HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. CHAPTER XXVIII. Civil History of the United States, from 1783 to 1789. THE evacuation of New York by the British, and the definitive treaty of 1783, left the United States in possession of peace and sovereignty. Much remained to be done, to make these acquisitions real blessings. The war had unsettled every thing, and the arrangements adopted amidst the din of arms were temporary and inadequate. The policy of settling colonies, which is generally the work of old states, became an object of attention with the Americans, at an early period of their sovereignty. By the treaty of peace, large ungranted territories, formerly held as the property of the king of England, were transferred to the United States. In every period of their late war, the citizens were encouraged to look to this fund, as a source of income, which would contribute largely to the extinction of their revolutionary debts. To make it productive, some previous arrangements were requisite. These lands were in the possession of the Aborigines, and were included within the chartered limits of individual states. To obtain the relinquishment of both was necessary. Treaties were instituted, to purchase them from the native proprietors. In negotiating with their head men, care was taken to inform them, that the king of England had ceded their country to the United States, and that they, as allies of Great Britain, were a conquered people. Observations of this kind were urged, with a double view, of obtaining their consent to part with their lands, and of detaching them from all partiality to the British, whose province of Canada was in their vicinity. Under these impressions, they ceded a large extent of country, northwest of the Ohio. This was done by treaties, which procured for them peace, the friendship of the United States, and a regular supply of goods for their support and comfort. As early as the year 1780, Congress urged on the states, whose charters included ungranted western territory, to make liberal cessions of it to the Union, for national purposes. The small states, without unappropriated territory, always contended that the lands, gained by the common exertions of all the states, were or ought to be common property: for, in their opinion, the Union succeeded to all the prerogatives of the king of England, over the ceded territory. The claim of right was waived, and that of expedience brought forward, and urged in conciliatory language. A spirit of accommodation prevailed. Ample cessions were made in favor of the nation, by individual states. In this business, Virginia took the lead. In the year 1783, she transferred to the United States, all her territory, northwest of the river Ohio; amounting to more than 200,000 acres. Her example was speedily followed by the other states. The liberal policy of Virginia was further displayed, in the case of Kentucky.* The people, The country adjacent to the Ohio, and particularly what is now called Kentucky, was long carefully concealed by the French, who, holding Canada on the north and Louisiana on the south, adopted measures, early in the 18th century, for connecting these distant colonies, by posts and settlements, extending from one to the other. In 1714, Spotswood, governor of Virginia, took a journey to the Apalachian mountains, and ascertained the practicability of crossing them. From their lofty eminences, he surveyed the beautiful subjacent plains, comprehended within the range of his government. Hunters and Indian traders, before and afterwards, had occasionally traversed them; but Mr. was the first person who visited this country with a view of settlement. In the year 1754, he carved his name on a tree, as an evidence of his taking possession. The war of who now form that state, were originally represented by delegates, who came 600 miles to attend the general assemblies, held at Richmond. Kentucky was on every principle a part of Virginia, till the latter, with great magnanimity, not only voluntarily released her, from the inconvenience of seeking law and justice from the original source of both, on the eastern side of the Apalachian mountains; but authorized and encouraged her to set up an independent government, to be formed by the free voice of her own inhabitants. This was accordingly done; and, in 1792, she was admitted into the union on equal terms. A similar policy, on the part of Great Britain, would have prevented the American war,* and per 1755 prevented the execution of his design. The first permanent settlement was made by Daniel Boone, and five other heads of families. These were joined by forty more, from Powell's valley, who constituted the whole white population of Kentucky, in 1773; though, by the census taken in 1800, it was found to amount to 220,000. During the war of the American revolution, the infant settlement of Kentucky was repeatedly ravaged, and almost annihilated by the attacks of the Indians, stimulated to rapine and murder, by emissaries from the government of Canada. But reinforcements of emigrants, attracted by the fertility of the soil, enabled the inhabitants to undertake even offensive measures. In the latter end of 1778, the brave general Clarke, in several expeditions, defeated a number of tribes of Indians, laid waste their villages, and was the means of saving the country from destruction. In 1777, this newly settled country was erected into a county; and in 1782, the legislature of Virginia made it a separate district, and established in it a supreme court. This measure conduced much to the convenience of the inhabitants and the interests of justice. Still, as the seat of government was at the distance of six hundred miles, the necessity of a separation occasioned a convention of deputies from the different counties, in 1785; who determined that an application should be made to Virginia, to procure her consent to the independence of Kentucky. This was generously granted. ⚫ A proposition to this effect was published by Dean Tucker, at an early period of the contest between Great Britain and her colonies; but was brought forward under such circumstances as to preclude any serious investigation of its merits. The Dean was for treating the Americans, as parents do their head-strong, petulant children, by leaving them to themselves, that they might learn by experience the consequences of their indiscretion and folly. His proposition insulted the colonies, and was by no means reputable to the parent state. It was not urged as an act of magnanimous policy, becoming a great nation; but from the selfish view of exon petuated a friendly union between two countries, which, acting in concert, might have been confident against a world in arms. Tennessee, originally a part of North Carolina, became, in the year 1796, on equal terms, a member of the confederation; but had previously passed through two states of political existence: first, as practically independent, by its own authority, without the consent either of North Carolina or of congress; and secondly, as a colony of the United States.* The right of man, to institute governments, was so generally adopted by erating the people of England, from a heavy, troublesome incumbrance. The same proposition seriously offered, 'with a sublime intention of promoting the interest of both countries, and of cementing their friendship, by a reciprocal exchange of such kind offices, as usually take place between good parents and affectionate, adult, settled children, would doubtless have led to consequences very different from those that resulted from the collision of interfering claims, between a supreme and subordinate government, urged to the extremities, when the last was fully competent to take care of itself. It is certain from subsequent events, that Britain might, in that case, have secured to herself nearly all the advantages of the trade of the American states, without the trouble and expense of governing or protecting them, as a component part of the common empire. * An opinion early and generally prevailed, that the inhabitants, on the east and west side of the Apalachian mountains, should belong to distinct governments; that these proud eminences formed natural boundaries of civil associations, on their respective sides. The war of 1755—1763 was entered upon by France, under an impression that all the countries, washed by rivers emptying into the east side of Mississippi, belonged to Louisiana. After the peace of 1763, the proclamation of George the third forbade any grants of land, to the westward of the heads of the rivers which ran eastwardly; but this was not sufficient to restrain the roving disposition of his American subjects. The country, now called Tennessee, was explored about the middle of the 18th century, and some temporary settlements were made therein, as early as 1765; but none permanent or of consequence till 1774. The western settlers found it inconvenient to seek for law and justice over the mountains, at the distance of some hundreds of miles. They therefore formed for themselves a separate system of government, to which they gave the name of Franklin. Their numbers. were rapidly increased, by emigrants from the Atlantic states. In the year 1788, they returned to their connexion with North Carolina: and their country, by common consent, was ceded to Congress. It became a colony. under the superintendence of the national government, and was governed as such till it was admitted into the Union. the Americans, that no hostile efforts were made to crush the assumed independence of the country, which is now called the State of Tennessee; but respect for order and the common good weighed so much, with all the parties, that its irregular independence was voluntarily relinquished, in favour of one brought round by common consent, in a constitutional manner. Vermont, was in like manner, formed into an independent state against much opposition. The soil was claimed by two or three adjacent states; but principally by New York. The American principles of the rights of man were so far acted upon, by the inhabitants of the country now called Vermont, that, in opposition to chartered rights, they set up, in 1777, an independent government for themselves, and were both able and willing to support it.* The sword of civil war was half unsheathed, when the paternal advice of Washington in * The clashing claims to the soil of Vermont were founded on British governmental acts, inconsistent with each other. These, being all happily done away, merit, at this time, no particular retrospective consideration. A large tract of country to the west of Connecticut river, claimed, on apparently good grounds as a part of New Hampshire, had been granted by the royal governor thereof, between 1749 and 1764. In consequence of the peace of Paris, which united New York, Canada, and New England under one sovereign, this country, formerly a barrier between contending nations, suddenly became of value, and in great demand. New York, which hitherto had seldom and feebly urged her claims to these lands, came forward and, by proclamation of her royal governor, recited her title to them, founded on a grant, more than a hundred years before, to the duke of York, by Charles II.; and commanded the sheriff of the county of Albany, to make returns of the names of all persons, who, under colour of the New Hampshire grants, had taken possession of any lands, to the west of Connecticut river. This was answered by a counter proclamation, from the royal governor of New Hampshire. On application to the ruling powers of the mother country, the jurisdiction of the lands in question was declared to belong to New York. This declaration was considered by New Yorkers as deciding that the soil, as well as the jurisdiction, belonged to them; and it was urged so far, as to call on the grantees, to take out new titles from the governor of New York. They having once paid for their lands, granted as royal property by the king's representative, resisted this unexpected demand. In consequence thereof, their lands were re-granted to new applicants, and writs of ejectment were successfully urged, in the courts of New York, against the claimants under New Hampshire. Ethan Allen, one of the latter, exclaimed, "the Gods of the |