In 1845, Frederick Douglass's first autobiography became a bestseller. Many readers could not believe that such a brilliant writer was ever a slave. When Douglass wrote the book, …
Lonely and bored with rural life in 1856, young Bella Lee Dunkinson began to hang around the local railroad. Engineer John Hardiman took a liking to the spirited girl and gave her …
The 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln was killed by an assassin's bullet on April 15, 1865. Lincoln preserved the union of the nation, but after the Civil War he …
La Llorona (The Crying Woman) is a sad and haunting tale from Mexico. Parents have told the story for hundreds of years to misbehaving children and to guard against vanity. Some …
Elizabeth Cady Stanton spoke before an eager crowd in Seneca Falls, New York, on a hot July morning in 1948. She began her speech with words that were familiar to American ears: …
Most people take it for granted: riding a bike. In the late 1800s, the bicycle first came to the United States from Europe. This new "e;steel horse"e; was wildly popular. …
History books tell much about Lewis and Clark's expedition West. But what is less known is how far the explorers went to ensure their entire team had an equal voice in …
Slavery in the United States became illegal in the 1860s. Before that, many slaves found their way north by following the Big Dipper, or the Drinking Gourd as they called it. Our …
In 1807 at the age of 13, Brenton Dixon lived in Albany, New York, and expected to become a blacksmith's apprentice. Then one day he and his friends saw something strange out on …
In the early 1800s, white settlers and missionaries were intent on bringing the English language to the illiterate Native Americans. Sequoyah was intrigued by these leaves of paper …
