Globalization of the United States, 1789-1861

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Mitchell, S. Augustus. A System of Modern Geography, Comprising a Description of the Present State of the World and its Five Great Divisions: America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceanica.... Philadelphia: Thomas, Cowperthwait and Co., 1844.

S. Augustus Mitchell. A System of Modern Geography, Comprising a Description of the Present State of the World and its Five Great Divisions: America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceanica.... Philadelphia: Thomas, Cowperthwait and Co., 1844. p. 330.

Mitchell parsed the world into five states: savage, barbarous, half-civilized, civilized, and enlightened, restricting the latter only to five countries, including the United States.

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Stages of Society.

308. Nations live in various stages of society, and their condition is found to depend materially on the progress they have made in knowledge, learning and refinement, and in their skill in the mechanic arts.

309. How may nations be divided according to their habits of life and state of improvement?

A. Into five classes, viz: savage, barbarous, half-civilized, civilized, and enlightened.

310. How do men live in the savage state?

A. By hunting, fishing, and on the spontaneous productions of the ground. They are generally clad in the skins of wild animals, and reside in miserable huts, or dens, and caves in the earth.

311. What is the general character of savage nations?

A. They are bloodthirsty and revengeful, often eat the flesh of the enemies they take in war, and treat their women as slaves.

312. What degree of knowledge do they possess?

They possess little or no knowledge of agriculture, or the mechanic arts, and are ignorant of reading, writing, and a regular form of government.

313. What nations are examples of this class?

A. The nations of Australia, or New Holland, and New Guinea, most of the Indian tribes of North and South America, and the Kamtschatdales or people of Kamtschatka.

314. In what manner do barbarous nations live?

A. By agriculture and the pasturage of cattle, sheep, &c.

315. They understand a few of the most simple arts, and are acquainted with reading and writing only to a very limited extent.

316. What nations are examples of this class?

A. The roving tribes of Tartary, Arabia, Central Africa, and the people of Abyssinia.

317. How are the half-civilized nations distinguished?

A. They understand agriculture and many of the arts tolerably well, have written languages, with some knowledge of learning and books.

318. They have also established laws and religion, some little foreign commerce, but are very jealous of strangers, and treat their women generally as slaves.

319. What nations may be considered as belonging to the half-civilized class?

A. China, Japan, Burmah, Siam, Turkey, Persia, &c.

320. How are civilized nations distinguished?

A. The arts and sciences are well understood, and the inhabitants derive their subsistence principally from agriculture, manufactures, and commerce.

321. What is the condition of the great body of the people in some civilized states?

A. They are very ignorant and superstitious, and there is likewise a vast difference between the condition of the upper and lower classes of society.

322. What countries rank among the civilized nations?

A. Russia, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Mexico, &c.

323. What is the character of enlightened nations?

A. They are noted for the intelligence, enterprise, and industry of their inhabitants; among them also the arts and sciences are carried to a high state of perfection.

324. How are they otherwise noted?

A. Females are treated with politeness and respect, the principles of free government are well understood, and education and learning are more general than among other nations.

325. What nations belong to this class?

A. The United States, Great Britain, France, Switzerland, and some of the German States.

326. Enlightened and civilized nations are distinguished by the number and variety of their public buildings, and works of national utility; of these, colleges, hospitals, libraries, bridges, canals, rail-roads, &c., are amongst the most prominent.