H is to ric i
Epochs.
.L politlon of Charles I j the privileges granted by that monarch, and flic
loyalty of the Virginians, who did not acknowledge the commonwealth
fel the inftirreöion of Bacon ai-gai*# the authority of Charles IJ.
are epochs, of Virginian ftwy. The colony i«t the northern provinces
called New England was-chiefly founded by“ the Puritans, and was
-ftrengthened by the intolerant fpirit of archbifeop Laud. ^aQarian
•fubdivifions occafioned new colonies j and the. Pequodb, a native Bffibe,
•were» extirpated. The colonies in the' foufe are of more recentpfeupda-
•tion, and prefént Hill fewer materials for hiftöry.
In feveral fyftems of geography the original charters and minute
-events of each Hate are detailed apart,-a plan 'more reconpifeable wife
topography. The feveral ftreams-which co'nfljitute a large river cannot
bpd^esated in.general geography ; aqdj far lefs thofe provincial ^ochs
'which rather belong to a prolix biftory» . It wjdl therefore, he |p|cient
for tl\e prefent defign to commemorate fee; chief epochs ofjtliffiEmiteft
■ which terminated in the independence of feg' Uiiitèd "States. Kite
northern colonies, of New England had feewn repeated fymptoms of
their original fpirit of oppofition to authority.' ^ jfafo«
after ,a war of: immenfe expence, was crowned by.fee cefeon cjfi Canada,
and the consequent annihilation of the French power in Morth.
America. Canada was acquired at th&_priee of-about fiftylteies its,
real value : and the acquifition of Canada was the lofs of America: fo
incapable is human prudence of prefaging events, and fo often does
providence effeift objects’ by the very means which men employ to
avert them ! For-the colonies were not only thus - delivered from con-
•ftant fear and jealoufy of the French, which hound them to the protection;
of the parent country, but the vaft expenditure of that fplejad^. and
abfurd war occafioned fuch an increafe of taxation, that the .country
gentlemen of England were eafily induced to wife that a part of it
.might be borne by -the colonies.
i. The Stamp A6t, paffed in 1765, is confidered as the firft attempt
•to raife a fupply of Britife revenue from North America; but by the
firm oppofition of the colonies it was repealed in 1766. Similar attempts
of a more oblique nature were alike unfuccefsfuland W
!! i7 ’7o the duties were taken off except threepence a pound on tea,
H I I ' ik I 1 I n* , which,
CHAP . I, HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY,
whicbj within the/pane ofihalf a -century,-, hu'd 'became a neceffary (of
W.bln T773, an armed feUoonei? Rationed* off Rhode Iftarnl was burnt
by'tfté. Afeericaris,1 the firft aft of open outrage.
jïlfT-hé tea.fent by the Edt India -Company to the port of Bbftprftfti
New^lgknd was thrown ititofeèxea .by-feventeep^e ^ ma, in the dif-
guifpöof AJmcp^n’tfa|a.gefis This to what i^dalj^ thelRd&oh'port
«M B H E &V -altering the government of Maffacli'ufèttsl^
ay,'.:'!.',!
4. Deputie^feet at Phila^phja, 26tli b^ber^x/vV "conftituting
ihd^jenjdMxph’.wxs 41m: yet allcr-ted.' '.Some qifeta^
fia'd°eüvres of the. Britife®^^©age7mcfè^d th^ferirrenÉAnd
a - H aifemblod at
nineMen B w ^ p Bofton. '
.f;-Q?&e-r Britife .RVl^?f|^,i77^s'i^m^4 7 he dif^eptents;
and' the ‘civil war commenced with a^&iVmifi^|Meen*tK.e Britife i
troQ|l and American militia at Lexington. ' Tfe^Katóte^llf Bunker’s •
HillMijjrather Breed’s 3 iU, aepp^efing-to Mr. Mprfe, near Charleftawo, .
was feught^on the xyth 17yg., Twp .days before,., ^.e^Acndricafi >
C0Ag?|^thad appointed-Wafeirigtpn c-ommander;pfifeeir arnp|e&; who >
ifi|Marfe , 177(5 entered Bofton fe .triumph.- ’
:fi. »©n the 4th of July 1776 fee American cppgr.efs publifeed their fó- -
lemn -declaration of indepqnd ence.
7-”Pn fee 30th January 177H feefeing pf France cqncfedpd ajreaty-'
with -fee. -JJnited. States. The furrender'pfgeneral B urg oy n d V at my,,
J^h October, 1777, is lupppfed to have,- greatly iaflueppeft this al-
The ferrender of lord Cornwallis o'n the Tg.th Ö a *eT li ) i ’i;>'
§• The treaty jóf peace, 30th ‘November iy'&a, ‘by which’HheWde- -
peadfeg^.gf the United .States Was fqlemnly ackfipwledged^' after a K
ftruggfe of feven years; while that between Spain and fee Ünited
Provinces continued, with feme intermiffion's, ‘for about fixty years:
h|| fee profufe expence of piodera warfare coqntèr^iiiuces^Sjhreyfty.
to- The conftitution of the United States --having bean found .imper- -
€«»a>eW plan was fuhmitted to the feveral Rates, and received'their !
approbation. ■
H i s t o r i c a l
-Ep o ch s .