Publisher’s Preface.
THIS edition of Nothing New Press’ reprint of The Story of the Great Republic has seen the following changes from the original text:
Where Miss Guerber refers to the American Indians as “savages” or “red skins,” I have changed that to read “Indians” or “natives,” depending on the context. Where she refers to Americans of African descent as “black skins,” “negroes,” or “colored people,” I
have changed that to read “slaves” or “black men,” depending on the context.
In some places throughout the text, Miss Guerber spoke of events which were close to her own time in such a way that they seemed to have happened recently, whereas for us they happened over 100 years ago. In these places, I have adjusted the wording slightly to make it read as if they did take place over 100 years ago. In most instances, these
changes can be noted by the usage of the phrase “nineteenth century” in the text.
In Chapter IV: The Constitution, I have changed the sentence, “The men forming it were to be elected by the people, who at first had a representative for every thirty thousand inhabitants, though they now have only one for about six times as many people,” to read “The men forming it were to be elected by the people, who at first had a representative
for every thirty thousand inhabitants, though they now have only one for about every 650,000 people,” so that the ratio of citizens to representatives would reflect the most current Census (2000) data.
In Chapter VII: A Wonderful Invention, I have added the phrase, “or the right to exclusive ownership of the design and manufacture of his invention,” as an explanation of “patent” in the sentence, “Whitney tried to stop them by taking a patent, or the right to exclusive ownership of the design and manufacture of his invention, but all in vain.”
In Chapter XXXIII: The Underground Railroad, the final paragraph originally read, “Still, there were also many others who insisted that it was only right that negroes should serve white men. These people were very angry when Northern papers were sent
south, or when their slaves were taught to read, for they said any knowledge the colored
people gained would only make them discontented with their lot.”
I felt that some explanation of this idea, that it was right that black men should serve white men, an idea so foreign and so strange to us today, would be of benefit. I have changed the paragraph to read, “Still, there were also many others who insisted that it was only right that black men should serve white men. This queer idea, very popular just then, began because it was thus that some people interpreted a certain passage in the Bible. Then, just as the position that this could not be the correct interpretation was gaining ground, an English naturalist, Charles Darwin, at about this time published a book which made a great sensation, and was talked about everywhere (1859). On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life made the notion that some races were favored above others seem scientific, and thus right, even though it was so contrary to that enshrined in the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal.”
“Those who held these queer ideas were very angry when Northern papers were sent
south, or when their slaves were taught to read, for they said any knowledge the slaves gained would only make them discontented with their lot.”
In Chapter XLIV: Lincoln’s Vow, Miss Guerber spoke of the regiment of “colored”
volunteers which helped the Union win the Civil War, without mentioning this famous regiment by name. I have added their name, which is well known to us today, to the text: “The first regiment of black freemen, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteers, had already
been formed, however, and the proclamation was read aloud to them, too, very near the place where some of the South Carolinians had drawn up a law saying the black people should be slaves forever. Although many people had predicted that the former
slaves never could be trained to fight properly, the 54th soon proved them wrong, and covered itself with glory when the time came.”
In Chapter LIV: Lincoln Stories, one of the sentences originally read, “In his funny
way, he once showed how all these prayers troubled him, for when he took the varioloid he told his doctor: “Well, at last I’ve got something I can give to everybody if they want it!”” As “varioloid” is an archaic term for “smallpox,” I changed the sentence to read, “… for when he became ill with smallpox, he told his doctor …”
In Chapter LX: The Best Way to Settle Quarrels, the third paragraph originally read,
“Still, while the East and West were prospering, the South had a very hard time to get on, for in some states the colored voters outnumbered the white. Schools had been started, but it would be some time before children attending them would be old enough
to vote, and in the meantime ignorant negro voters and carpetbaggers were in control.”
Her wording might be mistaken to mean as if the problem were a matter of race,
when in reality it was a matter of education, since in the South it was against the law to teach slaves even the most basic knowledge, and considered a great crime that they learn to read or write. To make that point more clear, I changed it to read, “Still, while the East and West were prospering, the South had a very hard time to get on, for in some states the uneducated voters, who were mostly freed slaves, outnumbered the educated voters, who were mostly former slaveowners. Schools had been started for the uneducated, but it was some time before children attending them would be old enough to vote, and in the meantime, the ignorant voters and carpetbaggers were in control.”
The next paragraph in this chapter also deserved some elaboration. It originally read,
“Bad and dishonest men so often got into office in this way that secret societies were formed in the South, to prevent the negroes from voting in regions where they outnumbered the whites. These societies formed what was called the “Ku Klux Klan,” and the
members wore queer masks and frightful disguises.”
I have changed it to read, “Bad and dishonest men so often got into office in this way,
that secret societies were formed in the South, whose purpose was to prevent the black people from voting in regions where they outnumbered the white people. Now, the reason these societies were secret was because it was now against the law of the United
States to prevent anyone from voting merely because of the color of his skin. These societies formed what was called the “Ku Klux Klan,” and its members wore queer masks and frightful disguises.”
Most chapters in Guerber’s text were two to three pages long, however a few chapters
were so much longer than this that I thought it best to break them up, and make two chapters where there was originally one. Thus chapter LXI: Custer’s Last Stand, did not appear in Guerber’s original text as a separate chapter, although the text of that chapter
was lifted straight from one of these extra-long chapters (it was originally part of “The Best Way to Settle Quarrels”). Then the chapters following it were renumbered.
Chapter LXVII: Up From Slavery, was also formed in the same way. Guerber originally
took a few paragraphs to explain how the former slaves had progressed since the Emancipation Proclamation. But unlike her usual wont, this section spoke generally, and did not illustrate this progress by the courageous example of our national heroes. Since this was a departure from the plan she had used all throughout this book, and indeed throughout the other books in this series, I did include the inspiring stories of Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver, written in Guerber’s own style,
in this chapter. The chapters following were then also renumbered.
Other than these changes, Guerber’s text remains as she wrote it. I have included a
timeline of dates of the events encountered in the story, as well as a list of recommended reading for young people which elaborate on the events here recorded, keyed to the chapters, as an aid for teachers. I have also included a bibliography listing the references
used to make corrections in the text, to construct the timeline, and as sources for the additional maps and illustrations which have been added to the text.
Christine Miller
Nothing New Press
