First Colonies History

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.

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 ...

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.

New York Times Bestseller Editors' Choice —New York Times Book Review ""Ricks knocks it out of the park with this jewel of a book. On every page I learned something new. Read it every night if you want to restore your faith in our country."" —James Mattis, General, U.S. Marines (ret.) & 26th...

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.

Discover the gripping Black history of a Caribbean revolution that shattered an empire and forged a free nation. Perfect for your daily commute or a focused afternoon listen, this immersive historical journey transports you into the brutal yet fiercely resilient sugar colonies of the Atlantic...

* Pre-order David J. Silverman's next audiobook, The Chosen and The Damned: Native Americans and the Making of Race in the United States. Coming February 2026. * Bloomsbury presents This Land Is Their Land by David J. Silverman, read by William Roberts. Ahead of the 400th anniversary of the...

This is the story of the first 13 American colonies, from the time of their first settlement until the eve of the French and Indian War. This was the beginning of the colonial era when the process of creating America as we know it began. The history of the 13 colonies is the beginning of the United States History as many of our traditions, laws and much of our culture began.

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 ...

The convicts were sent away as Britain’s problem. They became part of Australia’s foundation. The Convict Nation tells the story of the transported men and women who helped shape early Australia through punishment, labour, survival, resistance, and reinvention. Britain sent convicts across the world to remove them from sight, punish them by distance, and use their labour in a new imperial settlement. But once they arrived in New South Wales, their story changed. They became workers, servants, road builders, domestic labourers, mothers, fathers, runaways, rebels, ticket holders, ...

From acclaimed historian and biographer Rebecca Fraser comes a vivid narrative history of the Mayflower and of the Winslow family, who traveled to America in search of a new world. The voyage of the Mayflower and the founding of Plymouth Colony is one of the seminal events in world history. But...

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 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...

Explore turbulent Australian history as ancient cultures clash with penal colony survival to forge a modern nation. Whether settling in for a daily commute or seeking a reflective escape, this sweeping narrative transports you across time. Listen as distant decisions reshape vast landscapes...

Convicts, Colonies, and Survival They were sent away to disappear. Instead, they built something new. Australia began not as a dream of opportunity, but as a desperate solution to a British problem. By the late 1700s, Britain’s prisons were overflowing. For decades, criminals had been transported to the American colonies. But after the American Revolution, that option vanished overnight. Faced with overcrowded jails and rising crime, the British government made a radical decision. They would send their prisoners to the farthest edge of the known world. In 1787, the First Fleet set sail ...

Experience the thrilling geopolitical survival of an enclave trapped between Chinese dynasties and European empires. This immersive historical narrative sweeps you from the Ming era into the Cold War, capturing the intense drama of a high-stakes maritime crossroads. Perfect for your daily...

Explore the epic African history of mighty empires and the fierce fight for independence that shaped a modern nation. Whether you are commuting or settling into a focused listening session, this triumphant narrative transports you across centuries of West African heritage. Witness the...

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)...

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 Martha...

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.