Four Great Americans

When George Washington was a boy there was no United States. The land was here, just as it is now, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific; but nearly all of it was wild and unknown. Between the Atlantic Ocean and the Allegheny Mo-untains there were thirteen colonies, or great settlements. The most of the people who lived in these colonies were English people, or the children of English people; and so the King of England made their laws and appointed their governors. The newest of the colonies was Georgia, which was settled the year after George Washington was born. The oldest colony was Virginia, which had been settled one hundred and twenty-five years. It was also the richest colony, and more people were living in it than in any other. There were only two or three towns in Virginia at that time, and they were quite small. Most of the people lived on farms or on big plantations, where they raised whatever they needed to eat. They also raised tobacco, which they sent to England to be sold. The farms, or plantations, were often far apart, with stretches of thick woods between them. Nearly every one was close to a river, or some other large body of water; for there are many rivers in Virginia..
About the Author: According to his biography in the Junior Book of Authors (1951), Baldwin, a native of Indiana and largely self-educated, began teaching at the age of 24. After several years he became superintendent of the graded schools in Indiana, a post he held for 18 years. The last 37 years of his life he worked with publishers, first with Harper and Brothers and later with the American Book Company. In addition to edi-ting school books, he started writing books of his own. After the publication in 1882 of The Story of Siegfried, he went on to write more than 50 others. His influence was widely felt because at one time it was estimated that of all the school books in use in the United States, over half had been written or edited by him. Unfortunately, his works are much less widely known today. So far as known, only some of his books are in print and published today. Books: DateStoryCategory 1882The Story of Siegfried/ Legends 1883The Story of Ro-landLegends 1887A Story of the Golden Age of Greek Heroes/ Mythology 1895Fairy Stories and Fables / Readers 1895Old Greek Stories / Mythology 1896Fifty Famous Stories Retold / Collective Biography 1897Four Great Americans / Collective Biography 1903The Wonder-Book of Horses / Mythology 1904Abraham Lincoln, A True Life---- 1905Thirty More Famous Stories Retold / Collective Biography 1905Robinson Crusoe Written Anew for Children/ Adapted Literature 1907An American Book of Golden Deeds / Ethical Faith Stories 1910Stories of Don Quixote Written A new for / Children Fiction 1912The Sampo / Legends 1912Fifty Famous People / Collective Biography 1914In My Youth / Individual Biography