OUTLINE.

He

Andrew Jackson was born in 1767. His parents were very poor. He took part in the Revolutionary War. removed to Tennessee, and became a prominent citizen. Was sent to Congress. Was appointed general of militia, and was actively engaged in the Indian wars, in which Tecumseh, an Indian chief, was leader. Tecumseh was one of the ablest of the Indians. The Indians were defeated at Tippecanoe by General William Henry Harrison.

The British impressed American sailors, passed severe laws restricting trading, and refused to grant American requests. War broke out between Great Britain and the United States. The Americans were remarkably successful in naval warfare, but suffered many reverses on land. Peace was made, but before news of it reached America, General Jackson repulsed a British attack upon New Orleans, and won a great victory. Jackson was elected President in 1828, and reëlected in 1832. He was honest, but prejudiced and self-willed. He was a great believer in rewarding his friends with public office.

Tell the story of Andrew Jackson's youth.

Describe his life in Tennessee.

Tell an anecdote to show his quickness of temper.

What led to a war with the Indians?

Tell the story of Tecumseh.

What led to the War of 1812 with Great Britain?

Give some account of the war.

Tell about the battle of New Orleans.

What kind of a man did Andrew Jackson make?

What rule did he follow in making appointments to public office?

t

CANALS, RAILROADS, TELEGRAPHS, AND

OTHER INVENTIONS.

THE people of the United States learned from the War of 1812 the necessity of better means of travelling and of conveying goods from one part of the country to another.

Except near the sea, or where there were bays, rivers, or lakes, there was no better way to transport goods than in wagons or on the backs of horses or mules. For months in the year, the roads throughout the country were so bad that it was almost impossible to use them for hauling. Even in summer, hauling was slow and costly.

While Jefferson was President, Congress appropriated money toward building a great national road from Cumberland, Maryland, to the West. This road benefited only a part of the country, helping chiefly the trade of Philadelphia and Baltimore.

New York had a large trade along the coast and on the Hudson River, but not with the interior

country. She wished to secure a part of this

inland trade. It was believed that a canal from Lake Erie to the Hudson River would accomplish this.

Many men, on the other hand, thought this project a wild one. Even President Jefferson said: "You talk of making a canal three hundred and fifty miles long through the wilderness. It is a little short of madness to think of it at this day."

Those men, however, who had the matter at heart, persevered, and in 1817 the canal was begun.

De Witt Clinton, a prominent citizen of the State of New York, was greatly interested in having this canal made, and perhaps it is not too much to say that had it not been for him it might never have been finished.

Like so many other men who have made

great plans, Clinton was ridiculed, and the canal was called "Clinton's Big Ditch."

The canal was, indeed, a stupendous work for the times. It had to be carried by bridges over streams; ledges of rock had to be cut through, and where there were long hills, or rapid descents, locks1 were

1 A canal lock is a part of the canal, confined within walls, and having gates at each end. By means of these gates the level of the water in the locks can be raised or lowered, and the boat rises or falls with the water.

necessary, by means of which canal boats could be raised and lowered.

It took eight years to finish the great work. The water was to be let in from Lake Erie on the 25th of October, 1825. To give notice to those

who lived along the banks of the canal and the Hudson River, cannon were placed every five miles from Buffalo to New York City.

When the gates were opened the first gun was fired, then that at the next station, and so on. The first one sounded at ten o'clock in the morning, and

one hour and a half later the last gun was fired five hundred miles away, at New York.

As the first canal boat passed, gayly decorated with flags and streamers, there was great rejoicing. The travellers on it were received with cheers and salutes, and when they reached New York City there was a great celebration.

Governor Clinton emptied a cask, which had been filled at Buffalo with the water of Lake Erie, into New York Bay, thus representing the meeting of the sea and the lakes through the Erie Canal.

The canal more than fulfilled the hopes of those who planned it. It offered such an easy way to go to the West that it helped wonderfully in developing that vast region. It brought so much grain and