The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1860-02-10
One Hundred Years Ago.


There is nothing that so powerfully i'm
presses the mind with the energy Of the
American people, as to look At the state Of
. this Continent hundred years ago, and
compare it with the present state OF things.
In regard to the territory now occupied by
these United States, one hundred wears
ago was just the crises ofits fate Wheth-
! er this North American Continent should
he English or French was then settled and
not till then. True, England possessed the
Seaboard but the French had the Ganadas,
the St. Lawrence the Lakes and the Ms
sissippi to the Gulf of Mexico, unjistrbed
until 1859 Then it was thar Quebec was
captured by the gal ant Wolfe, and Ticon
deroga by the English army sent for that
purpose. But it was not till 1860 that
the King Of France gave up the hopes OF
regaining it, OF that Montreal surrendered
to General Amhufst. Up to this period
it seemed as If the French had every pros
pect Of having the continent ultimately.
The Indians were in their pay, and our
colonies were entirely surrounded. Could
any one then have predicted that IN a cen
tury population Of about thirty millions
as large almost as that OF England and
France put together, then would occup'
the territory and extend across the Con
tnent the centre Of population being far
away in what were the fJrcsts cf the red
man, how impossible would il have seem
ed that France 50 entirely have lost the
formative power Of the institutions Of the
Continent Had France held Quebea and
driven back the assaults Of Wolfe, or re
covered Ter fortress the next wear how
singularIy different had been the fate OF
this continent. 1t was the effort against
the French that first really united the
whole American people into one nation.
But for that war, they probably never
would have united about anything At
that time the question was not as 70 the
political influence Of Great Britain on this
Continent, or even Of Spain, but tie ALSO
lute supremacy Of France. Superior
strength on the ground decided this ag,inst
France in spite Of q superior enterprise and
skill in forming Indian alliance aai SEQ
graphical Investigations. The t.Eiu.. Of
Louisbourg, the fall Of Quebec, and The
capture OF TicoD3erora. ended IL the blind
cession Of tue whole Of Canada Just ten
years from the date Of lhat cessiua, d sim
liar confederation Of the colonies was again
called into existence TO resist Great Brit
ain. Tie idea Of William Penn sixty or
seventy years before had given hir.h to
lie whole Of these confe4erat;ng move
It9Lts.
- ,i.a end u = century We see The f.aI.s
Of il ali. Tie French dominion has 4t.er
y passed away from this Continent. bu
the territory for which they We're contend
ing, especially the vaIly Of the Mississippi.
IS becoming ,ne garden Ct the oiil. and
Ell thas Amerio, is nos, all tat she will
ever become, we're bound up in two or
there conflicts at ihe time not generally re
easled as important ur decisive q hundret
years ago. What are tie conflicts BOW
raging in tie world an! 81 this coutirent.
that viii produce s"rl effects a hundred
years hence? Most Jaas now seems most
uumenluaus viii have become utterly in
significant, bat some few things how look
ed at as merely temporary, WI. have
wrought themselves out INTO consequence.
OF the utmost magnitude Probably tie
spread Of American Institutions aal ot
American laws over the Whole cen iHeut
including especially Mexico and Centre!
America, vii! be one great but inevitable
result Of the next century. The eXnlora
ton and settlement of Africa will be an
other great result, IN all probability. It's
healthy and fertile interior is now ] lst be
ing explored as the Mississippi was cen.