Six questions of American history
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Accelerated Reader
IL: MG - BL: 5.5 - AR Pts: 1
Description
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...
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Accelerated Reader
IL: MG - BL: 5.7 - AR Pts: 1
Description
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...
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Accelerated Reader
IL: MG - BL: 5.2 - AR Pts: 1
Description
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...
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Accelerated Reader
IL: MG - BL: 5.7 - AR Pts: 1
Description
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...
9) Who Wrote the U.S. Constitution?: And Other Questions about the Constitutional Convention of 1787
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Accelerated Reader
IL: MG - BL: 5.9 - AR Pts: 1
Description
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...
Author
Accelerated Reader
IL: MG - BL: 5.7 - AR Pts: 1
Description
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...
Author
Accelerated Reader
IL: MG - BL: 5.1 - AR Pts: 1
Description
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,...
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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...
14) What Are the Articles of Confederation?: And Other Questions about the Birth of the United States
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Description
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...
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Description
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...
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Description
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...
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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...
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