E-text prepared by Barbara Tozier, Bill Tozier, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net/) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 18618-h.htm or 18618-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/8/6/1/18618/18618-h/18618-h.htm) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/8/6/1/18618/18618-h.zip) Transcriber's note There are a few phonetic descriptions: ' is a stress mark, [=e] is an e-with-macron and [=a] is an a-with-macron. STORIES OF LATER AMERICAN HISTORY by WILBUR F. GORDY Formerly Superintendent of Schools, Springfield, Mass.; Author of "A History of the United States for Schools," "Elementary History of the United States," "American Leaders and Heroes," "American Beginnings in Europe," "Stories of American Explorers," "Colonial Days," and "Stories of Early American History" With Maps and Illustrations [Illustration: Pioneers on the Overland Route, Westward.] Charles Scribner's Sons New York Chicago Boston Copyright, 1915, by Charles Scribner's Sons PREFACE This book, like "Stories of Early American History," follows somewhat closely the course of study prepared by the Committee of Eight, the present volume covering the topics outlined for Grade V, while the earlier one includes the material suggested for Grade IV. It was the plan of that committee to take up in these grades, largely in a biographical way, a great part of the essential facts of American history; and with this plan the author, who was a member of that committee, was in hearty accord. This method, it is believed, serves a double purpose. In the first place, it is the best possible way of laying the foundation for the later and more detailed study of United States history in the higher grammar grades by those pupils who are to continue in school; and in the second, it gives to that large number of pupils who will leave school before the end of the sixth grade--which is at least half of all the boys and girls in the schools of the country--some acquaintance with the leading men and prominent events of American history. It is without doubt a great mistake to allow half of the pupils to go out from our public schools with almost no knowledge of the moral and material forces which have made this nation what it is to-day. It is an injustice to the young people themselves; it is also an injury to their country, the vigor of whose life will depend much upon their intelligent and patriotic support.