History of the United States, Volume 5 by Elisha Benjamin Andrews

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History of the United States, Volume 5 by Elisha Benjamin Andrews

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By Abil Kile Posted on Nov 15, 2025

In Category - Romance

Authors: Andrews, Elisha Benjamin, 1844-1917 Published By : Andrews, Elisha Benjamin, 1844-1917

Book Language: English

If you think you know the story of America after the Civil War, think again. Elisha Benjamin Andrews' fifth volume takes us through Reconstruction, industrialization, and the birth of modern America, but it's not the dry list of dates you might expect. This is history told with a purpose. Andrews was there for some of it, writing just decades after the events, and he has strong opinions about how the country stitched itself back together—or failed to. It's a gripping account of a nation deciding what it would become, filled with political clashes, social upheaval, and the raw energy of a country rebuilding from the ground up. You'll come away seeing today's America in a whole new light.

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Wheel.—Buildings Burned.—Fair Not a Financial Success.—The Attendance. CHAPTER VI. ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL MOVEMENT Growth of Population in Cities and States.—Centre of Population.—The Railroads.—Industrial Progress.—Development of Use of Electricity in Telegraph, Telephone, Lighting, and Manufacturing.—Niagara Falls Harnessed.—Thomas A. Edison.—Nikola Tesla.—The Use of the Bicycle.—Growth of Agriculture and Improvement of Implements.—Position of Women.—The Salvation Army Established in America.—Its Growth and Work. CHAPTER VII. MR. CLEVELAND AGAIN PRESIDENT Democratic Congress.—President Extends Merit System.—Anti-Lottery Bill.—President Calls a Special Session of Congress.—Sale of Bonds to Maintain Reserve of Gold.—The Wilson Tariff Law Passed.—Income Tax Unconstitutional.—Bond Issues.—Foreign Affairs.—Coup d’état of Provisional Government of Hawaii.—Special Commissioner.—Queen Liliuokalani.—Queen Renounces Throne.—President Cleveland’s—Venezuelan Message.—Measures to Preserve National Credit.—Venezuelan Boundary Commission.—Lexow Committee Investigation in New York City.—Reform Ticket Elected.—Greater New York.—American Protective Association. CHAPTER VIII. LABOR AND THE RAILWAYS The March of the Coxey Army.—Arrest of Leaders.—The American Railway Union—Strike.—Refusal of Pullman Company to Arbitrate.—Association of General Managers.—Federal Injunction.—Federal Riot Proclamation and Troops Detailed.—Governor Altgeld’s Protest.—Debs.—“Government by Injunction.”—Commission of Investigation.—General Allotment of Indian Lands Under the Dawes Act. CHAPTER IX. NEWEST DIXIE Harmony Between North and South.—Consecration of Chickamauga-Chattanooga Military Park.—Agricultural Development in the South.—Manufactures.—Natural Products.—Southern Characteristics.—The “Black Belt.”—Montgomery Conference on the Negro Question.—Lynching.—Booker T. Washington and the Tuskegee Institute.—Negro Population. CHAPTER X. THE MEN AND THE ISSUE IN 1896 Free Silver Coinage Issue in the Campaign.—Republican Convention in St. Louis.—The Money Plank in the Platform.—Withdrawal of Senator Teller and Free Silver Delegates.—William McKinley and Garret A. Hobart Nominated for President and Vice-President.—Sketch of Life of William McKinley.—Democratic Convention Held in Chicago.—Demand for Free and Unlimited Coinage of Silver.—William J. Bryan Makes “Cross of Gold” Speech.—Delegates Refuse to Vote.—W. J. Bryan and Arthur Sewall Nominated.—Sketch of William J. Bryan.—Thomas Watson Nominated for Vice-President by Populist Convention.—National or Gold Democratic Ticket.—Speeches Made by Candidates.—Result of the Election. CHAPTER XI. MR. MCKINLEY'S ADMINISTRATION John Sherman, William R. Day, and John Hay as Secretary of State.—Other Members of Cabinet.—Revival of Business in 1897.—Gold Discovery in Yukon, Klondike, and Cape Nome.—Alaskan Boundary Controversy Between United States and Great Britain.—Joint High Commission Canvasses Boundary and Sealing Question.—Estimate of Loss to Seal Herd.—Sealskins Ordered Confiscated and Destroyed at United States Ports.—Hawaiian Islands Annexed.—Special Envoys to the Powers Appointed to Consider International Bi-Metallism.—President Withdraws Positions from the Classified Service.—Extra Session of Congress.—Passes Dingley Tariff Act.—Reciprocity Clauses.—Grant Mausoleum Completed.—Presentation Ceremonies at New York. CHAPTER XII. THE WAR WITH SPAIN Cuban Discontent with Spanish Rule.—United States’ Neutral Attitude Toward Spain and Cuba.—Red Cross Society Aids Reconcentrados.—Spanish Minister Writes Letter that Leads to Resignation.—United States Battleship Maine Sunk in Havana Harbor.—Congress Declares the People of Cuba Free and Independent.—Minister Woodford Receives his Passports at Madrid.—Increase of the Regular Army.—Spain Prepares for War.—Army Equipment Insufficient.—Strength of Navy.—The Oregon Makes Unprecedented Run.—Admiral Cervera’s Fleet in Santiago Harbor.—Navy at Santiago Harbor Entrance.—Army Lands near Santiago.—The Darkest Day of the War.—Sinking of the Collier Merrimac to Block Harbor Entrance.—Spanish Ships Leave.—General Toral Surrenders.—Expedition of General Miles to Porto Rico.—Commodore George Dewey Enters Manila Bay.—Destroys Spanish Fleet.—Manila Capitulates.—Treaty of Paris Signed. CHAPTER XIII. "CUBA LIBRE" Admiral Sampson and Admiral Schley in Santiago Naval Battle.—Court of Inquiry Appointed.—Paris Treaty of Peace Ratified.—Foreign Criticism.—The Samoan Islands.—Civil Government Established in Porto Rico.—Foreign Commerce of Porto Rico.—Congressional Pledge about Cuba.—Census of Cuba.—General Leonard Wood, Governor of Cuba.—Cuban Constitutional Convention.—“Platt Amendment.”—Cuban Constitution Adopted.—First President of Cuba.—Reciprocity with Cuba. CHAPTER XIV. THE UNITED STATES IN THE ORIENT--PHILIPPINES AND FILIPINOS. Area of the Philippines.—The Native Tribes.—Population.—Education Under Spanish Rule.—Filipinos.—Iocoros.—Igorrotes.—Ilocoans.— Moros.—Spain as a Colonist.—Religious Orders.—Secret Leagues.—Spain and the Filipinos.—Emilio Aguinaldo.—The Philippines in the Treaty of Paris.—Senate Resolution. CHAPTER XV. THE UNITED STATES IN THE ORIENT.--WAR.--CONTROVERSY.--PEACE. Filipinos’ Foothold in Philippines.—Attitude Toward Filipinos.—President Orders Government Extended...

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Elisha Benjamin Andrews' History of the United States, Volume 5 picks up right after the smoke clears from the Civil War. It covers the turbulent era of Reconstruction, where the nation grappled with how to bring the Southern states back into the fold and what freedom truly meant for millions of newly emancipated people. The book then follows America's explosive growth into an industrial powerhouse, the rise of big cities, and the social tensions that came with it, leading right up to the dawn of the 20th century.

Why You Should Read It

This isn't a detached, neutral textbook. Andrews writes with the urgency of someone who lived through part of this history. You can feel his passion and his frustration on the page, especially when discussing the compromises and failures of Reconstruction. He makes you see the era not as a series of laws and battles, but as a living, breathing argument about justice and national identity. Reading his perspective, shaped so close to the events, is like getting a direct transmission from the past before the story got polished and simplified.

Final Verdict

Perfect for history lovers who want to move beyond basic facts and into the heated debates of the past. If you enjoy primary sources and seeing history through the eyes of those who were trying to make sense of it as it happened, you'll find this volume fascinating. It's a challenging, opinionated, and deeply human look at one of America's most formative and difficult periods. Just be ready—it might change how you view the country's present.

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