Books in Building America series

English nobleman George Calvert wanted to establish a colony in the New World not one like his first colony, Newfoundland, which he found to be too cold. Instead he wanted land in the temperate Chesapeake Bay area, where his colonists could grow tobacco. King Charles I granted his wish. Named for Henrietta Mary, Charles s wife, the new colony of Maryland was established in 1634. Also known as Lord Baltimore, Calvert was a Catholic at a time when Protestants controlled the English government. He wanted Maryland to be a place where Catholics and anyone else could worship in freedom. As the British crown was passed through its heirs, favoring Protestants, then Catholics, then Protestants again, Maryland felt the ripples of unrest on its side of the Atlantic. Follow the story of how Maryland came to be a colony and how it fought for its borders with Virginia and Pennsylvania. Find out how in the end, it pulled together with those and the other colonies first to repel the encroaching French, and then to shrug off the tyranny of England.

The 14-vol. set of Building America chronicles the massive undertakings that mark some of the greatest triumphs of human engineering. These projects are a testament to the boldness of human ingenuity and a tribute to the brave spirit of the American people. It is that special spirit that is now captured in the pages of Building America. Included in these volumes are: 40-45 photos Chronology Glossary Further Reading Section Source Notes Index

In 1606, one hundred and five men left England for the western shores of the Chesapeake Bay. They were looking for adventure, land, and treasure. Instead of gold and silver, the men found a dark and mysterious wilderness. A few, like John Smith, found friendship with the local natives. Others found new lives, hacked out of the Virginia wilderness. Most, however, found disease, starvation, and eventually death. Two-thirds of the original Jamestown settlers died within the first year. Still, the English kept coming. Land and opportunity were worth the risks. By the 1621, Jamestown had grown to 1,200 settlers, and people from the first successful English colony began to branch out and settle other towns. The Building America series tells the story of the early years in which America struggled to become an independent nation. Jamestown: The First English Colony details the extraordinary circumstances and often harrowing experiences overcome by the persistent Englishmen who wanted to settle in Virginia.

Hailed as one of the seven modern engineering wonders of the United States and the "eighth wonder of the world," Grand Coulee Dam was the largest dam ever built when it was completed in 1941. It stands 550 feet high -- as tall as a 55-story building. It contains almost 12 million cubic feet of concrete -- enough concrete to build a 6-foot-wide sidewalk around the world at the equator! More than 12,000 people worked to build the Grand Coulee Dam, and at least 72 men died doing it. Estimates report than 150 million hours of human labor went into the dam's construction.

The 14-vol. set of Building America chronicles the massive undertakings that mark some of the greatest triumphs of human engineering. These projects are a testament to the boldness of human ingenuity and a tribute to the brave spirit of the American people. It is that special spirit that is now captured in the pages of Building America. Included in these volumes are: 40-45 photos Chronology Glossary Further Reading Section Source Notes Index

The 14-vol. set of Building America chronicles the massive undertakings that mark some of the greatest triumphs of human engineering. These projects are a testament to the boldness of human ingenuity and a tribute to the brave spirit of the American people. It is that special spirit that is now captured in the pages of Building America. Included in these volumes are: 40-45 photos Chronology Glossary Further Reading Section Source Notes Index