Showing titles in Colonial Period

The importance of the volume in the American Nation series is that it includes colonies of the three types which persisted down to the Revolution—the crown colonies, the proprietary colonies, and the three New England charter colonies. On one side the volume emphasizes the variety of conditions and experiments in government. On the other side, it brings out that characteristic that gives the volume its name, the steady determination of the colonists in all three types of colonies to enjoy self-government in internal affairs.

When Queen Elizabeth arrived in Lower Fort Garry, Manitoba, in 1970, she was, like many foreign leaders, greeted with a reception and offered tokens by her hosts. What was different about this occasion, however, were the gifts offered: live elk and beaver. In the long-standing tradition of the Hudson’s Bay Company, should the King or Queen arrive in the lands governed by the charter King Charles II granted in 1660, he or she would be presented with two elk and two beavers by the company officials.

Here within is a collection of 57 accounts of firsthand narratives of people captured by Indians in colonial times who lived to tell their story of the lives, customs, kindness, and cruelties of Native Americans. Indian raids on small farming communities were bloody and gruesome events, with young and old stripped, clubbed, and scalped. While many were treated harshly by the Indians, some were treated with much kindness by their captors. They were only able to endure these torments through their unwavering belief that God would see them through their terrible ordeal.

The first Thanksgiving at Plymouth in 1621 was a powerfully symbolic event and not merely the pageant of abundance that we still reenact today. In these early encounters between Indians and English in North America, food was also symbolic of power: The venison brought to Plymouth by the Indians, for example, was resonant of both masculine skill with weapons and the status of the men who offered it. These meanings were clearly understood by Plymouth's leaders, however weak they appeared in comparison.

An accusation of attempted murder rudely interrupted Mary Arnold’s dalliances with working men and her extensive shopping sprees. When her husband Benedict fell deathly ill and then asserted she had tried to kill him with poison, the result was a dramatic petition for divorce. The case before the Rhode Island General Assembly and its tumultuous aftermath, during which Benedict died, made Mary a cause célèbre in Newport through the winter of 1738 and 1739. Elaine Forman Crane invites listeners into this salacious domestic life and reveals the seamy side of colonial Newport.

This book presents the letters between President John Hancock and General George Washington from Washington's appointment as Commander-in-Chief until shortly after Congress approved the Declaration of Independence. That period of just over one year was perhaps the most pivotal of the Revolution. Had Congress given in to the temptation to compromise, the war would have been lost before it began. Had Washington been less diligent in his duties, or had he been a weak leader, the British would have overwhelmed his poorly equipped, untrained and unmotivated army. While the letters illuminate the...

In American History, 1877 to the Present, all main events are covered, including Reconstruction, industrialization, U.S. emergence as a world power, World Wars I and II, the Great Depression, Cold War politics, racial and sexual equality issues, Vietnam, Watergate, and threats to America at the start of the 21st century. Also covered are major personages, from George Armstrong Custer to Osama bin Laden, and much more.

Among other things, Franklin was a printer, philosopher, inventor, statesman, and not least, a writer. Franklin's autobiography captures the essence of his spirit. In it, we can see him as a product of the 18th century enlightenment, a type of Yankee statesman who could use the language of Addison, Steele, Swift, and Defoe. In his autobiography, Franklin asks himself, "Who am I, how did I come to be, and why am I a human being as I am?" And he answers with the honesty, wit, and charm.

John Smith is one of the most common names in the English language, but every Briton and American is familiar with the explorer and mercenary Captain John Smith, who helped found the first permanent British colony in the New World, at Jamestown, in 1607. He wrote several accounts of his exploration and his time spent in the New World, but in America, Smith is better known for his association with Pocahontas, a Native American princess. Smith credited her with saving him from being killed by the Native Americans. Retellings of the story fictitiously cast the two as lovers.

This original study tells the story of the Illinois Country, a collection of French villages that straddled the Mississippi River for nearly a century, before it was divided by the treaties that ended the Seven Years' War in the early 1760s. Spain acquired the territory on the west side of the river and Great Britain the territory on the east. After the 1783 Treaty of Paris and the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, the entire region was controlled by the United States, and the white inhabitants were transformed from subjects to citizens.

Dive into a riveting exploration of one of history's most astonishing chapters – the audacious conquest of the Americas by a handful of daring conquistadors. This book peels back the layers of history to reveal a story far more complex and gripping than the simplistic tale of firepower overcoming sheer numbers.

The Supplement to Volume VII expands the story of the Virginia Colony and discusses the important contributions of its founders, from the arrival of the British at Jamestown in 1607, through the economic expansion, and turbulence of the 18th century. Included are discussions of the investors and explorers who were members of the Virginia Company, such as John Smith, George Percy, and many others. The lives and teachings of Virginia's early religious leaders, and the movement from the government-backed Anglican religion to other Protestant faiths are also discussed.

This book reveals the hidden history, the untold story of the Alamo, of the Alamo and its relationship to myth, lies, slavery, and white supremacy. The author presents academic knowledge and simple language to present a greater understanding of the facts about the Alamo that have been erased. “The Alamo: A Cradle of Lies, Slavery, and White Supremacy is a timely book for the current national conversation/debate about the value of our democracy. The ‘glorious defense’ of the Alamo has been taught in American history as an example of patriotic courage when in fact, the battle of the ...

Jamestown is fondly remembered today for being the first permanent English settlement in the colonies, but it was not fondly remembered by those who lived and died there. The English quickly learned it would be difficult to establish a permanent settlement because of the poor weather, the swampy terrain, the hostile natives living nearby, and the general inexperience and ineptitude of the English settlers.

In this eye-opening account, Eli Merritt reveals the deep political divisions that almost tore the Union apart during the American Revolution. So fractious were the founders’ political fights that they feared the War of Independence might end in disunion and civil war. Instead of disbanding into separate regional confederacies, the founders managed to unite for the sake of liberty and self-preservation. In so doing, they succeeded in holding the young nation together. To achieve this, they forged grueling compromises, in­cluding the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

A grandfather tells of the violence in Boston on March 5, 1770, which was a pivotal event in the lead-up to the American Revolution in this classic story by American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Dive into a captivating journey through American history with A Short Story of America: A Glimpse through the Pages of Time. This concise yet comprehensive guide provides a curated exploration of the pivotal moments and influential figures that have shaped the United States. From colonial settlements to modern challenges, this book captures the essence of the American spirit and its evolution through time.

Wright's long imperial career delicately balanced dual loyalties to Crown and colony and offers a new perspective on loyalism and the American Revolution. Through this lens, Greg Brooking connects several important contexts in recent early American and British scholarship, including imperial and Atlantic history, Indigenous borderlands, race and slavery, and popular politics.

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is the traditional name for the unfinished record of his own life written by Benjamin Franklin from 1771 to 1790; however, Franklin himself appears to have called the work his Memoirs. Although it had a tortuous publication history after Franklin's death, this work has become one of the most famous and influential examples of an autobiography ever written.

In the years leading up to the Revolutionary War, the American colonies are teetering on the brink of disaster. With the threat of unbridled control by the British Parliament, Boston patriots seek to overturn their motherland's tyrannical practices.