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European Background of American History by Edward Potts Cheyney, Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania.

Volume 1 of 27 in The American Nation: A History published by Harper Brothers (1904–1918). Edited by Albert Bushnell Hart, Professor of History at Harvard University.

Editor’s Introduction to the Series: That a new history of the United States is needed, extending from the discovery down to the present time hardly needs statement. No such comprehensive work by a competent writer is now in existence. Individual writers have treated only limited chronological fields. Meantime, there is a rapid increase of published sources and of serviceable monographs based on material hitherto unused. On the one side, there is a necessity for an intelligent summarizing of the present knowledge of American history by trained specialists; on the other hand, there is a need for a complete work, written in untechnical style, which shall serve for the instruction and the entertainment of the general reader.

Editor’s Introduction to Volume One: This first volume of the series supplies a needed link between the history of Europe and the history of early America; for whether it came through a Spanish, French, English, Dutch, or Swedish medium, or through the later immigrants from Germany, from Italy, and from the Slavic countries, the American conception of society and of government was originally derived from the European. Hence the importance at the outset of knowing what that civilization was at the time of colonization.

AUTHOR’S PREFACE: The history of America is a branch of that of Europe. The discovery, exploration, and settlement of the New World were results of European movements and sprang from economic and political needs, development of enterprise, and increase of knowledge, in the Old World. …The beginnings of American history are to be found in European conditions at the time of the foundation of the colonies. Similar forces continued to exercise an influence in later times. The power and policy of home governments, successive waves of emigration, and numberless events in Europe had effects that were deeply felt in America.

I. THE EAST AND THE WEST (1200–1500)
II. ORIENTAL AND OCCIDENTAL TRADE-ROUTES (1200–1500)
III. ITALIAN CONTRIBUTIONS To EXPLORATION(1200–1500)
IV. PIONEER WORK OF PORTUGAL(1400–1527)
V. SPANISH MONARCHY IN THE AGE OF COLUMBUS (1474–1525)
VI. POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS OF CENTRAL EUROPE (1400–1650)
VII. THE SYSTEM OF CHARTERED COMMERCIAL COMPANIES (1550–1700)
VIII. TYPICAL AMERICAN COLONIZING COMPANIES (1600–1628)
IX. THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION ON THE CONTINENT (1500–1625)
X. RELIGIOUS WARS IN THE NETHERLANDS AND GERMANY (1520–1648)
XI. THE ENGLISH CHURCH AND THE CATHOLICS (1534–1660)
XII. THE ENGLISH PURITANS AND THE SECTS (1550–1689)
XIII. THE POLITICAL SYSTEM OF ENGLAND (1500–1689)
XIV. THE ENGLISH COUNTY AND ITS OFFICERS (1600–1650)
XV. ENGLISH JUSTICES OP THE PEACE (1600–1650)
XVI. ENGLISH PARISH OR TOWNSHIP GOVERNMENT (1600–1650)

Originally published in 1904.