North America History

Listen, my children, and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere… So begins the classic poem of devoted patriot Paul Revere's midnight ride on April 18, 1775. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the poem in 1860 as a tribute to the revolutionary hero who rode his horse through Medford, Lexington, and Concord to warn the American patriots that the British were coming to attack.

La historia de Estados Unidos es un relato de hombres y mujeres cuya influencia ha sido desproporcionada en la formación del país. Son personas con grandes sueños que, incluso frente a adversidades insuperables, lograron generar cambios cuyos efectos aún resonan en nuestros días. Abraham Lincoln, por ejemplo, redefinió el futuro de una nación con su liderazgo durante la Guerra Civil, mientras que Clara Barton fundó la Cruz Roja Americana, revolucionando la atención en emergencias. Ambos son ejemplos de cómo la determinación y la valentía pueden moldear la historia.

A lo largo de la historia de la cultura mexicana, se ha contado la leyenda del nopal. El nopal tiene orígenes de cientos años atrás, aunque muy pocos conocen la leyenda completa. Esta leyenda es muy importante para la cultura mexicana. A parte de que el nopal es ingrediente inolvidable en la gastronomía mexicana, el nopal es símbolo de fortaleza para todos los mexicanos, quienes la incluimos en nuestra bandera nacional.

A true account of a group of African American men from Detroit who sought to change the life trajectory of young African American boys from something negative to something positive. Faced with the problem statement of "what life lessons would you teach a young boy about life survival in America if you only had one weekend?", the group of men set out on a course to make a difference.

George Washington hated having his portrait painted, but as president of the United States, he knew his image needed to live on. This nonfiction picture book explores how artist Gilbert Stuart created Washington’s most lasting and recognized portrait—the one that’s used on the one-dollar bill.

Since the regiment’s creation in 1899, the men of the 65th have proudly served the US through multiple wars, despite facing racial discrimination. Their courage, loyalty, and patriotism earned them hundreds of accolades, including the Congressional Gold Medal in 2014.

In 1585, Sir Walter Raleigh attempted to found the very first permanent English settlement in the Americas. The initial settlement—called the Lane colony—failed due to extremely low supplies and a hostile relationship with the Native American people who were already living on the land. Despite this miserable first attempt, Raleigh decided to establish another settlement. Over one hundred people agreed to join this new colony on Roanoke Island, just off the coast of what is now North Carolina.

This true story took place at the emergency farm-labor camp immortalized in Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. Ostracized as "dumb Okies," the children of Dust Bowl migrant laborers went without school—until Superintendent Leo Hart and 50 Okie kids built their own school in a nearby field.

Formaldehyde, borax, salicylic acid. Today these chemicals are used in embalming fluids, cleaning supplies, and acne medications. But just over a hundred years ago, they were routinely added to all kinds of food by unregulated and unethical companies. Noted science and history writer Gail Jarrow introduces listeners to the relentless work of U.S. government chemist Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley, who mounted a thirty-year campaign to protect consumers from harmful food and drugs. As part of his research, he tested food additives by serving them to a squad of volunteers—the poison eaters.

Born into slavery around 1864, my name is Carver’s George because Carver was my owner. For some reason, my name may change in the future.

At the time of her first journey from Southampton to New York City, RMS Titanic hit an iceberg and died in the North Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912. An overall of 2,224 guests and team were reported to have been on board when the ship sank, making it one of the absolute worst single ship catastrophes and the absolute worst peacetime superliner or cruise liner sinking to date. As a result of the general public's interest in the aftermath, the mishap has acted as a structure for the category of catastrophe movies.

In this gripping narrative nonfiction book, meet the resolute and spirited people who fought for the rights of coal miners, and discover how the West Virginia Mine Wars paved the way for vital worker protections nationwide. More than a century later, this overlooked story of the labor movement remains urgently relevant.

You need to work to live. That’s the truth for most people, and plenty of people in power have been abusing that truth for centuries. Long before the first labor unions were formed, workers still knew what exploitation looked like. It looked like the enslavement of Black people. It looked like generations of children dying in dangerous jobs. It looked like wealthy people hiring private militaries to attack their employees. But workers have always found a way to fight back.

Set in New York City in the ’90s, Angela Shanté’s poems and stories paint a mosaic of childhood that is shaped by the past and reverberates into the present. As Shanté navigates the city through memory, this timeless book illuminates the places where Black girls are nurtured or boxed in, through stories and poems about expectations, exploitation, love, loss, and self-realization.

On April 29, 1992, following the acquittal of four police officers charged with the beating and arrest of Rodney King and the earlier killing of teenager Latasha Harlins, the city of Los Angeles erupted in violence. Many of these events were centered on the city’s Koreatown, where tensions between the Black and Korean American communities had simmered for years, fueled by economic challenges and redlining and enflamed by sensationalized and racist media.

A riveting introduction to the crucial role of First Amendment rights and the media Guardians of Liberty explores the essential and basic American ideal of freedom of the press. Allowing the American press to publish—even if what they’re reporting is contentious— without previous censure or interference by the federal government was so important to the Founding Fathers that they placed a guarantee in the First Amendment to the Constitution.

Why do people celebrate Cinco de Mayo which is Spanish for May 5th? In 1861, Napoleon III sent military ships to attack Mexico. On May 5, 1862, the French met with heavy resistance from the Mexicans. What would be the outcome?

I Am the Spirit of Justice is the picture book companion to Jemar Tisby’s The Spirit of Justice and is cowritten by author and poet Malcolm Newsome with art by illustrator and activist Nadia Fisher. This beautiful and sweeping book is a great introduction to the history of civil rights for the youngest listeners and an important addition to the libraries of anyone working for justice.

When most people think of “ancient American civilizations,” the Aztec, Maya, or Inca cultures probably come to mind immediately, because the societies in Mesoamerica have left behind permanent structures for millions of visitors from around the world to see each year. At the same time, however, from about 1000-1500 CE, an equally complex culture formed along the banks of the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio Rivers.

Get ready to devour America. Adam Richman, the exuberant host of Travel Channel’s Man v. Food and Man v. Food Nation, has made it his business to root out unique dining experiences from coast to coast. Now, he zeroes in on some of his top-favorite cities - from Portland, Maine, to Savannah, Georgia - to share his uproariously entertaining food travel stories, top finds, and some invaluable (and hilarious) cautionary tales.