Books in Key Questions in American History series

Dozens of fun, hands-on projects and activities from the days of the American pioneers Join twelve-year-old Sam Butler and his nine-year-old sister, Liz, on the American frontier in 1843. Discover the hard work, fun, and adventure of their daily lives, and along the way learn how to play games, make toys and crafts, and perform everyday activities just like Liz and Sam. You can make your own homemade soda pop and cook up a batch of johnnycakes. Use clay to create your own pottery and design a string of African trade beads, or learn the Native American art of sandpainting. You can even make your own holiday decorations out of dough or pinecones--if you're not too busy playing tangram, a Chinese puzzle game, or a beanbag target game. Pioneer Days is filled with interesting bits of historical information and fun facts about growing up in days gone by. Discover how different--and how similar--life was for American kids in history. Watch for Colonial Days the next exciting book in the American Kids in History series!

When the Missouri Territory applied for statehood in 1818, the United States had an equal number of free states and slave states. The territory's leaders wanted Missouri to be a slave state. But that would have destroyed the balance of representation in Congress. A heated debate broke out. The southern representatives and Missouri's leaders thought states should be able to decide the slavery question for themselves. Northern members of Congress thought otherwise. Would the Union split apart over the question of slavery? The Missouri Compromise settled the argument and saved the Union―temporarily. So why was the Missouri Compromise of 1820 so controversial? Who was the great compromiser? What were the terms of the Missouri Compromise? Discover the facts about one of the most debated compromises in U.S. history.

In September 1774, American colonial leaders gathered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. From New Hampshire to Georgia, colonists were angry about the taxes they were forced to pay to Great Britain. But Britain’s King George III and the British government refused to listen to the colonists. Decisionmakers from each American colony held a congress―a formal meeting―to discuss what the colonies should do. Some leaders wanted to make peace with Britain. Others wanted to break free of British rule―even if that meant going to war. In the spring of 1776, the members reached a decision. They wrote, voted on, and issued the Declaration of Independence. This important document announced that the newly united American states were no longer a part of Great Britain. So why were many colonists against paying taxes to Great Britain? Who actually wrote the Declaration of Independence? Why do we celebrate on July 4? Discover the facts about the Declaration of Independence and learn about its place in American history.

On a cold evening in December 1773, a group of men climbed aboard three ships docked in Boston Harbor. Armed with hatchets, the men began breaking into the ships’ valuable cargo―342 crates of tea. They dumped the tea into the black water of the harbor and then marched back home through the city streets. This “Boston Tea Party” was a bold act of protest by American colonists against British rule. It pushed the colonies and Great Britain a step closer to war. But who were these protestors? Why would they risk angering the powerful British government? And how did the British respond? Discover the facts about the Boston Tea Party and the colonists’ struggle for independent rule.

"The civil rights movement, led by such icons as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, strived to achieve civil rights for African Americans and other minority groups in the United States. Gaining national attention in the mid-1950s, the civil rights movement is characterized by different protests, both nonviolent and violent, asserting that African Americans are equal to white Americans. Such protests as the Montgomery bus boycott and the March on Washington worked to change the way that the local, state, and federal governments perceived African Americans. How successful were their efforts? This book explores the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and addresses their effects during and after the civil rights movement" -- www.rosenpublishing.com

William Penn was only twenty-two years old the first time he went to prison. He had attended a meeting of the Quakers, people who practiced a religion forbidden in Britain during the 1600s. Despite the dangers, Penn became a Quaker leader, and he dreamed of a place where people could freely practice religion. Britain's king later gave Penn one of the British colonies in North America. In Pennsylvannia, Penn organized a new kind of government―a place where people had individual rights, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and trial by jury. So why was the Quaker religion forbidden? How did William Penn get so much land from the king? What was Penn’s "holy experiment"? Discover the facts about the beginnings of Pennsylvania and learn about its importance to what later became the U.S. government.

"After many years of colonist uprisings, colonial Patriots finally decided to band together and fight for their independence from Great Britain Lexierican Revolution started off as a war between the colonists and the British Empire, but other countries eventually became involved. The war officially ended on September 3, 1783, giving the colonies their independence. In the years after the American Revolution, several other countries had revolutions, such as the French Revolution. It's important for your readers to learn that the American Revolution was certainly not the first revolution to occur in history, but it was one of the first revolutions felt throughout the world, and was indeed, entirely revolutionary."--Provided by publisher.

"Readers will explore an essential topic through this book. In the United States, slavery was an important institution for many farmers, especially in the southern states. However, many people fought against slavery as a legal practice. One of the causes of the Civil War was slavery and, in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing slaves in the states that rebelled against the Union. Although slaves were officially free, many practices such as sharecropping were instituted in some southern states, effectively preventing former slaves from improving their lives. The abolition movement successfully freed slaves, but former slaves had a long way to go before they were truly free."--Provided by publisher.

"After many years of colonist uprisings, colonial Patriots finally decided to band together and fight for their independence from Great Britain Lexierican Revolution started off as a war between the colonists and the British Empire, but other countries eventually became involved. The war officially ended on September 3, 1783, giving the colonies their independence. In the years after the American Revolution, several other countries had revolutions, such as the French Revolution. It's important for your readers to learn that the American Revolution was certainly not the first revolution to occur in history, but it was one of the first revolutions felt throughout the world, and was indeed, entirely revolutionary."--Provided by publisher.