5. 1524-1608.

Physiography of North America.
The Aborigines and their Institutions.
Columbus, Vespucius, and the Cabots.
Spanish Explorations North of Darien.

15

French Explorations on the Atlantic Seaboard.

6. 1608-1750. The French in the Interior and on the Gulf of Mexico.

7. 1497-1606. English Explorations.

8.

9.

10.

II.

1606-1760. English Colonization in the South.

1606-1624. The Founding of Virginia.

1624-1660. Virginia under the King and Commonwealth. Bacon's Rebellion, its Causes and Results.

1660-1700.

1700-1760. The Expansion of Virginia.

12.

1760.

13.

1632-1760.

Form of Government of a Royal Province.
The Founding of Maryland.

Religion and Toleration in Maryland.

Virginia and Maryland in 1760.

Settlement of the Carolinas and Georgia.

Government and Society in the Carolinas and Georgia in 1760.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

1609-1760. Settlement of the Middle Colonies.

1609-1664. The Dutch Colony of New Netherland.
1664-1760. The English Colony of New York.
1664-1760. The English Colony of New Jersey.
1660-1690. The Founding of Pennsylvania.
1690-1760.

23. 1760.

The Expansion of Pennsylvania.
The Middle Colonies in 1760.

1606-1760. Colonization of New England.

24. 1600-1630.

25.

1620-1680.

26.

The English Puritans and their Principles.
New Plymouth Colony.

1629-1643. The Founding of Massachusetts.

27. 1635-1643. The Founding of Connecticut and New

Haven.

28. 1636-1663. The Founding of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.

34. 1750-1763. Expulsion of the French and Spaniards from Eastern North America.

35. 1760-1766.

36. 1606-1766.

Great Britain asserts its Supremacy.

Relations of the Colonies to Great Britain.

37. 1767-1775. The Townshend Acts and Colonial Union. 38. 1765-1775. Organization of the Opposition to Great Britain.

1775-1783. The American Revolution.

39. 1774-1781. The Continental Congress, its Authority and

§ 7 d.]

One Hundred Topics.

17

47. 1776-1783. The Finances of the Revolution.

48.

1782-1783. The Negotiations at Paris and the Treaty of

Peace.

1776-1790. Formation of the Constitution.

49. 1776-1781. Land Claims and Cessions.

50. 1776-1781. The Formation of the Articles of Confedera

tion.

The Articles of Confederation from a con

stitutional point of view.

Territorial Questions.

Financial Questions.

Slavery Questions.

56. 1787.

57. 1787.

58. 1787-1790.

Decline of the Confederation.
The Federal Convention.

Purport and Nature of the Constitution.
Ratification of the Constitution.

1789-1829. Growth of Nationality.

59. 1789-1793.

60. 1789-1793.

61. 1789-1807.

62. 1793-1801.

Political Organization of the Government. Financial and Commercial Organization. Beginning of the Slavery Contest. Foreign Policy of the Federalists. 63. 1801-1805. Political Policy of the Republicans. 64. 1805-1811. Causes of the War of 1812. 65. 1812-1815. War of 1812 and its effects. 66. 1818-1821. The Missouri Compromise. 67. 1809-1823. The Monroe Doctrine. 68. 1815-1829. Political Development.

72. 1829-1837. Jackson's War with the Bank, and the Sur

plus.

73. 1789-1895. Tariff Legislation and Nullification.

74. 1789-1895. Public Lands and Internal Improvements. 75. 1829-1861.

Negro Slavery.

76. 1831-1841. The Abolition Movement.

77. 1829-1861.

The Controversy over Slavery.

78. 1829-1854.

79. 1841-1848.

80. 1846-1853.

International and Interstate Slavery.
Annexation of Texas and the Mexican War.
Territorial Slavery and the Compromise of
1850.

81. 1850-1859. Fugitive Slaves and the John Brown Insur

85. 1860-1861. The Outbreak of the Civil War.

1861-1894. The Civil War and Readjustment.

86. 1861-1865. Internal Government.

87. 1861-1865. The Southern Confederacy. 88. 1861-1865. Financial Measures.

89. 1861-1865. Military and Foreign Affairs.

[For a more extended list of topics with references to Parts II and III

of this GUIDE, see Table of Contents.]

II. METHODS IN GENERAL.

§ 8. The Place of "Method."

It is easy to plunge into the study of American history; books are abundant, and the subject is vast and attractive. To reach a satisfactory result is more difficult; the material requires sifting, the secondary books need critical use, and the text-books are often bald and inadequate. Above all, no historical subject has more need of intelligent selection of topics and references, or of systematic and thorough investigation.

"Method" is simply the use of devices which experience has suggested, for gaining and holding the student's interest, and for applying his time and thought in such a way as to make mental effort go farthest toward securing a permanent impression. There is no general method suited to all ages, or circumstances, or minds, or even to all parts of the subject. Method is simply a means to an end; and uniformity in methods denotes that the means has become perverted. The objects to be attained are simple, and a few principles may be laid down as to the best way of attaining them.

The primary necessity in history is to know the truth, and that implies that every student should see for himself how history is written. This is best done by a study of the sources upon which every historical writer must base his knowledge. Hence all good methods include training in the use of the original records on which a statement is based. In schools this part of the work can usually be done by using extracts from the sources; in colleges there may be the use of a considerable body of sources on limited subjects; in graduate work the student must learn to exhaust all the sources of information on the subject which he has chosen to investigate.

The next essential is to train the student to handle secondary works with discrimination. In schools this may be taught by using several parallel text-books, and comparing them with standard authors; in colleges by wide collateral reading; in