Early America

Great Britain passed the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts, which made colonists angry. Eventually they boycotted and refused to purchase British goods. Great Britain sent soldiers to the colonies, which caused conflict like the Boston Massacre and the...

Christopher Columbus set out on August 3, 1492, to find the East by sailing west. Over the course of a few years, he convinced the king and queen of Spain to pay for his trip, promising them fame and riches in return. Columbus discovered more than he...

Declaring Our Independence depicts the formation of the important document, the Declaration of Independence, through the sometimes nervous eyes of one of its originators, Roger Sherman. Sherman, Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, and many others risk treason...

The American Indian culture consisted of specific customs and traditions that regulated everything from who would lead the tribes to who would marry within the tribes. They kept precise, detailed accounts of their tribal histories because they foresaw...

From the Vikings to Henry Hudson, the great explorers sailed across uncharted waters during the Age of Discovery in search of many things, including adventure and wealth. Their exploration not only changed maps of the world but also paved the way for...

Powhatan decides to destroy the colonists. With little food, 90 percent of the colonists dead, battling the Indians, and more colonists coming, there is little hope for the colonists. What can save them? A marriage between Pocahontas and John Rolfe...

Charles is a young boy sold into servitude when his parents die coming to America. He befriends a slave, Henry, and together, they learn the value of sacrifice for that which they value most—their own freedom. A sailor, Adam, risks his freedom to help...

John Jay served in all three branches of the government. Once the Constitution was written, he was a staunch supporter of the document, joining some other men in anonymously writing “The Federalist Papers,” which explained to the public why the...

The colonies were the birthplace of the United States and they were made up of people that came from various backgrounds seeking religious freedom, wealth, and success. Daily life for the colonists was different depending on the region in which they...

Phillis Wheatley was the first black person in America to have a book published, opening the door for other black writers and female authors. She was kidnapped and brought to the colonies as a child and served as a slave to a family in Boston. Phillis...

Pocahontas was the daughter of the great Chief Powhatan. Pocahontas was instrumental in helping Jamestown settlers survive a difficult winter and literally keeping peace between two diverse cultures. Author - Marie Patterson. Narrator - Teacher...

After problems developed with the Articles of Confederation, America’s leaders wrote the U.S. Constitution. Although our founding fathers were happy with their work on the Constitution, it was missing an important part. The Bill of Rights was soon...

In The Reveres: A Family Forced Apart, Paul Revere, Jr. must defend his home while his mother and sisters flee Boston and join his father who is in exile after warning Hancock and Adams of the approaching British. The young Paul, and his friend,...

Thomas Jefferson was a gifted writer whose words helped form the country. Although at one time he wanted to be a great speaker, he found comfort and ease in writing. Not only was he a great writer, but also an architect, inventor, surveyor, scientist,...

John Smith is in shackles in Work or Starve: Captain John Smith and the Jamestown Colony, but how can that be if he is to lead the colony? The colonists won’t listen to him until there is trouble! With the men and boys dying and the food nearly gone,...