Excerpt from The Plain Story of American History MY purpose in writing this book is expressed in the title. I wish that it may be a plain story of the achievement of human beings in that part of the Western Hemisphere which is now the United States of America. To relate the main facts clearly and broadly, rather than to describe many detailed occurrences, has been constantly in my mind. The story here presented may be taken as an introduc tion for a wider study of our history. It has been my aim to use simple but strong language, and to place the emphasis of the book on human actions. But much attention has been given to social history, and in two chapters the outlines of American government have been presented. I hope the book will prove neither hard nor easy for pupils. If it is received as a straightforward story, drawing forth the earnest efforts of capable pupils and making for the suc cess of faithful teachers, it will be a source of pleasure for the author, repaying him for many days and nights of careful study of our national history. More especially, I wish that the book may serve, along with many other excellent works of similar scope, to give to the American youth a better appreciation of the glorious history of their native land, and to create in them a warmer purpose to serve their country and promote its progress. 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.