 Land Ho!
October 12, 1492 -
Christopher Columbus Saw Land!
Early in the morning on October 12, 1492, a sailor looked
out to the horizon from the bow of his sailing ship, the
Pinta, and saw land. After 10 long weeks at sea, from the
port of Palos, Spain, Columbus and his crews saw the New
World. The following day, 90 crew members from Columbus's
three-ship fleet set foot on the island of Guanahani in the
Bahamas and planted the flag of their sponsors, King
Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. Columbus continued
his exploration, discovering other lands. Do you know what
other places Columbus found as he continued his journey?
The first Columbus Day celebration in the United States took
place on October 12, 1792--300 years after his first
discovery--but it still wasn't an official holiday for
another 100 years. Days commemorating special events like
Columbus Day or birthdays of famous leaders, like Martin
Luther King Jr., become national holidays and help us
remember the important contributions these individuals made
to our country. |
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A River from Canada to Asia?
June 9, 1534 -
Jacques Cartier Sailed Up the St.
Lawrence River
When French navigator Jacques Cartier left France by boat in
April 1534, the king ordered him to find gold, spices (which
were valuable at that time), and a water passage from France
to Asia.
Two months later, on June 9, Cartier sailed into the waters
of the St. Lawrence River in eastern Canada. Although he
couldn't travel up the river all the way to Asia, Cartier
had in fact discovered an important waterway into the vast
areas of Canada.
Sailing with sixty-one men aboard his ship, Cartier ventured
north up the St. Lawrence River to Prince Edward Island,
where he made his first contact with members of the native
Iroquois Nation. The first interactions were friendly. The
tribe's chief, Donnacona, let two of his sons, Taignoagny
and Domagaya, return to France with Cartier on the condition
that they would return home.
Two years later, Cartier returned from France, bringing
Taignoagny and Domagaya with him. North of Montreal, his
ship arrived at the Lachine Rapids, which were so big that
he and his crew could not pass through. Cartier realized he
could sail no further.
Cartier's voyages to eastern Canada helped other explorers
who would establish French-speaking Canada. Have you ever
been to Montreal or Quebec? Did you know that the main
language spoken there is still French? |
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The Oldest City in the U.S.
September 8, 1565 -
A Spanish Expedition Established St.
Augustine in Florida
Did you know that the oldest continually occupied city in
the United States is in the state of Florida? On September
8, 1565, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés landed on the shore of
what is now called Matanzas Bay and began the founding of
the Presidio of San Agustin. Later the settlement would be
called St. Augustine, Florida. Built on the site of an
ancient Native American village, and near the place where
Ponce de Leon, the European discoverer of Florida, landed in
1513 in search of the legendary Fountain of Youth, it has
been continually inhabited since its founding.
Menéndez de Avilés named San Agustin for St. Augustine,
bishop of Hippo, Algeria, upon whose feast day he had
sighted the coast. The city was to serve important functions
for the Spanish Empire, defending the primary trade route to
Europe along the Atlantic Ocean's main west to east current,
called the Gulf Stream. As the territorial capital, St.
Augustine would also defend the Spanish-claimed land against
invasion.
In 1672, the Queen ordered a stronger fort be built to
replace a wooden fort, which had proved vulnerable to pirate
attack. This new one, made of shell stone, consisting of
walls 30 feet high and 12 feet thick, and surrounded by a
moat, was made to last. And last it did.
St. Augustine was ruled by the Spanish for 256 years and the
British for 20. The United States acquired the old Castillo
in 1821, and renamed it Fort Marion in 1825. The fort has
had a colorful history. It was plundered by sea raider Sir
Francis Drake, provided a refuge for Loyalists to the
British king during the American Revolution, was used as a
prison during the Indian wars, and was a battle site in the
American Civil War.
Recognizing the amazing history of the grim, massive fort,
once a symbol of Spanish power, and the oldest standing fort
in the continental United States, the U.S. government made
it a National Park in 1933. Its original name was restored
in 1942. Today, the city of St. Augustine, Florida, and the
Castillo de San Marcos provide a glimpse at the panorama of
450 years of exploration, settlement, and war in North
America. |
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A Settlement with Unsettling
Challenges
May 14, 1607 -
Jamestown Was Established
The Virginia Company of England made a daring proposition:
sail to the new, mysterious land, which they called Virginia
in honor of Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen, and begin a
settlement. They established Jamestown, Virginia, on May 14,
1607, the first permanent British settlement in North
America. Though determined, these settlers did not know what
severe challenges they would face.
Half of the Jamestown settlers were artisans, craftsmen,
soldiers, and laborers, including a tailor, a barber, and
two surgeons among them. The other half were "gentlemen,"
men of wealth who did not have a profession, and who may
have underestimated the rough work necessary to survive in
the New World. After eight months, only 60 of the 214
pioneers were still alive. Among the survivors was Captain
John Smith, adventurer and explorer. Despite the hardships,
he kept the colony going with his solid leadership those
first two years, as Jamestown grew to 500 with new arrivals
from England. After he left in 1609, however, more trouble
came.
Weather conditions were rough and supplies were low. Only 60
of the 500 colonists survived the harsh winter that followed
Smith's departure. Jamestown, though it possessed a good
harbor, was swampy, infested with mosquitoes, and lacked
freshwater sources. The people fought against disease,
famine, and the Algonquian Indians, whose land the British
settlers now claimed. The Algonquian chief, Powhatan, at
first allowed the visitors to settle, build, and farm in his
territory, but as more and more came, he grew tired of the
colonists' expansion on his land. Some of the tribe attacked
settlers working in the fields.
But there were some years of peace and prosperity. Peace
came when Pocahontas, daughter of chief Powhatan, married
John Rolfe, a tobacco farmer in Jamestown. Also, new
supplies and leadership eventually arrived from England.
An event of momentous consequence took place in 1619, when a
Dutch slave trader exchanged a cargo of captive Africans for
food. The Africans became indentured servants, trading labor
for shelter and eventual freedom. They were among the first
African Americans in the colonies. Racial slavery would not
become a common occurrence until 1680. For all, the struggle
for land and survival continued, but Jamestown was just the
beginning. What else do you know about early settlers in
North America? |
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 Saved by Pocahontas
September 10, 1608 -
John Smith Became a Leader of
Jamestown
Did the Indian princess Pocahontas really save his life? Was
he really captured and sold into slavery in Turkey, escaping
with the love of a Turkish woman? John Smith may have been
the first romantic of America; he certainly became an
appreciated leader. Explorer, adventurer, writer, and
cartographer, Smith assumed a leadership role at the
Jamestown settlement on September 10, 1608. On the Atlantic
coast of present-day Virginia, Jamestown was the first
British settlement in North America, founded in 1607. At
first, Smith wasn't even considered for the government.
The charismatic and controversial Smith was originally
excluded from the government of the settlement on the
grounds that he had conspired to mutiny during the voyage to
Virginia. But because of his strength and ingenuity, the
people of Jamestown needed him. He began to run things long
before he officially received his post, leading the settlers
through struggles against disease, starvation, and frequent
raids upon the settlement by the Native American tribes. A
brash figure with a bold self-confidence, Smith brought his
soldiering experience to Virginia.
Smith claimed that, while fighting in Transylvania, Hungary,
against the Turks in 1600, he had been wounded, captured,
and sold into slavery in Turkey. Smith said that a Turkish
woman had fallen in love with him and helped him escape.
Whether that is a "tall tale" or not, his most famous
Jamestown experience, equally as romantic and daring, has
become a legendary story in American history. Captured and
brought before Algonquin Chief Powhatan in December 1607,
Pocahontas, the chief's young daughter, supposedly saved
Smith's life by throwing herself between him and his
would-be executioners.
In the summer of 1608, Jamestown prospered. Smith was
injured in a gunpowder accident in 1609 and was forced to
return to England. Returning in 1614, he dubbed the region
to the north of Virginia, New England. Do you think Smith's
stories are true? You might want to read more of Captain
Smith's adventures in his book, Historie of Virginia,
New-England, and the Summer Isles, published in 1624. |
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Sailing to Albany!
September 3, 1609 -
Henry Hudson and His Crew Sailed into
the River that Would Bear His Name
How did the Hudson River in New York and New Jersey get its
name? On the misty morning of September 3, 1609, explorer
Henry Hudson and his crew aboard the Half Moon sailed into
the majestic river off the Atlantic coast by chance. Strong
head winds and storms forced them to abandon the northeast
voyage they had been assigned. Rather than return to Holland
with nothing to report, the crew voted to look for the
Northwest Passage, a legendary waterway that would carry a
ship all the way from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.
They passed by the island we know today as Manhattan and
sailed up the river.
Hudson was not the first European explorer to discover this
river. The Florentine navigator Giovanni da Verrazano
discovered the Hudson in 1524. But Henry Hudson traveled the
river much farther than its previous explorer. After 150
miles, the Half Moon did not reach the Pacific, but it did
reach what would later become Albany, New York. There, they
turned around. But as a result of Hudson's exploration, the
river bears his name today.
Hudson was a headstrong but courageous commander. Though he
often mismanaged his crews by playing favorites or letting
morale suffer, he was a competent navigator. He undertook
four dangerous voyages, and made huge contributions to
geographical knowledge. His exploration of the Hudson River
led to Dutch colonization of the area.
The Hudson River, once known to the Mohican Indians as
Muhheakunnuk ("Great Waters Constantly in Motion"), was the
site of key battles in the American Revolution. It also
inspired an important phase of landscape painting called the
Hudson River school that celebrated the natural beauty of
the American landscape. Today, the Hudson is one of the
nation's most important waterways. Oceangoing ships can
navigate the river to Albany year-round. Pleasure boats and
tugboat and barge traffic can reach the Great Lakes from May
to November. Cargo such as wood pulp, steel, cocoa beans,
grain, and scrap metal rely on the Hudson for deliveries.
The U.S. Military Academy at West Point overlooks the Hudson
too. What would Henry Hudson say if he saw that river today? |
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Freedom in Rhode Island
February 5, 1631 -
Roger Williams, Founder of Rhode
Island, Arrived in Boston
What is your religion or spiritual belief? In the U.S., we
can take it for granted that people are free to follow any
belief they wish. Elsewhere, this often isn't the case.
During the 17th century, people left England to escape
religious persecution. Many colonists came to America to be
able to freely practice their religions. Roger Williams was
a defender of religious liberty who arrived in Boston on
February 5, 1631.
Ordained to the ministry in the Church of England, Williams
discovered Puritanism, a reform movement that developed
within the Church of England, during his first parish duty.
He converted. Soon after, he was asked to be minister in the
Massachusetts Bay Colony. Leaving behind the religious
intolerance under England's King Charles I, he and his wife
journeyed across the ocean to join the "American Experiment"
in Boston in 1631. At first, Williams just wanted to reform
the Church of England; soon, he sought separation
completely.
Many of Williams's parishioners did not agree with his idea
to separate from the Church of England. He then became
minister in Salem. There, his ideas also proved too radical.
He went to Plymouth but again fell into disfavor. Williams
insisted that land must be purchased from the Indians,
rather than taken from them forcefully, in order to claim
title to it. He again went to Salem and was eventually put
on trial in 1635 for his views. His sentence was banishment.
Williams then purchased land from the Narragansett Indians
and established the settlement of Providence, Rhode Island.
Williams founded the colony of Rhode Island based upon
principles of complete religious toleration, separation of
church and state, and political democracy (values that the
U.S. would later be founded upon). It became a refuge for
people persecuted for their religious beliefs. Anabaptists,
Quakers, and Jews settled in Rhode Island. After forming the
first Baptist church in America, Williams left it to seek
spirituality in different ways. He stopped preaching to his
friends, the Indians, when he realized that their form of
worship also fell under his principle of religious freedom.
He declared, "forced worship stinks in God's nostrils."
Williams's ideas were radical at the time, but can you
imagine living in a place without religious freedom now? |
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The Tale and Music of Old Maryland
March 25, 1634 -
Maryland Day
Do you know how Maryland and the city of Baltimore got their
names? On March 25, Marylanders celebrate Maryland Day to
honor the arrival of the first colonists to the land King
Charles I of England chartered to Lord Baltimore in 1634. He
named the land after the King's wife, Henrietta Maria, or
Mary. Lord Baltimore had almost complete control over the
colony as long as he paid the King a share of all the gold
or silver discovered on the land. Who came to this new
colony?
Catholics escaping religious persecution in England saw
Maryland as a safe haven. The colony even passed an act
ensuring religious liberty and justice to those who believed
in Jesus Christ in 1649. Besides the busy port of Baltimore,
another important city in Maryland is Annapolis, established
as the capital in 1694 and home to the U.S. Naval Academy,
founded in 1845. You can see the grounds and surrounding
city in this photo. When do you think Maryland became a
state, and what famous song was written here?
In 1788, Maryland entered the Union as the seventh state to
ratify the U.S. Constitution. During the War of 1812, the
British bombarded Baltimore's Fort McHenry "with bombs
bursting in air." Watching this was a young lawyer named
Francis Scott Key, who wrote the lyrics to "The
Star-Spangled Banner" based on his eyewitness account.
Maryland has an even more fascinating history. Ask your
family what they know about the state, and while you're at
it, try humming a few bars of our national anthem, written
by a Marylander. |
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 How Harvard University Got Its Name
September 14, 1638 -
Clergyman John Harvard Died
Harvard University is a world-renowned college that educated
six U.S. presidents and many other famous Americans. It's
hard to imagine that this prestigious university started out
with nine students and one instructor. Do you know how
Harvard got its name? On September 14, 1638, John Harvard, a
31-year-old clergyman from Charlestown, Massachusetts, died,
leaving his library and half his estate to a local, newly
established college. The young minister's gift provided the
college with some needed stability. In his honor, it was
called Harvard College.
Founded by the General Court of Massachusetts in 1636,
Harvard is America's oldest institution of higher learning.
Since its days as a single classroom, it has grown into a
highly regarded university with more than 18,000 students
and 2,000 faculty members, including numerous Nobel Prize
winners. Harvard's main campus is also one of the country's
most scenic. With an endowment (the part of an institution's
income derived from donations) of $11 billion, the
university is the country's wealthiest. Harvard based its
original curriculum on the classics taught in European
universities and on the Puritanism preached in the American
colonies.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the college diversified,
turning toward intellectual independence. In 1879, its
"sister" school, Radcliffe College, formed, making Harvard's
resources available to women. In addition to its law and
medical schools, Harvard established schools of business,
dentistry, medicine, and arts and sciences, becoming a major
modern university at the turn of the 20th century. Alumni in
some of these fields include writers Henry David Thoreau,
W.E.B. Du Bois, and T.S. Eliot; former member of Congress
Patricia Schroeder and Vice President Al Gore. Do you know
anyone who has attended Harvard? |
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A Mover and a Quaker
October 14, 1644 -
William Penn Was Born
How did Pennsylvania get its name? Its founder, English
reformer William Penn, born on October 14, 1644, in London,
England, named it in honor of his father.
Persecuted in England for his Quaker faith, Penn came to
America in 1682 and established Pennsylvania as a place
where people could enjoy freedom of religion. The colony
became a haven for minority religious sects from Germany,
Holland, Scandinavia, and Great Britain. Penn obtained the
land from King Charles II as payment for a debt owed to his
deceased father.
Born the privileged son of a land-owning gentleman, young
William Penn was greatly affected by the preaching of Quaker
minister Thomas Loe. Expelled from Oxford University in
England in 1662 for refusing to conform to the Anglican
Church, Penn joined the Quakers. He was locked up in the
Tower of London four times for stating his beliefs in public
and in print. After his father died in 1670, Penn inherited
the family estates and began to frequent the court of King
Charles II, campaigning for religious freedom.
Seeing no prospects for religious tolerance or political
reform in England, Penn looked to America, which he had
visited briefly in 1677. In a 1682 document, Penn guaranteed
absolute freedom of worship in Pennsylvania. Rich in fertile
lands as well as religious freedom, the colony attracted
settlers and grew rapidly.
Penn is also remembered for peaceful interaction with the
Lenni Lenape Indians and his draft of the Plan of Union, a
forerunner of the U.S. Constitution. Thanks to William Penn,
Pennsylvania, which guaranteed religious freedom for its
citizens, was established in the New World. |
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Bubble Bubble, Toil, and Trouble
March 1, 1692 -
Salem Witch Trials
In Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692, many people believed in
and feared witchcraft. Consequently, when two young girls
fell into trances and had seizures that doctors could not
explain, many people in the town said witchcraft was to
blame. On March 1, 1692, authorities charged three women,
Sarah Goode, Sarah Osborne, and a slave woman named Tituba,
with practicing witchcraft.
Nearly 150 men and women filled prisons from Salem and
surrounding towns. These prisoners were alleged, or charged
without proof, of practicing witchcraft. Many of them died
in prison, some were hanged, and one was crushed to death.
During this time, many people believed in witches and were
quick to believe when someone was accused of witchcraft. A
recent epidemic of small pox, threats of Indian attacks, and
small town rivalries lead to this panic. This kind of group
panic is sometimes called "mass hysteria." Governor William
Phips of Massachusetts put an end to the witch trials on
October 29, 1692. |
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Deerfield Invasion
February 29, 1704 -
Raid of Deerfield, Massachusetts in
Queen Anne's War
The colonists in the tiny frontier settlement of Deerfield,
Massachusetts in 1704 were aware of surrounding danger. The
French and British were fighting Queen Anne's War for
control of the continent. Deerfield, under British rule, was
in danger of attack by the French. As a precaution, the town
folk stayed within the town's palisade, a tall wooden fence
enclosing the area. But they did not expect an attack in the
middle of winter. On February 29, 1704, between 200 and 300
French soldiers and their Native American allies surprised
and raided Deerfield. The results for the townspeople were
disastrous.
Deerfield quickly fell to its invaders. Some Fifty English
men, women, and children were killed and more than 100
residents were driven on a forced march through heavy snows
to Canada. Deerfield's minister, the Reverend John Williams,
his wife and five children, were among the captives.
Approximately Twenty of the prisoners died along the way.
Mrs. Williams was one of them. The minister, however,
survived the trip. After more than a year as a prisoner of
war, he and nearly 60 other captives returned to
Massachusetts. But some stayed, joining either Native
American or French society.
Reverend Williams memorialized his Canadian experience in a
book, The Redeemed Captive Returning to Zion, first printed
in 1707. In it, he tells his story and that of his family
and parishioners. Although four of his children returned
home with him, his daughter, Eunice Williams, remained in
Canada, joining the Mohawk tribe. She took the name A'ongote,
which means "She (was) taken and placed (as a member of
their tribe)," and in early 1713, she married a Native
American man. In 1713, Queen Anne's War ended. France and
England did not do battle in America again until the French
and Indian War of 1754. The people of Deerfield could
rebuild their town and, for a while, rest easy. |
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Reading the Stars
November 9, 1731 -
Mathematician and Astronomer Benjamin
Banneker Was Born
What do you see when you look at the stars? Benjamin
Banneker saw astronomical patterns from which he could make
calculations and predictions. A mathematician and
astronomer, Benjamin Banneker was born on November 9, 1731,
in Ellicott's Mills, Maryland.
Largely self-taught, Banneker was one of the first African
Americans to gain distinction in science. His significant
accomplishments include the successful prediction of a solar
eclipse, publishing his own almanac, and the surveying of
Washington, D.C. Banneker spent most of his life on his
family's 100-acre farm outside Baltimore. There, he taught
himself astronomy by watching the stars and learned advanced
mathematics from borrowed textbooks.
In 1752, Banneker attracted attention by building a clock
entirely out of wood. The first ever built in America, it
kept precise time for decades. Twenty years later, Banneker
again caused a stir, when he successfully forecast a 1789
solar eclipse. His correct prediction contradicted those of
better-known mathematicians and astronomers. Banneker's
abilities impressed many people, including Thomas Jefferson,
who recommended him for the surveying team that laid out
Washington, D.C., making it the monumental capital it is
today.
In his free time, Banneker wrote the Pennsylvania, Delaware,
Maryland, and Virginia Almanac and Ephemeris. The almanac
included information on medicines and medical treatment, and
listed tides, astronomical information, and eclipses
calculated by Banneker himself. He published the journal
annually from 1791 to 1802.
On August 19, 1791, Banneker sent a copy of his first
almanac to Thomas Jefferson, then secretary of state. In an
enclosed letter, he questioned the slave owner's sincerity
as a "friend to liberty." He urged Jefferson to help get rid
of "absurd and false ideas" that one race is superior to
another. He wished Jefferson's sentiments to be the same as
his, that "one Universal Father . . . afforded us all the
same sensations and endowed us all with the same faculties."
Jefferson responded with praise for Banneker's
accomplishments. |
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The Clue In The Letter
February 22, 1732 -
George Washington Was Born
Americans celebrate George Washington's birthday on the
Monday before his actual day of birth. Since Washington was
born 20 years before the introduction of the calendar we use
today it can be difficult to figure out the exact day of his
birth. Fortunately, someone left a clue in a letter.
A clue to George Washington's birth date is found in this
1790 letter by Tobias Lear, Washington's secretary and close
friend. Lear wrote that the president's "birth day" was on
the 11th February Old Style. By "Old Style," Lear meant the
Julian Calendar, the calendar in use when Washington was
born. When the Julian Calendar was "corrected" to the
Gregorian Calendar in 1752, Washington's birth date and year
moved from February 11, 1731, to February 22, 1732.
Letters such as Lear's were an important form of
communication in 18th century America. They were so
important that people sometimes kept letter books, large
bound volumes used to hold copies of the letters they both
received and wrote. What clues and information about the
21st century might people find in your letters or e-mails? |
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"Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!"
May 29, 1736 -
Patrick Henry Was Born
Have you ever heard someone speak so passionately that the
speech moved you to do something? Even as a young man,
Patrick Henry had that kind of influence in the American
Colonies. Born on May 29, 1736, Henry, a natural leader and
a brilliant speaker, believed in individual rights and
independence from the British government. As a young lawyer,
he astonished his courtroom audience in 1763 with an
eloquent defense based on the idea of natural rights, the
political theory that humans are born with certain
inalienable (incapable of being surrendered) rights. The
idea of natural rights is central to the Declaration of
Independence. Does this sentence from the Declaration sound
familiar to you? "We hold these Truths to be self-evident,
that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among
these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."
It was in St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia, that
Patrick Henry delivered his most famous speech. With war
against Great Britain looming, Henry proclaimed, "I know not
what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty
or give me death!"
As the first governor of Virginia and as a state legislator,
Henry continued to have profound influence on the
development of the new nation. He worked for the addition of
the first ten amendments to the Constitution. Known as the
Bill of Rights, they guarantee certain freedoms, such as the
freedom of speech and religion. Can you imagine the U.S.
without such rights? |
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Can I Get Your Autograph, Mr.
Hancock?
January 12, 1737 -
John Hancock Was Born
When you sign your name, that's known as giving your John
Hancock. Born on this day in 1737, John Hancock is most
famous for his bold signature. On August 2, 1776, he was the
first member of the Continental Congress to sign the
Declaration of Independence, the document first demanding
independence for the United States from the rule of Great
Britain. (The Declaration was "adopted," or accepted, on
July 4, 1776.) How do you sign your name?
Hancock wrote his name in big, bold letters that day, acting
as president of the Second Continental Congress. Do you
think he may have practiced writing his signature?
John Hancock had more than just a pretty signature. He was a
man who knew how to get things done. He commissioned our
future first president, George Washington, as commander in
chief of the Army of the United Colonies in 1775. After the
Revolution, Hancock, as governor of Massachusetts, led his
state toward ratification of the U.S. Constitution. He was
also active in creating a navy for the new nation. He died
in 1793 while serving his ninth term as Massachusetts'
governor. So the next time someone asks you for your
autograph, think of John Hancock. |
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Fighting For Freedom
September 9, 1739 -
Stono's Rebellion
Early on the morning of Sunday, September 9, 1739, 20 black
slaves met in secret near the Stono River in South Carolina
to plan their escape to freedom. Minutes later, they burst
into Hutcheson's store at Stono's bridge, killed the two
storekeepers, and stole the guns and powder inside.
The group of slaves grew in number as they headed south.
Stono's Rebellion, the largest slave uprising in the
Colonies prior to the American Revolution, was under way.
Stono's rebellion was only one among the 250 rebellions
documented in the Colonies and later in the southern United
States. In 1822, a conspiracy to incite 9,000 slaves became
known as Vesey's Rebellion. After Nat Turner's Rebellion in
1831, where nearly 60 white people were killed, Turner was
executed.
When the slave owners caught up with the rebels from the
Stono River in 1739, they engaged the 60 to 100 slaves in a
battle. More than 20 white Carolinians, and nearly twice as
many black Carolinians, were killed. As a result, South
Carolina's lawmakers enacted a harsher slave code. This new
code severely limited the privileges of slaves. They were no
longer allowed to grow their own food, assemble in groups,
earn their own money or learn to read. Some of these
restrictions were already in place, but they had not been
strictly enforced. |
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The Clever General
August 7, 1742 -
Nathanael Greene Was Born
You probably know a lot about George Washington, but do you
know anything about his friends? Nathanael Greene was born
August 7, 1742, in Putowomut, Rhode Island. He was one of
Washington's closest friends; Greene even named his son
after George. Like Washington, Nathanael Greene was a
Revolutionary War hero.
In 1781, Nathanael Greene fought the famous British General
Lord Cornwallis. Greene knew he had to be clever. He was
commander in chief of the southern army, but he knew that
Cornwallis had far more soldiers than the Americans. How
could he fight an army that was bigger than his own and
expect to win? Ever hear the phrase "divide and conquer?"
General Greene forced Cornwallis's troops to split up and
fight in two different areas at the same time. Thanks to
Greene's plan, the British retreated from Cowpens, South
Carolina, to the city of Charleston, South Carolina. Later
that year, General Cornwallis surrendered to Greene's good
friend, General Washington. |
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The Multitalented Mr. Jefferson
April 13, 1743 -
Thomas Jefferson Was Born
Do you know someone who is talented in many different ways?
Perhaps you are, like Thomas Jefferson. Born on April 13,
1743, in Albemarle County, Virginia, Jefferson was a
musician, artist, architect, mathematician, astronomer,
scientist, legislator, philosopher, writer, diplomat,
jurist, gardener, and president of the United States. Whew!
In these roles, Jefferson accomplished many things. Can you
name any of his achievements?
Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence at the age
of 33. He drafted the Virginia State Bill for Establishing
Religious Freedom in 1777. (It was finally passed in 1786.)
In the election of 1800, Jefferson beat out his old friend
John Adams to become the third president of the new United
States. After two terms as president, Jefferson retired to
his home, Monticello, in Charlottesville, Virginia. A great
collector of books, Jefferson sold his personal library to
Congress to rebuild the collection of the Library of
Congress. The Library's books had been destroyed by fire in
1814. Considering all Jefferson had done during his public
life, can you guess what accomplishments he was most proud
of?
Jefferson asked that only three of his many accomplishments
be engraved on his tombstone: Author of the Declaration of
American Independence; Author of the Virginia Statute for
Religious Freedom; and Father of the University of Virginia
(he founded, designed, and directed the building of the
university in 1819).
Do you know any more of Jefferson's achievements? What
achievements are you most proud of? Ask your friends and
family the same. |
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Do You Know This Founding Father?
December 12, 1745 -
John Jay, One of the Nation's
Founding Fathers, Was Born
When someone talks about the founding fathers of the United
States, to whom are they referring? Generally it's the men
that helped to bring independence to the Colonies and create
a Constitution that would ensure democracy and a balance of
powers in the new country. One of these men is John Jay.
Born on December 12, 1745, to a prominent and wealthy family
in the Province of New York, Jay attended Columbia
University and then practiced law. Establishing a reputation
in New York, Jay was elected to serve as delegate to the
First and Second Continental Congresses. These groups
debated whether the Colonies should declare independence
from Britain.
Jay held numerous posts of public importance throughout the
Revolutionary crisis, including president of the Continental
Congress and peace commissioner, in which he negotiated
treaties with Spain and France. In 1784, Jay was named
Secretary of Foreign Affairs, one of the nation's
highest-ranking diplomatic posts. After the war, Jay joined
Alexander Hamilton and James Madison in arguing for the
creation of a new and more powerful, but balanced system of
government. They explained their proposed system in the
Federalist Papers, a series of 85 articles, five of them
written by Jay.
In 1789, George Washington nominated Jay as the first chief
justice of the Supreme Court. Jay's most notable case was
Chisholm v. Georgia (1793), in which Jay and the court
established that the federal government ultimately has power
over the states.
Jay went on to negotiate with Great Britain for the
Northwest Territory, and in 1795, became governor of New
York before retiring from politics in 1802. John Jay laid
much of the groundwork upon which the U.S. was built and
flourished. He is one of our nation's founding fathers |
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Livingston, I Presume
November 27, 1746 -
Statesman Robert R. Livingston Was
Born
He was a jurist, a statesman and a political leader of the
Revolutionary period; George Washington sent him a pamphlet
on the cultivation of potatoes; and he had a lot to do with
steam. Who is he? Robert R. Livingston, born on November 27,
1746. Livingston served on numerous committees in the
Continental Congress, including the one that drafted the
Declaration of Independence. He helped draft New York's
first constitution, and served as minister to France at the
time of the Louisiana Purchase.
Born into a wealthy and influential New York family,
Livingston studied at King's College--today known as
Columbia University--where he met fellow lawyer John Jay,
who would later become the first chief justice of the U.S.
Supreme Court. They set up a legal practice together, until
the British appointed Livingston to a New York City judicial
post. He quickly lost his post, however, when the British
learned of his support for independence for the American
Colonies. Livingston, acting upon his beliefs in June 1776,
joined Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and
Roger Sherman to draft the Declaration of Independence,
adopted by the 13 colonies on July 4, 1776. His name did not
appear on the document, though, because he was back in New
York when the official signing took place on August 2, 1776.
What did Livingston have to do with potatoes and steam?
Livingston was one of the founders of the Society for the
Promotion of Agriculture, Arts and Manufactures. George
Washington, whom Livingston swore into office as the first
president in 1789, shared Livingston's interests in
agriculture and frequently wrote him letters discussing the
topic. Along with one letter, Washington sent Livingston a
pamphlet on growing potatoes. Livingston made a lot of steam
with his brother-in-law, inventor John Stevens, when they
experimented with steam navigation. Livingston also
supported Robert Fulton, whose steamship, Clermont, named
for Livingston's estate in New York, became the first
successful steam-propelled vessel. As you can see, Robert R.
Livingston was not just full of steam. |
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The First Synagogue in the British
Colonies
December 2, 1763 -
First Jewish Synagogue Was Dedicated
in the United States
Many settlers traveled to the American colonies for freedom
of worship. Quakers, Puritans, Jews, and people of other
faiths arrived to create communities in what would become
the United States. On December 2, 1763, members of the
Jewish community of Newport, Rhode Island, witnessed the
dedication of the Touro Synagogue, the first synagogue in
the American colonies. The synagogue was named for Isaac
Touro, its first officiating rabbi. Touro became the center
of a thriving Jewish community.
Organized Jewish community life in Newport dates to 1658,
when 15 families arrived from overseas to establish a
congregation in the growing seaport. For more than 100
years, the community relied on correspondence with rabbis in
Europe to sustain their religious traditions in the New
World. As a commercial center, Newport thrived, with
merchants active in the sea trade.
Many famous people have visited Newport over the years. In
1790, the Hebrew congregation of Newport welcomed George
Washington to their city. A hundred years later, Newport was
welcoming wealthy vacationers to its shores. It became a
favorite holiday spot for the rich, with its temperate
climate and scenic views. The town is filled with "cottages"
such as The Breakers, built for the wealthy Cornelius
Vanderbilt. You can still visit lovely Newport and the Touro
Synagogue today. |
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