American Notes - Charles Dickens

Prejudiced, I never have been otherwise than in favour of the United States. No visitor can ever have set foot on those shores, with a stronger faith in the Republic than I had, when I landed in America.

I purposely abstain from extending these observations to any length. I have nothing to defend, or to explain away. The truth is the truth; and neither childish absurdities, nor unscrupulous contradictions, can make it otherwise. The earth would still move round the sun, though the whole Catholic Church said No.

I have many friends in America, and feel a grateful interest in the country. To represent me as viewing it with ill-nature, animosity, or partisanship, is merely to do a very foolish thing, which is always a very easy one; and which I have disregarded for eight years, and could disregard for eighty more.

London, June 22, 1850.

PREFACE TO THE “CHARLES DICKENS” EDITION OF “AMERICAN NOTES”

My readers have opportunities of judging for themselves whether the influences and tendencies which I distrusted in America, had, at that time, any existence but in my imagination. They can examine for themselves whether there has been anything in the public career of that country since, at home or abroad, which suggests that those influences and tendencies really did exist. As they find the fact, they will judge me. If they discern any evidences of wrong-going, in any direction that I have indicated, they will acknowledge that I had reason in what I wrote. If they discern no such indications, they will consider me altogether mistaken—but not wilfully.

Prejudiced, I am not, and never have been, otherwise than in favour of the United States. I have many friends in America, I feel a grateful interest in the country, I hope and believe it will successfully work out a problem of the highest importance to the whole human race. To represent me as viewing AMERICA with ill-nature, coldness, or animosity, is merely to do a very foolish thing: which is always a very easy one.

Dedication of “AmericanNotes”	[v]
Preface to the First Cheap Edition of“American Notes”	[vii]
Preface to the “CharlesDickens” Edition of “American Notes”	[ix]
AMERICAN NOTES FORGENERAL CIRCULATION
CHAPTER I
Going Away	[3]
CHAPTER II
The Passage out	[10]
CHAPTER III
Boston	[22]
CHAPTER IV
An American Railroad. Lowell and its FactorySystem	[52]
CHAPTER V
Worcester. The Connecticut River. Hartford. New Haven. To New York	[60]
CHAPTER VI
New York	[67]
CHAPTER VII
Philadelphia, and its Solitary Prison	[81]
CHAPTER VIII
Washington. The Legislature. And thePresident’s House	[94]
CHAPTER IX
A Night Steamer on the Potomac River. Virginia Road,and a Black Driver. Richmond. Baltimore. TheHarrisburg Mail, and a Glimpse of the City. A CanalBoat	[107]
CHAPTER X
Some further Account of the Canal Boat, its DomesticEconomy, and its Passengers. Journey to Pittsburg acrossthe Alleghany Mountains. Pittsburg	[121]
CHAPTER XI
From Pittsburg to Cincinnati in a Western Steamboat. Cincinnati	[130]
CHAPTER XII
From Cincinnati to Louisville in another WesternSteamboat; and from Louisville to St. Louis in another. St.Louis	[137]
CHAPTER XIII
A Jaunt to the Looking-glass Prairie and back	[147]
CHAPTER XIV
Return to Cincinnati. A Stage-coach Ride from thatCity to Columbus, and thence to Sandusky. So, by Lake Erie,to the Falls of Niagara	[153]
CHAPTER XV
In Canada; Toronto; Kingston; Montreal; Quebec; St.John’s. In the United States again; Lebanon; TheShaker Village; West Point	[167]
CHAPTER XVI
The Passage Home	[182]
CHAPTER XVII
Slavery	[189]
CHAPTER XVIII
Concluding Remarks	[202]
Postscript	[210]

PREFACE TO THE “CHARLES DICKENS” EDITION OF “AMERICAN NOTES”

CONTENTS

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS