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This series includes accounts of historical events and movements by eye-witnesses and contemporaries, as well as landmark studies that assembled significant source materials or developed new historiographical methods. The works range from the writings of early U.S. presidents to journals of poor European settlers, from travellers' descriptions of bustling cities and vast landscapes to critiques of racial inequality and descriptions of Native American culture under threat of annihilation. The commercial, political and social aspirations and rivalries of the 'new world' are reflected in these fascinating eighteenth- and nineteenth-century publications.

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163 results in Cambridge Library Collection - North American History

Page 5 of 9

Retrospect of Western Travel
  • Volume 2
  • Harriet Martineau
  • Published online:
    05 November 2011
    Print publication:
    02 September 2010
    First published in:
    1838
  • Harriet Martineau (1802–1876) was a British writer and scholar who can be described as one of the first British sociologists. She was one of the first social theorists to examine all aspects of a society, including social class, religion, national character and the status of women in a society. After the death of her fiancé Martineau published articles on economics and taxation before embarking on a two year tour of the United States in 1834. She immersed herself in American society, visiting both Houses of Congress along with prisons, hospitals and literary and scientific institutions. These volumes contain a description of her travels through America. Written in the form of a travel book, Martineau's sharp powers of observation provide not only a vivid description of America but also insights into the construction of nineteenth century American society. Volume 2 contains her travels in the South of America.

Echoes from the Backwoods
  • Or, Sketches of Transatlantic Life
  • Volume 1
  • R. G. A. Levinge
  • Published online:
    05 November 2011
    Print publication:
    21 July 2011
    First published in:
    1846
  • A dynamic army officer and sportsman, Sir Richard Levinge (1811–84) was an unlikely chronicler of nature. However, service during the suppression of the French Canadian uprising of 1837–8 led to a personal fascination with the people, flora and fauna of the Canadian colonies. Published in 1846, this two-volume description of travel through eastern Canada and the United States reflects the author's passion for hunting and the outdoor life. In Volume 1, the reader accompanies Levinge on his voyage to Newfoundland before being regaled with tales of skating, sleighing, hunting for wolves and a fortnight in the bush in Nova Scotia. The American stage of his travels is lightened by anecdotes of 'Yankees shaving' and 'frigid Baptists'. Illustrated with dramatic lithographs of moose and salmon spearing, this work conveys both the dangers and the attractions for the hunter and traveller of the North American continent at this period.

The Slave States of America
  • Volume 1
  • James Silk Buckingham
  • Published online:
    05 November 2011
    Print publication:
    14 July 2011
    First published in:
    1842
  • The Cornish-born traveller and writer James Silk Buckingham (1786–1855) campaigned energetically for social reform while a Member of Parliament during the 1830s. He later spent four years in the United States, and in 1839 travelled across the Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia, and Alabama to observe at first hand the inhumane treatment of slaves in a system that showed 'reckless indifference to human life'. Originally published in 1842, and dedicated to Prince Albert, this two-volume work documents Buckingham's findings and argues that the USA should follow Britain's example in abolishing slavery. Within the framework of a travel narrative recording climate, geography, flora and fauna, Buckingham describes the use of slaves in industries as diverse as gold mining, cotton manufacturing, railways, canals, and agriculture. He highlights the social and political issues surrounding free labour, and relations between the slaves and their employers. Volume 1 includes descriptions of Charleston, Augusta, and New Orleans.

An Expedition to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake of Utah
  • Including a Description of its Geography, Natural History and Minerals, and an Analysis of its Waters, with an Authentic Account of the Mormon Settlement
  • Howard Stansbury
  • Published online:
    05 November 2011
    Print publication:
    29 September 2011
    First published in:
    1852
  • Howard Stansbury (1806–63) trained as a civil engineer and became a major in the United States Army Corps of Topographical Engineers. He oversaw a number of construction projects and later had geographical features and plant and animal species named after him. In 1849–51, Stansbury led an expedition to the Great Salt Lake Valley in Utah to carry out a scientific survey, as well as to scout possible locations for a transcontinental railroad and to evaluate emigration trails. This book, first published in 1852, is Stansbury's account of that expedition, and of his party's encounters with Brigham Young and the recently-founded Mormon community, of which he formed a favourable opinion. As well as being illustrated with scenes from the expedition and examples of fauna and flora, the report includes appendices on zoology, botany, geology and palaeontology, written by experts of the time in those fields.

The Slave States of America
  • Volume 2
  • James Silk Buckingham
  • Published online:
    05 November 2011
    Print publication:
    14 July 2011
    First published in:
    1842
  • The Cornish-born traveller and writer James Silk Buckingham (1786–1855) campaigned energetically for social reform while a Member of Parliament during the 1830s. He later spent four years in the United States, and in 1839 travelled across the Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia, and Alabama to observe at first hand the inhumane treatment of slaves in a system that showed 'reckless indifference to human life'. Originally published in 1842, and dedicated to Prince Albert, this two-volume work documents Buckingham's findings and argues that the USA should follow Britain's example in abolishing slavery. Within the framework of a travel narrative recording climate, geography, flora and fauna, Buckingham describes the use of slaves in industries as diverse as gold mining, cotton manufacturing, railways, canals, and agriculture. He highlights the social and political issues surrounding free labour, and relations between the slaves and their employers. Volume 2 focuses mainly on Georgia and Virginia.

The Life of Benjamin Franklin, Written by Himself
  • Volume 3
  • Benjamin Franklin
  • Edited by John Bigelow
  • Published online:
    05 November 2011
    Print publication:
    29 September 2011
    First published in:
    1874
  • Benjamin Franklin (1706–90) is best known as an American revolutionary politician, but he also excelled as a printer, journalist and natural philosopher despite having little formal education. As a statesman, he was the only person to sign all three major documents of American statehood: the Declaration of Independence, the peace treaty with Britain, and the United States constitution. This three-volume set, first published in 1874, was compiled from Franklin's autobiography (covering the period up to 1857) and autobiographical passages from correspondence and other writings. Using Franklin's own words, it tells his remarkable story, which is integral to the political history of America. Franklin's account of self-discipline and motivation remains one of the most popular autobiographies of all time. Volume 3 of Franklin's Life covers the negotiation for peace with Great Britain, the drafting of the United States constitution, and his retirement from public life, and also contains his will.

The Life of Benjamin Franklin, Written by Himself
  • Volume 1
  • Benjamin Franklin
  • Edited by John Bigelow
  • Published online:
    05 November 2011
    Print publication:
    29 September 2011
    First published in:
    1874
  • Benjamin Franklin (1706–90) is best known as an American revolutionary politician, but he also excelled as a printer, journalist and natural philosopher despite having little formal education. As a statesman, he was the only person to sign all three major documents of American statehood: the Declaration of Independence, the peace treaty with Britain, and the United States constitution. This three-volume set, first published in 1874, was compiled from Franklin's autobiography (covering the period up to 1857) and autobiographical passages from correspondence and other writings. Using Franklin's own words, it tells his remarkable story, which is integral to the political history of America. Franklin's account of self-discipline and motivation remains one of the most popular autobiographies of all time. Volume 1 of Franklin's Life contains his original autobiography, and also describes his experiments with lightning conductors, his opposition to the Stamp Act, and his examination before the House of Commons.

The Life of Benjamin Franklin, Written by Himself
  • Volume 2
  • Benjamin Franklin
  • Edited by John Bigelow
  • Published online:
    05 November 2011
    Print publication:
    29 September 2011
    First published in:
    1874
  • Benjamin Franklin (1706–90) is best known as an American revolutionary politician, but he also excelled as a printer, journalist and natural philosopher despite having little formal education. As a statesman, he was the only person to sign all three major documents of American statehood: the Declaration of Independence, the peace treaty with Britain, and the United States constitution. This three-volume set, first published in 1874, was compiled from Franklin's autobiography (covering the period up to 1857) and autobiographical passages from correspondence and other writings. Using Franklin's own words, it tells his remarkable story, which is integral to the political history of America. Franklin's account of self-discipline and motivation remains one of the most popular autobiographies of all time. Volume 2 of Franklin's Life describes his election as President of the American Philosophical Society and his involvement in drafting the Declaration of Independence and the Treaty of Alliance with France.

The Western World; or, Travels in the United States in 1846–47
  • Volume 3
  • Alexander Mackay
  • Published online:
    25 October 2011
    Print publication:
    22 September 2011
    First published in:
    1849
  • Scottish-born Alexander Mackay (1808–52) spent much of his career as a journalist in North America. He was in Britain working for the Morning Chronicle when, in January 1846, he set sail again for the United States, this time to report on the debates over the Oregon question, relating to British and American claims to territory in the Pacific North-West. He spent several months in Washington, D.C. before travelling around the country as far south as the Mississippi, and west to the Great Lakes. This three-volume work, published in 1849, uses his journey to frame a general account of 'the political system, the social life, and the material progress of the Union'. Mackay observed a vibrant and prosperous country, and his work captures the energy of these boom years. Volume 3 focuses on the Great Lakes region, mining and navigation, and discusses education, religion, and the 'American character'.

Travels through Canada and the United States of North America in the Years 1806, 1807, and 1808
  • Volume 1
  • John Lambert
  • Published online:
    25 October 2011
    Print publication:
    14 July 2011
    First published in:
    1814
  • In the opening decades of the nineteenth century, the writings of John Lambert renewed the British public's fascination with the landscapes, peoples, flora, and fauna of the Canadian colonies and the United States. First published in 1811, and ultimately running into four editions, this two-volume work is packed with closely-observed descriptions, facts and figures about colonial life, as well as lively anecdotes. The 'corrected and improved' second edition reissued here was published in 1814, towards the end of the Napoleonic Wars. It promised to 'enable the British reader to form a just opinion of the Canadian colonies, and to appreciate the character of the neighbouring enemies who threaten their existence'. A trained painter, Lambert illustrated his account with lithographs based on his own watercolours. Volume 1 contains accounts of Lambert's outward voyage, Newfoundland and Quebec, covering subjects as diverse as chimney sweeps, French Jesuits, maple sugar, and 'stinking cheese'.

Travels through Canada and the United States of North America in the Years 1806, 1807, and 1808
  • Volume 2
  • John Lambert
  • Published online:
    25 October 2011
    Print publication:
    14 July 2011
    First published in:
    1814
  • In the opening decades of the nineteenth century, the writings of John Lambert renewed the British public's fascination with the landscapes, peoples, flora, and fauna of the Canadian colonies and the United States. First published in 1811, and ultimately running into four editions, this two-volume work is packed with closely-observed descriptions, facts and figures about colonial life, as well as lively anecdotes. The 'corrected and improved' second edition reissued here was published in 1814, towards the end of the Napoleonic Wars. It promised to 'enable the British reader to form a just opinion of the Canadian colonies, and to appreciate the character of the neighbouring enemies who threaten their existence'. A trained painter, Lambert illustrated his account with lithographs based on his own watercolours. Volume 2 contrasts the excitement of New York, Charleston and Boston, bustling with markets, hotels and pleasure gardens, with the conditions endured by plantation slaves.

Travels in North America, in the Years 1827 and 1828
  • Volume 2
  • Basil Hall
  • Published online:
    25 October 2011
    Print publication:
    22 September 2011
    First published in:
    1829
  • Captain Basil Hall (1788–1844) was a Scottish seaman and travel writer. After attending the Royal High School in Edinburgh he joined the Navy in 1802, and was appointed captain in 1814. He served on many diplomatic and scientific naval missions, and on his retirement from the Navy began to publish accounts of his experiences, based on his journals. These volumes, first published in 1829, contain his detailed and controversial account of his journey across America and Canada between 1827 and 1828. Hall provides a fascinating and engaging description of social conditions, political structures and political tensions in Canada and America in the period, while also illustrating contemporary English prejudices concerning American society. Volume 2 contains his descriptions of New England, including Boston and Harvard University, with an analysis of mutual English and American misunderstandings of each others' societies and a discussion of the role of women in American society.

Travels in North America, in the Years 1827 and 1828
  • Volume 3
  • Basil Hall
  • Published online:
    25 October 2011
    Print publication:
    22 September 2011
    First published in:
    1829
  • Captain Basil Hall (1788–1844) was a Scottish seaman and travel writer. After attending the Royal High School in Edinburgh he joined the Navy in 1802, and was appointed captain in 1814. He served on many diplomatic and scientific naval missions, and on his retirement from the Navy began to publish accounts of his experiences, based on his journals. These volumes, first published in 1829, contain his detailed and controversial account of his journey across America and Canada between 1827 and 1828. Hall provides a fascinating and engaging description of social conditions, political structures and political tensions in Canada and America in the period, while also illustrating contemporary English prejudices concerning American society. Volume 3 contains his description of Washington D.C. and his journeys through South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, Alabama and along the Mississippi river. Hall also includes an analysis of slavery and cotton farming in the southern states.

Travels in North America, in the Years 1827 and 1828
  • Volume 1
  • Basil Hall
  • Published online:
    25 October 2011
    Print publication:
    22 September 2011
    First published in:
    1829
  • Captain Basil Hall (1788–1844) was a Scottish seaman and travel writer. After attending the Royal High School in Edinburgh he joined the Navy in 1802, and was appointed captain in 1814. He served on many diplomatic and scientific naval missions, and on his retirement from the Navy began to publish accounts of his experiences, based on his journals. These volumes, first published in 1829, contain his detailed and controversial account of his journey across America and Canada between 1827 and 1828. Hall provides a fascinating and engaging description of social conditions, political structures and political tensions in Canada and America in the period, while also illustrating contemporary English prejudices concerning American society. Volume 1 contains his descriptions of New York, including his visits to prisons and hospitals of the city, and Massachusetts, together with an analysis of Canadian maritime defences and the settlements of Montreal and Quebec.

Three Visits to America
  • Emily Faithfull
  • Published online:
    25 October 2011
    Print publication:
    14 July 2011
    First published in:
    1884
  • The Victorian printer Emily Faithfull (1835–95) published Three Visits in 1884. The work is an account of her American lecture tours that took place in 1872–3, 1882–3 and 1884. Faithfull, a controversial and independently minded figure, campaigned for the employment and education rights of women. In 1860, Faithfull set up a printing establishment for women, the Victoria Press, where, despite fierce resistance from the printing trade, she employed and trained women as compositors. In 1862, she was made Printer and Publisher in Ordinary to Queen Victoria. Faithfull, a talented speaker, lectured widely on how America was dealing with the changing position of women, and the campaign for women's employment rights. This account remains a key source for the history of liberal feminism and the emancipation of nineteenth-century women.

History of the United States of America (1801–1817)
  • During the Second Administration of Thomas Jefferson 1
  • Volume 3
  • Henry Adams
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    22 September 2011
    First published in:
    1891
  • Henry Adams (1838–1918), journalist, novelist, and historian, was the great-grandson of John Adams and grandson of John Quincy Adams, both presidents of the United States. A professor of medieval history at Harvard whose areas of research were wide-ranging, he was deeply interested in the evolution of democracy in the United States. While Adams is best remembered for his autobiography The Education of Henry Adams (1907), for which he was posthumously awarded a Pulitzer prize, his nine-volume history of the United States during the presidencies of Jefferson and Madison (1801–17), which was published 1889–91, has been hailed as one of the greatest historical works in English. Adams was an advocate of scientific history, and this monumental work adheres to its principles, considering social trends and circumstances rather than focusing on particular events. Volume 3 describes the second administration of Thomas Jefferson (1805–9).

The Writings of Thomas Jefferson
  • Being his Autobiography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and Other Writings, Official and Private
  • Volume 9
  • Thomas Jefferson
  • Edited by H. A. Washington
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    22 September 2011
    First published in:
    1854
  • Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) was the third United States President (1801–9) and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. An advocate of republicanism, he envisioned America as an 'Empire of Liberty' that would strive to promote freedom around the world. First published in 1853–4, this nine-volume edition of Jefferson's writings shows the breadth of his intellectual and political interests. His autobiography, letters, diaries and political memoranda reflect a life lived at the centre of pivotal events, including the French and American Revolutions, and the founding of a new nation. Through them we discover the evolving relationships between the United States and the European powers, and the development of the American constitution and judicial system. Volume 9 contains a selection of documents showing the depth and range of Jefferson's diplomatic, political and scientific activities throughout his career, and an index to all the volumes.

The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States
  • Volume 8
  • John Adams
  • Edited by Charles Francis Adams
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    19 May 2011
    First published in:
    1852
  • John Adams (1735–1826) was a highly educated and enlightened lawyer who became a central figure in the American Revolution. As a political theorist he influenced the constitutions of the former British colonies in America, and he is regarded, with Jefferson, as the father of the United States Constitution. First published in 1850–6, this collection brings together Adams' major writings. Given their influence not only on the United States, but also on other republics, Adams' works rank among the most important political writings of their time. Volume 8 contains official letters and papers covering the periods when Adams was Vice-President and President. They focus mainly on foreign affairs, in particular the disputes between France, Spain and Britain that threatened to involve the United States. A secret letter from Washington raises the possibility of British troops crossing America to attack Spanish interests.

The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States
  • Volume 9
  • John Adams
  • Edited by Charles Francis Adams
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    19 May 2011
    First published in:
    1854
  • John Adams (1735–1826) was a highly educated and enlightened lawyer who became a central figure in the American Revolution. As a political theorist he influenced the constitutions of the former British colonies in America, and he is regarded, with Jefferson, as the father of the United States Constitution. First published in 1850–6, this collection brings together Adams' major writings. Given their influence not only on the United States, but also on other republics, Adams' works rank among the most important political writings of their time. Volume 9 focuses on foreign affairs, and includes letters that shed light on Adams' policy of strengthening the US Navy in light of the threat from France. Among the letters and speeches, one private letter airs his disappointment at the inability of politicians to live up to their promises.

The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States
  • Volume 7
  • John Adams
  • Edited by Charles Francis Adams
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    26 May 2011
    First published in:
    1852
  • John Adams (1735–1826) was a highly educated and enlightened lawyer who became a central figure in the American Revolution. As a political theorist he influenced the constitutions of the former British colonies in America, and he is regarded, with Jefferson, as the father of the United States Constitution. First published in 1850–6, this collection brings together Adams' major writings. Given their influence not only on the United States, but also on other republics, Adams' works rank among the most important political writings of their time. Volume 7 contains papers and correspondence dating from Adams' dispatch to France in 1777 up to his success in negotiating a treaty with Britain in 1782. They provide a fascinating glimpse into the world of eighteenth-century diplomacy, and at the efforts to gain international recognition for the newly-independent United States.

Page 5 of 9