The Navajo people, who call themselves the Din, are the largest tribe of Native Americans in the United States. When they arrived from Canada, they settled in Colorado. In 1863, they were forced to march on the Long Walk to the Four Corners: Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. Since then, their lives have changed dramatically. The Long Walk was a terrible chapter, but their history is one of strength and survival.
The Underground Railroad was not a transportation system with metal tracks and whistling trains that zipped along a grid of tracks through tunnels below the ground. Instead, this system was an organized network of people who - in utmost secrecy - helped others escape the bonds of slavery. The routes to freedom were filled with danger, but the risks were worth it. Climb aboard to travel back in time and find out how this system of passengers, conductors, and stationmasters saved thousands of lives and helped change the nation.
The nightmare for enslaved Africans began on the Middle Passage - the journey across the ocean to America. Chained together by their hands and feet, the people were crammed into a ships dark belly, sometimes for weeks. When they arrived, they were sold at auction like so much cattle. Then, for generations, they faced bondage at the hands of cruel masters, forced to work sunup to sundown planting and harvesting crops, cleaning houses, or performing other tasks that would boost the white mans profits. Refused basic civil rights and often torn from their families, the slaves looked for ways to find freedom and better their lives. Flight was risky, even with the help of the Underground Railroad. For many, it was the only option.
Free at last! Hopeful African Americans began the long journey to build their lives from scratch as U.S. law declared all slaves free in 1865. But many whites fought bitterly against change. Signs above water fountains, restrooms, and other public places clearly separated WHITES from COLOREDS, while the Ku Klux Klan terrorized the night. Leaders like Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois, A. Philip Randolph, and Martin Luther King, Jr. stood up to the ugly reality of racism in America. Laws and hearts slowly changed to make the American Dream a possibility for all of its citizens. Today, the United States celebrates the rich history, music, and art of the black community. But with holdovers of hatred, pride, and prejudice, has the country achieved true equality?
When European explorers came to the New World, one of the first tribes of Native Americans they encountered was the Lenape. Also called the Delaware Indians, these people were respected by their neighbors, bound by family, and lived in harmony with their natural world. This is their story of their fascinating way of life, nearly lost to the settlers from across the sea.
The Cherokees lived primarily in the southeastern United States as farmers and hunters. As white settlers pushed deeper and deeper onto their lands, the Cherokees signed numerous treaties that surrendered more of their land in exchange for the right to live peacefully. The Cherokees even embraced many white ways, such as writing a constitution based on the U.S. Constitution and creating an alphabet, in an attempt to blend in. However, nothing they did was ever enough, and all their efforts finally led to one shattering conclusion: the Trail of Tears.
Comanche. The very word itself sent shivers down the backs of white settlers and other Native American tribes alike. The Comanches were the most feared tribe on the Southern Great Plains. They were superb horsemen and fierce fighters, and the combination was virtually unbeatable. For years, the Comanches held dominance over a vast area of territory called Comancheria. No one dared venture into Comancheria. Those who did seldom returned. Who were the Comanches? Where did they come from? What was life like in a Comanche camp, for both the Comanches and their captives? What happened to break their grip on Comancheria? The answers to these and other questions are both surprising and fascinating.
Most of the people who worked on the Underground Railroad were not well-known, but many stood out and became famous. The workers came from different races, occupations, and all walks of life. Some spread the word about the injustice of slavery through writing or lectures. Some volunteered behind the scenes, sewing clothes and donating goods to help the runaways. Others risked their lives daily, leading fugitives through swamps and forests and past slave catchers to freedom. Those who were caught were fined, jailed, or even executed. But they did not give up until freedom was won for all.
With the sole exception of the Sioux, the Cheyenne are perhaps the best known of all the Plains Indians. Famous for their fearless fighting qualities, the fought a series of unforgettable battles with the U.S. Army and white settlers seeking to seize their lands and alter their lifestyles. From 1856 to 1979, they met the white interloper with unparalleled horsemanship and a fighting ferocity rarely recorded in American military annals before or since. Against the irrepressible surge of Americas westward expansion in the 1800s, Cheyenne warriors fought and died for the land they loved. They claimed a place in history at the Powder River, the Rosebud, and the Little Big Horn. In the end, they lost their lands, but they went down fighting. They were and are vastly deserving of their nickname, the Fighting Cheyennes.
Sitting Bull had a vision of a great Sioux victory, but would he live to see it? Crazy Horse had an almost mythical ability to avoid death, but would it last? These were two of the greatest chiefs of the Sioux Nation, a mighty Native American people who once ruled the plains and prairies between the Rocky Mountains and the Great Lakes. The Sioux were great warriors and buffalo hunters. They were master horsemen who roamed the country living in teepees and keeping up with buffalo herds. They fought the U. S. government to keep their land and way of life. Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse led a historic victory over General George Custer in the Battle of the Little Bighorn before they were eventually beaten and driven into reservations. The Massacre at Wounded Knee ended the Sioux's dream of returning to their old way of life, but not their desire to be free. This is their story.
The Nez Perce were once the largest group of Native Americans in the western United States. Their number once exceeded 6,000 in over 50 separate tribes. Except for occasional clashes with neighbors, the Nez Perce lived peacefully in lush homelands on the Snake River in central Idaho, western Oregon, and western Washington. They welcomed Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery in 1804. The Nez Perce coexisted peacefully with whites for decades. However, a series of treaties in the mid-1800s greatly reduced their territory to make room for white settlers. In 1877, federal authorities ordered all Nez Perce to move within the boundaries of a reservation. A handful of Nez Perce warriors attacked and killed some white settlers in protest. Their hostile acts led to the Nez Perce War of 1877 and changed the lives of the Nez Perce forever.
Long before The United States was formed, the original American lived here caring for the land from coast to coast. Learn who some of these Native Americans were, how they thrived with their own cultures and beliefs, and why they continue to influence not just their descendants, but all of us who understand the importance of remembering those who were here long before us.
What is it like to live in a world of snow and ice? What traditions do the Inuit have today that they developed long ago? Travel into the past, into a world of igloos and frozen tundra. Stand next to a hole in the ice and wait patiently for a seal to appear. Climb into a boat and help others track down a whale. Finally, stop to visit the unique city of Nunavut and learn how the Inuit people have managed to blend their rich past with the present.
Before they were the Iroquois, they were six separate nations involved in bloody battles. The Peacemaker and Hiawatha changed all of that by encouraging the nations to bury their weapons and live peacefully. Under the Peacemakers guidance, the Iroquois formed one of the most respected, and oldest, governments in the worldthe Iroquois Confederacy. It was an alliance between the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and later, the Tuscarora. Learn how the Iroquois organized and ran their government, controlled fur trade, fought in a war that put the strength of the Confederacy and its land at risk, and continued to preserve their culture, including religious practices, celebrations, and ceremonies, for over a thousand years.
An awakening, a rebirth called the Renaissance, changed Europe and the world from the 14th to the 16th century. The movement influenced all parts of society-art, science, architecture, literature, religion, politics, economics, and philosophy. Florence, Italy, the birthplace of the Renaissance, thrived in its dynamic climate. Like most of the poor, this movement did not affect Antonia. She still roamed the streets barefoot with other kids begging for bread. However, things changed when she became a servant in the palace of the Medici, the most powerful family in the region. Let's travel back to 15th-century Florence and visit Antonia who is anxious to tell about her life and Renaissance Italy.
Liu Chi is ten years old and lives in China. It is the year 1585, and the era of the Ming Dynasty, which was one of the most exciting times to live in China. Liu Chi has to go to school, do chores, and get along with his brothers and sisters just like kids do today. He lives in Peking, which is now called Bejiing. Come along with Liu as he leads you through the narrow streets of the city to see the sights. There is a grand procession headed by Emperor Wanli to watch and a visit to the sweets shop. You will also make a stop in a park to see a puppet show and climb a tree to peer over the wall around the mysterious Forbidden City. Join Liu Chi for a trip back in time.
Life in Spain was peaceful and simple for Rifka and her family, until Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand made a new decision for the country. Eager to bring the kingdoms closer, the royals felt everyone should share the same religion. Jews and Muslims were forced to convert-or leave. Explore Rifka's world as she, her brother, and her parents, decide to leave their homeland behind and head into the unknown. Along the way, you will meet the cloaked familiars, cruel men determined to get confessions no matter what they have to do, on the orders of the teenaged king and queen. Spain, in all its beauty, will never be the same after this, and Rifka's family will bring you along on the journey.
Imagine living in the days of castles and knights, lords and ladies, minstrels and troubadours! Medieval life was full of the stuff of legends, but at the same time, the people of the Middle Ages often endured plagues, famine, war, and other hardships. Even during times of peace and prosperity, their days were long and their work was hard. Let's travel back in time to Medieval England where ten-year-old William will show us what daily life was like in a fourteenth-century English city. This Core Curriculum aligned, library bound book is by award winning author Ann Tatlock.