Six questions of American history
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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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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...
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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...
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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...
9) Who Wrote the U.S. Constitution?: And Other Questions about the Constitutional Convention of 1787
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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...
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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...
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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 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?...
14) What are the Articles of Confederation?: and other questions about the birth of the United States
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Answers questions about the Articles of Confederation and the circumstances around its creation and dismissal.
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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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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...