Resource Center OLLibrary
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Cyrus W. Field,1 of New York, who,
after many failures and discouragements, announced the 
successful
accomplishment of the work, July 29. Congratulatory despatches
were forthwith exchanged between the Queen of England and the
President of the United States.
7. The elections in the loyal
states this year sustained, by a large majority, Congress
in the questions at issue between that body and the president on
the policy of reconstruction.
8. Before the close of the next session
of Congress -- the last of the thirty-ninth -- a bankrupt
law was
enacted, which established a uniform system of bankruptcy
throughout the United States. A reconstruction bill was passed
over the president's veto.2 This bill declared the
governments existing in the rebel states, not yet represented in
Congress, to be provisional, merely; proscribed the conditions on
which these states could be restored to their former privileges in
the Union, and placed them under the military authority of the
nation until such restoration should be effected.
9. Nebraska3 was admitted
during this session of Congress, making the number of states of
the Union thirty-seven.
Nebraska is formed from a part of the
territory of the same name organized under the famous
Kansas-Nebraska act of 1854.4 It is the seventh state,
in the great basin of the Mississippi, admitted from the Louisiana
purchase.5
10. During the civil war
in the United States, the Emperor of France, Napoleon III.,
took advantage of the existing state of affairs, by attempting to
secure for the French a foothold in North America. Napoleon
dispatched troops to Mexico, and by this means the struggle then
existing between the imperialists and the liberals was decided in
favor of the former, who chose Maximilian, archduke of
Austria, as Emperor.
1 For thirteen years Mr. Field had devoted himself to this undertaking with singular ability, Industry, energy, and singleness of purpose. In 1858 he succeeded In having a cable laid across the Atlantic, but after a little time communications were interrupted and not again resumed. In 1861 another cable was prepared, but, while in process of being laid, parted in mid-ocean and the work was given up for that year.
2 See Appendix, p. 10, ¶ 2, Sec. VII., Art. I., Const. U. S.
3 An Indian word, which is said to signify water valley.
4 See p. 222, ¶ 3. 5 See p. 166, ¶ 3, and note 5.
QUESTIONS. -- 7. What of the elections in the loyal states? 8. What laws are named as passed during the last session of the Thirty-ninth Congress? What are the provisions of the reconstruction bill? 9. What state was admitted during this session of Congress? -- What further is said of Nebraska? 10. What action was taken by Napoleon III., with reference to Mexico, during our civil war?
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This proceeding was in direct violation of the
principles of the "Monroe doctrine, "1 as held by the
United States. A protest was made at the time by the government,
and as our war closed, a formal demand was made by the United
States that the French troops should be withdrawn. France complied
with the demand; and Maximilian and his party, being deprived of
foreign aid, were unable to maintain their supremacy. The liberals
soon gained the upper hand, and Maximilian was captured, tried,
found guilty of usurpation, and condemned to be shot. This
sentence was executed on the 19th of June, 1867. This act finished
the experiment of a French government upon American soil.
11. In the fall of 1867, by means of a
treaty with Russia, a large tract of land lying in the
north-western part of North America, known as the Russian
Possessions, or Russian America, was purchased by the
United States for the sum of seven million two hundred thousand
dollars in gold. It was annexed to the republic, and called the
Territory of Alaska. It contains nearly six hundred
thousand square miles, has a population of about twenty-nine
thousand, and is valuable for its harbors, furs, and
fisheries.
12. On the 8th of September, by reason of
the differences alluded to as existing between the
President and Congress,2 the latter body,
desiring to limit the president's power, passed a bill known as
the Tenure of Office Act, which prevented removals from
office on the part of the president, except with the consent of
the Senate. The president, disregarding this law as being
unconstitutional, endeavored to remove Edwin M. Stanton, secretary
of war.3 This 
attempt
was claimed to be a violation of the act, and finally brought
matters to such an issue that on the 24th of February, 1868,
articles of impeachment were preferred against the
president.4 He was tried by the Senate, as provided for
by the Constitution;5 but less than two thirds of that
body having voted for his conviction, he was acquitted.
1 See p. 192, ¶ 7. 2 See p. 314, ¶ 3. 3 See Appendix, p. 22.
4 See Appendix, p. 9, Sec II. ¶ 5, Art. I., Coast. U. S.
5 See Appendix, p. 9, Sec. III., ¶ 6, Art. I., Const. U. S.
QUESTIONS. -- What law was violated? What is the "Monroe doctrine"? What demand was made by the United States? What were the results? 11. Give an account of the purchase of Alaska. Describe the territory. 12. Why was the Tenure of Office Act passed? -- Why was the president impeached and how did it result?
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13. During this year
an embassy from China, under the charge of Anson
Burlingame, the United States minister, made a tour of this
country. It was considered an event of note, inasmuch as the
Chinese up to this time had been wholly exclusive, evincing no
desire to establish cordial relations With other nations.
Supplemental articles to the treaty of 1858, then existing between
China and the United States, were signed at this time. By these,
liberty of conscience was guaranteed to Americans in China, and
certain valuable commercial privileges were also secured. This act
marked the first official acceptance by China of the principles of
international law.
Anson Burlingame was appointed
Ambassador to China by President Lincoln in 1861. During his
service there he had made himself so popular at the Chinese court
that at the end of his term Prince Kung, the Chinese regent,
requested him to go on a special mission to foreign courts. After
visiting the United States, he went to England, France, and
Russia. He died at St. Petersburg, February 23, 1870, a short time
after his arrival there.
14. On the 14th of July, a pardon was
proclaimed to all who had taken up arms against the government,
except such as had been previously indicted for treason or other
crimes. This was followed at Christmas by a proclamation of
universal amnesty. The Fourteenth Amendment [referred
to in the third section] was finally adopted on the 28th of
July.1
15. In the autumn of 1868 the
Republican party nominated Ulysses S. Grant, of Illinois,
for president of the United States, and Schuyler Colfax, of
Indiana, for vice-president. The Democratic party nominated
Horatio Seymour, of New York, for president, and Francis P. Blair,
Jr, of Missouri, for vice-president. Grant and Colfax were
elected.
16.
General Grant2 was inaugurated as
President of the United States on the 4th of March,
1869.
1 See p. 315,13. -- Appendix p. 17, Art. XIV., Amendments Const. U. S.
2 Ulysses S. Grant was born at Point Pleasant, Ohio, April 27, 1822, and was graduated at the Military Academy at West Point in 1843. He served in the Mexican war, and at its close resigned and engaged in mercantile pursuits at Galena, Ill. The occasion of the civil war brought him into the field. His successful career gained him the highest rank in the army and his election to the presidential chair. See p. 290, ¶ 8.--Appendix, p. 22.
QUESTIONS. -- 13. What embassy visited the United States in 1868? What advantages were obtained at this time by means of the supplemental articles to the Chinese Treaty of 1858? Mention the chief facts in the life of Anson Burlingame. 14. What pardon was proclaimed on July 14? What followed it? When was the Fourteenth Amendment adopted? 15. Who were candidates in the presidential election of 1868? Who were elected? 16. When was General Grant inaugurated? Give the chief points of his career.
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17. This year was
marked by the completion of the Pacific
Railroad, a work which had received the assistance of
Congress, and one which was in the end destined to be of
incalculable value to the United States.1
During the early part of the year, the
reconstruction of the United States was completed, and full
representations from all the states were seen upon the floor of
Congress for the first time since the war.2
18. The Fifteenth
Amendment, which was proposed at the third session of the fortieth
Congress, in 1869, and which guaranteed the right of suffrage to
all citizens without regard to race, color, or the previous
condition of servitude, having received the ratification of the
requisite
number of states, was, on the 30th of March, 1870, declared
adopted as a part of the Constitution.3
19. In May of this year
Canada was invaded by the Fenians, a body of
Irishmen organized for the purpose of liberating Ireland from the
control of Great Britain. The act was in violation of the
neutrality laws of the United States, and proved an utter
failure.
20. During the civil war a number of
Confederate cruisers were fitted out in the ports of Great
Britain, and thus enabled to commit great depredations upon
American commerce. The United States, for this violation of
international law on the part of Great Britain, claimed damages
from that country for the losses sustained. They were known as the
"Alabama claims," from the fact that one of the principal
vessels engaged in the work of destruction was named the
"Alabama." 4 The claim thus set up was the cause of
much bitter feeling between the two countries, and at one time
threatened to lead to war. This, however, was happily avoided by
the
meeting in Washington, in the spring of 1871, of a Joint
High Commission composed of distinguished jurists and
statesmen from both countries, who arranged the basis of a treaty
between the United States and Great Britain, known as the
Treaty of Washington.
1 The road is nineteen hundred miles in length, crosses two ranges of mountains, and establishes a connecting link between the Atlantic and Pacific. Its western terminus is San Francisco and its eastern Omaha, on the Missouri River. See p. 222, ¶ 2.
2 See p. 314, ¶¶ 1, 2, 3.
3 See Appendix, p. 18, Art. XV., Amendments Const. U. S. 14
4 See p. 274, ¶ 48; -- p. 301, ¶ 34.
QUESTIONS. -- 17. What events of importance occurred in 1869? Mention some facts concerning the Pacific Railroad. 18. What is the Fifteenth Amendment, and when was it adopted? 19. What is said about the Fenian Invasion? 20. What depredation was made upon American commerce during our civil war? -- What were the "Alabama claims"? -- What was the Joint High Commission?
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This treaty provided
for the settlement by arbitration of this and all other points of
difference between the two governments, including the question of
the north-western boundary line and the rights of citizens of the
United States to catch fish off the coasts of the British
provinces of North America. The difficulty concerning the
establishment of a boundary line between the United States and
British America, from a point on the forty-ninth parallel of
latitude to the Pacific Ocean, was referred to the Emperor of
Germany, who decided it in a manner favorable to claims of the
United States. The most important matter, that of the
Alabama claims, was submitted to a board of five
arbitrators, consisting of one each appointed by the United
States, Great Britain, Italy, Switzerland, and Brazil,
the last three being wholly disinterested countries. The board met
at Geneva, Switzerland, in the summer of 1872. Both sides
were represented by able counsel. After a full hearing, the board
awarded to the United States the sum of fifteen millions five
hundred thousand dollars in gold. This was paid by Great
Britain in September, 1873. The whole matter was considered a
cause for general congratulation, in that arbitration rather than
war had been adopted as the means for determining these various
disputed questions.
21. On the 8th of October
of this year the city of Chicago was visited by a
terrible conflagration. The fire raged for two days,
devastating an extent of over three thousand acres of the
city.
Twenty-five thousand buildings were
destroyed, property of the value of two hundred million dollars
was consumed, and a hundred thousand people rendered homeless. Aid
for the sufferers poured in from all quarters of the globe, and
nearly eight million dollars were contributed towards their
assistance. The citizens, not wholly disheartened by the disaster,
set to work at once to erect new buildings; and in a few years
there were but few visible traces of the great fire
remaining.
22. During this presidential term
the republic of Santo Domingo, a part of the island of
Hayti, asked to be annexed to the United States. A
commission was sent out to make an examination as to the resources
of the country, the condition of its people, &c. Upon their
return they made a report favorable to the application for
annexation; but Congress finally rejected the proposition.
The capture of the
Virginius by the Spanish was also an event of note
at this time. The Cubans had risen in revolt against
Spain, and had many sympathizers in this country who
desired to aid them. It was with this purpose in view that the
Virginius was fitted out. Notwith-
QUESTIONS. -- What were the principal provisions of the Treaty of Washington? What was referred to the Emperor of Germany? To whom were the "Alabama claims" submitted? When and where did the board meet? What was the result? What cause was there for congratulation? 21. When was the Chicago fire? How much property was destroyed? What aid was given the sufferers? What was the effect of the disaster upon the citizens? 22. Give the action of the United States in regard to Santo Domingo's application for annexation. -- Relate the facts concerning the capture of the Virginius.
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standing the watch kept by our government to prevent her
sailing, she managed to elude the vigilance of our authorities and
escaped, taking with her a large number of men and extensive
supplies. She was captured by the Spaniards while on the high seas
and carrying the American flag. She was then taken to Santiago,
and, against the vehement protests of the United States consul,
many of her passengers and crew were shot. The government at home
being apprised of this act on the part of Spain, demanded
the return of the Virginius, and suitable apologies for the
insults to the American flag. Spain complied with these
demands.
In November, 1872, a great conflagration
in the city of Boston laid waste some sixty acres of the
business portion of the city. Property to the value of seventy
million dollars was destroyed.
During this term President Grant
endeavored to establish a new Indian policy. He objected to
the gift and treaty system because it gave the Indians an
altogether too great sense of their own importance, and furnished
them with means to harass settlers, should they be disposed to be
hostile. His plan was to have certain portions of land reserved
for their permanent residence, to have their affairs managed by
the members of religious and charitable associations, for whom the
Indians had much regard, and to have these agents assisted in
their duties by officers of the army. This policy, though
thoroughly pacific, and pursued in good faith on the part of the
government, did not prove a success.
23. In the fall of 1872 the twenty-second
presidential election occurred. Those Republicans whose
views were not in harmony with the
administration, and who were known as liberal Republicans,
nominated Horace Greeley,1 of New York, for president
of the United States, and B. Gratz Brown, of Missouri, for
vice-president. The Democratic party made the same
nomination. The Republicans renominated Ulysses S. Grant
for president,2 and nominated Henry Wilson, of
Massachusetts, for vice-president.3 Grant and Wilson
were elected. They entered upon their term of office March 4,
1873.
1 Horace Greeley was born at Amherst, N. H., February 3, 1811. He received a limited education, and at the age of fifteen began work as a printer in a newspaper office at East Poultney, Vt. In 1811 he founded the New York Tribune. In 1848 be became a member of Congress. Upon the approach of the civil war, he counselled peaceable measures; but these failing and the war having begun, he urged its prosecution with vigor. The conflict ended, he again took conciliatory ground, and showed the courage of his convictions by signing the hallbond which gave Jefferson Davis his liberty. He was a man of simple tastes and eccentric habits, but genial and warm-hearted. and of great intellectual ability. He died November 29, 1872. The death of his wife just previous to the close of the presidential canvass, and the excitement attendant upon the contest, were conceived to be the more immediate causes of his death. 2 See p. 318, ¶ 15.--Appendix, p. 22. 3 See Appendix, p. 22.
QUESTIONS. -- What demands were made by the United States? What were the results? Give the chief facts of the Boston fire. -- What was President Grant's Indian policy? Was it a success? 23. Who were the candidates in the presidential election of 1872? Give a sketch of Horace Greeley's life. Who were elected, and when did they enter upon their duties?
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