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1802. The territory ceded by each State was the object of separate legislation by Congress, first be

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Arthur Middleton Fra Hopkinson
Geo Walton Cartery Braxton James Wilson
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Benjamin Rush John Adam's Rob Morns
Lyman Halle Joseph Steves Button Gwinnet
Francis Lightfoot Lee
William Elledguard Rathedy Set. Somitter

AUTOGRAPHS OF THE SIGNERS OF THE DECLARATION OF

INDEPENDENCE.

coming a dependent territory, and afterwards being admitted to the union as an independent member; but the Northwestern Territory was the subject of important legislation, first by the resolution of April

THE CONFEDERATION COMPLETE.

293

23, 1784, and then by the adoption of the ordinance. July 13, 1787, which repealed the resolution of 1784.

It will be seen from the above recapitulation that the States at the very beginning were with reason jealous of each other, and that the relative power which each one exerted in the confederation became a matter of very serious moment; and not only this, but the rights which each State retained for itself, as well as those resigned to the federal government after becoming a member of the Confederation, were differently held in different sections, and thus the seeds were laid for the constant discussion of these questions in after years, and at last for the War of the Secession in 1861.*

After the States had severally ratified the articles of confederation, it became their duty to frame new governments. This Massachusetts and New Hamp shire had done in 1775. Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, North Carolina and Maryland, followed in 1776; New York, Georgia and South Carolina, 1777; while Connecticut and Rhode Island used their royal charters under which they had sufficiently liberal governments, not forming new constitutions until 1818 and 1842 respectively. Thus the States were better organized than the nation.

THE ORDINANCE OF 1787.

The celebrated ordinance of 1787 was declared by Congress to be a compact between the original States and the people and States to be formed in the territory northwest of the Ohio River, which should for

These articles of confederation were not fully ratified until March 1, 1781, and by that time it had become apparent that they conferred upon the Federal government powers wholly inadequate to its purposes, especially in the provision for raising a revenue, and for regu lating foreign commerce.

ever remain unalterable, unless by common consent. It contained but six comprehensive articles, providing,

I. That no orderly person should ever be molested on account of his mode of worship or religious sentiments.

2. That civil liberty should be guaranteed, the benefits of trial by jury, of the writ of Habeas Corpus, of proportionate representation, and immunity against unusual punishments, and that no law ought to invade private rights, or affect honest private contracts.

3. That schools and education should forever be encouraged, and that good faith should always be observed in dealings with the Indians. 4. That the territory should be a part of the United States having equal rights with the other portions, and that the rivers leading into the St. Lawrence and the Mississippi should always be free to the inhabitants, no less than to the other citizens of the United States.

5. That no less than three, nor more than five States should be formed out of the territory, and that when these States should respectively gain a population of sixty thousand free inhabitants, they should be admitted to the Union with Republican constitutions of their own forming.

6. There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in the said territory, otherwise than in the punishment of crimes, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, provided always, that any person escaping into the same, from whom labor or service is lawfully claimed in any one of the original States, such fugitive may be lawfully reclaimed and conveyed to the person claiming his or her labor or service as aforesaid.

There have been six subsequent additions to the territory of the United States, making the area at the present time about thirty-six hundred thousand square miles. This sum is made up as follows:

Limits of the original thirteen States,

407,000

Western claims ceded to the general government,
Louisiana purchase in 1803, for $15,000,000.00,

Florida purchased of Spain, in 1819, for $5,000,000.00.
Texas, annexed in 1845,

New Mexico and California, ceded by Mexico, in 1848,
Gadsden purchase of Mexico, in 1853, for $10,000,000.00,
Alaska purchased of Russia in 1867, for $7,200,000.00,

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CHAPTER XIV.

NORTHERN OPERATIONS.

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Y driving Howe from Boston, Washington had shifted the operations from the vicinity of that city, about which they had up to that time been mostly confined, and had made New York the scene of active struggles. The war which began

at Lexington on the nineteenth of April, 1775, was stopped by a general order from Washington, announcing the cessation of hostilities, read before each regiment on the same date, in 1783. Until 1778, the Americans carried on the struggle with little encouragement, and with no aid from without, and the conflicts were mainly in the Northern and Middle States; but after that time the operations were more in the South, and the alliance with France gave encouragement as well as material strength to the patriots.

On the ninth of July, 1776, Washington caused the Declaration of Independence to be read before the army, and it had the effect of giving a new impulse to all. He said, in the order for that day, that he hoped it would "serve as a fresh incentive to

every officer and soldier to act with fidelity and courage, as knowing that now the peace and safety of his country depend, under God, solely on the success of our arms."

His was the impartial vision of the great

Who see not as they wish, but as they find.
He saw the dangers of defeat, nor less
The incomputable perils of success;

The sacred past thrown by, an empty rind;

The future, cloud-land, snare of prophets blind.

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The stimulus was needed. Washington had reached New York on the thirteenth of April, and at that time was in constant expectation of the arrival of the enemy. Besides this, there were Tories on the Committee of Safety, and they were very dangerous, though their influence was opposed by the "Sons of Liberty," organized in the same committee, who were ready for any emergency. A Tory newspaper, called "Rivington's New York Gazeteer; or, the Conneticut, Hudson's River, New Jersey and Quebec weekly Advertiser," which had been giving aid and comfort to the Royalists, was, in 1775, twice attacked by the people, and on the second occasion, in the November previous to the arrival of Washington, its types had been melted and cast into bullets. As Governor Dunmore, of Virginia, had confiscated a rebel press, an order on him for another was given to Rivington.

New York City was, in the opinion of Lee, not capable of being satisfactorily fortified, but he thought that it might be so protected that it would be very difficult to take, and this he had for some time been preparing for. Putnam was in command after the departure of Lee, until the arrival of Washington.

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