INTRODUCTORY AMERICAN HISTORY

BY

HENRY ELDRIDGE BOURNE AND ELBERT JAY BENTON

PROFESSORS OF HISTORY IN WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY

1912

INTRODUCTION

This volume is the introductory part of a course in Americanhistory embodying the plan of study recommended by the Committeeof Eight of the American Historical Association.^[1] The plancalls for a continuous course running through grades six, seven,and eight. The events which have taken place within the limits ofwhat is now the United States must necessarily furnish the mostof the content of the lessons. But the Committee urge that enoughother matter, of an introductory character, be included to teachboys and girls of from twelve to fourteen years of age that ourcivilization had its beginnings far back in the history of theOld World. Such introductory study will enable them to think ofour country in its true historical setting. The Committeerecommend that about two-thirds of one year's work be devoted tothis preliminary matter, and that the remainder of the year begiven to the period of discovery and exploration.

The plan of the Committee of Eight emphasizes three or fourlines of development in the world's history leading up toAmerican history proper.

First, there was a movement of conquest or colonization bywhich the ancient civilized world, originally made up ofcommunities like the Greeks and Phoenicians in the Aegean andeastern Mediterranean Seas, spread to southern Italy and adjacentlands. The Roman conquest of Italy and of the barbarian tribes ofwestern Europe expanded the civilized world to the shores of theAtlantic. Within this greater Roman world new nations grew up.The migration of Europeans to the American continent was thefinal step.

Second, accompanying the growth of the civilized world inextent was a growth of knowledge of the shape of the earth, or ofwhat we call geography. Columbus was a geographer as well as theherald of an expanding world.

A third process was the creation and transmission of all thatwe mean by civilization. Here, as the Committee remark, theeffort should be to "show, in a very simple way, the civilizationwhich formed the heritage of those who were to go to America,that is, to explain what America started with."

The Committee also suggest that it is necessary "to associatethe three or four peoples of Europe which were to have a share inAmerican colonization with enough of their characteristicincidents to give the child some feeling for the name 'England,''Spain,' 'Holland,' and 'France.'"

No attempt is made in this book to give a connected history ofGreece, Rome, England, or any other country of Europe. Such anattempt would be utterly destructive of the plan. Only thosefeatures of early civilization and those incidents of historyhave been selected which appear to have a vital relation to thesubsequent fortunes of mankind in America as well as in Europe.They are treated in all cases as introductory. Opinions maydiffer upon the question of what topics best illustrate therelation. The Committee leaves a wide margin of opportunity forthe exercise of judgment in selection. In the use of a textbookbased on the plan the teacher should use the same liberty ofselection. For example, we have chosen the story of Marathon toillustrate the idea of the heroic memories of Greece. Others mayprefer Thermopylae, because this stor

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