The Northwest under three flags, 1635-1796 . of the UnitedStates a million francs, by way of encouraging the colo-nies in their struggle against England; but when thecolonies coalesced into a nation, Spain immediatelybegan to consider the danger to her own North Ameri-can possessions that would result from building up astrong government east of the Mississippi. Then, hav-ing been drawn into the war by France, Spain deter-mined to seize the opportunity to recover the ground shehad lost in the Seven Years War and again to becomea nation of the first class. Grudgingly she gave inef-fective aid to
The Northwest under three flags, 1635-1796 . of the UnitedStates a million francs, by way of encouraging the colo-nies in their struggle against England; but when thecolonies coalesced into a nation, Spain immediatelybegan to consider the danger to her own North Ameri-can possessions that would result from building up astrong government east of the Mississippi. Then, hav-ing been drawn into the war by France, Spain deter-mined to seize the opportunity to recover the ground shehad lost in the Seven Years War and again to becomea nation of the first class. Grudgingly she gave inef-fective aid to the United States, expecting at the endto profit at their expense. In Prussia Frederick the Great was willing to aidAmerica up to the point of getting into a war withEngland; in Eussia Catharine II. welcomed the war asan opportunity for her to build up a neutral commerce,but she had no sympathy with the object of the Ameri-cans to form a new nation; and the same state of affairsthat existed in Russia prevailed also in the Netherlands. 282. JUI1> AUAMs PEACE THAT PROVES NO PEACE The surrender at Yorktown having proved to Eng-land the futility of continuing the struggle with theUnited States, the House of Commons, on March 4,1782, voted to consider as enemies to the king andcountry those who should attempt the further prosecu-tion of the war with America: and within a fortnightthereafter Lord North gave way to Rockingham, Avhosecabinet was made up largely of the friends of America,including Fox and Burke. The peace negotiations, how-ever, were conducted mainly by Lord Shelburne, firstas the colonial secretary and afterwards as the leader ofthe ministry. Without attempting too close an analy-sis of the complex character of Shelburne, it is enoughto say that after long dodging the humiliating questionof acknowledging the independence of the United Statesas the preliminary step to a treaty, he was slowly butsurely educated into a condition of high esteem for thecharacter and abi
Size: 1473px × 1697px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublishernewyorkandlondonha
