Six Questions of American History
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Why Did Cherokees Move West?
And Other Questions about the Trail of Tears
by Judith Pinkerton Josephson
Part of the Six Questions of American History series
On May 26, 1838, U.S. soldiers surrounded Cherokee villages across Georgia. The soldiers came to force Cherokee families to move to a new territory in Oklahoma. The Cherokees had little time to gather their belongings before being herded into camps. From there, 13,000 were forced on the thousand-mile journey to Oklahoma. They had little food and no shelter from the weather. Many-especially children-grew sick and died. The forced march became known as nunna-dual-tsuny-the Trail of Tears.
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When Did George Washington Fight His First Military Battle?
And Other Questions about the French and Indian War
by Francesca Davis DiPiazza
Part of the Six Questions of American History series
When George Washington was twenty-two years old, he served as an officer in the British colonial army. He helped Great Britain in its struggle against France for control of North America. Both armies had set up forts and had formed alliances with the Native Americans, but until 1754, there had not been any battles. Everything changed when British soldiers ambushed the French at Fort Necessity on July 3. Within days, the French fought back, brutally attacking the British. Like the other colonists, Washington knew that a war had begun. But who would lead the British soldiers? How long would the war last? And why do we call these battles the French and Indian War? Discover the facts about French and Indian War, and learn how it changed American history forever.
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How Many People Traveled the Oregon Trail?
And Other Questions about the Trail West
by Miriam Aronin
Part of the Six Questions of American History series
In the spring of 1843, nearly one thousand people gathered in Independence, Missouri. They came from all over the eastern United States, and many had to sell most of their possessions to afford the trip. Yet their journey was just beginning. The group set out for Oregon Country, a four- to six-month trek across plains, mountains, valleys, and rivers. Not everyone survived the difficult trip. Still, before the end of the 1800's, many more wagon trains would travel the Oregon Trail to reach what became the western United States. So why were Americans moving west? What hardships would they face on the journey? And who blazed the Oregon Trail? Discover the facts about this important trail west and how it affected U.S. history.
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What Was the Continental Congress?
And Other Questions about the Declaration of Independence
by Candice Ransom
Part of the Six Questions of American History series
In September 1774, American colonial leaders gathered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. From New Hampshire to Georgia, colonists were angry about the taxes they were forced to pay to Great Britain. But Britain's King George III and the British government refused to listen to the colonists. Decisionmakers from each American colony held a congress-a formal meeting-to discuss what the colonies should do. Some leaders wanted to make peace with Britain. Others wanted to break free of British rule-even if that meant going to war. In the spring of 1776, the members reached a decision. They wrote, voted on, and issued the Declaration of Independence. This important document announced that the newly united American states were no longer a part of Great Britain. So why were many colonists against paying taxes to Great Britain? Who actually wrote the Declaration of Independence? Why do we celebrate on July 4? Discover the facts about the Declaration of Independence and learn about its place in American history.
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Who Wrote the U.S. Constitution?
And Other Questions about the Constitutional Convention of 1787
by Candice Ransom
Part of the Six Questions of American History series
In May 1787, men from all over the United States arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on serious business. Just eleven years earlier, colonial leaders had met in Philadelphia to declare their independence from Great Britain. But now the young country was in trouble. The U.S. government was weak, and its guiding document-the Articles of Confederation-was failing. Throughout the summer of 1787, state representatives and leaders argued, shouted, and wrote and rewrote articles. By September, they had produced a new document, the U.S. Constitution. The Convention became a turning point in American history. But what were the new country's problems? Who came up with the solutions? How did the states work out disagreements to create a new system of government? Discover the facts about the 1787 Convention and the writing of the Constitution.
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Where Did Sacagawea Join the Corps of Discovery?
And Other Questions about the Lewis and Clark Expedition
by Linda Gondosch
Part of the Six Questions of American History series
When President Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory in 1803, the size of the United States almost doubled. Suddenly, the country stretched from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Rocky Mountains. But no one knew much about the new territory. Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore it and report on what they found. What would they need for their journey? How would they cross high waterfalls, snowy mountains, and raging rivers? Who would help them speak and trade with Native Americans along the way? Discover how Lewis and Clark overcame these and other challenges while collecting important scientific information and carefully mapping unknown lands. Find out how their courageous expedition opened the West for expansion, trade, and development.
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What Difference Could a Waterway Make?
And Other Questions about the Erie Canal
by Susan Bivin Aller
Part of the Six Questions of American History series
In the early 1800s, many Americans living in the eastern states wanted to explore the western frontier. Vast amounts of land and resources lay to the west-but the Appalachian Mountains formed a huge wall stretching from Canada to Georgia. How could Americans cut through it? Who could create a workable plan? What overwhelming challenges did the workers face? Discover how the Erie Canal opened the passage to the West, bringing people new opportunities for trade and expansion.
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Who Were the Accused Witches of Salem?
And Other Questions about the Witchcraft Trials
by Laura Hamilton Waxman
Part of the Six Questions of American History series
In June 1692, a jury in Salem, Massachusetts, found Bridget Bishop guilty of performing witchcraft. The only evidence against her was villagers' testimony. As punishment she was publicly hanged. Meanwhile, local girls had been behaving oddly for months. They cried out of being pinched or choked by a witch's spirit. The girls accused neighbors, outcasts, and respected community members of tormenting them. As fear spread through Salem, jails filled with the accused. In the end, nineteen people were hanged for witchcraft in one of the darkest moments in U.S. history. But what led to this terrifying event? Who was likely to be accused? Why did the witchcraft fever finally come to an end? Discover the facts about the Salem Witchcraft Trials and the mark they left on the U.S. justice system.
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Why Did English Settlers Come to Virginia?
And Other Questions about the Jamestown Settlement
by Candice Ransom
Part of the Six Questions of American History series
In December 1606, three ships carrying 105 men and boys set sail from Dover, England. The ships headed for the eastern shores of North America. There the men planned to establish a new colony known as Virginia. Sailing into the Chesapeake Bay, the settlers excitedly observed a vast wilderness of thick grasses, green forests, and wide rivers. But as the newcomers built their settlement, they struggled with disagreements, hard labor, food shortages, illness, and uneasy relations with the region's Native Americans. Yet the settlers persevered and established Jamestown-the first permanent English colony in North America. So what was the Virginia Company? Why did settler John Smith spend most of the voyage from England under arrest? Who was Pocahontas? Discover the facts about the Jamestown settlement and learn about its place in early U.S. history.
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What Was the Missouri Compromise?
And Other Questions about the Struggle over Slavery
by Wendy Lanier
Part of the Six Questions of American History series
When the Missouri Territory applied for statehood in 1818, the United States had an equal number of free states and slave states. The territory's leaders wanted Missouri to be a slave state. But that would have destroyed the balance of representation in Congress. A heated debate broke out. The southern representatives and Missouri's leaders thought states should be able to decide the slavery question for themselves. Northern members of Congress thought otherwise. Would the Union split apart over the question of slavery? The Missouri Compromise settled the argument and saved the Union-temporarily. So why was the Missouri Compromise of 1820 so controversial? Who was the great compromiser? What were the terms of the Missouri Compromise? Discover the facts about one of the most debated compromises in U.S. history.
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How Did Slaves Find a Route to Freedom?
And Other Questions about the Underground Railroad
by Laura Hamilton Waxman
Part of the Six Questions of American History series
In the early 1800s, many black slaves in the southern states began to risk their lives to gain freedom in the North. They escaped from plantations with no money to buy food and no maps to help them find their way. They could travel only at night. If runaway slaves were caught, they could be beaten to death. Still, many slaves tried to flee. Slave catchers chased them, but the runaways seemed to disappear into thin air-or through a secret underground escape route. So how did slaves escape from their masters? Where did they hide? How did the slaves communicate with each other and the people who were helping them? Discover the facts about the brave men and women who formed the Underground Railroad. Learn how their secret work changed the lives of thousands of slaves.
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Who Was William Penn?
And Other Questions about the Founding of Pennsylvania
by Marty Rhodes Figley
Part of the Six Questions of American History series
"William Penn was only twenty-two years old the first time he went to prison. He had attended a meeting of the Quakers, people who practiced a religion forbidden in Britain during the 1600s. Despite the dangers, Penn became a Quaker leader, and he dreamed of a place where people could freely practice religion. Britain's king later gave Penn one of the British colonies in North America. In Pennsylvannia, Penn organized a new kind of governmenta place where people had individual rights, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and trial by jury. So why was the Quaker religion forbidden? How did William Penn get so much land from the king? What was Penns ""holy experiment""? Discover the facts about the beginnings of Pennsylvania and learn about its importance to what later became the U.S. government."
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When Did Columbus Arrive in the Americas?
And Other Questions about Columbus's Voyages
by Jennifer Krueger
Part of the Six Questions of American History series
In the late 1400s, Christopher Columbus was sure he could find a trade route from Spain to the Far East by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean. On his first voyage, he landed on an island in the Caribbean Sea. He soon realizedn that this was not Asia and returned to Spain for more supplies. Even after three more attempts, Columbus never found a westward route to Asia. But his discoveries forever changed European views of the world and led to settlement in the Americas. So why did Columbus want a route to the Far East? How did he get his idea to sail west? What challenges did he and his crew face? Discover the facts about Columbus's voyages and how they changed the world.
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When Were the First Slaves Set Free during the Civil War?
And Other Questions about the Emancipation Proclamation
by Shannon Knudsen
Part of the Six Questions of American History series
When Abraham Lincoln became president in March 1861, the United States was on the brink of the Civil War. Six states had already left the Union. The North and the South fought over the question of slavery. More than anything, Lincoln wanted to reunite the states. He refused to recognize the Confederacy as a separate country. Yet the Constitution didn't give the president the power to end slavery. But what could Lincoln do by law? Why was slavery so important to the southern states? How would Lincoln manage to keep the Union together? Discover the clever plan behind Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, and learn how it freed the first slaves.
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Who Was Sitting Bull?
And Other Questions about the Battle of Little Bighorn
by Judith Pinkerton Josephson
Part of the Six Questions of American History series
By the mid-1800s, thousands of white settlers were traveling westward through the Great Plains. Pioneers built farms and ranches, and companies laid railroads and dug mines. But the plains were the homeland and hunting grounds for many Native Americans. To protect their traditional lands, Native American warriors attacked white homes and settlements. The U.S. government tried to keep the peace by promising to keep white settlers and soldiers out of Native American territories. But the government broke its promise in treaty after treaty. The conflict between the U.S. Army and Native American nations peaked in 1876 in Montana at the Battle of Little Bighorn-the last great battle of the American West. So what Native American groups were involved in the battle? Who led the U.S. soldiers? How did the battle change life for Native Americans living on the Great Plains? Discover the facts about the Battle of Little Bighorn and learn more about the westward expansion of the United States.
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How Did Tea and Taxes Spark a Revolution?
And Other Questions about the Boston Tea Party
by Linda Gondosch
Part of the Six Questions of American History series
On a cold evening in December 1773, a group of men climbed aboard three ships docked in Boston Harbor. Armed with hatchets, the men began breaking into the ships' valuable cargo-342 crates of tea. They dumped the tea into the black water of the harbor and then marched back home through the city streets. This Boston Tea Party" was a bold act of protest by American colonists against British rule. It pushed the colonies and Great Britain a step closer to war. But who were these protestors? Why would they risk angering the powerful British government? And how did the British respond? Discover the facts about the Boston Tea Party and the colonists' struggle for independent rule.
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Why Did the Pilgrims Come to the New World?
And Other Questions about the Plymouth Colony
by Laura Hamilton Waxman
Part of the Six Questions of American History series
In December 1620, a group of English settlers stepped out of their boats and climbed up the shore to a point overlooking a small harbor. Known as the Pilgrims, they had traveled far on the Mayflower. Behind them was the vast Atlantic Ocean. Before them was the wilderness of North America. They called their new home the Plymouth Colony. But who were the Pilgrims? Why had they left England? And what lay ahead for them over the long winter in Plymouth? Discover the facts about the Pilgrims and their struggle to build a colony in the New World.
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What Are the Articles of Confederation?
And Other Questions about the Birth of the United States
by Laura Hamilton Waxman
Part of the Six Questions of American History series
In June 1776, colonial delegates to the Continental Congress began writing a document to set up a new country-with a government independent from Britain. The Articles of Confederation created a limited centralized government, with states keeping most of the power. After sixteen months of debate, delegates finally passed the Articles on November 15, 1777. But afterward, many conflicts arose. It became clear that the country needed-but also feared-a stronger central government. The states sent delegates to another meeting called the Constitutional Convention, out of which came the U.S. Constitution. So who attended the Continental Congress? How did the Articles of Confederation hold the country together during the Revolutionary War? What was Shay's Rebellion? Discover the facts about the Articles of Confederation and learn how this document influenced the formation of the U.S. government.
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