On Sept. 9, 1776, the Continental Con- miles. In longitude it extends from the gress resolved "that in all continental most easterly point of Maine, 66° 48′ W., commissions where heretofore the words to 125° 20′ W., and if Atoo, the most 'United Colonies' have been used, the style westerly of the Aleutian Islands, be taken be altered for the future to the United for its western limits, it extends to the States." This domain now numbers forty- 174th meridian. The population of the five States, six Territories, and one Dis- United States in 1890 was 63,069,756, and trict, and various "possessions," Hawaii, in 1900 had increased to 76,295,220. This Porto Rico, Philippine Islands, Guam, is exclusive of the Philippine Islands, Wake, and Samoan Islands, etc. The area Hawaii, Porto Rico, Guam, Wake, and of the States is 2,718,780 square miles; of Samoan Islands. The government is a the Territories, 883,490; and of the Dis- representative democracy. Each State has trict, seventy; in all, 3,602,340 square an independent legislature for its local miles. In latitude it extends from Key affairs, but all are legislated for, in naWest, its most southerly point, 24° 33′ N., tional matters, by two Houses of Congress; to the forty-ninth parallel of north lati- the Senate, whose members are elected for tude. From this latitude, on the Pacific six years by the State legislatures, and coast, the territory belongs to Canada the House of Representatives, elected for to 54° 40', where Alaska begins, ex- two years by the people of the different tending to the Arctic Ocean and em- States. Representation in the Senate is by bracing an area of over 577,000 square States, without regard to population; in the House of Representatives the representation is in proportion to population. The President of the United States is elected every fourth year by electors chosen by the people, each State having as many elec toral votes as it has Senators and Representatives in Congress. For the general history, administration, etc., of the colonies and States see under their proper heads. PRE-COLUMBIAN HISTORY 458 Buddhist priests visit Fu Sang, sup- and 160 persons (five of them young marposed to be America.... ried women) from Greenland to establish a colony.......... ...1007 Hui Shen's account of the Buddhist mission referred to in the Chinese annals for...... .. 499 Iceland discovered by Nadodd, a Norse 861 First settlement by Norsemen.... 875 Grumbiorn sights a western land.. 876 Land discovered by Eric the Red, and named Greenland... rover.... [Landing in Rhode Island, he remains in Vinland three years, where he has a son, Snorri, ancestor of Albert Thorwaldsen, the Danish sculptor.] Icelandic manuscripts mention a bishop in Vinland in 1121, and other voyages there in 1125, 1135 and............1147 982 Madoc, Prince of Wales, according to tradition, sails westward, and reports the discovery of a "pleasant country."..1170 Second voyage from Iceland to Greenland by Eric..... ... 985 Bjarni sails from Iceland for Greenland, but is driven south by a storm and sights land at Cape Cod or Nantucket, also at Newfoundland, and returns to Greenland.... .... 985 Voyage of Lief, son of Eric the Red. He sails in one ship with thirty-five men in search of the land seen by Bjarni..1000 Touching the Labrador coast, stops near Boston, Mass., or farther south, for the winter. He loads his vessel with timber; he returns to Greenland in the spring of 1001 [He calls the land Vinland, from its grapes.] Thorwald, Lief's brother, visits Vinland in 1002, and winters near Mount Hope Bay, R. I. In the spring of 1003 he sent a party of his men to explore the coast, perhaps as far south as Cape May. Thorwald explores the coast eastward, and is killed in a skirmish with the natives (skraelings) somewhere near Boston, 1004 His companions return to Greenland 1005 Thorfinn Karlsefne sails with three ships [The tradition is further that he returns to this western country with ten ships, but is never heard of again.] [The fullest relation of these discoveries is the Coder Flatöiensis, written 1387-95, now preserved in the royal library at Copenhagen, found in a monastery on the island of Flato, on the western coast of Iceland.] Eskimos appear in Greenland.....1349 Pizigani's map of the Atlantic..1367-73 Nicolo Zeno with three ships belonging to Sir Henry Sinclair, Earl of the Orkney Islands, visits Greenland and possibly Vinland ..1394 Communication with Greenland ceases about .... .....1400 Berthancourt settles the Canary islands 1402 Madeira Islands rediscovered by the Portuguese .....1418-20 These islands previously discovered by Machan, an Englishman....... .1327-78 The "Claudius Clavus" map, giving the earliest delineation of any part of America (Greenland) ..1427 ERA OF PERMANENT DISCOVERY Marco Polo's travels first printed..1477 Columbus in Spain. Announces his views to Ferdinand and Isabella..1485-86 The views of Columbus referred to a junto of ecclesiastics, which declares them He discovers Jamaica, May 3; and Evanvain and impracticable..........1487–90 gelista (now Isle of Pines) June 13; war Columbus leaves Spain for France with the natives of Hispaniola......1494 Visits various isles and explores their coasts ...1495-96 Returns to Spain to meet charges; reaches Cadiz.... ...June 11, 1496 Patent from Henry VII. of England to John Cabot and his three sons January, 1492 [But is recalled while on his journey.] Ferdinand and Isabella arrange with Columbus..... .. April 17, 1492 Columbus sailed on his first expedition from Palos in Andalusia on Friday, with three vessels supplied by the sovereigns of Spain-the Santa Maria, a decked vessel with a crew of fifty men, with Columbus in command, and two caravels-the Pinta with thirty men, under Martin Alonso Pinzon, and the Niña with twenty-four men, under Vicente Yañez Pinzon, brother of Martin. . . . ....Aug. 3, 1492 Leaves the Canary Islands..Sept. 6, 1492 Influenced by Pinzon, he changes his course from due west to southwest Oct. 7, 1492 [The original course would have struck the coast of Florida.] Rodrigo de Triana, a sailor on the Niña, discovers land at 2 A.M. Friday Oct. 12, 1492 Columbus lands on Guanahani, one of the Bahamas; takes possession in the name of Ferdinand and Isabella of Castile, and names it San Salvador. Oct. 12, 1492 He discovers Cuba, Oct. 28; and Hispaniola (now Haiti), where he builds a fort, La Navidad.. ..Dec. 6, 1492 Columbus sails for Spain in the Niña, the Santa Maria having been abandoned Jan. 4, 1493 Reaches Palos... .March 15, 1493 Received with distinguished honors by the Spanish Court at Barcelona.April, 1493 Bull of demarcation between Spain and Portugal issued by Pope Alexander VI., May 3-4, 1493 The letter of Columbus to Ferdinand and Isabella describing his voyage first printed in Latin... . . 1493 He sails from Cadiz on his second expedition.... ..Sept. 25, 1493 March 5, 1495-96 John Cabot discovers the North American continent.... .June 24, 1497 Columbus sails with six ships on his third voyage, May 30; discovers Trinidad, July 31; lands on terra firma without knowing it to be a new continent, naming it Isla Santa.... .Aug. 1, 1498 Discovers the mouth of the Orinoco August, 1498 Alonso de Ojeda discovers Surinam, June; and the Gulf of Venezuela. Amerigo Vespucci accompanies him on this voyage .1499 Amerigo Vespucci's first voyage...1499 Vicente Yañez Pinzon discovers Brazil, Jan. 20, and the river Amazon. Jan. 26, 1500 Pedro Alvarez de Cabral, of Portugal, discovers Brazil, April 22, and takes possession of for the King of Portugal June 13, 1502 His fleet consisted of three galleons and Discovers various islands on the coast fourteen caravels, with 1,500 men, besides of Honduras and explores the coast of the animals and material for colonization; Isthmus.. .....July, 1502 discovers the Caribbee Isles Dominica, Amerigo Vespucci on the South AmeriNov. 3; Guadaloupe, Nov. 4; Antigua, can coast.... Nov. 10; finding his previous settlement Columbus finally leaves the New World destroyed and colony dispersed, he founds for Spain........... Isabella in Hispaniola, the first Christian Queen Isabella of Spain dies city in the New World....December, 1493 ...1501-3 ...Sept. 12, 1504 Nov. 26, 1504 |