while the lowly classes, clouded by despair, were driven sometimes to admit the terrible thought that religion, which is the poor man's consolation and defence, might be but an instrument of government in the hands of their oppressors. There was no relief for the nations but through revolution, and their masters had poisoned the weapons which revolution must use.
In America a new people had risen up without king, or princes, or nobles, knowing nothing of tithes and little of landlords, the plough being for the most part in the hands of free holders of the soil. They were more sincerely religious, better educated, of serener minds, and of purer morals than the men of any former republic. By calm meditation and friendly councils they had prepared a constitution which, in the union of freedom with strength and order, excelled every one known before; and which secured itself against violence and revolution by providing a peaceful method for every needed reform. In the happy morning of their existence as one of the powers of the world, they had chosen justice for their guide; and while they proceeded on their way with well-founded confidence and joy, all the friends of mankind invoked success on the unexampled endeavor to govern states and territories of imperial extent as one federal republic.
ABENAKIS, Indians in Maine, missions
among, i. 20; share in King Philip's
war, 394; ask for missionaries, ii.
144; village of, on the Penobscot,
178; war with, in Massachusetts, 195,
196; claim territory, 217; in battle
against the English, 437.
Abercrombie, General James, second in
command to Loudoun, ii. 451; delays
at Albany, 451; commander-in-chief,
486; defeated, and cowardly retreats,
490; goes back to England and abuses
Americans, 492.
Abercrombie, James, British officer,
mortally wounded at Breed's Hill, iv.
Abingdon, earl of, on war in America,
v. 144.
Abolition societies in the North, vi. 261.
Aborigines. See Red Men.
Acadia, extent of, in De Monts' char-
ter, i. 19; limits undefined, 220;
captured by English, restored
France, 220; taken by English fleet,
ii. 199; surrendered to England by
treaty of Utrecht. 217, 305; claim of
France as to boundaries, 336, 337;
claims of the French in, 344; cruel
course of English toward, 344-346;
boundary disputes again, 360, 361;
people refuse to fight against the
French, 425, 426; neutrals and disaf-
fected, 426, 427; disarmed by the
English, 427, 428; Fort Beau Séjour
taken, 428; removal of Acadians
projected, 429; mean and cruel treat-
ment, 430, 431; Governor Belcher
approves, 431; some seven thousand
driven on board ship, 432, 433; suf-
ferings and fate, 433, 434; opinion
of Edmund Burke on this outrage,
434.
Accault, Michael, with Hennepin, ii. 164,
165.
Accomacs, southern Indians, ii. 91.
Acton, Massachusetts. See Concord.
Act of navigation, in federal conven-
tion, vi. 319, 320; complaint as to, in
Virginia state convention, 434.
Acts of navigation, first (1651), i. 145,
352; provisions of act of parliament
under Charles II., 352, 353; effect on
trade and commerce of the colonies,
353, 354; an evil and intolerable
wrong, 355, 402; disregarded in
Massachusetts, 395, 396; oppressive
in Carolina, 424, 425; in Virginia,
446, 447; in New Jersey, 581; en-
forced (1763), iii. 35; urged by Gren-
ville, 59-62; army and navy to assist
officers to enforce them, 61, 62;
Burke's view of, 212; hateful to the
colonies, 249; in continental congress
(1774), iv. 69; modifications of, vi.
42, 45; high value set on, 51.
Acts of trade, character of, ii. 40, 44-
46; resisted in Boston, 546.
Adair, James, speech in parliament, iv.
Adams, Abigail, wife of John Adams,
iv. 67, 271, 272.
Adams, Hannah, wife of Deacon Adams,
iv. 165.
Adams, John, at Worcester, Massachu-
setts, speculations as to the future, ii.
439, 440; excited by Otis, 548; opin-
ions (1765), iii. 95; appeal for right
and liberty, 143-145; on Samuel
Adams, 157, 158; argument on nulli-
ty of stamp-act, 171; opinion of W.
Pitt as to his essay, 186; prepares in-
structions for agents, 291, 292; re-
fuses service of the king, 341; serves
on the trial of Preston, 390; almost
gives up, 404.
In Boston town-meeting (1774), iv.
24; his wife's spirit, 67; compromise
as to acts of navigation, 69; reply to
Leonard's menaces (1775), 124-126;
delegate to congress, 190; on Wash-
ington's appointment as general, 212;
letters on establishing government,
245; intercepted letters, 261; his
wife's brave letter and judgment,
271, 272; at home, 315; in congress,
332; character, principles, courage,
ability, etc., 332-335; on army en-
listments, 336; motion on the colo-
nies adopting governments, 342, 343;
argument for republican government,
legislatures in two houses, etc., 344,
345; urges education, 346; praises
Charles Lee, 385; seconds R. H. Lee's
resolutions for independence, 423;
defends the resolutions, 424; on the
committee for declaration of inde-
pendence, 425; head of board of war,
425; thoughts on the crisis at hand,
435; speech for independence, 437;
enthusiastic, 441, 442.
On the articles of confederation
(1776), v. 12, 13; favors having a
regular army, 25; on Sullivan, 40;
one of committee to meet Lord
Howe, 41, 43; unable to see true
position of army matters, 68, 69; good
courage, 89; undervalues Washing-
ton, 109, 110; foolish boasting, 175;
bitterly blames Washington, 180, 181;
spleen toward Washington, 197; sent
to France to succeed Deane, 218; ap-
pointed minister to negotiate peace
(1779), 326, 327; on congress as a
single assembly, 446; sole negotiator
of peace at Paris, 463; trouble with
Vergennes, 464, 465; appointed min-
ister to the Netherlands, 527; active
and energetic, received as minister,
527, 528; joins commissioners for
peace in Paris, 574; views and course,
574, 575; on the right to the fisheries,
579; signs the treaty, 580; approves
Washington's advice, vi. 94; financial
efforts in Holland, 120; letter to Bow-
doin, 141; minister to England, meets
King George, 148; interview with
William Pitt, 149, 150; suggests re-
taliation, 150; opinions on the new
federal constitution, 408; returns
home (1788), 464; opinion of Jeffer-
son respecting, 464; elected vice-
president of the United States, 468.
Adams, Samuel, early political opinions,
ii. 252, 253; at Boston town-meeting
(1764), iii. 76, 77; prepares instruc-
tions for agents in England, 78, 79;
elected to Massachusetts assembly,
147; reply to Bernard as to power of
parliament, 156, 157; character of,
157, 158; clerk of assembly, 217; on
Bernard, 219; forethought, 235; on
the billeting act, 236; manly course,
288; letter to Hillsborough, 292, 293;
strong for independence, 306, 307; on
English menace to liberty, 323; fear-
less, 330; evidence as to treason, 332;
on grievances, 341, strong words, 360,
361; on Hutchinson's course, 368,
369; head of committee of citizens to
Hutchinson, 376; overawes Hutchin-
son after the massacre, 377; protest
against prerogative, 404; plans corre-
spondence and union, 406; writes of
a "last appeal," 406, 407; urges a
committee of correspondence, 418,
419; motion to appoint committee of
twenty-one, 420; report of committee,
422, 423; plans for union, 430; pre-
pares answer to Hutchinson, 432, 433;
prepares to resist importation of tea,
443; letter to Hawley, 444, 445; urges
an American congress, 445; drafts the
ultimatum of America, 469; position
of, to be punished, 476.
In Boston town-meeting (1774), iv.
6,7; on Dickinson's plan for delay,
14; endurance, 21; delegate to con-
tinental congress, 23; in town-meet-
ing, 25, 26; influence in congress, 66;
advice as to war, 77; views, 122; on
spirit of the colonists, 132; at the
commemoration of the Boston mas-
sacre, 133, 134; at Lexington, and
prophecy, 157; delegate to congress,
190; Hawley's advice to, 272; de-
nounces King George as a tyrant, 316;
labors for declaration of independ
ence, 316; opposes Wilson's motion,
316; on army enlistments, 336; scouts
waiting for English commissioners,
340; on suppressing authority of the
crown, 343; on Ilowe's mission, v. 7,
8; brave spirit, 88; votes for “pro-
tection" from Louis XVI., 293; hopes
to add Canada, etc., to United States,
296; approves Washington's advice,
vi. 93, 94; wishes for a strong gov
ernment, 130; letter to, from R. H. Lee
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