The World's Greatest Books — Volume 12 — Modern History

John Alexander Hammerton, Arthur Mee

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• Publié par: thien
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 20
• Langue: English

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Project Gutenberg's The World's Greatest Books, Vol XII., by Arthur Mee This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net Title: The World's Greatest Books, Vol XII. Modern History Author: Arthur Mee Release Date: July 7, 2004 [EBook #12845] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GREATEST BOOKS *** Produced by John Hagerson, Kevin Handy and PG Distributed Proofreaders THE WORLD'S GREATEST BOOKS JOINT EDITORS ARTHUR MEE Editor and Founder of the Book of Knowledge J.A. HAMMERTON Editor of Harmsworth a Universal Encyclopaedia VOL. XII MODERN HISTORY Table of Contents MODERN HISTORY AMERICA ELIOT, SAMUEL History of the United Stales PRESCOTT, W. H. History of the Conquest of Mexico History of the Conquest of Peru ENGLAND EDWARD HYDE, E. OF CLARENDON History of the Rebellion MACAULAY LORD , History of England BUCKLE, HENRY History of Civilization in England BAGEHOT, WALTER English Constitution FRANCE VOLTAIRE Age of Louis XIV TOCQUEVILLE, DE Old Régime MIGNET, FRANCOIS History of the French Revolution CARLYLE, THOMAS History of the French Revolution LAMARTINE, A.M.L. DE History of the Girondists TAINE, H.A. Modern Régime GERMANY CARLYLE, THOMAS Frederick the Great GREECE FINLAY GEORGE , History of Greece HOLLAND MOTLEY J.L. , Rise of the Dutch Republic History of the United Netherlands INDIA ELPHINSTONE, MOUNTSTUART History of India RUSSIA VOLTAIRE Russia under Peter the Great SPAIN PRESCOTT, W.H. Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella SWEDEN VOLTAIRE History of Charles XII PAPACY MILMAN, HENRY History of Latin Christianity VON RANKE, LEOPOLD History of the Popes A Complete Index of THE WORLD'S GREATEST BOOKS will be found at the end of Volume XX. Acknowledgment Acknowledgment and thanks for permitting the use of the selection by H.A. Taine on "Modern Régime," appearing in this volume, are hereby tendered to Madame Taine-Paul-Dubois, of Menthon St. Bernard, France, and Henry Holt & Co., of New York. SAMUEL ELIOT History of the United States Samuel Eliot, a historian and educator, was born in Boston in 1821, graduated at Harvard in 1839, was engaged in business for two years, and then travelled and studied abroad for four years more. On his return, he took up tutoring and gave gratuitous instruction to classes of young workingmen. He became professor of history and political science in Trinity College, Hartford, Conn., in 1856, and retained that chair until 1864. During the last four years of that time, he was president of the institution. From 1864 to 1874 he lectured on constitutional law and political science. He lectured at Harvard from 1870 to 1873. He was President of the Social Science Association when it organised the movement for Civil Service reform in 1869. His history of the United States appeared in 1856 under the title of "Manual of United States History between the Years 1792 and 1850." It was revised and brought down to date in 1873, under the title of "History of the United States." A third edition appeared in 1881. This work gained distinction as the first adequate textbook of United States history and still holds the place it deserves in popular favor. The epitome is supplemented by a chronicle compiled from several sources. The first man to discover the shores of the United States, according to Icelandic records, was an Icelander, Leif Erickson, who sailed in the year 1000, and spent the winter somewhere on the New England coast. Christopher Columbus, a Genoese in the Spanish service, discovered San Salvador, one of the Bahama Islands, on October 12, 1492. He thought that he had found the western route to the Indies, and, therefore, called his discovery the West Indies. In 1507, the new continent received its name from that of Amerigo Vespucci, a Florentine who had crossed the ocean under the Spanish and Portuguese flags. The middle ages were Closing; the great nations of Europe were putting forth their energies, material and immaterial; and the discovery of America came just in season to help and be helped by the men of these stirring years. Ponce de Leon, a companion of Columbus, was the first to reach the territory of the present United States. On Easter Sunday, 1512, he discovered the land to which he gave the name of Florida or Flower Land. Numberless discoverers succeeded him. De Soto led a great expedition northward and westward, in 153943, with no greater reward than the discovery of the Mississippi. Among the French explorers to claim Canada under the name of New France, were Verrazzano, 1524, and Cartier, 1534-42. Champlain began Quebec in 1608. The oldest town in the United States, St. Augustine, Florida, was founded September 8, 1565, by Menendez de Aviles, who brought a train of soldiers, priests and negro slaves. The second oldest town, Santa Fe, was founded by the Spaniards in 1581. John Cabot, a Venetian residing in Bristol, was the first person sailing under the English flag, to come to these shores. He sailed in 1497, with his three sons, but no settlement was effected. Sir Humphrey Gilbert was lost at sea in 1583, and Walter Raleigh, his cousin, took up claims that had been made to him by Queen Elizabeth, and crossed to the shores of the present North Carolina. Sir Richard Grenville left one hundred and eighty persons at Roanoke Island, in 1585. They were glad to escape at the earliest opportunity. Fifteen persons left there later were murdered by the Indians. Still a third settlement, consisting of one hundred and eighteen persons, disappeared, leaving no trace. Raleigh was discouraged and made over his patent to others, who were still less successful. The Plymouth Colony and London Colony were formed under King James I. as business enterprises. The parties to the patents were capitalists, who had the right to settle colonists and servants, impose duties and coin money, and who were to pay a share of the profits in the enterprise to the Crown. The London company, under the name of Jamestown, established the beginning of the first English town in America, May 13, 1607, with one hundred colonists. Captain John Smith was the genius of the colony, and it enjoyed a certain prosperity while he remained with it. A curious incident of its history was the importation of a large number of young women of good character, who were sold for one hundred and twenty, or even one hundred and fifteen, pounds of tobacco (at thirteen shillings a pound) to the lonely settlers. The Company failed, with all its expenditures, some half-million dollars, in 1624, and at