The United States was formally born in 1776 when it declared itself independent from Great Britain. But when dealing with international diplomacy, there is no time for a learning curve — it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there. This was something the United States learned early in its infancy when its friendly relationship with France was …
In the stifling Philadelphia heat of 1787, while most of the city’s residents were on holiday down at the shore (not really — this is 1787), a small group of wealthy, White men were deciding the fate of a nation, and in many ways, the world. They had, knowingly or unknowingly, become the chief architects …
Throughout the 19th century, during the period known as the Antebellum Era, Congress, and American society as a whole, was tense. Northerners and Southerners, who never really got along anyway, were engaging in a White-hot (see what we did there?) debate over the issue of slavery — specifically, whether or not it should be permitted …
In 1767, the king of England, George III, found himself with a situation on his hands. His colonies in North America — all thirteen of them — were terribly inefficient at lining his pockets. Trade had been severely deregulated for many years, taxes were not collected with consistency, and local colonial governments had been left …
Bleeding Kansas in Context The outbreak of the violence that dominates the Kansas territory in 1856 comes less than two years after you ventured west. With nothing for you back in Ohio, you and your family had loaded up and headed into the unknown, past Mississippi and north of Missouri. It was a long and …
Imagine that you live in 18th century Boston. You work there as a butcher, but you don’t have your own shop. To get to work, you need to walk a half-mile across town. Up until 1765, this isn’t a big deal. In fact, you even enjoy it, as it gives you the chance to see …