This book is designed to be used as a supplementary historical reader in our public schools' sixth and seventh grades, as well as for any other students aged twelve to fifteen. It is also intended to be used as supplementary reading in conjunction with the study of a formal textbook on American history. Historical matters that are instinct with human life attract and hold the attention of boys and girls, and whet their desire to know more about the real meaning of their country's history. For this reason, the authors have selected rapid historical narratives, treating notable and dramatic events, and have embellished them with more details than is feasible within the limits of most school books.