be found in the bibliographies preceding each chapter below, and through the other bibliographies there cited.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I. THE AMERICANS IN 1750. 1. References—2. Colonial geography—3. The people and their distribution—4. Inherited institutions—5. Colonial development of English institutions—6. Local government in the colonies—7. Colonial government—8. English control of the colonies—9. Social and economic conditions—10. Colonial slavery.

CHAPTER II. EXPULSION OF THE FRENCH (1750-1763). 11. References—12. Rival claims in North America (1690-1754)—13. Collisions on the frontier (1749-1754)—14. The strength of the parties (1754)—15. Congress of Albany (1754)—16. Military operations (1755-1757)—17. The conquest of Canada (1758-1760)—18. Geographical results of the war (1763)—19. The colonies during the war (1754-1763)—20. Political effects of the war (1763).

CHAPTER III. CAUSES OF THE REVOLUTION (1763-1775). 21. References—22. Condition of the British Empire (1763)—23. New schemes of colonial regulation (1763)—24. Writs of Assistance (1761-1764)—25. The Stamp Act (1763-1765)—26. The Stamp Act Congress (1765)— 27. Revenue acts (1767)—28. Colonial protests and repeal (1767-1770)—29. Spirit of violence in the colonies (1770-1773)—30. Coercive acts of 1774 —31. The First Continental Congress (1774)—32. Outbreak of hostilities (1775)—33. Justification of the Revolution.

CHAPTER IV. UNION AND INDEPENDENCE (1775-1783). 34. References—35. The strength of the combatants (1775)—36. The Second Continental Congress (1775)—37. The national government formed (1775)— 38. Independence declared (1776)—39. New State governments formed (1775-1777)—40. The first period of the war (1775-1778)—41. Foreign relations (1776-1780)—42. The war ended (1778-1782)—43. Finances of the Revolution (1775-1783)—44. Internal difficulties (1775-1782)—45. Formation of a Constitution (1776-1781)—46. Peace negotiated (1781-1783)—47. Political effects of the war (1775-1783).

CHAPTER V. THE CONFEDERATION (1781-1788). 48. References—49. The United States in 1781—50. Form of the government (1781-1788)—51. Disbandment of the army (1783)—52. Territorial settlement with the States (1781-1802)—53. Finances (1781-1788)—54. Disorders in the States (1781-1788)—55. Slavery (1777-1788)—56. Foreign relations and commerce (1781-1788)—57. Disintegration of the Union (1786, 1787)—58. Reorganization attempted (1781-1787).

CHAPTER VI. THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION (1787-1789). 59. References—60. The Federal Convention assembled (1787)—61. Difficulties of the convention (1787)—62. Sources of the Constitution— 63. The great compromises (1787)—64. Details of the Constitution (1787)— 65. Difficulties of ratification (1787, 1788)—66. State conventions (1787, 1788)—67. Expiration of the Confederation (1788)—68. Was the Constitution a compact?

CHAPTER VII. ORGANIZATION OF THE GOVERNMENT (1789-1793). 69. References—70. Geography of the United States in 1789—71. The people of the United States in 1789—72. Political methods in 1789—73. Organization of Congress (1789)—74. Organization of the Executive (1789, 1790)—75. Organization of the courts (1789-1793)—76. Revenue and protection (1789, 1790)—77. National and State debts (1789, 1790)—78. United States Bank (1791, 1792)—79. Slavery questions (1789-1798)—80. The success of the new government (1789-1792).

CHAPTER VIII. FEDERAL SUPREMACY (1793-1801). 81. References—82. Formation of political parties (1792-1794)—83. War between France and England (1793)—84. American neutrality (1793)—85. The Jay Treaty (1794-1796)—86. The Whiskey Rebellion (1794)—87. Election of John Adams (1796)—88. Breach with France (1795-1798)—89. Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)—90. Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions (1798-1800)— 91. Election of 1800, 1801—92. Causes of the fall of the Federalists.

CHAPTER IX. REPUBLICAN SUPREMACY (1801-1809). 93. References—94. The political revolution of 1801—95. Jefferson’s civil service (1801-1803)—96. Attack on the judiciary (1801-1805)—97. The policy of retrenchment (1801-1809)—98. Barbary Wars (1801-1806)—99. Annexation of Louisiana (1803)—100. Federal schemes of disunion (1803-1809)—101. The Burr conspiracy (1806, 1807)—102. Aggressions on neutral trade (1803-1807)—103. Policy of non resistance (1805-1807)—104. The embargo (1807, 1808)—105. Repeal of the embargo (1809).

CHAPTER X. THE UNION IN DANGER (1809-1815) 106. References—107. Non intercourse laws (1809, 1810)—108. Fruitless negotiations (1809-1811)—109. The war party (1811)—110. Strength of the combatants (1812)—111. War on the northern frontier (1812, 1813)—112. Naval war (1812-1815)—113. Disastrous campaign of 1814—114. Question of the militia (1812-1814)—115. Secession movement in New England (1814)— 116. Peace of Ghent (1812-1814)—117. Political effects of the war (1815).

CHAPTER XI. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC REORGANIZATION (1815-1824) 118. References—119. Conditions of national growth (1815)—120. The second United States Bank (1815)—121. Internal improvements (1806-1817)— 122. The first protective tariff (1816)—123. Monroe’s administration (1817-1825)—124. Territorial extension (1805-1819)—125. Judicial decisions (1812-1824)—126. The slavery question revived (1815-1820)—127. The Missouri Compromises (1818-1821)—128. Relations with Latin American States (1815-1823)—129. The Monroe Doctrine (1823).

CHAPTER XII. ELEMENTS OF POLITICAL REORGANIZATION (1824-1829). 130. References—131. Political methods in 1824—132. The tariff of 1824 (1816-1824)—133. The election of 1824—134. The election of 1825—135. The Panama Congress (1825, 1826)—136. Internal improvements (1817-1829)— 137. The Creek and Cherokee questions (1824-1829)—138. The tariff of abominations (1828)—139. Organized opposition to Adams (1825-1829)—140. The triumph of the people (1828).