Six questions of American history

Looks at the network of safe havens and routes that were set up to help American slaves escape to the north and achieve their freedom.

In the early 1800s, many Americans living in the eastern states wanted to explore the western frontier. Vast amounts of land and resources lay to the west-but the Appalachian Mountains formed a huge wall stretching from Canada to Georgia. How could Americans cut through it? Who could create a workable plan? What overwhelming challenges did the workers face? Discover how the Erie Canal opened the passage to the West, bringing people new opportunities...

Answers commonly asked questions about George Washington and his military history, as well as details about the French and Indian War.

When President Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory in 1803, the size of the United States almost doubled. Suddenly, the country stretched from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Rocky Mountains. But no one knew much about the new territory. Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore it and report on what they found. What would they need for their journey? How would they cross high waterfalls, snowy mountains, and...

Discover the facts about the 1787 Convention and the writing of the Constitution.

Discusses the Jamestown settlement and its part in early United States history.

Answers questions regarding the Oregon Trail and the circumstances surrounding it.

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...

Explores what primed Salem for its witchcraft fever, key people in the drama, and the events of the Salem witch trials that led to the execution of 19 innocent people.