 chapter 43 and 44 of a short history of the United States. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org. This reading by Alice and Hester of Athens, Georgia. A short history of the United States by Edward Channing, chapter 43 from Grant to Cleveland, 1869 to 1889. 447, the 15th amendment. In February 1869, just before Grant's inauguration, Congress proposed still another amendment providing that neither the United States nor any state could abridge the rights of citizens of the United States on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. The state legislatures hastened to accept this amendment and it was declared in force in March 1870. 448, end of reconstruction. Three states only were still unreconstructed. These were Virginia, Texas, and Mississippi. In 1869, Congress added to the conditions on which they could be readmitted to the Union the acceptance of the 15th amendment. Early in 1870, they all complied with the conditions and were readmitted. The Union was now again complete. Since 1860, four states had been added to the Union. These were Kansas, West Virginia, Nevada, and Nebraska. There were now 37 states in all. 449, the Southerners and the Negroes. The first result of the Congressional plan of reconstruction was to give the control of the southern states to the freedmen and their white allies. Some of these white friends of the freedmen were men of character and ability, but most of them were adventurers who came from the north to make their fortunes. They were called the carpet vaggers because they usually carried their luggage in their hands. The few southern whites who befriended the Negroes were called Scallowags by their white neighbors. Secret societies spring into being. The most famous was the Ku Klux Klan. The object of these societies was to terrorize the freedmen and their white friends and to prevent their voting. This led to the passage of the force acts. These laws provided severe penalties for crimes of intimidation. They also provided that these cases should be tried in the United States courts. Federal soldiers stationed in the south could be used to compel obedience to the law. 450, Alabama claims. During the Civil War, vessels built in British shipyards, or refitted and supplied with coal at British ports, had preyed upon American commerce. The most famous of these vessels was the Alabama. The claims for losses caused by these vessels, which the United States presented to Great Britain, were therefore called the Alabama claims. There were also disputes with Great Britain over the fisheries and over the western end of the Oregon boundary. In 1871, the United States and Great Britain made an arrangement called the Treaty of Washington. By this treaty, all these points of dispute were referred to arbitration. The Oregon boundary was decided in favor of the United States, but the fishery dispute was decided in favor of Great Britain. The Alabama claims were settled by five arbitrators who sat in Geneva, Switzerland. They decided that Great Britain had not used due diligence to prevent the abuse of her ports by the Confederates. They condemned her to pay fifteen and one-half million dollars damages to the United States. 451, the Chicago Fire, 1871. Early one morning in October, 1871, a Chicago woman went to the barn to milk her cow. She carried a lighted kerosene lamp, for it was still dark. The cow kicked over the lamp. The barn was soon ablaze. A furious gale carried the burning sparks from one house to another, and so the fire went on spreading all that day and night and the next day. Nearly two hundred million dollars worth of property was destroyed. The homes of nearly one hundred thousand persons were burned down. In a surprisingly short time, the burnt district was rebuilt, and Chicago grew more rapidly than ever before. 452, corruption and politics. New York City had no two hundred million dollar fire, but a ring of city officers stole more than one hundred and fifty million dollars of the city's money. In other cities also, there was great corruption, nor were the state governments free from bribery and thieving. Many officers in the national government were believed to be mixed up in schemes to defraud people. The truth of the matter was that the civil war had left behind it the habit of spending money freely. A desire to grow suddenly rich possessed the people. Men did not look closely to see where their money came from. 453, election of 1872. In fact, this condition of the public service made many persons doubtful of the wisdom of re-electing President Grant. There was not the slightest doubt as to Grant's personal honesty. There were grave doubts as to his judgment in making appointments. Reconstruction, too, did not seem to be restoring peace and prosperity to the South. For these reasons, many voters left the Republican Party. They called themselves liberal Republicans and nominated Horace Greeley for President. He had been one of the most outspoken opponents of slavery. The Democrats could find no better candidate, so they, too, nominated Greeley. But many Democrats could not bring themselves to vote for him. They left their party for the moment and nominated a third candidate. The result of all this confusion was the re-election of Grant, but the Democrats elected a majority of the House of Representatives. 454, the Cuban rebellion, 1867 to 77. When the other Spanish American colonies won their independence, Cuba remained true to Spain. But by 1867, the Cubans could no longer bear the hardships of Spanish rule. They rebelled and for 10 years fought for freedom. The Spaniards burned whole villages because they thought the inhabitants favored the rebels. They even threatened to kill all Cuban men found away from their homes. This cruelty aroused the sympathy of the Americans. Expeditions sailed from the United States to help the Cubans, although the government did everything it could to prevent their departure. One of these vessels carrying aid to the Cubans was named the Virginia's. The Spaniards captured her, carried her to Santiago, and killed 46 of her crew. There came near being a war with Spain over this affair, but the Spaniards apologized and saluted the American flag. In 1877, President Grant made up his mind that the war had lasted long enough. He adopted a severe tone toward Spain. The Spanish government made terms with the rebels and the rebellion came to an end. 455, scandals in political life. In 1872, the House of Representatives made a searching inquiry into the charges of bribery in connection with the building of the Pacific railroads. Oaks Ames of Massachusetts was the head of a company called the Credit Mobiliar. This company had been formed to build the Union Pacific Railway. Fearing that Congress would pass laws that might hurt the enterprise, Ames gave stock in the company to members of Congress. But nothing definite could be proved against any members and the matter dropped. Soon after the beginning of Grant's second term, many evil things came to light. One of these was the Whiskey Ring, which defrauded the government of large sums of money with the aid of the government officials. Grant wished to have a thorough investigation and said, let no guilty man escape. The worst of all, perhaps, was that of W. W. Belknap, Secretary of War, but he escaped punishment by resigning. 456 Anarchy in the South Meantime, Reconstruction was not working well in the South. This was especially true of Louisiana, Arkansas, and South Carolina. In Louisiana and in Arkansas also, there were two sets of governors and legislatures and civil war on a small scale was going on. In South Carolina, the carpet vaggers and the Negroes had gained control. They stole right and left. In other southern states, there were continued outrages on the Negroes. President Grant was greatly troubled. Let us have peace was his heartfelt wish, but he felt it necessary to keep federal soldiers in the South, although he knew that public opinion in the North was turning against their employment. It was under these circumstances that the election of 1876 was held. 457 Election of 1876 The Republican candidate was Rutherford B. Hayes of Ohio. He was a gallant soldier of the Civil War and was a man of the highest personal character. His Democratic opponent was Samuel J. Tilden of New York, a shrewd lawyer who had won distinction as governor of the Empire State. When the electoral returns were brought in, there appeared two sets of returns from each of the three southern states and the vote of Oregon was doubtful. The Senate was Republican and the House was Democrat. As the two Houses could not agree as to how these returns should be counted, they referred the whole matter to an electoral commission. This commission was made up of five senators, five representatives, and five justices of the Supreme Court. Eight of them were Republicans and seven were Democrats. They decided by 87 that Hayes was elected and he was inaugurated president on March 4, 1877. 458 Withdrawal of the Soldiers from the South The people of the north were weary of the ceaseless political agitation in the south. The old southern leaders had regained control of nearly all the southern states. They could not be turned out except by a new civil war and the northern people were not willing to go to war again. The only other thing that could be done was to withdraw the federal soldiers and let the southern people work out their own salvation as well as they could. President Hayes recalled the troops and all the southern states at once passed into the control of the Democrats. 459 Strikes and Riots, 1877 The extravagance and speculation of the civil war in the years following its close ended in a great panic in 1873. After the panic came the hard times, production fell off, the demand for labor diminished, wages were everywhere reduced, strikes became frequent and riots followed the strikes. At Pittsburgh in western Pennsylvania the rioters seized the railroad. They burned hundreds of railroad cars and locomotives. They destroyed the railroad buildings. At last the riot came to an end but not until millions of dollars worth of property had been destroyed. 460 Election of 1880 At the beginning of his administration, Hayes had declared that he would not be a candidate for reelection. Who should be the Republican standard bearer? Grant's friends proposed to nominate him for a third term. The politicians who advocated a third term for Grant were opposed to the candidacy of James G. Blaine. They were called the Stollewart Republicans. In the convention they voted steadily and solidly for Grant. Finally, their opponents, with the cry of anything to beat Grant, suddenly turned to an entirely new man whose name had been little mentioned. This was James A. Garfield of Ohio. He had won distinction in the civil war and had served with credit in Congress. For Vice President, the Republicans nominated Chester A. Arthur, a New York banker. The Democrats on their part nominated one of the most brilliant and popular soldiers of the Army of the Potomac, General Winfield Scott Hancock. The campaign was very hotly contested. In the end, Garfield won. 461 Garfield murdered civil service reform. President Garfield took oath of office on March 4th, 1881. On July 2nd, he was shot in the back by a disappointed office seeker. Week after week, he endured terrible agony. At length, on September 19th, the martyred president died. Now at last, the evils of the spoils system were brought to the attention of the American people. Vice President Arthur became president and entered heartily into the projects of reform. A beginning was soon made, but it was found to be a very difficult thing to bring about any lasting reform. The Constitution gives the president the appointment of officers subject to the confirmation of the Senate. No act of Congress can diminish the constitutional powers of the president, except so far as he consents, and one president cannot bind succeeding presidents. Any scheme of reform also costs money, which must be voted annually by Congress. It follows, therefore, that the consent of every president and of both houses of every Congress is necessary to make the reform of the civil service permanent. Nevertheless, the reform has made steady progress until now, by far, the greater part of the civil service is organized on the merit system. 462, election of 1884. In 1884, the Republicans nominated James G. Blaine of Maine for president. He was a man of magnetic address and had made many friends, but he had also made many enemies. Especially, many Republican voters distrusted him. They felt that he had used his position for private gain, although nothing was proved against him. These Republicans were called mugwumps. They bolted the nomination and supported the Democratic candidate Grover Cleveland. As mayor of Buffalo, Cleveland had done very well. He had then been elected governor of New York by a very large majority. The campaign of 1884 was conducted on the lines of personal abuse that recall the campaigns of 1800 and 1828. Cleveland carried four large northern states and the solid south and was elected. 463, Cleveland's administration, 1885 to 89. The great contest of Cleveland's first term was a fierce struggle over the tariff. The government's need of money during the civil war had compelled Congress to raise large sums by means of internal revenue taxes. These taxes in turn had brought about a great increase in the tariff rates on goods imported from foreign countries. The internal revenue taxes had been almost entirely removed, but the war tariffs substantially remained in force. In 1887, Cleveland laid the whole question before Congress. For a time, it seemed probable that something would be done, but the opposition in Congress was very active and very strong. It fell out, therefore, and nothing important was done. The real significance of Cleveland's first administration lay in the fact that the Southerners were once again admitted to sharing the government of the nation. It marked, therefore, the reunion of the American people. End of chapter 43. Part 15, National Development, 1889 to 1900. Chapter 44, Confusion and Politics. 464, Benjamin Harrison elected President 1888. In 1888, the Democrats put forward Cleveland as their candidate for president. The Republicans nominated Benjamin Harrison of Indiana. Like Hayes and Garfield, he had won renown in the Civil War and was a man of the highest honor and proved ability. The prominence of the old southern leaders in the Democratic administration and the neglect of the business interests of the North compelled many northern Republicans who had voted for Cleveland to return to the Republican party. The result was the election of Harrison and of a Republican majority in the House of Representatives. 465, The McKinley Tariff, 1890. One of the questions most discussed in the campaign of 1888 was the reform of the tariff. There seemed to have been two sets of tariff reformers. One set of reformers proposed to reform the tariff by doing away with as much of it as possible. The other set of reformers proposed to readjust the tariff duties so as to make the protective system more consistent and more perfect. Led by William McKinley, the Republican set to work to reform the tariff in this lighter sense. This they did by generally raising the duties on protected goods. The McKinley Tariff Act also offered reciprocity to countries which would favor American goods. This offer was in effect to lower certain duties on goods imported from Argentina for instance. If the Argentine government would admit certain American goods to Argentina on better terms than similar goods imported from other countries. 466, The Sherman Silver Law, 1890. In the Civil War, gold and silver had disappeared from circulation but after the close of the war a gradual return was made to specie payments. In the colonial days the demand was for silver as compared with the demand for gold outran the supply. The consequence was that silver was constantly becoming worth more in comparison with gold. In the 19th century the supply of silver has greatly outstripped the demand with the result that silver has greatly declined in value as compared with gold. In 1871 the government decided to use silver for small coins only and not to allow silver to be offered in payment of a larger sum than five dollars. This was called the demonetization of silver. In 1878 a small but earnest band of advocates of the free coinage of silver secured the passage of an act of congress for the coinage of two million silver dollars each month. The silver in each one of these dollars was only worth in gold from 90 to 60 cents. In 1890 Senator John Sherman of Ohio brought in a bill to increase the coinage of these silver dollars which in 1894 were worth only 49 cents on the dollar in gold. 467 election of 1892 one result of this great increase in the silver coinage was to alarm businessmen throughout the country. Businesses constantly declined. Everyone who could lessened his expenses as much as possible. Mill owners and railroad managers discharged their workers or reduce their wages. Harrison and Cleveland were again the Republican and Democratic candidates for the presidency. As is always the case the party in power was held to be responsible for the hard times. Enough voters turned to Cleveland to elect him and he was inaugurated president for the second time. March 4th 1893 468 silver and the tariff. In the summer of 1893 there was a great scarcity of money. Thousands of people withdrew all the money they could from the banks and locked it up in places of security but congress repealed the Sherman silver law and put an end to the compulsory purchase of silver and the coinage of silver dollars. This tended to restore confidence. The Democrats once more overhauled the tariff. Under the lead of Representative Wilson of West Virginia they passed the Tariff Act lowering some duties and placing many articles on the free list. 469 the Chicago Exhibition 1893. The 400th anniversary of the Colombian discovery of America occurred in October 1892. Preparations were made for holding a great commemorative exhibition at Chicago but it took so long to get everything ready that the exhibition was not held until the summer of 1893. Beautiful buildings were erected of a cheap but satisfactory material. They were designed with the greatest taste and were filled with splendid exhibits that showed the skill and resources of Americans and also with the products of foreign countries. Hundreds of thousands of persons from all parts of the country visited the exhibition with pleasure and great profit. No more beautiful or successful exhibition has ever been held. 470 election of 1896. In 1896 the Republicans held their convention at St. Louis and nominated William McKinley of Ohio for president. They declared in favor of the gold standard unless some arrangement with other nations for a standard of gold and silver could be made. They also declared for protection to home industries. The Democrats held their convention at Chicago. The men who had stood by Cleveland found themselves in a helpless minority. William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska was nominated for president on a platform advocating the free coinage of silver and many changes in the laws in the direction of socialism. The populists and the silver republicans also adopted Bryan as their candidate. Now at last the question of the gold standard or the silver standard was fairly before the voters. They responded by electing McKinley and a Republican House of Representatives. 471 the Dingley tariff 1897. The Republicans once more in control of the government set to work to reform the tariff in favor of high protection. Representative Dingley of Maine was chairman of the committee of the House that drew up the new bill and the act as finally passed goes by his name. It raised the duties on some classes of goods and taxed many things that hitherto had come in free. Especially were duties increased on certain raw materials for manufacturers with a view to encourage the production of such materials in the United States. The reciprocity features of the McKinley tariff were also restored. And chapter 44 chapter 45 of a short history of the United States. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org. This reading by Allison Hester of Athens, Georgia. A short history of the United States by Edward Channing Chapter 45 The Spanish War 1898 472 The Cuban Rebellion 1894-98 The Cubans laid down their arms in 1877 because they relied on the promises of better government made by the Spaniards. But these promises were never carried out. Year after year the Cuban people bore with their oppression. But at last their patience was worn out in 1894 they again rebelled. The Spaniards sent over an army to subdue them. Soon tales of cruelty on the part of the Spaniards reached the United States. Finally the Spanish governor, General Wyler, adopted the cruel measure of driving the old men, the women, and the children from the country villages and huddling them together in the seabird towns. Without money, without food, with scant shelter, these poor people endured every hardship. They died by thousands. The American people sent relief but little could be done to help them. The Cubans also fitted out expeditions in American ports to carry arms and supplies to the rebels. The government did everything in its power to stop these expeditions. But the coastline of the United States is so long that it was impossible to stop them all. Especially as large numbers of the American people heartily sympathized with the Cubans. Constant disputes with Spain over the Cuban question naturally came up and gave rise to irritation in the United States and in Spain. 473. The Declaration of War, 1898. On January 5th, 1898 the American battleship Maine anchored in Havana Harbor. On February 15th she was destroyed by an explosion and sank with 253 of her crew. A most competent court of inquiry was appointed. It reported that the Maine had been blown up from the outside. The report of the court of inquiry was communicated to the Spanish government in the hope that some kind of apology and reparation might be made. But all the Spanish government did was to propose that the matter should be referred to arbitration. The condition of the Cubans was now dreadful. Several senators and representatives visited Cuba. They reported that the condition of the Cubans was shocking. The president laid the whole matter before Congress for its determination. On April 19th, 1898, Congress recognized the independence of the Cuban people and demanded the withdrawal of the Spaniards from the island. Congress also authorized the president to compel Spain's withdrawal and stated that the United States did not intend to annex Cuba but to leave the government of the island to its inhabitants. Before these terms could be formally laid before the Spanish government it ordered the American minister to leave Spain. 474, the destruction of the Spanish Pacific fleet. Admiral Dewey, commanding the American squadron on the Asiatic station, had concentrated all his vessels at Hong Kong in the belief that war was at hand. Of course, he could not stay at Hong Kong after the declaration of war. The only thing he could do was to destroy the Spanish fleet and use Spanish ports as a naval base. The Spanish fleet was in Manila Bay. Thither sailed Dewey. In the darkness of the early morning of May 1st, Dewey passed the Spanish ports at the entrance of the bay. The fleet was at an anchor near the naval arsenal a few miles from the city of Manila. As soon as it was light, Dewey opened fire on the Spaniards. Soon one Spanish ship caught fire, then another, and another. Dewey drew out of range for a time while his men rested and ate their breakfasts. He then steamed again and completed the destruction of the enemy's fleet. Not an American ship was seriously injured. Not one American sailor was killed. This victory gave the Americans the control of the Pacific Ocean and the Asiatic waters. As far as Spain was concerned, it relieved the Pacific seacoast of the United States of all fear of attack. It made it possible to send soldiers and supplies to Manila without fear of attack while on the way. And it was necessary to send soldiers because Dewey, while he was supreme on the water and could easily compel the surrender of Manila, could not properly police the town after its capture. 475. The Atlantic Seacoast and the blockade. No sooner did war seem probable than the people on the Atlantic Seacoast were seized with an unreasoning fear of the Spanish fleets. For the Spaniards had a few new fast ships. The mouths of the principal harbors were blocked with mines and torpedoes. The government bought merchant vessels of all kinds and established a patrol along the coast. It also blockaded the more important Cuban seaports. But the Cuban coast was so long that it was impossible to blockade it all. As it was, great suffering was inflicted on the principal Spanish armies in Cuba. 476. The Atlantic Fleets. Before long, a Spanish fleet of four new, fast armored cruisers and three large seagoing torpedo boat destroyers appeared in the West Indies. The Spanish Admiral did not seem to know exactly where to go, but after sailing around the Caribbean Sea for a time, he anchored in Santiago Harbor on the southern coast of Cuba. In the American Navy, there were only two fast armored cruisers, the New York and the Brooklyn. These, with five battleships, the Oregon, Iowa, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Texas, and a number of smaller vessels were placed under the command of Admiral Sampson and sent to Santiago. Another fleet of seagoing monitors and unarmored cruisers maintained the Cuban blockade. 477. The Oregon's Great Voyage. When the main was destroyed, the Oregon was at Puget Sound on the Northwest Coast. She was at once ordered to sail to the Atlantic Coast at her utmost speed. Steadily, the great battleship's sped southward along the Pacific Coast of North America, Central America, and South America. She passed through Magellan Strait and made her way up the eastern coast of South America. As she approached the West Indies, it was feared that she might meet the whole Spanish fleet, but she never sighted them. She reached Florida in splendid condition and at once joined Sampson Squadron. 478. The blockade of the Spanish Fleet. Santiago Harbor seemed to have been designed as a place of refuge for a hard-pressed fleet. Its narrow winding entrance was guarded by huge mountains, strongly fortified. The channel between these mountains was filled with mines and torpedoes. The American fleet could not go in. The Spanish fleet must not be allowed to come out unseen. Lieutenant Hobson was ordered to take the Collier, Mary Mack, into the narrow entrance and sink her across the channel at the narrowest part. He made the most careful preparations, but the Mary Mack was disabled and drifted by the narrowest part of the channel before she sank. The Spanish Admiral was so impressed by the heroism of this attempt that he sent a boat off to the American Squadron to assure them that Hobson and his six brave companions were safe. 479. Destruction of the Spanish Fleet. As the American vessels could not enter Santiago Harbor to sink the Spanish ships at their anchors, it became necessary to send an army to Santiago, but the Spaniards did not wait for the soldiers to capture the city. On Sunday morning, July 3rd, the Spanish fleet suddenly appeared steaming out of the harbor. The Massachusetts was away at the time, getting a supply of coal, and the New York was steaming away to take Admiral Sampson to a conference with General Shafter. But there were enough vessels left. On came the Spaniards. The American ships rushed towards them. The Spaniards turned westward and tried to escape along the coast. Soon one of them was set on fire by the American shells. She was run on shore to prevent her sinking. Then another followed her, and then a third. The torpedo boat destroyers were sunk off the entrance to the harbor, but one ship now remained afloat. Speedily, she too was overtaken and surrendered. In a few hours, the whole Spanish fleet was destroyed. Hundreds of Spanish seamen were killed, wounded, or drowned, and 1600 Spanish sailors captured. The American loss was one man killed and two wounded. The American ships were practically ready to destroy another Spanish fleet, had one been within reach. At Manila Bay and off Santiago, the American fleets were superior to the enemy's fleets. But the astounding results of their actions were due mainly to the splendid manner in which the American ships had been cared for, and above all, to the magnificent training and courage of the men behind the guns. Years of peace had not in any way dimmed the splendid qualities of the American sea fighters. For 80, the American army. Meantime, the American soldiers on shore at Santiago were doing their work under great discouragement, but with a valour and stubbornness that will always compel admiration. While the navy was silently and efficiently increased to be a well-ordered force, the army was not so well managed at first. Soldiers there were in plenty, from all parts of the Union, from the South, and from the North, from the West, and from the East, from the cattle wrenches of the Plains and the classrooms of the great universities, patriots offered their lives at their country's call. But there was great lack of order in the management of the army. Sickness broke out among the soldiers. Volunteer regiments were supplied with old-fashioned rifles. It seemed to be difficult to move one regiment from one place to another without dire confusion. When the Spanish fleet was shut up in Santiago Harbor, a force of 15,000 soldiers under General Shafter was sent to capture Santiago itself and make the harbor unsafe for the ships. 481, the Santiago Expedition. On June 22nd and 23rd, the expedition landed not far to the east of the entrance to Santiago Harbor. Steep and high mountains guard this part of the coast, but no attempt was made to prevent the landing of the Americans. Dismounted Calvary men of the regular army and Roosevelt's Rough Riders, also on foot, at once pushed on toward Santiago. At La Guasimas, the Spaniards tried to stop them, but the regulars and the Rough Riders drove them away and the army pushed on. By July 28th, it had reached a point within a few miles of the city. The Spaniards occupied two very strong positions at San Juan and Cane. On July 1st, they were driven from them. The regulars and the volunteers showed the greatest courage and heroism. They crossed long open spaces in the face of a terrible fire from the Spaniards who were armed with modern rifles. The rains now set in and the sufferings of the troops became terrible. On July 3rd, the Spanish fleet sailed out of the harbor to meet its doom from the guns of the American warships. Reinforcements were sent to Shafter and heavy guns were dragged over the mountain roads and placed in positions commanding the enemy's lines. The Spaniards surrendered and on July 17th, the Americans entered the captured city. 482. The Puerto Rico Campaign. The only other important colony still remaining to Spain in America was Puerto Rico. General Nelson A. Miles led a strong force to its conquest. Instead of landing on the northern coast near San Juan, the only strongly fortified position on the sea coast, General Miles landed his men on the southern coast near Ponte. The inhabitants received the Americans with the heartiest welcome. This was on August 1st. The American army then set out to cross the island but before they had gone very far news came of the ending of the hostilities. 483. Fall of Manila. When the news of Dewey's victory reached the United States, soldiers were sent to his aid. But this took time for it was a very long way from San Francisco to the Philippines and vessels suited for transports were not easily procured on the Pacific Coast. General Wesley Merritt was given command of the land forces. Meantime, for months, Dewey with his fleet blockaded Manila from the water side while Philippine insurgents blockaded it from the land side. Foreign vessels, especially German vessels, jealously watched the operations of the American fleet and severely taxed Dewey's patience. On August 17th, Merritt felt strong enough to attack the city. It was at once surrender to him. 484. End of the War. The destruction of the Spanish-Atlantic fleet in the fall of Santiago convinced the Spaniards that further resistance was useless. So it was agreed that the fighting should be stopped. This was in July, 1898, but the actual treaty of peace was not made until the following December. The conditions were that Spain should abandon Cuba, should cede to the United States, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and some smaller islands and should receive from the United States $20 million. For many years, American missionaries, merchants, and planters had been interested in the Hawaiian islands. The war showed the importance of these islands to the United States as a military and naval station and they were annexed. 485. Prosperity. The years 1898 to 1900 have been a period of unbounded prosperity for the American people. Foreign trade has increased enormously and the manufacturers of the United States are finding a ready market in other countries. A rebellion has been going on in the Philippines, but it seems to be slowly dying out. February 1900. End of chapter 45. The Constitution of the United States of America. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. This reading by Alison Hester of Athens, Georgia. A Short History of the United States by Edward Channing, The Constitution of the United States of America. We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. Do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. Article 1. Section 1. All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives. Section 2. The House of Representatives shall be composed of members chosen every second year by the people of the several states, and the electors in each state shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the state legislature. No person shall be a representative who shall not have attained to the age of 25 years and been seven years a citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state in which he shall be chosen. Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several states which may be included within this union according to their respective numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole number of free persons, including those bound to service for a term of years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three-fifths of all other persons. The actual enumeration shall be made within three years after the first meeting of the Congress of the United States and within every subsequent term of 10 years in such manner as they shall by law direct. The number of representatives shall not exceed one for every 30,000, but each state shall have at least one representative, and until such enumeration shall be made, the state of New Hampshire shall be entitled to choose three. Massachusetts eight, Rhode Island and Providence plantations one. Connecticut five, New York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgia three. When vacancies happen in the representation from any state, the executive authority thereof shall issue rits of election to fill such vacancies. The House of Representatives shall choose their speaker and other officers, and shall have the sole power of impeachment. Section three, the Senate of the United States shall be composed of two senators from each state, chosen by the legislature thereof for six years, and each senator shall have one vote. Immediately after they shall be assembled in consequence of the first election, they shall be divided as equally as may be in two three classes. The seats of the senators of the first class shall be vacated at the expiration of the second year of the second class at the expiration of the fourth year and of the third class at the expiration of the sixth year so that one third may be chosen every second year, and if vacancies happen by resignation or otherwise during the recess of the legislature of any state, the executive thereof may make temporary appointments until the next meeting of the legislature, which shall then fill such vacancies. No person shall be a senator who shall not have attained to the age of 30 years and been nine years a citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state for which he shall be chosen. The Vice President of the United States shall be the President of the Senate, but shall have no vote unless they be equally divided. The Senate shall choose their other officers and also a President Pro Tempor in the absence of the Vice President or when he shall exercise the office of President of the United States. The Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments. When sitting for that purpose, they shall be on oath or affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside, and no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of the member's present. Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States. But the party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to indictment, trial, judgment, and punishment according to law. Section four, the times, places, and manner of holding elections for senators and representatives shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof. But the Congress may at any time by law make or alter such regulations except as to the places of choosing senators. The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meetings shall be on the first Monday in December unless they shall by law appoint a different day. Section five, each House shall be the judge of the elections, returns, and qualifications of its own members, and the majority of each shall constitute a quorum to do business. But a smaller number may adjourn from day to day and may be authorized to compel the attendance of absent members in such manner and under such penalties as each House may provide. Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and with the concurrence of two-thirds expel a member. Each House shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, accepting such parts as may in their judgment require secrecy, and the yeas and nays of the members of either House on any question shall, at the desire of one-fifth of those present, be entered on the journal. Neither House, during the session of Congress, shall, without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting. Section 6. The Senators and Representatives shall receive a compensation for their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States. They shall, in all cases, except treason, felony, and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at the session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same. And for any speech or debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other place. No Senator or Representative shall, during the time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil office under the authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the emoluments, whereof shall have been increased during such time, and no person holding any office under the United States shall be a member of either House during his continuance in office. Section 7. All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives, but the Senate may propose or concur with amendments as on other bills. Every bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate shall, before it become a law, be presented to the President of the United States. If he approve, he shall sign it, but if not, he shall return it with his objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the objections at large on their journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such reconsideration, two-thirds of that House shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two-thirds of that House, it shall become law. But in all such cases, the votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the person voting for and against the bill shall be entered on the journal of each House, respectively. If any bill shall not be returned by the President within 10 days, Sundays accepted, after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a law, in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their adjournment prevent its return, in which case it shall not be a law. Every order, resolution, or vote to which the concurrence of the Senate and the House of Representatives may be necessary, except on a question of adjournment, shall be presented to the President of the United States, and before the same shall take effect, shall be approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by two-thirds of the Senate and the House of Representatives, according to the rules and limitations prescribed in the case of a bill. Section 8 The Congress shall have the power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States, but all duties, imposts, and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States. To borrow money on the credit of the United States, to regulate commerce with foreign nations and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes, to establish a uniform rule of naturalization and uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States, to coin money, regulate the value thereof and a foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures, to provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States, to establish post offices and post roads, to promote the progress of science and useful arts by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries, to constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court, to define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas and offenses against the law of nations, to declare war, grant letters of mark and reprisal, and to make rules concerning captures on land and water. To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years, to provide and maintain a Navy, to make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces, to provide for calling forth the militia, to execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions, to provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving to the states respectively the appointment of the officers and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress, to exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever over such district, not exceeding 10 mile square, as may by session of particular states and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States, and to exercise like authority over all places purchased by the consent of the legislature of the state in which the same shall be for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dockyards, and other needful buildings, and to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States or in any department or officer thereof. Section 9. The migration or importation of such persons as any of the states now existing shall think proper to admit shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the year 1808, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such importation, not exceeding $10 for each person. The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended unless, when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it. No bill of attainder or ex post facto law shall be passed. No capitation or other direct tax shall be laid unless in proportion to the census or enumeration herein before directed to be taken. No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any state. No preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce or revenue to the ports of one state over those of another, nor shall vessels bound to or from one state be obliged to enter, clear, or pay duties in another. No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law and a regular statement and account of the receipts and expenditures of all public money shall be published from time to time. No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States and no person holding any office or profit or trust under them shall, without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present emolument, office, or title of any kind whatever from a king, prince, or foreign state. Section 10, no state shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confederation. Grant letters of mark and reprisal, coin money, emit bills of credit, make anything but gold and silver coin a tender and payments of debts, pass any bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts or grant any title of nobility. No state shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any imposts or duties on imports or exports, accept what may be absolutely necessary for executing its inspection laws. And the net produce of all duties and imposts laid by any state on imports or exports shall be for the use of the treasury of the United States, and all such laws shall be subject to the revision and control of the Congress. No state shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any duty of tonnage, keep troops or ships of war in time of peace, enter into any agreement or compact with another state, or with a foreign power, or engage in war unless actually invaded, or in such imminent danger, as will not admit of delay. Article Two, Section One. The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his office during the term of four years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same term, be elected as follows each state shall appoint, in such manner as the legislature thereof may direct, a number of electors equal to the number of Senators and Representatives to which the state may be entitled in the Congress, but no Senator or Representative, or person holding an office of trust or profit under the United States, shall be appointed an elector. The electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for two persons, of whom one, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state themselves, and they shall make a list of all the persons voted for, and of the number of votes for each, which list they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and the House of Representatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted. The person having the greatest number of votes shall be the President. If such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed, and if there be more than one who have such a majority, and have an equal number of votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately choose by ballot one of them for President. And if no person have a majority, then from the five highest on the list, the said House shall in like manner choose the President, but in choosing the President the vote shall be taken by the state. The representation from each state having one vote, a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. In every case, after the choice of the President, the person having the greatest number of votes of the electors shall be the Vice President. But if there should remain two or more who have equal votes, the Senate shall choose from them by ballot the Vice President. The Congress may determine the time of choosing the electors and the day on which they shall give their votes, which day shall be the same throughout the United States. No person except a natural born citizen or a citizen of the United States at the time of the adoption of this Constitution shall be eligible to the office of President. Neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall have not have attained to the age of 35 years and been 14 years a resident within the United States. In case of the removal of the President from office, or of his death, resignation, or inability to discharge the powers and duties of the said office, the same shall devolve on the Vice President, and the Congress made by law provide for the case of removal, death, resignation, or inability, both of the President and the Vice President, declaring what officer shall then act as President, and such officers shall act accordingly until the disability be removed or a President shall be elected. The President shall, at stated times, receive for his services a compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that period any other emolient from the United States, or any of them. Before he enter on the execution of his office, he shall take the following oath or affirmation, I do solemnly swear or affirm that I will faithfully execute the office of the President of the United States and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. Section two, the President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States and of the Militia of the several States when called into the actual service of the United States. He may require the opinion in writing of the principal officer in each of the executive departments upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices, and he shall have the power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment. He shall have power by and with the advice and consent of the Senate to make treaties provided two-thirds of the Senators present concur, and he shall nominate and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by law. But the Congress may by law vest the appointment of such inferior officers as they think proper in the President alone, in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments. The President shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their next session. Section 3. He shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient. He may, on extraordinary occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and, in case of disagreement between them with respect to the time of adjournment, he may adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper. He shall receive ambassadors and other public ministers. He shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed and shall commission all the officers of the United States. Section 4. The President and Vice President and all Civil Officers of the United States shall be removed from office on impeachment for and conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes or misdemeanors. Article 3, Section 1. The judicial power of the United States shall be vested in one Supreme Court and, in such inferior courts as the Congress may, from time to time ordain and establish. The judges, both of the Supreme and inferior courts, shall hold their offices during good behavior and shall, at stated times, receive for their services a compensation which shall not be diminished during their continuance in office. Section 2. The judicial power shall extend to all cases in law and equity arising under this Constitution the laws of the United States and treaties made or which shall be made under their authority to all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, to all cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction, to controversies to which the United States shall be a party, to controversies between two or more states, between a state and citizens of another state, between citizens of different states, between citizens of the same state claiming lands under grants of different states and between a state or the citizens thereof in foreign states, citizens or subjects. In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, and those in which a state shall be party, the Supreme Court shall have original jurisdiction. In all other cases before mentioned, the Supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction, both as to the law and fact, with such exceptions and under such regulations as the Congress shall make. The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by jury. And such trial shall be held in the state where the said crime shall have been committed. But when not committed within any state, the trial shall be at such place or places as the Congress may by law have directed. Section 3, treason against the United States shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court. The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason, but no attainter of treason shall work corruption of blood or forfeiture except during the life of the person attaining it. Article 4, Section 1. Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state. And the Congress, may by general laws, prescribe the manner in which such acts, records, and proceedings shall be proved and the effect thereof. Section 2, the citizens of each state shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens in the several states. A person charged in any state with treason, felony, or other crime, who shall flee from justice and be found in another state, shall on demand of the executive authority of the state from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the state having jurisdiction of the crime. No person held to service or labor in one state, under the laws thereof, escaping into another shall, in consequence of any law or regulation therein, be discharged from such service or labor, but shall be delivered up on claim of the party to whom such service or labor may be due. Section 3. New states may be admitted by the Congress into this union, but no new state shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any other state, nor any state be formed by the junction of two or more states or parts of states, without the consent of the legislatures of the states concerned, as well as of the Congress. The Congress shall have the power to dispose of and make all needful rules and regulations, respecting the territory or other property belonging to the United States, and nothing in this constitution shall be so construed as to prejudice any claims of the United States or of any particular state. Section 4. The United States shall guarantee to every state in this union a Republican form of government, and shall protect each of them against invasion, and on application of the legislature or of the executive when the legislature cannot be convened against domestic violence. Article 5. The Congress, whenever two-thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this constitution, or on the application of the legislatures of two-thirds of the several states shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of this constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several states, or by conventions in three-fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress, provided that no amendment which may be made prior to the year 1808 shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article, and that no state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate. Article 6. All debts contracted and engagements entered into before the adoption of this constitution shall be as valid against the United States under this constitution as under the Confederation. This constitution and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof, and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land, and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the constitution or laws of any state, to the contrary, notwithstanding. The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation to support this constitution, but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States. Article 7. The ratification of the conventions of nine states shall be sufficient for the establishment of this constitution between the states, so ratifying the same. The Amendments. First Amendment. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Second Amendment. A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Third Amendment. No soldier shall, in times of peace, be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law. Fourth Amendment. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized. Fifth Amendment. No person shall be held to answer for a capital or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when an actual service in time of war or public danger. Nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb. Nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law. Nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation. Sixth Amendment. In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation, to be confronted with the witnesses against him, to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense. Seventh Amendment. In suits at common law, where the value and controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of a trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, then according to the rules of the common law. Eighth Amendment. Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. Ninth Amendment. The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. Tenth Amendment. The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively or to the people. Eleventh Amendment. The judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by citizens of another state, or by citizens or subjects of any foreign state. Twelfth Amendment. The electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for president and vice president, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves. They shall name in their ballots the person voted for as president and in distinct ballots the person voted for as vice president, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as president and of all persons voted for as vice president and of the number of votes for each which lists they shall sign and certify and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States directed to the president of the Senate. The president of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted. The person having the greatest number of votes for president shall be the president. If such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed, and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as president, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately by ballot the president. But in choosing the president, the vote shall be taken by states. The representation from each state having one vote, a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a president, whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March, next following, then the vice president shall act as president, as in the case of death or other constitutional disability of the president. The person having the greatest number of votes as vice president shall be the vice president. If such a number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed, and if no person have a majority, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the vice president. A quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of senators, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of president shall be eligible to that of vice president of the United States. Thirteenth Amendment, Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. Section 2. Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. Fourteenth Amendment, Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of the citizens of the United States, nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of laws. Section 2. Representatives shall be apportioned among the several states according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each state, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for president and vice president of the United States, representatives in Congress, the executive and judicial officers of a state, or the members of the legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such state, being 21 years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens 21 years of age in such state. Section 3. No person shall be a senator or representative in Congress, or a elector of president and vice president, or hold any office, civil, or military under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, to support the Constitution of the United States shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of each house, remove such a disability. Section 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any state shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss of emancipation of any slave. But all such debts, obligations, and claims shall be held illegal and void. Section 5. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article. 15th Amendment. Section 1. The right citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States, or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. End of the Constitution of the United States. End of a short history of the United States by Edward Channing.