North America History

On May 24, 1869 a one-armed Civil War veteran, John Wesley Powell, and a ragtag band of nine mountain men embarked on the last great quest in the American West. The Grand Canyon, not explored before, was as mysterious as Atlantis - and as perilous. The 10 men set out from Green River Station, Wyoming Territory, down the Colorado in four wooden rowboats. Ninety-nine days later, six half-starved wretches came ashore near Callville, Arizona.

Have you ever wondered what country had the first truly global empire? Then pay attention... Folks used to say that the “Sun never sets on the British Empire” as a means of declaring Britain’s greatness. But it was the Portuguese who forged the first truly global empire. The major dominions of the Portuguese wrapped around the globe in a straight line, from Brazil to Angola, from Mozambique to India, and all the way to Macau. With its dominion under multiple time zones, the Sun, in fact, never did set on the Portuguese Empire.

Robert E. Lee, one of the most famous figures in American history, vanished after his dramatic surrender at Appomattox. In fact, he lived only another five years, during which time he did more than any other American to heal the wounds between North and South during the tempestuous postwar period.

The first African men, women, and children in colonial America did not arrive with dreams of freedom or hopes of a new, better life. They arrived after a torturous 90-day journey called the Middle Passage. And they arrived as slaves. Since that time, African-Americans have suffered, triumphed, despaired,and dreamed.

Using a narrative format, Creating the Constitution details the events leading up to the writing of the US Constitution and what American leaders went through to create it. The authors describe the conflicts between the new states and the delegates each sent to the Constitutional Convention, as well as the work that was done to resolve the many issues at hand.

From the acclaimed Ojibwe author and professor Anton Treuer comes an essential book of questions and answers for Native and non-Native young listeners alike.

Many other mainline Christians viewed the Quakers as a dangerous sect, so much so that they pressured the British Parliament to pass the Quaker Act of 1662. This act set forth in law the “prescribed form” of prayer and worship as designated by the state. It was a formula that specifically left the traditions of the Quakers out. Unable to gain acceptance in England, the Quakers would soon leave the place of their origin altogether and try their luck in a brave new world on another continent.

One of the most important and least understood true stories of our nation, the fight for representation is an ongoing and epic quest to build the democracy sketched out in the Constitution but unfinished in the twenty-first century. With impeccable research and exhilarating prose, Represent tells the story of voting rights in the United States from the American Revolution up to the present day.

New England is as rich in ghosts as it is in history. Listeners will find just the right amount of scariness for a cold, dark night.

You may know about the sinking of the Titanic. But did you know science played a big role in the ship’s voyage, disaster, and discovery? Learn all about the ship and the events that led to its sinking.

When Thomas Edison was a boy, he loved performing experiments and coming up with new inventions. His curiosity sometimes got him in trouble, though, like when he accidentally burned down his dad’s barn! By the time he turned 12, he had found ways to make a living by learning how to print newspapers and send telegraphs in Detroit, Michigan. Imagine what he did as an adult!

During the early 18th century, colonist John Peter Zenger printed a newspaper called the New-York Weekly Journal. Zenger helped bring information to the colonists of New York City. However, after publishing an editorial that opposed the actions of a local governor, Zenger was arrested for eight months before his trial. How would Zenger escape this situation?

It was once common for children to work at jobs with little pay. Then a photographer named Lewis Hine urged this dangerous practice stop to with the power of his camera and the assistance of lawmakers. Learn more about the history of child labor in the United States and how it became outlawed.

Did you know that in the late nineteenth century, the United States military used bikes to travel from one place to another? They were a new invention and a quicker way to travel than walking. Lieutenant James Moss and twenty soldiers tested the durability of bikes by traveling through six states from the West to the Midwest to prove its usability in the military.

Native Americans like Squanto provided good fortune for the Pilgrims of colonial America. During this period, tensions were high between Europeans and the Native Americans in present-day Massachusetts. Squanto, Samoset, and Hobbamock served as interpreters and ambassadors, establishing peaceful alliances between these two groups.

Philadelphia was a noisy and lively city in Colonial America. In this story, you can just imagine being surrounded by the influence of various cultures, the smells of food in the city and the sounds of craftsmen hard at work.

In Colonial America, the port city of Philadelphia offered more opportunities for women like Rebecca Jones, a Quaker spinster and schoolteacher.

America's path to revolution was paved by the great discussions of the Continental Congress, which gathered to address grievances against Great Britain. Adamant that the Colonies remain under British rule, King George III fueled the flames of American independence.

Many immigrants of various cultures have passed through the port city of Philadelphia before they adapted to the New World. William Penn guaranteed religious freedom to newcomers, which brought many persecuted peoples, such as Quakers, Mennonites, and refugees to the area, and that's only a smart part of the story of Philadelphia.

The Wampanoags, who inhabited what it is now southeastern Massachusetts, were strikingly different from the Pilgrims, who did not share the same interests in sharing land. The native people could not foresee Europeans taking the land that the Wampanoags had once respected and treasured.