Originally published as a section of the author’s larger “Conversations in Early American History: 1492-1763,” this Kindle edition, equivalent in length to a physical book of approximately 60 pages, clearly explains, in easy-to-follow question-and-answer format, the key events of American history from Christopher Columbus’s discovery of the New World (1492) to the signing of the treaty that ended the French and Indian War (1763).
CONTENTS
1. Christopher Columbus
2. Jamestown
3. The House of Burgesses
4. The Pilgrims
5. Bacon’s Rebellion
6. The Salem Witch Trials
7. The Thirteen Colonies
8. The French and Indian War
Sample passage:
How did the French and Indian War start?
The French wanted to expand their territory southward from Canada and the Great Lakes. At the same time, the British wanted to expand their territory westward, beyond the Appalachian Mountains. Each country believed it had the right to that land. The French expanded first, and set up a line of forts and trading posts between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River.
What did the colonists do?
In 1753 the governor of the Virginia colony sent George Washington to one of the French forts—one near where Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is today—to tell the French that they should leave because England really had rights to that land.
George Washington? The same one who would become the first American President?
Right. But at that time Washington was only twenty-one years old.
And Washington simply asked them to leave? There was no fighting?
Right. Washington asked them to leave, but the French refused.
What happened?
When Washington told Virginia’s governor that the French wouldn’t leave, the governor told Washington to go back with a group of soldiers and force the French to leave.
About the Author:
Mark Phillips has taught at Northwestern University and has worked as an editor in the publishing field for over 35 years. He is the author of 11 books on various subjects, including history, music, grammar, and vocabulary building.
CONTENTS
1. Christopher Columbus
2. Jamestown
3. The House of Burgesses
4. The Pilgrims
5. Bacon’s Rebellion
6. The Salem Witch Trials
7. The Thirteen Colonies
8. The French and Indian War
Sample passage:
How did the French and Indian War start?
The French wanted to expand their territory southward from Canada and the Great Lakes. At the same time, the British wanted to expand their territory westward, beyond the Appalachian Mountains. Each country believed it had the right to that land. The French expanded first, and set up a line of forts and trading posts between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River.
What did the colonists do?
In 1753 the governor of the Virginia colony sent George Washington to one of the French forts—one near where Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is today—to tell the French that they should leave because England really had rights to that land.
George Washington? The same one who would become the first American President?
Right. But at that time Washington was only twenty-one years old.
And Washington simply asked them to leave? There was no fighting?
Right. Washington asked them to leave, but the French refused.
What happened?
When Washington told Virginia’s governor that the French wouldn’t leave, the governor told Washington to go back with a group of soldiers and force the French to leave.
About the Author:
Mark Phillips has taught at Northwestern University and has worked as an editor in the publishing field for over 35 years. He is the author of 11 books on various subjects, including history, music, grammar, and vocabulary building.
