This volume has been prepared to meet the need of the sixth grade of the grammar school for a short and simple introduction to the history of the United States. It has followed in essential particulars the recommendations of the Committee of Eight of the American Historical Association for such an introduction. English history has been made the basis of the narrative, wherever possible, in the belief that England furnishes for us the simplest illustration of that development of European culture which should form the background of an intelligent study of our own history. In these respects the present volume resembles the author's earlier book, "European Beginnings of American History," from which, indeed, much of the material has been drawn.
A few words of explanation and suggestion as to the use of the book may not be amiss. The chapters are of varying length and are often unusually long for a book of this grade, but it is believed that the sections will, in most cases, prove suitable for a lesson. The questions are rarely based directly upon the subject matter of the chapter to which they are appended and can seldom be answered by a reference to it. They either contain a back reference, or are designed to bring the past into some relation with our life of to-day and to stimulate outside research into subjects related to the matter in hand; and the field of inquiry, it is hoped, will include not only dictionaries, encyclopedias, geographies, and histories, but the more lively and intimate resource of "grown-up" information, as well. The summaries at the beginnings of the chapters contain the subjects upon which the pupil should have definite knowledge.
