THE CAMBRIDGE MODERN HISTORY PLANNED BY THE LATE LORD ACTON LL.D. REGIUS PROFESSOR OF MODERN HISTORY EDITED BY A. W. WARD LITT.D. G. W. PROTHERO LITT.D. STANLEY LEATHES M.A. VOLUME VII THE UNITED STATES New York THE MACMILLAN COMPANY LONDON: MACMILLAN & CO., LTD. 1918 All rights reserved Reefass .. My26 CAL PREFACE IN accordance with the original plan of the Cambridge Modern History, this volume narrates the history of Canada, and of the colonies, French and English, connected with it, from their discovery down to the time at which Canada passed under the British Crown; secondly, that of the other English colonies in North America from their origin to the Declaration of Independence; and, finally, the history of these colonies after they had become the United States, from 1776 down to the present day. The departure from the general plan of this work, in thus presenting a continuous narrative of the history of a single nation during some three hundred years, is more apparent than real. The principle of arrangement laid down by Lord Acton was that the history of each people should be taken up at the point at which it was drawn into the main stream of human progress, as represented by the European nations. In the case of the North American colonies, this change may be said to have taken place in the latter half of the eighteenth century, especially during the Seven Years' War and the War of Independence. Consequently the earlier history of North America would naturally fall to be considered at the point where it is treated in our scheme, namely about the close of the reign of Louis XV and immediately before the French Revolution. But, although an intimate relation between America and Europe was established during the period 1756-1783, and although the outbreak of the French Revolution was partly due to this connexion, it was again severed after the Peace of Versailles, to be renewed only occasionally during many years. For upwards of a century from that date the United States remained, in a sense, an alter orbis, standing forth indeed as a primary example of a successful and progressive federated republic, and, as such, exerting a constant influence on the political thought of Europe, but not otherwise affecting the course of European affairs, and little affected by them in return. The United States seldom came into close political 349134 contact even with Great Britain during the greater part of the nineteenth century, and still more rarely with other Powers. It is only during the last generation that an extraordinary industrial and commercial development has brought the United States into immediate contact and rivalry with European nations; and it is still more recently that, through the acquisition of transmarine dependencies and the recognition of far-reaching interests abroad, its people have practically abandoned the policy of isolation, and have definitely, because inevitably, taken their place among the Great Powers of the world. This, we feel justified in assuming, was the principal reason which induced Lord Acton to decide on treating the history of the United States as a single whole, and to bring it down continuously to the present time. In this respect, then, the scheme drawn up by Lord Acton has been exactly followed; but in regard to details certain divergences from it have appeared desirable. In order to prevent misapprehensions which may exist, and to which, indeed, publicity has recently been given, it may be well to state, with more particularity than at first appeared necessary, what is the nature and extent of our editorial responsibility. The idea and general conception of this work, it is hardly necessary to repeat, were Lord Acton's own. He also distributed the vast subjectmatter among the twelve volumes, and subdivided these into chapters, giving to each its appropriate title, and thus indicating in general terms its scope. For the writing of a large number of these chapters, but by no means of all, he had, before he resigned the editorship, enlisted the services of various authors, and had, in correspondence with them, defined more or less clearly the method of treatment and the limits of the matter which they were respectively to handle. But when the present editors took over the charge, they found that, owing to the efflux of time since these arrangements were made, to the deaths of some of the authors engaged and the withdrawal of others, and to other causes, a large part of the task had to be performed again. Moreover, when the plan and arrangement of chapters came to be more closely examined, considerable modifications appeared, in some cases, to be necessary. Connecting links had to be supplied, and gaps to be filled up; and it seemed desirable that, in view of the proportions of the whole, certain sections should be expanded or curtailed. In making these alterations, the editors believe that they have done no more and no less than would have been approved by Lord Acton himself, had he been able to complete his task. |