New-York tribune., 1896-06-06
THE UNITED STATES.
A CENTURY OF MODERN LIFE IN VARIOUS
COUNTRIES. BEGINNING WITH
AMERICA


THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A:o l7s5oiss3,, 50,
Ry Edward Claiming, Assistant frodt ssor 81
History in Harvard University. Pp * So, Nac-
milan & Co Cambridge Historical Series.
Edi,ed 5ta by G. W. Prothero, Fellow Of Kings Col
iege. Cambridge, and Professor OF history III 'he
University OF Ednburgh)
This initial volume promises we'll for the series
which 1t heralds To cordense period Of loo
years OF United States history into small vol
ume is a task the magnitude Of which is IN III
verse ratio 10 that Of the book In 116O says
Professor Charming the colonists numbered
about 100000 whites ana negroes slaves ana
freemen foreigners and native-born ell descIioe"
a. English Americans as the English race "dS
the predominant element In Ncw-Engiahu anu
in the eastern and older settled portion OF VIZ
ginia the whites were OF pure Enshsh eA''"0-
ton Their ancestors came from the sou'n''n
part Of Great Britain. Connecticut co"'diheu
probably the purest English blood TO be iounu III
anv If the colonies. In Massachusetts there
was q mixture Of Scottish blood introduced py
the prisoners sent over by Cromwell alier 'ne
victories OF Dunbar and Worcester. Ihere "ds
also a French element In the Bay Colony u'-
scended from HuGUenot eXiles. Dlstinsu ui'"Vu
emong these were Peter Faneuil ana 'ai''es
Powdoin. a large proportion OF the populalioi Vi
Rhode Island also was composed OF descenusii's
from expatriated IIugucnots. A few Portuguese
only exceptions to the English character OF the
NsuEnclanders While the tidewater regions
Of Virginia were settled exclusively by Engiish-
man So that the famous tobacco culture OF ola
times was wholly IN their hands, the later coners
who found their way 10 the Shenandoah Naley
and the slopes Of tn, Blue Ridge We're EnShsh
ard Scotch-Irish Presbyteriane. German ir''-
estants also were mingled with his popuia'ioh'
and the descendants of these mixed races 1orfheu
the bulk Of the immigration TO the upper regions
of the Carolinas. They became factor OF H'l-
nortance in Southern history two remarkaoIe
es,res IN modern times to represent them being
Andrew johnson and John c. Calhoun
The greatest diversity Of race was found IN the
colonies between the Hudson and the Potomac
rivers In New-York there were the Dutch-out'
because OF severe anti-Catholic laws, no Cathohc
Irish Until after the Revolution. law OF New
York. passed in 100 and not repealed until 'he
colony had become a State, provided that after
November of that year Roman Cathohc priest
found within the limits OF the colony should be
"adiudged 10 suffer perpetual Imprisonment, and
- snv nerson being 50 sentenced, and actually
imnrisoned shall break prison and make MS es-
cane and be afterward retaken. he shaN sulrer
such pains Of death, penalties and 1orfetures as
IN cases OF felony" Maryland. which was first
settled under Catholic auspices. was soon overrun
bv the opponents Of Catholicism, and there, as
well as in all other colonies except pennsylvania
Roman Catholics deprived Of the right TO
vote or hold office. were subjected 70 douDo
land tax and were required to support by con'ri-
buttons the Established Church. In Virginia
they could not bear witness in any case wnat-
ever in a court Of law. not even against negro
slave nor possess firearms OF any description.
Consequently nearly all the colonists were Prot
eetants The Church Of England had its repre-
eentatives in all the colonies but was established
by law only in Maryland and Virginia.
The author reviews in considerable detail the
history OF the rise OF the legal and medical pro-
fessions OF the efforts establish schools, OF the
growth Of rules as to naturalization. or the sue
ceselve attempts at union with the occasional as
sembling OF intercolonial congresses II required
the Stamp act Of 1855 TO bring the coonists TO-
gether permanently. Where philosophers and
3urists had failed the people succeeded animated
BY a sense Of common danger.
The efforts Of the English Parliament TO enforce
laws which were deemed oppressive In the col
onies caused the individual revolt Of James Otis
and little later Of other men like the Adamses N
Massachusetts and Patrick Henry in Virginia,
But the truly unforeseen character or me move
ment toward independence is emphasized by Pro-
fessor Charming in the sentences: There seems
every reason TO believe that at the beginning oi
17f4 M more oyal subjects could be found than
the American colonists In November, 1862 they
were IN open rebellion from the Penobscot 20 the
Altamaha" Once the idea OF independence be-
came fixed in the minds OF the colonists there was
no rest until II was realized. 1t was the Same II
later times with .he idea Of nationality. The feel
Ing of those who opposed this idea and Of thos'
who favored II grew more intense with the lapse
OF time and at last brought on the war for The
Union.
In both cases IN the struggle with England ant
in that with the disintegrating force OF slavery
the most marked phenomenon was the steady con
servation OF the people VINO rarely accepted
political novelty without subjecting 1t TO tests o
the severest kind Only downright misery made
the Constitution possible but when the though
Of union was fully accepted not even the bloodles
war of modern times could break II, and resist
ance 10 IL has become impossible. The old issue
on which political parties formed and fought. re
marks the author, "disappearcd In 1s6j. I'LL
book is enriched with several maps and with al
snpendix containing the Virginia Resolves Of l'o'
that only the House Of Burgesses could impos
taxes in Virginia. the Declaration Of Independ
ence the Articles Of Confederation and the Con
etitution as well as an extended note on tn
photography OF the subject.
ENGLANDs PROBLEM IN THE FAR EAST
THE FAR EASTERN QUESTION. BY Valentino
Chirol. Pp viii. 1876. Macmillan q co.