Profiles the life and career of scientist Benjamin Banneker.

In an attempt to avoid persecution for his religious beliefs, William Bradford boarded the Mayflower for freedom in the New World. After a difficult and lengthy journey, what Bradford saw was "a desolate wilderness," a territory more than 500 miles from the closest English settlement and one in which he and the other colonists were not legally entitled to settle. Elected governor, Bradford established discipline among these new Americans, built a friendly relationship with the local Wampanoag tribe, and learned the necessary skills for planting crops and finding food. His success and writings...

Profiles the life and career of John Smith.

Anne Hutchinson, America's first female religious leader and one of the best-known women in colonial history, emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony from England in 1634 with her husband and 11 children. Charismatic and exceptionally well educated for a woman of her time, Hutchinson was banned from Massachusetts after publicly criticizing the Puritan ministry. Along with her family, she and several dozen followers settled in Rhode Island and made their own way in a fight for religious freedom. In this engaging new biography, readers will learn about this exceptional woman's life, her...

A biography of the leader who brought major reforms to the colony of New Netherland before its surrender to the British in 1664.

Profiles the life and career of the only man on the Mayflower with military experience who led the militia and military actions of the New Plymouth Colony.

Cecil Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore, guided the development of the Maryland Colony for more than 40 years, from its very beginnings in 1632 to its period of stability in the 1660s and beyond. He lived in a time when the world was filled with religious intolerance and sought to change that with the Act of Toleration, one of the very first calls for religious freedom in America. In addition to his contributions to social progress, Lord Baltimore was an effective leader who was experienced in both business and law. He used his skills, his persuasion, and all the resources at his disposal to...

Most students are familiar with the stories of Benjamin Franklin as the man who flew a kite with a metal key attached in a lightning storm or as the author of Poor Richard's Almanack, but few know the extensive influence this Founding Father had on the creation of the United States. As a noted author, inventor, scientist, and politician, Benjamin Franklin was a key figure in the founding of the United States. From editing the Declaration of Independence to achieving an alliance with France during the Revolutionary War, Franklin's accomplishments and contributions are such that he has been...

Cotton Mather was the most prominent minister of his time, one whose sermons influenced generations of religious believers. Married three times and the father of 15 children, Mather was an extraordinarily prolific writer and involved in politics and science. The story of his life gives a view of a turbulent period in American history, during which the strict religious beliefs of the early Puritan settlers began to be challenged by a more secular, worldly view of society. During this time, it was Mather's writings, views, and behavior that would spark and influence the Salem Witch Trials....

A biography of William Penn, an important figure of the colonial era, who was known as the founder of Pennsylvania.