14 - History of the United States, Vol. I by Charles Austin Beard, Mary Ritter Beard

Charles Austin Beard stands as one of the most pivotal American historians of the early 20th century, having penned hundreds of influential monographs, textbooks, and interpretive studies in history and political science. A proud graduate of DePauw University in 1898, he met and later married Mary Ritter Beard, a trailblazer in womens rights and one of the founders of Kappa Alpha Theta. Many of their works were collaborative efforts, reflecting their shared passions for feminism and labor movements, as seen in her notable book, *Woman as a Force in History* (1946). In 1921, the Beards released their groundbreaking *History of the United States*, which was praised for its innovative approach, treating topics thematically rather than chronologically. This method allowed for an exploration of movements, background contexts, and the interconnectedness of social, economic, and political forces. Their goal was to empower students to grasp the essence of American society and its place within global civilization. The books clarity and engaging style have established it as a top-tier resource for both students and the general public.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
visit lbrivox dot org. The History of the United States
by Charles A. Beard and Mary Riderbeard, Part one, The
Colonial Period, Chapter thirteen. Summary of the Colonial Period, read

(00:23):
by M. L. Cohen, Cleveland, Ohio, May two thousand and seven.
In the period between the landing of the English at Jamestown,
Virginia in sixteen oh seven and the close of the
French and Indian War in seventeen sixty three, a period
of a century and a half, a new nation was
being prepared on this continent to take its place among

(00:44):
the powers of the Earth. It was an epoch of migration.
Western Europe contributed emigrants of many races and nationalities. The
English led the way. Next to them in numerical importance
were the Scotch, Irish and the Germans. Into the melting
were also cast Dutch, Swedes, French, Jews, Welsh and Irish.

(01:05):
Thousands of Negroes were brought from Africa to till southern
fields or labour as domestic servants in the North. Why
did they come? The reasons are various. Some of them
the Pilgrims and Puritans of New England, the French, Huguenots, Scots,
Irish and Irish, and the Catholics of Maryland fled from
intolerant governments that denied them the right to worship God

(01:28):
according to the dictates of their consciousns. Thousands came to
escape the bondage of poverty in the Old World and
to find free homes in America. Thousands, like the negroes
from Africa, were dragged here against their will. The lore
of adventure appealed to the restless, and the lore of
prophets to the enterprising merchants. How did they come? In

(01:54):
some cases, religious brotherhoods banded together and borrowed or furnished
the funds necessary to pay the way. In other cases,
great trading companies were organized to found colonies. Again, it
was the wealthy proprietor like Lord Baltimore or William Penn,
who undertook to plant settlements. Many immigrants were able to

(02:15):
pay their own way across the sea. Others bound themselves
out for a term of years in exchange for the
cost of passage. Negroes were brought on account of the
profits derived from their sale as slaves. Whatever the motive
for their coming, however, they managed to get across the sea.
The immigrants set to work with a will. They cut

(02:36):
down forests, built houses and laid out fields. They founded churches,
schools and colleges. They set up forgers and workshops. They
spun and wove, They fashioned ships and sailed the seas.
They bartered and traded here and there on favorable harbors.
They established centers of commerce Boston's Providence, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore,

(02:59):
and Charlestown. As soon as a firm foothold was secured
on the shore line, they pressed westward, until by the
close of the colonial period they were already on the
crest of the Alleghenies. Though they were widely scattered along
a thousand miles of sea coast, the colonists were united
in spirit by many common ties. The major portion of

(03:21):
them were Protestants. The language, the law, and the literature
of England furnished the basis of national unity. Most of
the colonists were engaged in the same hard task, that
of conquering a wilderness. To ties of kinship and language
were added ties created by necessity. They had to unite

(03:42):
in defense, first against the Indians and later against the French.
They were all subjects of the same sovereign, the King
of England. The English Parliament made laws for them, and
the English government supervised their local affairs, their trade, and
their manufactures. Common forces assailed them, common grievances vexed them,

(04:06):
common hopes inspired them. Many of the things which tended
to unite them likewise tended to throw them into opposition
to the British Crown. In Parliament. Most of them were freeholders,
that as farmers who owned their own land and tilled
it with their own hands. A free soil nourished the

(04:26):
spirit of freedom. The majority of them were dissenters, critics,
not friends of the Church of England, that staunch defender
of the British monarchy. Each colony, in time developed its
own legislature, elected by the voters. It grew accustomed to
making laws and laying taxes for itself. Here was a

(04:46):
people learning self reliance and self government. The attempts to
strengthen the Church of England in America and a transformation
of colonies into royal provinces only fanned the spirit of
independence which they were designed to quin. Nevertheless, the Americans
owed much of their prosperity to the assistance of the
government that irritated them. It was the protection of the

(05:09):
British navy that prevented Holland, Spain, and France from wiping
out their settlements. Though their manufacture and trade were controlled
in the interests of the mother country, they also enjoyed
great advantages in her markets. Free trade existed nowhere upon
the Earth, but the broad Empire of Britain was open
to American ships and merchandise. It could be said with

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good reason that the disadvantages which the colonists suffered through
British regulation of their industry and trade were more than
offset by the privileges they enjoyed. Still, that is somewhat
beside the point, for mere economic advantages not necessarily the
determining factor in the fate of peoples. A thousand circumstances

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has helped developed on this continent a nation, to inspire
it with a passion for independence, and to prepare it
for a destiny greater than that of a prosperous dominion
of the British Empire. The economists who tried to prove
by logic unassailable that America would be richer under the
British flag. Could not change the spirit of Patrick Henry,

(06:17):
Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin or George Washington References G. L.
Beer Origin of the British Colonial System and the Old
Colonial System. A. Bradley, The Fight for Canada and North America. C. M.

(06:38):
Andrews Colonial Self Government. Prence's American Nation Series. H. Edgerton's
Short History of British Colonial Policy. F. Parkman, France and
England North America. Prence The's twelve volumes, Arthwaits France and America.

(06:59):
Parenthes American Nation Series, Jay Windsor The Mississippi Valley and
Cardier to Frontenac. Questions, how would you define nationalism? Two?
Can you give any illustrations of the way that war
promotes nationalism? Three? Why was it impossible to establish and

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maintain a uniform policy in dealing with the Indians? Four?
What was the outcome of the final clash with the French? Five?
Enumerate the five chief results of the wars with the
French and the Indians, Discuss each in detail. Six. Explain

(07:48):
why it was that the character of the English king
mattered to the colonists. Seven contrast England under the Stewarts
with England under the Hanoverians. Eight. Explain how the English Crown,
courts and Parliament controlled the colonies. Nine Name the three

(08:12):
important classes of English legislation affecting the colonies. Explain each.
Ten Do you think the English legislation was beneficial or
injurious to the colonies? Why? Research topics. Rise of French

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power in North America Special reference Francis Parkman, Struggle for
a Continent two. The French and Indian Wars Special reference
w N Sloan French War in the Revolution, chapters six
through nine. Parkman, Montcommon Wolf, Volume two, pages one ninety

(08:54):
five to two ninety nine. Elson History of the United States,
pages one seventy one to one nine twenty six. Three.
English Navigation Acts. MacDonald Documentary source Book, pages fifty five,
seventy two, seventy eight, ninety one oh three. Coleman Industrial History,
pages seventy nine to eighty five four. British Colonial Policy Calendar,

(09:18):
Economic History of the United States, pages one oh two
to one oh eight. Five. The New England Confederation analyzed
the document in MacDonald Sourcebook, page forty five. Special reference
Fisk Beginnings of New England, pages one forty to one
ninety eight. Six The Administration of andros Fisk Beginnings, pages

(09:44):
two forty two to two seventy eight and seven. Biographical studies.
William Pitt and Sir Robert Walpole consult Green Short History
of England on their policies using the index. End of
U S History by Charles and Mary Beard, Section thirteen.

(10:10):
Summary of the colonial period,