OUR CENTENNIAL HISTORY. The history of the United States as a nation may be said to begin with the session of the First Colonial Congress. This body met at New York city on the 7th of October, 1765, Timothy Ruggles, of Massachusetts, being President. Nine colonies were represented by twenty-eight delegates. The causes which had led to the appointment of these delegates were the oppressive laws enacted for the colonies by the British Parliament. As early as 1651 the "Navigation Act" had prohibited exports except in English vessels; in 1733, an enormous duty was imposed on imports of sugar and molasses; n 1764, this act was re-enacted and resulted in the complete destruction of the West India trade to the colonial ports; and finally, in 1765, the Stamp Act passed the House of Parliament, ordaining that all legal instruments, newspapers, almanacs, etc., should be stamped and pay duty. Oppressive restrictions on the freedom of the press had always existed, and while the struggling colonies were thus laden with unfair burdens, they were allowed no representatives in Parliament. The settlers had left England, for the most part, to seek that freedom of conscience, equality of rights before the law, and control of their own property, which had been denied them in the mother country. Hence they determined that such abuses should not be perpetuated in the New World, and the First Colonial Congress met to prepare a Declaration of Rights and a statement of grievances, declaring that the colonies should be taxed only by their own representatives. In consequence of this action, the Stamp Act was repealed, but the policy of England was not altered. Other injurious and obnoxious laws were passed, the charter of Massachusetts subverted for resisting them, troops sent for their enforcement, and the feeling of bitterness constantly increased. The Second Colonial Congress accordingly met at Philadelphia, September, 1774, under the name of the Continental Congress. It recommended that intercourse between the colonies and mother country should cease, and endorsed the spirit of opposition shown in Virginia and Massachusetts Thus supported, these colonies began to equip troops and accumulate supplies; while the home government hastened to dispatch to America several ships of the line and ten thousand troops to reduce the "rebels. " THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. The long-foreseen conflict began by an engagement at Lexington and Concord, Mass., April 19, 1775, in which the British lost 280 men. This was the signal for a general uprising of the provincial troops. The forts Ticonderoga and Crown Point on Lake Champlain were seized, and an army of nearly 20,000 men assembled around Boston. On June 17, a detachment of these troops under Col. Prescott entrenched themselves on Breed's (now Bunker) Hill, which commanded the city. Generals Howe and Clinton, at the head of about 3,000 British soldiers, attacked them promptly, and after a hotly contested struggle forced the provincials to retire. But this success cost the victors more than a thousand men. Meanwhile the Continental Congress had reassembled at Philadelphia, and organized the higher departments of the army, appointing General George Washington Commander-in-chief, and voting to raise and support 20,000 troops. With the assistance of General Gates, General Washington immediately devoted himself to organizing and equipping his men. The only other military operation of the year was an expedition against Quebec and Montreal, under General Montgomery, which resulted in his death and in the capture of most of his troops. Early in the spring of 1776, Washington, by a masterly movement, obtained possession of a position commanding the city of Boston and compelled its immediate evacuation by the British troops under Sir William Howe. They embarked in their fleet and sailed southerly. Penetrating their design to land at New York, Washington prevented it by the promptness of his movements. Thus forced to abandon his plans, General Howe attempted to capture Charleston, but was driven off with severe loss. On the first of July, the Declaration of Independence, prepared by a committee consisting of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingstone was submitted to the Continental Congress, and on the fourth was ratified by the delegates. Thus was the allegiance of the colonies to the British crown dissolved, and their freedom declared under the name of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. At this time (July 2) the British troops, largely reinforced, had taken possession of Staten Island, and were preparing to drive Washington and his army from New York. After several severe engagements and numerous strategic movements, they accom plished their design, and forced the Continental army to evacuate the city in November and take refuge in New Jersey. Promptly following up this advantage, Lord Cornwallis actively pursued the retreating enemy until they were driven beyond the Delaware river. This was the gloomiest moment of the war. Death, disease, and desertion had reduced the Continental army to less than 3,000 men, and these were but half-clothed, poorly equipped, and often nearly starved. In this desperate strait, Washington determined on a daring movement as his only resource. Recrossing the Deleware amid floating ice and a driving snow storm, on Christmas night, he attacked Trenton, at that time occupied by a regiment of Hessians, and captured it with little loss. The British troops fell back in haste, and by a series of rapid movements were forced to positions near New York Harbor. In the summer of 1777 the British forces at New York embarked in the fleet, sailed up Chesapeake Bay, and landed at the head of Elk river, Maryland. Washington hastened to meet them with an army better equipped than in the previous year, and numbering among his officers the gallant Marquis de Lafayette and Kosciusko. The opposing troops met on the banks of the Brandywine, Sept. 11, 1777, when a severe engagement resulted in the defeat of the provincial troops. They retired to the Schuylkill, and shortly after the British occupied Philadelphia. This disaster was, however, more than counterbalanced by the capture of a British army under General Burgoyne, in New York. This officer, at the head of about 10,000 troops, had moved down from Canada and captured Ticonderoga, but was checked by the defeat of one of his detachments near Bennington, Vt., Aug, 16. After two severe engagements with the Continental troops under General Gates, he was surrounded at Saratoga, his supplies cut off, and on the 17th of October he was forced to surrender his army prisoners of war. This success greatly inspirited the Americans and supplied them with much needed means to continue the struggle. Several minor engagements ensued, after which the main army went into winter quarters at Valley Forge. Early in 1778, a treaty of alliance was concluded between the United States and France, in consequence of which the latter power sent a fleet and a number of troops to aid the Americans. The British during the summer deemed it prudent to concentrate at New York, and therefore evacuated Philadelphia. In their retreat across New Jersey the indecisive battle of Monmouth was fought. Subsequently they captured Savannah, Georgia, this being the only advantage they gained during the campaign., In spite of the French allies, the year 1779 did not prove favorable to the American arms. The British forces overran and plundered Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia, and the shores of Connecticut. They incited the Indians to incursions upon the defenseless frontier settlements, and the Continental Congress had exhausted both its resources and its credit, apparently in vain. Nor was the campaign of 1780 more reassuring. In April of that year, Charleston was assaulted and captured by Sir Henry Clinton, and South Carolina subjected to his arms. A strong force from the North under General Gates was defeated at Sandy Creek (Aug. 16); and a body of patriots under Col. Sumter was dispersed. In the North, the traitor, Benedict Arnold, covered his name with everlasting obloquy by his treacherous attempt to surrender West Point to the British Commander for a sum of money. Indeed, such was the discouragement and suffering which at the close of this year prevailed in the American army, that there was imminent danger that it would disband. This was prevented by the energetic action of Congress, and especially by the efficient labors of Robert Morris, superintendent of the treasury. In 1781, General Greene took command of the southern army, and without gaining any decisive victory succeeded by a number of well-planned movements and attacks in confining the English forces at the close of the campaign to the cities of Savannah and Charleston. The Marquis de Lafayette, commanding in Virginia, manœuvered in opposition to the British troops under Lord Cornwallis, until in August they had retired to Yorktown. When this had been achieved, General Washington with the main army at once hastened south, and the French fleet proceeded to block up the York and James rivers. Cornwallis, seeing escape impossible, surrendered on the 19th of October, with 7,000 troops and his munitions of war. This was the last important action of the war. Tired of the ineffectual struggle, the British nation clamored for a termination of hostilities. Neither the king nor the ministry was willing to acknowledge defeat, but they were at last obliged to yield. Not, however, until the last day of November, 1782, were the preliminary articles of peace signed. The war over, the next important step was to decide upon the relation to each other of the several states which had shared in the conflict. As early as the summer of 1775, Benjamin Franklin had proposed to Congress articles of confederation; but at that time the step was deemed by the majority premature. In November, 1777, however, a plan of federation was adopted, and gradually ratified by all the states. Experience soon showed how defective it was, and in 1787 delegates from all the states, except Rhode Island, met at Philadelphia to prepare a new constitution. In the following year this was adopted by majorities of the people in eleven of the states, though not without strenuous opposition DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. IN CONGRESS-THURSDAY, JULY 4, 1776. GREEABLY to the order of the day, the Congress resolved itself into a committee of the whole, to take into their further consideration the Declaration; and after some time the President resumed the chair, and Mr Harrison reported that the committee had agreed to a declaration, which they desired him to report. (The committee consisted of Jefferson, Franklin, John Adams, Sherman, and R. R. Livingston). The Declaration, being read, was agreed to as follows: A DECLARATION BY THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED. WHEN, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these, are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that, whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form. as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happi |