Excerpt from A History of the United States of America: Preceded by a Narrative of the Discovery and Settlement of North America and of the Events Which Led to the Independence of the Thirteen English Colonies IT has seemed to me that the most desirable qualities in a text book history of the United States or, for that matter, in any history - are clearness, reasonableness, and attractiveness. I have tried to use terms which have only one meaning, to avoid involved sentences, and to state facts with precision. It is im possible in such a book to introduce no words which have not before come into the reading of an ordinary pupil; but tables of definition and pronunciation, at the head of each chapter, provide for the understanding of all novel words in the chap ter. The maps, in like manner, are kept free from confusing detail; and while they accompany and explain the text, they form a basis for that geographic treatment of history which is essential to a clear understanding of the physical conditions of human society. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.