THE BEGINNER'S AMERICAN HISTORY

CONTENTS.
PARAGRAPH
I. COLUMBUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
II. JOHN AND SEBASTIAN CABOT . . . . . . . . 21
III. BALBOA, PONCE DE LEON, and DE SOTO . . . 28
IV. SIR WALTER RALEIGH . . . . . . . . . . . 32
V. CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH . . . . . . . . . . . 37
VI. CAPTAIN HENRY HUDSON . . . . . . . . . . 52
VII. CAPTAIN MYLES STANDISH . . . . . . . . . 62
VIII. LORD BALTIMORE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
IX. ROGER WILLIAMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
X. KING PHILIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
XI. WILLIAM PENN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
XII. GENERAL JAMES OGLETHORPE . . . . . . . . 102
XIII. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN . . . . . . . . . . . 109
XIV. GEORGE WASHINGTON . . . . . . . . . . . 123
XV. DANIEL BOONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
XVI. GENERAL JAMES ROBERTSON . . . . . . . . 156
XVII. GOVERNOR JOHN SEVIER . . . . . . . . . . 156
XVIII. GENERAL GEORGE ROGERS CLARK . . . . . . 161
XIX. GENERAL RUFUS PUTNAM . . . . . . . . . . 169
XX. ELI WHITNEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
XXI. THOMAS JEFFERSON . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
XXII. ROBERT FULTON . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
XXIII. GENERAL WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON . . . . . 201
XXIV. GENERAL ANDREW JACKSON . . . . . . . . . 206
XXV. PROFESSOR SAMUEL F. B. MORSE . . . . . . 220
XXVI. GENERAL SAM HOUSTON . . . . . . . . . . 229
XXVII. CAPTAIN ROBERT GRAY . . . . . . . . . . 233
XXVIII. CAPTAIN J. A. SUTTER . . . . . . . . . . 236
XXIX. ABRAHAM LINCOLN . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

A SHORT LIST OF BOOKS
INDEX


LIST OF LARGE MAPS.
PARAGRAPH
I. Map Illustrating the Early Life of Washington . . . . . . 127
II. Map of the Revolution (northern states) . . . . . . . . . 135
III. Map of the Revolution (southern states) . . . . . . . . . 140
IV. The United States at the close of the Revolution . . . . 187
V. The United States after the Purchase of Louisiana (1803) 188
VI. The United States after the Purchase of Florida (1819) . 218
VII. The United States after the Acquisition of Texas (1845) . 230
VIII. The United States after the Acquisition of Oregon (1846) 235
IX. The United States after the Acquisition of California
and New Mexico (1848) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
X. The United States after the Gadsden Purchase (1853) . . . 240
XI. The United States after the Purchase of Alaska (1867)
See Map of North America (giving a summary of the
territorial growth of the United States) . . . . . . . 240

NOTE.--In these maps it has been thought best to give the boundaries
of the thirteen original states as they now exist; and to show the
outlines of other states before they were organized and admitted.


LIST OF FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS.
PARAGRAPH
I. The Statue of Liberty . . . . . . . . . . . . ._Frontispiece_
II. An Indian Attack on a Settlement . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
III. Paul Revere's Ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
IV. Battle of New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
V. Niagara Suspension Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
VI. Mount Hood, Oregon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
VII. Mirror Lake, California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239




THE BEGINNER'S AMERICAN HISTORY




_The paragraph headings, following the paragraph numbers, will be
found useful for topical reference, and, if desired, as questions;
by simply omitting these headings, the book may be used as a reader._

_Teachers who wish a regular set of questions on each section will
find them at the end of the section. Difficult words are defined or
pronounced at the end of the numbered paragraph where they first
occur; reference to them will be found in the index._




CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
(1436-1506).[1]


1. Birth and boyhood of Columbus.--Christopher Columbus,[2] the
discoverer of America, was born at Genoa,[3] a seaport of Italy, more
than four hundred and fifty years ago. His father was a
wool-comber.[4] Christopher did not care to learn that trade, but
wanted to become a sailor. Seeing the boy's strong liking for the
sea, his father sent him to a school where he could learn geography,
map-drawing, and whatever else might help him to become some day
commander of a vessel.

[Illustration: COLUMBUS AS A BOY. (From the statue in the Museum of
Fine Arts, Boston.)]