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This series includes accounts of historical events and movements by eye-witnesses and contemporaries, as well as landmark studies that assembled significant source materials or developed new historiographical methods. The works range from the writings of early U.S. presidents to journals of poor European settlers, from travellers' descriptions of bustling cities and vast landscapes to critiques of racial inequality and descriptions of Native American culture under threat of annihilation. The commercial, political and social aspirations and rivalries of the 'new world' are reflected in these fascinating eighteenth- and nineteenth-century publications.

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163 results in Cambridge Library Collection - North American History

Page 3 of 9

My Diary North and South
  • Volume 1
  • William Howard Russell
  • Published online:
    05 November 2012
    Print publication:
    15 December 2011
    First published in:
    1863
  • William Howard Russell (1820–1907) was a nineteenth-century war correspondent for The Times. In 1861–2 he visited America to report on the secession crisis that had followed Abraham Lincoln's campaign to abolish slavery, in which eleven southern states had withdrawn from the United States to form their own confederacy, resulting in the American Civil War. First published in 1863, this two-volume work recounts Russell's experiences there. Based on his interviews with Lincoln, other pivotal figures, and ordinary citizens, together with his diaries and his letters to The Times, it documents his impressions of both the northern and the opposing southern states as he travelled through them. His book, thought to have been compiled in response to accusations that he was biased towards the South, provides a revealing eyewitness account of life during a landmark period in America's history. Volume 1 focuses mainly on southern society and slavery.

Journal of a Residence on a Georgian Plantation in 1838–1839
  • Fanny Kemble
  • Published online:
    29 August 2010
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1863
  • A few years after her marriage to a wealthy American, the English stage-actress Frances Anne Kemble (1809–1893) moved with her husband to his residence in Georgia, where he had inherited two plantations. There she kept a journal of her shocking observations of the practice of slavery. Written over a period of less than four months, Kemble's journal records her day-to-day encounters with her husband's slaves, and attempts to expose the moral injustice of slavery. The journal circulated privately among her friends, but was not published until 1863, long after Kemble's divorce in 1849. Her book is credited with influencing Britain's position of neutrality during the American Civil War despite the cotton industry's lobbying in favour of the South. Kemble's journal remains a lasting and important critique of slavery, and a valuable document about the nineteenth-century American south.

My Diary North and South
  • Volume 2
  • William Howard Russell
  • Published online:
    05 November 2012
    Print publication:
    15 December 2011
    First published in:
    1863
  • William Howard Russell (1820–1907) was a nineteenth-century war correspondent for The Times. In 1861–2 he visited America to report on the secession crisis that had followed Abraham Lincoln's campaign to abolish slavery, in which eleven southern states had withdrawn from the United States to form their own confederacy, resulting in the American Civil War. First published in 1863, this two-volume work recounts Russell's experiences there. Based on his interviews with Lincoln, other pivotal figures, and ordinary citizens, together with his diaries and his letters to The Times, it documents his impressions of both the northern and the opposing southern states as he travelled through them. His book, thought to have been compiled in response to accusations that he was biased towards the South, provides a revealing eyewitness account of life during a landmark period in America's history. Volume 2 focuses on the horrors of the unfolding war.

Border and Bastille
  • By the Author of 'Guy Livingstone'
  • George Alfred Lawrence
  • Published online:
    05 November 2011
    Print publication:
    22 September 2011
    First published in:
    1863
  • Published in 1863, English novelist George Alfred Lawrence's first foray into travel-writing recounts a failed attempt to join the Confederate Army of Virginia. Lawrence (1827–76), who abandoned a law career when his first novel (1853) sold, became known for books that celebrated the brash, violent, aristocratic hero. Lawrence had joined the militia in England, and one critic has suggested that Lawrence's American expedition was his attempt to live as his most famous character, Guy Livingstone, and his attempt to write himself into heroism. In novelistic fashion his work describes his voyage from England to New York, his journey as far as Maryland, his capture by farmers, and his weeks in a Washington gaol. Lawrence embraced the Confederate cause and his work, often racist and relativist, expresses total faith in it.

North America
  • Volume 2
  • Anthony Trollope
  • Published online:
    05 November 2012
    Print publication:
    15 December 2011
    First published in:
    1862
  • Anthony Trollope (1815–82) was a prolific English Victorian writer, famous for work such as the 'Chronicles of Barsetshire', and his satirical masterpiece The Way We Live Now. He wrote forty-seven novels as well as several travel books and numerous short stories. After a poor and unhappy childhood, he spent much of his life working for the General Post Office, travelling extensively to carry out postal surveys and writing in his spare time. He became a senior civil servant in the organisation and was responsible for the introduction of pillar boxes to Britain. Published in 1862, this two-volume work is Trollope's first-hand account of North American culture during the American Civil War. Volume 2 focuses on Washington and the South. Trollope also describes several key American institutions, including the government and the legal system, and considers the causes of the war.

North America
  • Volume 1
  • Anthony Trollope
  • Published online:
    05 November 2012
    Print publication:
    15 December 2011
    First published in:
    1862
  • Anthony Trollope (1815–82) was a prolific English Victorian writer, famous for work such as the 'Chronicles of Barsetshire', and his satirical masterpiece The Way We Live Now. He wrote forty-seven novels as well as several travel books and numerous short stories. After a poor and unhappy childhood, he spent much of his life working for the General Post Office, travelling extensively to carry out postal surveys and writing in his spare time. He became a senior civil servant in the organisation and was responsible for the introduction of pillar boxes to Britain. Published in 1862, this two-volume work is Trollope's first-hand account of North American culture during the American Civil War. Volume 1 focuses on Canada and the northern United States, in particular Boston, New England and New York. It also discusses women's rights and American education and religion.

The City of the Saints, and across the Rocky Mountains to California
  • Richard Francis Burton
  • Published online:
    05 November 2011
    Print publication:
    22 September 2011
    First published in:
    1861
  • The British explorer Sir Richard F. Burton (1821–90) was a colourful and often controversial character. A talented linguist and keen ethnologist, he first gained celebrity for his adventurous 1853 trip to Mecca, conducted under the disguise of a pilgrim. He remains famous for his translation (with the British orientalist Forster Fitzgerald Arbuthnot) of The Kama Sutra (1883), a daring enterprise in the context of the Victorian society. First published in 1861, this book is an account of Burton's 1860 trip to Salt Lake City. It offers a geographical and ethnological study of Utah that focuses on the Mormon church. In the course of his research, Burton was able to meet the Mormon prophet Brigham Young, leader of the Latter-Day Saints and founder of Salt Lake City. Burton describes various Mormon customs, showing particular interest in polygamy, which he treats with critical distance and his characteristic sense of humour.

Royalty in the New World
  • Or, the Prince of Wales in America
  • Kinahan Cornwallis
  • Published online:
    29 August 2010
    Print publication:
    06 August 2009
    First published in:
    1860
  • Through his affiliation with the New York Herald, the young English-born writer Kinahan Cornwallis (1839–1917), was afforded the opportunity to witness the nineteen-year-old Prince of Wales's 1860 highly successful tour of Canada and America more closely than any other individual outside the royal party. He chronicled his observations and depicted the progress of the first visit of a member of the British royal family to the Americas, and the resulting book was quickly published in New York. Cornwallis wrote that his great aim in recounting the travels of His Royal Highness was to provide the most accurate account of the tour, a task for which he considered himself uniquely qualified. He expected his volume to be received with equal enthusiasm, and the events to be accorded equal historical significance, in both England and America, perhaps even strengthening the deeply rooted bonds between the people of both nations.

Narrative of the Canadian Red River Exploring Expedition of 1857
  • And of the Assinniboine and Saskatchewan Exploring Expedition of 1858
  • Volume 2
  • Henry Youle Hind
  • Published online:
    05 November 2014
    Print publication:
    20 March 2014
    First published in:
    1860
  • Born in Nottingham, Henry Youle Hind (1823–1908) moved to Canada in 1846. He joined the newly formed Canadian Institute in 1849 and later taught chemistry and geology at Trinity College in Toronto. In 1857–8, he made a range of observations during two expeditions to investigate underexplored areas of Canada and their agricultural and mineral potential to support future settlement. Illustrated with a number of plates based on photographs, this two-volume work first appeared in 1860. Intended for a broad readership, the narrative is regarded as a classic of nineteenth-century exploration literature, noted especially for its descriptive use of language and eye for detail. Volume 2 contains the concluding chapters on the 1858 expedition through parts of the Assiniboine, Saskatchewan and other valleys. Following the expedition narrative, Hind considers the lives and culture of the region's indigenous people before closing the volume with geological and climatic observations.

Narrative of the Canadian Red River Exploring Expedition of 1857
  • And of the Assinniboine and Saskatchewan Exploring Expedition of 1858
  • Volume 1
  • Henry Youle Hind
  • Published online:
    05 November 2014
    Print publication:
    20 March 2014
    First published in:
    1860
  • Born in Nottingham, Henry Youle Hind (1823–1908) moved to Canada in 1846. He joined the newly formed Canadian Institute in 1849 and later taught chemistry and geology at Trinity College in Toronto. In 1857–8, he made a range of observations during two expeditions to investigate underexplored areas of Canada and their agricultural and mineral potential to support future settlement. Illustrated with a number of plates based on photographs, this two-volume work first appeared in 1860. Intended for a broad readership, the narrative is regarded as a classic of nineteenth-century exploration literature, noted especially for its descriptive use of language and eye for detail. Volume 1 covers the entire Red River expedition of 1857 and the first part of the 1858 expedition through parts of the Assiniboine, Saskatchewan and other valleys.

Civilized America
  • Volume 1
  • Thomas Colley Grattan
  • Published online:
    05 November 2011
    Print publication:
    22 September 2011
    First published in:
    1859
  • Published in 1859, Thomas Colley Grattan's work illustrates antebellum America through anecdote and reflection. Dublin-born Grattan (1791/2–1864) became a journalist and novelist after abandoning a potential military career in favour of settled life in France. In Paris Grattan contributed to literary magazines and became acquainted with various writers, including Washington Irving, to whom he dedicated his celebrated Highways and Byways (1823). After living in the Netherlands and Belgium, Grattan was made - with the support of King Leopold - British Consul in Boston, where he began these two volumes. Determined to tell 'the truth of the New World' so that Europe may understand it, Grattan asks serious questions about American life. Volume 1 describes his first impressions of America, life in New England, and issues ranging from political parties to domestic servants. Anyone interested in nineteenth-century America will find this work relevant and fascinating.

Civilized America
  • Volume 2
  • Thomas Colley Grattan
  • Published online:
    05 November 2011
    Print publication:
    22 September 2011
    First published in:
    1859
  • Published in 1859, Thomas Colley Grattan's work illustrates ante-bellum America through anecdote and reflection. Dublin-born Grattan (1791/2–1864) became a journalist and novelist after abandoning a potential military career in favour of settled life in France. In Paris Grattan contributed to literary magazines and became acquainted with various writers, including Washington Irving, to whom he dedicated his celebrated Highways and Byways (1823). After living in the Netherlands and Belgium, Grattan was made - with the support of King Leopold - British Consul in Boston, where he began these two volumes. Determined to tell 'the truth of the New World' so that Europe may understand it, Grattan asks serious questions about American life. Volume 2 discusses the Irish, women, and Native Americans, and it criticizes the South's slave-based economy and society even though racism colors its reflections. Anyone interested in nineteenth-century America will find this work relevant and fascinating.

The Life of George Washington, Commander in Chief of the American Army through the Revolutionary War, and the First President of the United States
  • Aaron Bancroft
  • Published online:
    05 February 2012
    Print publication:
    03 February 2011
    First published in:
    1858
  • George Washington (1732–1799) was the first president of the United States, having led the Continental army to victory against the British during the American War of Independence. He became known as 'Father of the Country' owing to his key role in the formation of the nation, and is commemorated in its currency, postage stamps and the capital city's name. This biography, first published in 1807 and reissued here in the 1858 Boston edition, is a simply written narrative to inform the 'unlettered portion of the community', and is based on eye-witness accounts and personal recollections from those close to Washington. The author, a Congregationalist pastor from Worcester, Massachusetts, focuses on Washington's army career and his military campaigns, describing strategy, logistics and combat. The final chapters cover Washington's terms as President, and the book ends with an evaluation of his achievements.

The Englishwoman in America
  • Isabella L. Bird
  • Published online:
    29 August 2010
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1856
  • In 1856, Isabella Bird published The Englishwoman in America, the first of what would be many books of her travels around the world. Adopting a tone of aloof bemusement, she describes in detail the hardships and annoyances of her travels by sea from England to Halifax, and on the road to Boston, Cincinnati, and Chicago. The book's 20 chapters are full of keenly observed and entertainingly told stories of pickpockets and luggage thieves, greasy hotels, and Americans who are very polite, but have the unfortunate habit of spitting on the floor. Bird admits to sharing the regrettably prejudiced view the English have of America, but nevertheless finds much to like and admire in this new country bustling with ethnically diverse immigrants full of energy and bravado. The Englishwoman in America is a wonderful travelogue that offers a lively and personal glimpse into mid-nineteenth-century America.

The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States
  • Volume 1
  • John Adams
  • Edited by Charles Francis Adams
  • Published online:
    05 January 2012
    Print publication:
    19 May 2011
    First published in:
    1856
  • John Adams (1735–1826) was a highly educated and enlightened lawyer who became a central figure in the American Revolution. As a political theorist he influenced the constitutions of the former British colonies in America, and he is regarded, with Jefferson, as the father of the United States Constitution. First published in 1850–6, this collection brings together Adams' major writings. Given their influence not only on the United States, but also on other republics, Adams' works rank among the most important political writings of their time. Volume 1 contains a biography by Adams' son, John Quincy Adams, the sixth President. It begins by establishing the pedigree of the Adams family, and goes on to give an account of Adams' life that includes extracts from letters to his friends and colleagues and passages from his diary which reveal his political, moral and social concerns.

The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States
  • Volume 10
  • John Adams
  • Edited by Charles Francis Adams
  • Published online:
    05 November 2011
    Print publication:
    19 May 2011
    First published in:
    1856
  • John Adams (1735–1826) was a highly educated and enlightened lawyer who became a central figure in the American Revolution. As a political theorist he influenced the constitutions of the former British colonies in America, and he is regarded, with Jefferson, as the father of the United States Constitution. First published in 1850–6, this collection brings together Adams' major writings. Given their influence not only on the United States, but also on other republics, Adams' works rank among the most important political writings of their time. Volume 10 contains personal correspondence including the letters that brought about the resumption of friendship between Adams and Jefferson. It also reveals their rivalry: to a mutual friend, Adams wrote 'I dined a large company once or twice a week. Jefferson dined a dozen a day.'

A Journey in the Seaboard Slave States
  • With Remarks on their Economy
  • Volume 2, 2nd edition
  • Frederick Law Olmsted, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr, William P. Trent
  • Published online:
    29 August 2010
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1856
  • Frederick Law Olmsted (1822–1903) was a journalist and landscape designer who is regarded as the founder of American landscape architecture: his most famous achievement was Central Park in New York, of which he became the superintendent in 1857, but he also worked on the design of parks in many other burgeoning American cities, and was called by Charles Eliot Norton 'the greatest artist that America has yet produced'. His A Journey in the Seaboard Slave States was originally published in 1856, and arose from journeys in the south which Olmsted, a passionate abolitionist, had undertaken in 1853–4. This edition was published in two volumes in 1904, with the addition of a biographical sketch by his son and an introduction by William P. Trent. It abounds in fascinating and witty descriptions of Olmsted's encounters and experiences in a society which was on the verge of overwhelming change.

A Journey in the Seaboard Slave States
  • With Remarks on their Economy
  • Volume 1
  • Frederick Law Olmsted
  • Published online:
    29 August 2010
    Print publication:
    20 July 2009
    First published in:
    1856
  • Frederick Law Olmsted (1822–1903) was a journalist and landscape designer who is regarded as the founder of American landscape architecture: his most famous achievement was Central Park in New York, of which he became the superintendent in 1857, but he also worked on the design of parks in many other burgeoning American cities, and was called by Charles Eliot Norton 'the greatest artist that America has yet produced'. His A Journey in the Seaboard Slave States was originally published in 1856, and arose from journeys in the south which Olmsted, a passionate abolitionist, had undertaken in 1853–4. This edition was published in two volumes in 1904, with the addition of a biographical sketch by his son and an introduction by William P. Trent. It abounds in fascinating and witty descriptions of Olmsted's encounters and experiences in a society which was on the verge of overwhelming change.

Minnesota and the Far West
  • Laurence Oliphant
  • Published online:
    05 November 2011
    Print publication:
    14 July 2011
    First published in:
    1855
  • Laurence Oliphant (1829–88) was a much-travelled British diplomat and writer. In the mid-nineteenth century, between two stints in the Caucasus, he spent several years in North America, helped Lord Elgin negotiate a trade treaty between Canada and the US, and was for a time Superintendent-General for Indian Affairs in Canada. In this book, first published in 1855, Oliphant expresses his enthusiasm for the rapid development in the American West that was being driven by industry and commerce. He documents a fact-finding journey around the Great Lakes region, travelling on the new railway and adventurously taking a bark canoe down rapids and across portages. From picnics, dances and sleigh rides to mining, forest clearance and land speculation, Oliphant conveys a vivid picture of the opportunities and hardships of the frontier society. He focuses in detail on the Native Americans he encountered, their customs, skills, way of life and future prospects.

The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States
  • Volume 9
  • John Adams
  • Edited by Charles Francis Adams
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    19 May 2011
    First published in:
    1854
  • John Adams (1735–1826) was a highly educated and enlightened lawyer who became a central figure in the American Revolution. As a political theorist he influenced the constitutions of the former British colonies in America, and he is regarded, with Jefferson, as the father of the United States Constitution. First published in 1850–6, this collection brings together Adams' major writings. Given their influence not only on the United States, but also on other republics, Adams' works rank among the most important political writings of their time. Volume 9 focuses on foreign affairs, and includes letters that shed light on Adams' policy of strengthening the US Navy in light of the threat from France. Among the letters and speeches, one private letter airs his disappointment at the inability of politicians to live up to their promises.

Page 3 of 9