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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 6 of 9

The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States
  • Volume 3
  • John Adams
  • Edited by Charles Francis Adams
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    19 May 2011
    First published in:
    1851
  • 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 3 contains diaries and autobiographical writings from 1777 to 1796, several essays, and documents from the 1760s recording campaigns and debates that helped shape the Declaration of Independence. It describes Adams' missions to France and Britain, and also recounts his feelings on having to share, with Benjamin Franklin, a bedroom containing only one bed.

Modern Industry in Relation to the Family, Health, Education, Morality
  • Florence Kelley
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    07 July 2011
    First published in:
    1914
  • Florence Kelley (1859–1932) was a committed socialist and political reformer who campaigned against child labour in the United States. In 1899 she became the leader of the National Consumers' League, an anti-sweatshop and pro-minimum wage pressure group which she supported until her death. This volume, first published in 1914, describes her views on the problems facing American society due to the expansion of industry. Kelley discusses the negative effects of rapid industrialisation on the American urban working class, in terms of the effects on the family, on the health of workers, on the education of the working class; and discusses the economic 'morality' of controlling the means of production. She also suggests possible legislation to mitigate these problems, some of which later passed into federal law. This volume provides a vivid description of the lives of America's urban working class and illustrates the extent of contemporary industrialisation in America.

The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States
  • Volume 2
  • John Adams
  • Edited by Charles Francis Adams
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    19 May 2011
    First published in:
    1850
  • 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 2 contains diaries and autobiographical writings, which vividly depict American politics in the years leading up to the Revolution. The diary begins in 1755 with Adams being awakened by the New England earthquake; it concludes with the momentous year of 1776. It provides fascinating insights both into Adams' domestic affairs and into the birth of a nation.

The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States
  • Volume 5
  • John Adams
  • Edited by Charles Francis Adams
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    19 May 2011
    First published in:
    1851
  • 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 5 contains the central portion of his famous Defence of the Constitutions. Responding to repeated requests for help in drafting individual states' constitutions, Adams here sets out the three principles he considered as being central to a fair constitution: separation of powers, checks and balances, and a legislature of two houses.

History of the United States of America (1801–1817)
  • During the Second Administration of Thomas Jefferson 2
  • Volume 4
  • 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 4 continues the account of the second administration of Thomas Jefferson (1805–9).

History of the United States of America (1801–1817)
  • During the First Administration of Thomas Jefferson 2
  • Volume 2
  • 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 2 continues the account of the first administration of Thomas Jefferson (1801–5).

The Western World; or, Travels in the United States in 1846–47
  • Volume 1
  • Alexander Mackay
  • Published online:
    07 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. In Volume 1, Mackay describes New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, and explains American society and the political and judiciary systems.

The Western World; or, Travels in the United States in 1846–47
  • Volume 2
  • Alexander Mackay
  • Published online:
    07 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 2 focuses on political parties, slavery and railways, and describes Mackay's travels in Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Louisiana.

History of the United States of America (1801–1817)
  • During the First Administration of Thomas Jefferson 1
  • Volume 1
  • 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 1 describes the first administration of Thomas Jefferson (1801–5).

Domestic Manners of the Americans
  • Volume 2
  • Frances Milton Trollope
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1832
  • Frances Trollope candidly describes her travel experiences in the United States during 1827–1831 in her two-volume book Domestic Manners of the Americans. First published in 1832, it records her views on many aspects of American daily life, especially targeting the supposed lack of manners among Americans. On reaching America, Mrs. Trollope encountered a country that was completely different from what she had expected. She expresses her disgust at the copious handshaking, spitting-habits, tobacco chewing, expressions of self-righteousness, and hypocrisy of the Americans and vents her outrage at the existence of the slave trade in a country that boasted of equality. Her criticisms of American culture are interspersed with descriptions of elections, cathedrals, markets, public balls, literature, and religion. This second volume covers her travels through Philadelphia, New York, Niagara, Hudson, and Albany, and offers an engaging account of a nineteenth-century Englishwoman's impressions of America.

The Revolution of America
  • Abbé Raynal
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1781
  • First published in 1781, this work of the Abbé Raynal (1713–69) is the English translation of the last volume of his widely known and influential Philosophy and Political History of the East and West Indies which first appeared in 1770. Raynal's work begins with a description of the distressed state of England in 1763 and her calls for help from the colonies in the build-up to the war. Written during the Revolution itself, the book speculates about the ending of the conflict in chapters entitled 'What ought to be the politics of the House of Bourbon, if victorious' and 'What idea should be formed of the thirteen united provinces'. Raynal's work was heavily criticised by, among others, Thomas Paine, who published A Letter Addressed to the Abbé Raynal on the Affairs of North-America (also reissued in this series) in 1782, correcting what he perceived as Raynal's mistakes and false assumptions.

Travels into North America
  • Containing its Natural History, with the Civil, Ecclesiastical and Commercial State of the Country
  • Volume 2
  • Peter Kalm
  • Translated by John Reinhold Forster
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1770
  • Peter Kalm (1716–79) was a Finnish-Swedish botanist who travelled extensively to observe the natural world in Sweden, Finland, Russia and Ukraine, and became a professor of 'oeconomie' - the economic application of subjects such as mineralogy, botany, zoology and chemistry - at the university of Turku. Between 1747 and 1751 he set out on a journey through eastern North America to gather specimens, especially from regions with a similar climate to Sweden. Because Kalm travelled though the area when much of it was still unknown to Europeans, this work has some of the first recorded accounts of places such as Niagara Falls. Kalm played an important part in forging scientific links between Sweden, England and North America. This three-volume work details his travels, and was first published in English in 1770–1. Volume 2 gives detailed descriptions of the plants and animals Kalm observes in New Jersey and New York.

A Diary in America
  • With Remarks on its Institutions
  • Volume 3
  • Frederick Marryat
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1839
  • Captain Frederick Marryat (1792–1848) was a distinguished naval officer, today best remembered as a novelist (particularly of stories for children), often drawing on his own experiences. He also edited a radical journal, and wrote non-fiction, including an attack on press-gangs, which damaged his career. He spent 1837 and 1838 travelling in North America, publishing his impressions in this unstructured six-volume 'diary' in 1839. He states that the number of contradictory and often trivial accounts of American life being published made him want to see the New World for himself. He found it impossible to make generalisations, given the size of the country and the different origins of new arrivals, and did not believe America would become a nation for many years. Volume 3 contains 'remarks' on topics including the American navy, the institution of slavery, and the place of religion in American society.

America
  • Historical, Statistic, and Descriptive
  • Volume 2
  • James Silk Buckingham
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1841
  • James Silk Buckingham (1786–1855) was a writer who travelled extensively throughout the world and published accounts of his adventures in places such as India, Persia, Egypt, and Palestine. In addition, he was a supporter of political reform and served as the first MP for Sheffield, from 1832 to 1837. On retiring from Parliament, he left for North America, where he spent nearly four years, saying, 'I had a strong desire to add to the knowledge … acquired of the Old World, by examining for myself the most favoured portion of the New'. He recounts part of his time in America - during which he visited every state in the Union except Florida and Arkansas, as well as some of the provinces of Canada - in this three-volume work, published in 1841. Volume 2 follows his travels through Pennsylvania, Delaware, and upstate New York before he heads to Niagara Falls.

A Diary in America
  • With Remarks on its Institutions
  • Volume 6
  • Frederick Marryat
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1839
  • Captain Frederick Marryat (1792–1848) was a distinguished naval officer, today best remembered as a novelist (particularly of stories for children), often drawing on his own experiences. He also edited a radical journal, and wrote non-fiction, including an attack on press-gangs, which damaged his career. He spent 1837 and 1838 travelling in North America, publishing his impressions in this unstructured six-volume 'diary' in 1839. He states that the number of contradictory and often trivial accounts of American life being published made him want to see the New World for himself. He found it impossible to make generalisations, given the size of the country and the different origins of new arrivals, and did not believe America would become a nation for many years. Volume 6 includes remarks on Canada and on Native Americans.

Official Letters to the Honorable American Congress
  • Written during the War between the United Colonies and Great Britain
  • Volume 1
  • George Washington
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    17 February 2011
    First published in:
    1795
  • Appointed Major General by the Continental Congress in 1775, George Washington, the future President of the United States of America, was one of the most significant and influential witnesses to the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). Published in England in 1795, twelve years after the end of the conflict, this two-volume collection of the letters he wrote to Congress during the war provides unique insights into both the military strategies employed and the evolving values that underpinned them. Opening in June 1775, Volume 1 leads readers through the first eighteen months of the conflict. Organized chronologically, the substantial body of material reproduced here reveals the thoughts of a man engaged in warfare, politics and the forging of an independent nation. As such, it promises to enlighten the 'reasoning philosophic reader, which wishes to explore the secret springs of action'.

Official Letters to the Honorable American Congress
  • Written during the War between the United Colonies and Great Britain
  • Volume 2
  • George Washington
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    17 February 2011
    First published in:
    1795
  • Appointed Major General by the Continental Congress in 1775, George Washington, the future President of the United States of America, was one of the most significant and influential witnesses to the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). Published in England in 1795, twelve years after the end of the conflict, this two-volume collection of the letters he wrote to Congress during the war provides unique insights into both the military strategies employed and the evolving values that underpinned them. Taking up the narrative in January 1777, Volume 2 demonstrates a gradual shift in emphasis away from an army in battle, hampered by the weather and the terrain, towards the political negotiations and nation-forging that followed. Ever humble in his tone, Washington displays the diplomacy and vision that was to characterize his presidency.

Retrospect of Western Travel
  • Volume 1
  • Harriet Martineau
  • Published online:
    07 September 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. 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 1 contains her travels from New York to Washington D.C.

Travels to the Source of the Missouri River
  • And Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean 1804, 1805, and 1806
  • Volume 2
  • Meriwether Lewis, Wiilliam Clark
  • Edited by Thomas Rees
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    09 December 2010
    First published in:
    1815
  • The Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804–1806 across America from Pittsburg to the Pacific and back was the third recorded transcontinental journey. President Jefferson had negotiated the Louisiana Purchase of over two million square kilometres from the French in 1803, and the aim of the expedition was to investigate the territory involved. He commissioned a Corps of Discovery as a scientific and military expedition to survey the acquisition, appointing his aide Meriwether Lewis (1774–1809) to lead it. It was hoped to discover that the Missouri and other rivers could be used for transcontinental communication and transport, and to assess the natural resources of the area. Some of the party returned east with specimens, reports and a map, while the remainder reached the Pacific in December 1805. Volume 2 covers the journey from Three Forks, Montana, the source of the Missouri, to the Pacific, and their winter quarters.

Travels to the Source of the Missouri River
  • And Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean 1804, 1805, and 1806
  • Volume 3
  • Meriwether Lewis, William Clark
  • Edited by Thomas Rees
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    09 December 2010
    First published in:
    1814
  • The Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804–1806 across America from Pittsburg to the Pacific and back was the third recorded transcontinental journey. President Jefferson had negotiated the Louisiana Purchase of over two million square kilometres from the French in 1803, and the aim of the expedition was to investigate the territory involved. He commissioned a Corps of Discovery as a scientific and military expedition to survey the acquisition, appointing his aide Meriwether Lewis (1774–1809) to lead it. It was hoped to discover that the Missouri and other rivers could be used for transcontinental communication and transport, and to assess the natural resources of the area. Some of the party returned east with specimens, reports and a map, while the remainder reached the Pacific in December 1805. Volume 3 covers the return journey, during which Lewis and Clark separated to survey more of the tributaries of the Missouri.

Page 6 of 9