First Colonies History

Three small ships set out from London for the New World along a similar route as Christopher Columbus had done a little more than a century before. These brave or maybe foolish men were in search of gold and a sea passage to the riches of the Orient – they found neither. What they did find was a land filled with hardships, drought, famine, numerous deadly diseases, and a powerful Indian confederacy that controlled the region. The colony of Jamestown brought to North America, good or ill, the beginnings of slavery, a foothold in the New World for colonization, and the roots of a ...

In the first volume in the Penguin History of the United States series, edited by Eric Foner, Alan Taylor challenges the traditional story of colonial history by examining the many cultures that helped make America, from the native inhabitants from millennia past through the decades of Western colonization and conquest and across the entire continent, all the way to the Pacific coast.

People are coming to America, all kinds of people. If you're European, you come in search of freedom or riches. If you're African, you come in chains. And what about the Indians, what is happening to them? Soon 13 colonies are born, each with its own story.

Nearly 20 years before Jamestown was settled, the English established one of the earliest colonies in North America. Like other early settlements, Roanoke struggled to survive in its infancy. The colony's leader, John White, sailed back to England in 1587 to bring more supplies and help. What White found when he came back to Roanoke led to one of the most enduring mysteries in American history. Despite the fact he left over 100 people in Roanoke in 1587, White returned to literally nothing, with all traces of the settlement gone and no evidence of fighting.

A compelling, intimate portrait of John Hancock, going beyond the flamboyant signature to reveal the pivotal role that he had in the American Revolution A contemporary of Samuel Adams, John Adams, George Washington, and the Marquis de Lafayette, Hancock had a list of contacts that read like a...

In 1607, three small ships - the Discovery, Godspeed, and Susan Constant - arrived on the shores of the eastern North American coast and established the first successful British settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. For two centuries, colonists faced the challenges of life in a new world - weather, Native Indian attacks, starvation, and disease - to establish the strongest economy in the American colonies.

A sweeping history of the state of Delaware. Small in size but mighty in significance, Delaware earned its nickname "The First State" by boldly stepping into history on December 7, 1787—the first to ratify the new Constitution and set the United States on its path to nationhood. But Delaware's story reaches far beyond that pivotal moment. In this captivating installment of the Hardy Histories series, Daniel Hardy uncovers the remarkable tale of a state that has consistently punched above its weight. From the Swedish and Dutch settlements along the Delaware River to the Underground ...

“An engrossing look at the human side of Benjamin Franklin . . . Using a post-feminist lens that’s critical of gender essentialism, Stuart rescues these women from obscurity . . . This is a terrific read: poignant, provocative, and probing.” —Library Journal, Starred Review A vivid...

A centuries-old secret document unravels the origin story of America and reveals the intellectual crime of the millennia in this "hugely entertaining" dive into our country’s history to discover the first, true Declaration of Independence (Andrew Roberts, author of Napoleon and Churchill. In...

A little-known moment in colonial history that changed the course of America’s future. A riveting account of a brutal killing, an all-out manhunt, and the first murder trial in America, set against the backdrop of the Pequot War (between the Pequot tribe and the colonists of Massachusetts Bay)...

Historians still agree about the date of Columbus’s voyage. But did this European adventurer discover America? We now know that certain explorers from other parts of the globe set foot on American shores long before 1492–and that others may have done so. And “discovery” takes on a...

Award-winning historian Cassandra A. Good shows how the outspoken stepgrandchildren of George Washington played an overlooked but important role in the development of American society and politics from the Revolution to the Civil War. While it’s widely known in America that George and...

Get ready to be inspired by one of the most remarkable leaders in history, and perhaps the most well-known American of all time. "George Washington: The First American President” is an immersive and thought-provoking exploration of the life and legacy of a true visionary. Be transported to the heart of Washington's world, and witness his transformation from a young surveyor to the first President of the United States. Each chapter includes Washington's profound insights, giving you direct access to his brilliant mind and unwavering commitment to the ideals of liberty and self-government. ...