The making of a nation

THE MAKING
OF
A NATION
Source: VOA
eBook created (10/01/‘16): QuocSan


CONTENTS:
001. History Repeats Itself: A Fresh Start to ‘The Making of a Nation’
1400s–1500s
002. Columbus Sails, Others Follow, and Spain Is on Top of the World
003. A Difficult Life for English Settlers
004. Buffalo, ‘Mystery Dogs’ (Horses) and the Lives of the Plains Indians
005. A Clash of Cultures in the New World
006. How a Desire for Religious Freedom or Land, or Both, Led to
Colonies
1600s–1776
007. Slavery Arrives as Colonial Expansion Heads South
008. By 1750, Almost One in Four People in the Colonies Were Slaves
009. British Defeat the French in a Struggle for North America
010. Britain Says No to ‘No Taxation Without Representation’
011. A Tea Party at Night, on the Road to Revolution
012. A Declaration for Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
1776–1800
013. How the Revolution Against Britain Divided Families and Friends
014. How Britain’s Defeat at Saratoga Marked a Turning Point
015. How the Constitution Came to Life
016. After the Revolution, the Nation Faces a Weak Political System
017. The Founding Fathers Meet in Philadelphia to Write a Constitution
018. Finding the Right Plan for a New Government

019. Early Leaders Debate Presidential Powers
020. In 1787, Debating the Need for Federal Courts
021. Struggle to Balance Power Between Big States and Small States
022. A ‘Great Compromise’ on State Representation
023. Debating Slaves’ Part in Representation of States
024. The Signing of the Constitution in Philadelphia
025. The Constitution Goes to the States for Approval
026. The Heart and Spirit of the Constitution
027. From Revolutionary War Hero to President
028. The Imagination of Alexander Hamilton
029. For a New Nation, Hamilton Seeks a Bank


030. Two-Party Political System Takes Hold in US
031. How a Dispute Helped Lead to Party System
032. John Adams Is Elected Nation’s Second President
033. Adams Avoids War With France, Signs Alien and Sedition Acts
1800–1825
034. Jefferson Is Elected President in 1800, But Only on the 36th Vote
035. Jefferson, at Inaugural, Urges Unity of Hearts and Minds
036. Jefferson Begins Presidency With a Loyal Cabinet
037. Jefferson Moves to Cut Debt, Spending
038. Jefferson Gets Louisiana Territory From France
039. A Supreme Court Justice Is Put on Trial in 1805
040. The Treason Trial of Aaron Burr, Former VP
041. Jefferson Suspends Trade with Europe in 1807
042. Jefferson Tries to Keep Trade Ban on Europe
043. The Last Days, and Lasting Influence, of Thomas Jefferson
044. Relations With Britain Hit a Low Point in 1811
045. Madison Declares War on Britain in 1812

046. British Set Fire to City of Washington in 1814
047. A National Anthem Is Born From the War of 1812
048. War of 1812 Ends, but Fighting Continues
049. War of 1812 Ends With Treaty of Ghent
050. James Monroe Easily Wins Election in 1816
051. Monroe Doctrine Warns Europe Not to Interfere in the Americas
052. Monroe Dislikes but Signs Missouri Compromise
053. In Election of 1824, a Clash of Personalities
054. John Quincy Adams, a Man Raised to Serve
1825–1850
055. In Election of 1828, a Bitter Campaign
056. Tragedy Hits as Jackson Prepares for Presidency
057. Split Divides Jackson, Vice President Calhoun
058. For President Jackson, a Question of States’ Rights
059. Bank of the United States Worries Jackson
060. Debating the Powerful Bank of the US


061. As Jackson Aims to Shut Bank, an Economic Crisis Results
062. Jackson’s Victory Over the Bank of the US
063. Trouble Grows Deep in the Heart of Texas
064. Jackson, ‘the People’s Friend,’ Leaves Office
065. New President Deals with Old Problems
066. US Gets a New President in 1837, and a Depression
067. The Rise of the Movement Against Slavery
068. Whigs See a Chance to Defeat Van Buren in 1840
069. The Brief Presidency of William Henry Harrison
070. President John Tyler Shows His Independence
071. Texas Statehood Is Chief Issue in 1844 Campaign
072. In 1845, Republic of Texas Faces a Choice

073. Polk Sends Troops to Border With Mexico
074. Polk Decides Not to Seek Second Term in 1848
075. Zachary Taylor Is Elected President in 1848
1850–1861
076. Plan in 1850 on Slavery Aims to Save Union
077. ‘The South Asks for Justice, Simple Justice’
078. ‘The Fresh Air of Liberty and Union’
079. Millard Fillmore Signs Compromise of 1850
080. Pierce, New President, Is Friendly but Weak
081. The Kansas-Nebraska Bill Divides the Country
082. Kansas Takes Steps Towards Statehood
083. The Struggle Over Slavery in the Kansas Territory
084. Slavery Debate Intensifies With Dred Scott Ruling
085. The Effort to Make Kansas a Slave State
086. Search for Gold Drives Settlers to the West
087. Brigham Young Leads His Mormons to a New Home
088. The Story of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858
089. Slavery Crisis Eases, but Not for Very Long
090. Story of John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry
091. A Failed Attempt to Raise a Rebel Army of Slaves
092. Hopes, Fears and the Election of 1860


093. Lincoln Takes Presidency of a Nation in Crisis
094. South Carolina Leaves Union, Tensions Increase
095. Lincoln Names a Cabinet
096. Lincoln’s Policy on South Is Soon Tested
1861–1865 – The Civil War
097. The Civil War Begins
098. The Civil War’s First Days

099. The North Loses the First Major Battle of the War
100. Lincoln Names a General to Defend Washington
101. The Civil War at Sea
102. South Defends Its Capital
103. At Bull Run, a Terrible Defeat for the North
104. Lincoln Needs a Victory
105. Lincoln Declares Slaves Free in Rebel States
106. The South Wins a Victory, but at a Great Cost
107. Lee and His Army Cross Into the North
108. As the Civil War Grows, So Does Opposition
109. The American Civil War: Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
110. The American Civil War: Battle of Vicksburg Splits the Southern
Confederacy
111. The American Civil War: Closing in on Richmond, the Confederate
Capital
112. The American Civil War: Sherman’s March to the Sea
113. The American Civil War: Election of 1864
114. The American Civil War: Victory Is Close for the Union
115. The American Civil War: Surrender at Appomattox
1865–1880
116. After the Civil War: Death of Lincoln Helps Unite a Divided Nation
117. After the Civil War: Searching for the Man Who Shot Lincoln
118. The American Civil War: Final Surrender of the Confederate Army
119. Andrew Johnson: The Story of America’s Seventeenth President
120. The Great Impeachment Trial of Andrew Johnson
121. Reconstruction: After the Civil War, the American South Rebuilds
122. Election of 1868: Famous War Hero Becomes President


123. President Grant: Civil War Hero Faces Battles of Politics

124. Questions of Wrongdoing Trouble President Grant’s Second Term
125. Election of 1876: One of the Closest in American History
126. Rutherford Hayes Wins Disputed 1876 Presidential Election
127. Gold! How the Search for Riches Drove Development After the U. S.
Civil War
128. Early Country Music: Cowboys Told About Their Lives in Song
129. Native Americans Went to War to Protect Their Lands
130. Native Americans Fight Two Wars Over Land Rights
131. How the Western United States Was Settled
1880–1900
132. James Garfield: Gunfire Ends a Presidency After Only Six Months
133. 1881: Vice President Chester Arthur Replaces Murdered Leader
134. Grover Cleveland: A Democrat Wins the White House in 1884
135. Immigrants: America’s Industrial Growth Depended on Them
136. American Lawmakers React to Flood of Immigrants in Late 1800s
137. Election of 1888: Voters Cared Most About Import Taxes
138. Competition Drives Industrial Growth in the Late 1800s
139. Grover Cleveland Returns to the White House in 1892
140. Nation Is in Economic Trouble as President Cleveland Takes Office
141. President Cleveland Uses Federal Troops to Stop Railroad Strike
142. Election of 1896: It Came Down to a Question of Money
143. Trade Drives America’s Foreign Policy in the Late 1800’s
144. United States Declares War on Spain in 1898
145. William McKinley: The Twenty-Fifth President of the United States
146. Theodore Roosevelt Becomes America’s Youngest Leader
1900–1916
147. Theodore Roosevelt Leads America Into the 20th Century
148. Theodore Roosevelt Answers Public Demand for Reforms
149. President Roosevelt Decides to Build the Panama Canal
150. Teddy Roosevelt’s Policies Lead to Social Reform in America

151. William Howard Taft Replaces Teddy Roosevelt as President
152. President Taft Breaks From Teddy Roosevelt – His Closest Friend
153. Woodrow Wilson Wins 1912 Presidential Election


154. America’s Economic Life Changes Under President Woodrow Wilson
155. Wilson Presidency Remembered Best for Its Foreign Policy
1916–1919 – World War I
156. Wilson Is Re-elected in 1916 on a Promise: ‘He Kept Us Out of War!’
157. ‘Right Is More Precious Than Peace’: U. S. Enters World War One
158. 1918: American and German Forces Meet on a Battlefield Near Paris
159. Technology Helps the Allied Forces Win World War One
160. President Wilson Begins Negotiations for a World War One Peace
Treaty
161. World War One Ends, but Wilson Knows His Battle Is Only Half
Over
1919–1929
162. Wilson Builds Public Support for the League of Nations
163. America Turns Inward After World War One
164. Lost in the Stars: Movies Become Big Business in 1920s America
165. America’s Fear of Communism in 1920 Becomes a Threat to Rights
166. Americans Vote for Change in 1920 as Harding Promises ‘Normalcy’
167. After Harding Dies, Coolidge Aims to Rebuild Trust in the
Government
168. ‘Roaring Twenties’ a Time of Economic and Social Change
169. In the 1920s, a Burst of American Art and Expression Takes Form
170. A Turn to the Right: Conservatism Grows in America in the 1920s
171. Blacks Set Out in Search of a Better Life in 1920s American Society
172. Coolidge Easily Wins Election of 1924
173. By 1920, America Had Become World’s Top Economic Power

174. Election of 1928: Americans Are Presented With a Clear Choice
175. Hoover’s High Hopes for American Economy Come Crashing Down
1929–mid-1930s – The Great Depression
176. The Great Depression: Fear Took Hold as an Economy Came Apart
177. The Great Depression: How It Affected U. S. Foreign Relations
178. Election of 1932: A Long Conservative Period in U. S. Politics Ends
179. 1933: An Angry Nation Puts Its Hopes in President Roosevelt
180. 1933: President Roosevelt’s First 100 Days Give People Hope
181. ‘We Have Only Just Begun to Fight’: Roosevelt’s Campaign of 1936


182. Roosevelt Aims for Economic Security With ‘Second New Deal’
183. From Great Depression’s Depths, Creativity Reached New Heights
184. 1930s: ‘New Deal’ Starts to Fail, Just as Threats Grow Overseas
mid-1930s–1945 – World War II
185. Road to World War Two: 1930s See Major Changes in Europe, Asia
186. 1930s: Britain Calls for ‘Peace in Our Time’
187. 1940: Roosevelt Continues Policy of Neutrality After His Re-election
188. 1941: Attack on Pearl Harbor Ends American Effort to Avoid War
189. Path to World War Two: Japan Widens Its Influence in Asia
190. US Goes to War After Pearl Harbor, but Japan Is Not the First Target
191. Fighting World War Two: Powerful Germany Begins to Face Defeats
192. D-Day, June 6, 1944: The Greatest Military Invasion in History
193. World War Two in the Pacific Comes to a Fiercely Fought Close in
1945
194. On the Home Front During World War Two
195. Fighting World War Two Through Diplomacy
196. Story of World War Two: Developing the First Atomic Bombs
1945–1950
197. Life in the US After World War Two

198. Nation Still at War, Truman Is Suddenly President
199. After World War Two, US Reacts to ‘Iron Curtain’ Across Europe
200. For Truman, One Problem After Another in His First Months in
Office
201. Dewey Defeats Truman in 1948. Oops, Make It Truman Defeats
Dewey
1950s – Korean War
202. Truman Faced Communist Fears, Real or Imagined
203. War Hero Is Elected President in 1952
204. Conflict in Korea Spills Over Into Eisenhower’s Presidency
205. 1950s Popular Culture Helped Take Minds Off Nuclear Fears
206. A Freeze Hits US-Soviet Relations After World War Two
207. The Space Race Heightens Cold War Tensions
1960s – Kennedy Becomes President
208. Election of 1960 Brings Close Race Between Kennedy, Nixon


209. Kennedy Begins His Presidency With Strong Public Support
210. The Presidency of John Kennedy Begins With Great Energy, but Ends
in Tragedy
211. Johnson Takes Over Presidency After Kennedy’s Murder
1964 – Vietnam War
212. Johnson Wins a Full Term in 1964, Defends Vietnam Policies
213. Civil Rights Movement: In the ‘60s, a Struggle for Equality in US
214. The ‘60s Become a Time of Social Revolution and Unrest
1968 – Richard Nixon Becomes President
215. 1968 in America: a Year of Social Unrest and a Presidential Election
216. Nixon Promises to ‘Bring the American People Together’ After ‘68
Win
217. Vietnam War: Nixon Tries Secret Talks, but Also Invades Cambodia

218. Watergate: How a Name, and a Failed Break-In, Became a Symbol of
Political Corruption
219. Ford Leads Nation Through Difficult Days of Watergate
1976 – Bi-centenial
220. Jimmy Carter Wins the 1976 Presidential Election
221. Fuel Prices, Iran Hostage Crisis Weigh on Carter
222. Election of 1980 Launches the ‘Reagan Revolution’
223. President Reagan’s Main Goal was to Shrink Government. But
Budget Deficits Created a Huge National Debt.
224. 1970s and ‘80s Were a Period of Change in American Society
1988 – George H. W. Bush Becomes President
225. George Herbert Walker Bush Is Elected President in 1988
226. George H. W. Bush’s Presidency Saw End of Cold War
1993 – Bill Clinton Becomes President
227. A ‘Man From Hope’ Is Elected to the White House in 1992
228. Bill Clinton Begins His First Term in 1993
229. Bill Clinton Wins Re-election in 1996
230. How Bill Clinton Became the Second President Ever to Be
Impeached
231. How Science and Technology Helped Shape ‘90s
2000 – George W. Bush Becomes President


232. Supreme Court Ruling Decides the 2000 Presidential Election
233. After Attacks of 9/11, Bush Launches ‘War on Terror’
234. How Bush’s War on Terror Led to Iraq
235. The 43rd President’s First Four Years, Revisited
236. How Foreign Policy Shaped the 2004 Presidential Race

001. History Repeats Itself: A Fresh Start to ‘The Making
of a Nation’
Welcome to The Making Of A Nation – American history in VOA Special
English. I’m Shirley Griffith. And I’m Steve Ember. Today history repeats
itself. We start our series over again. The last time we were at the beginning
was in February of 2003.
The Making Of A Nation has a loyal following. In fact, listener research
finds it the most popular weekly program in VOA Special English.
It started in May of 1969. Some people can remember when The Making
Of A Nation was on the radio two times a week. People who grew up
listening to it are old enough now to listen with their own children, or even
their grandchildren.
The series tells a story. You can think of it not just as a series of programs
about the history of America and its people, but a series of lessons. The
subjects include exploration, revolution, civil war, social and political
change, the rise of industry and modern technology, and more.
We ended last week at program number two hundred thirty-eight. The
subject was the presidential election of 2004. As time adds to the story, we
add new programs to the series.
In a sense, The Making Of A Nation is a living history. Yet some of the
announcers are no longer even alive after all these years.
Here and there, too, the language may sound a little dated. For example,
some of the programs call black people Negroes. The use of that term may be
historically correct, but today the socially accepted name is AfricanAmerican.
Technology has also changed. Today The Making Of A Nation is not just
on radio but also on the Internet. At voaspecialenglish. com, you can
download MP3 files and transcripts. That way you can listen anytime or
anyplace – and read along. The site also includes archives, in case you ever
miss a program.
So how was the nation made? Why did loyal citizens rebel against one

nation and start their own, with different laws? The Making Of A Nation
answers these and other questions about American history.
We tell the story of how a group of farmers, businessmen and lawyers


wrote a document they called the Constitution of the United States. On
September seventeenth, 1787, delegates to the Constitutional Convention in
Philadelphia met one last time to sign it.
We explain why that document is still extremely important today – and not
just to Americans. Other governments have used it as a guide to creating a
modern democracy.
We explore why the writers of the Constitution included guarantees of
freedom of speech and religion, and the right to a fair and public trial.
We also talk about the reasons for the American Revolution. One of the
most important was the idea that citizens of a country should have a voice in
its decisions.
British citizens in the American colonies paid taxes but had no
representatives in the British Parliament. Taxation without representation led
to growing anger in the American colonies.
The leaders of the revolt made important changes. They decided that any
free citizen could be a candidate for public office. And they made sure that all
free men who owned land and paid taxes were permitted to vote.
Not until 1920 did the Constitution give women the right to vote. Later,
another change lowered the voting age for Americans from 21 to 18.
Our programs explain the thinking behind these and other rights. They also
tell the story of each presidential election and presidency in American
history.
The Making Of A Nation explores the good and the bad in American
history. For example, how could slavery exist in a nation whose people
declared that “all men are created equal” and with a right to life, liberty and

the pursuit of happiness?
Many programs tell about the ideas and issues that have shaped the United
States. But most importantly, they tell about the people.
For example, George Washington was a farmer before he became a
military commander. He became president because the citizens of the new
country wanted him as their first leader.
After two terms, he gave up power by his own choice. He once again
became a farmer and a private citizen. In his farewell address in 1796, he
warned Americans about the dangers of political parties.


Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. It told the world
that the people of this new country would no longer answer to a European
ruler.
Some of the people who formed the United States into a nation during the
1700s were well educated and wealthy. Abraham Lincoln was not. Still, he
grew up to become president.
Abraham Lincoln became president during the 1860s when several
southern states decided they no longer wanted to be part of the United States.
We tell how President Lincoln dealt with the terrible Civil War that almost
split the country apart.
One of our programs deals with a speech he gave in the little town of
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. A great battle had been fought there. President
Lincoln had been asked to come to Gettysburg to say a few words at the
dedication of a military burial place.
The speech was short. President Lincoln honored the young men who had
died on that bloody battlefield. He also told the world why the terrible war
was being fought and why it was so important.
“Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this
continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the

proposition that all men are created equal. ”
Those words were just the first sentence. After President Lincoln wrote the
speech, he felt sad. He considered it a failure. In fact, his words earned the
respect of history. You can hear the full Gettysburg Address in our programs
about the life and presidency of Abraham Lincoln.
The Making Of A Nation touches on many different subjects. One of them
is social change. For example, we tell about the changes that took place in the
1920s, known as the Roaring Twenties.
Many young people decided they no longer needed to follow the
conservative traditions of their parents and grandparents. This was the age of
jazz.
But music and social values were not the only things changing. The
Roaring Twenties were also a time of fast-moving economic change.
Productivity grew sharply. At the same time, the divide between rich and
poor Americans grew wider.
By the end of the Roaring Twenties, the economy was ready to collapse.


Then, in October of 1929, the stock market crashed. What followed was an
economic disaster worse than any the modern world has ever known.
We examine the causes of the Great Depression and how it affected
Americans and the rest of the world. We tell the story of people who lost
their jobs, their homes and their hope for the future.
Franklin Roosevelt was elected with a promise to bring the country out of
the Depression. On March fourth, 1933, he was inaugurated to his first of
four terms. He served longer than any other president in American history.
We discuss Roosevelt’s New Deal programs and his leadership during World
War Two.
But not all of the subjects on The Making Of A Nation are so serious. We
also look at the history of American popular culture and subjects like the rise

of high technology. Something for everyone.
Today’s news is not only tomorrow’s history, it will also become part of
The Making Of A Nation. But for now, we start again from the beginning. I’m
Shirley Griffith. And I’m Steve Ember. Join us at this time next week and
every week as we go back in time. Listen on radio or online at
voaspecialenglish. com as we bring you The Making Of A Nation in VOA
Special English.


1400s–1500s
002. Columbus Sails, Others Follow, and Spain Is on Top
of the World
In the United States, October ninth is observed as Leif Erickson Day. It
honors the Norse explorer who sailed around the northeastern coast of what
we now call North America about one thousand years ago. Leif Erickson and
his crew returned home to Greenland with news of a place he called
“Vinland. ”
Following his explorations, a few settlements were built. Experts digging
in eastern Canada in the 1960s found the remains of a village with houses
like those in Greenland, Iceland and Norway. But the Norse did not establish
any permanent settlements in North America.
Today, as we launch our series from the beginning again, Sarah Long and
Rich Kleinfeldt tell the story of early European explorers in North America.
About ten hundred, Europe was beginning a period of great change. One
reason was the religious wars known as the crusades. These wars were efforts
by Europeans who were mainly Roman Catholic Christians. They wanted to
force Muslims out of what is now the Middle East. The crusades began at the
end of the eleventh century. They continued for about two hundred years.
The presence of European armies in the Middle East increased trade, which
was controlled by businessmen in Venice and other Italian city-states. The

businessmen were earning large profits by transporting and supplying the
warring armies.
When the European crusaders returned home, they brought with them
some new and useful products. The products included spices, perfumes, silk
cloth, steel products and drugs. Such products became highly valued all over
Europe. Increased trade resulted which led to the growth of towns. It also
created a large number of rich European businessmen.
The European nations were growing. They developed armies and
governments. These had to be paid for by taxes from the people. By the 15th
century, European countries were ready to explore new parts of the world.
The first explorers were the Portuguese. By 1400, they wanted to control
the Eastern spice trade. European businessmen did not want to continue
paying Venetian and Arab traders for their costly spices. They wanted to set


up trade themselves. If they could sail to Asia directly for these products, the
resulting trade would bring huge profits.
The leader of Portugal’s exploration efforts was Prince Henry, a son of
King John the first. He was interested in sea travel and exploration. So he
became known as Henry the Navigator.
Prince Henry brought experts to his country and studied the sciences
involved in exploration. He built an observatory to study the stars. Portuguese
sea captains led their ships around the west coast of Africa hoping to find a
path to India and East Asia. They finally found the end of the African
continent, the area called the Cape of Good Hope.
It took the Portuguese only about fifty years to take control of the spice
trade. They established trading colonies in Africa, the Persian Gulf, India and
China.
Improvements in technology helped them succeed. One improvement was
a new kind of ship. It could sail more easily through ocean storms and winds.

Other inventions like the compass permitted them to sail out of sight of
land. The Portuguese also armed their ships with modern cannon. They used
these weapons to battle Muslim and East Asian traders.
The other European nations would not permit Portugal to control this trade
for long, however. Spain’s Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand agreed to
provide ships, crew and supplies for an exploration by an Italian seaman,
Christopher Columbus.
Columbus thought the shortest way to reach the East was to sail west
across the Atlantic Ocean. He was right. But he also was wrong. He believed
the world was much smaller than it is. He did not imagine the existence of
other lands and another huge ocean area between Europe and East Asia.
Columbus and a crew of eighty-eight men left Spain on August third,
1492, in three ships. On October twelfth, they stood on land again on an
island that Columbus named San Salvador.
He explored it, and the nearby islands of what is now known as Cuba and
Hispaniola. He believed they were part of the coast of East Asia, which was
called the Indies. He called the people he found there Indians.
Columbus left about forty men on the island to build a fort from the wood
of one of the ships. He returned to Spain with captured natives, birds, plants
and gold. Columbus was considered a national hero when he reached Spain in


March, 1493.
Columbus returned across the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean area five
months later. This time, he had many more men and all the animals and
equipment needed to start a colony on Hispaniola. He found that the
protective fort built by his men had been destroyed by fire. Columbus did not
find any of his men.
Seven months later, Columbus sent five ships back to Spain. They carried
Indians to be sold as slaves. Columbus also sailed back to Spain leaving

behind some settlers who were not happy with conditions.
Christopher Columbus made another trip in 1498, with six ships. This time
he saw the coast of South America. The settlers were so unhappy with
conditions in the new colony, Columbus was sent back to Spain as a prisoner.
Spain’s rulers pardoned him.
In 1502, Columbus made his final voyage to what some were calling the
New World. He stayed on the island of Jamaica until he returned home in
1504.
During all his trips, Columbus explored islands and waterways, searching
for a passage to the Indies. He never found it. He also did not find spices or
great amounts of gold. Yet, he always believed that he had found the Indies.
He refused to recognize that it was really a new world.
Evidence of this was all around him – strange plants that were not known
in either Europe or Asia and a different people who did not understand any
language spoken in the East.
Columbus’ voyages, however, opened up the new world. Others later
explored all of North America.
You may be wondering about the name of this new land. If Christopher
Columbus was the first European to attempt to settle the new world, why is it
called “America”? The answer lies with the name of an Italian explorer,
Amerigo Vespucci.
He visited the coast of South America in 1499. He wrote stories about his
experiences that were widely read in Europe.
In 1507, a German mapmaker read Vespucci’s stories. He decided that the
writer had discovered the new world and suggested that it be called America
in his honor. So it was.
Spanish explorers sought to find gold and power in the New World. They


also wanted to expand belief in what they considered to be the true religion,

Christianity.
The first of these Spanish explorers was Juan Ponce de Leon. He landed on
North America in 1513. He explored the eastern coast of what is now the
southern state of Florida. He was searching for a special kind of water that
people in Europe believed existed. They believed that this water could make
old people young again. Ponce de Leon never found it.
Also in 1513, Vasco Nunez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama and
reached the Pacific Ocean. In 1519, Hernan Cortes landed an army in Mexico
and destroyed the empire of the Aztec Indians.
That same year Ferdinand Magellan began his three-year voyage around
the world. And in the 1530s, Francisco Pizarro destroyed the Inca Indian
empire in Peru.
Ten years later, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado had marched as far north
as the central American state of Kansas and west to the Grand Canyon. About
the same time, Hernan de Soto reached the Mississippi River. Fifty years
after Columbus first landed in San Salvador, Spain claimed a huge area of
America.
The riches of these new lands made Spain the greatest power in Europe.
But other nations refused to accept Spain’s claim to rights in the new world.
Explorers from England, France and Holland also were traveling to North
America. That will be our story next week.


003. A Difficult Life for English Settlers
England was the first country to compete with Spain for claims in the New
World, although it was too weak to do this openly at first. But Queen
Elizabeth of England supported such explorations as early as the 1570s.
Sir Humphrey Gilbert led the first English settlement efforts. He did not
establish any lasting settlement. He died as he was returning to England.
Gilbert’s half brother Sir Walter Raleigh continued his work. Raleigh sent

a number of ships to explore the east coast of North America. He called the
land Virginia to honor England’s unmarried Queen Elizabeth.
In 1585, about one-hundred men settled on Roanoke Island, off the coast
of the present day state of North Carolina. These settlers returned to England
a year later. Another group went to Roanoke the next year. This group
included a number of women and children. But the supply ships Raleigh sent
to the colony failed to arrive. When help got there in 1590, none of the
settlers could be found.
History experts still are not sure what happened. Some research suggests
that at least some of the settlers became part of the Indian tribe that lived in
the area.
One reason for the delay in getting supplies to Roanoke was the attack of
the Spanish Navy against England in 1588. King Phillip of Spain had decided
to invade England. But the small English ships combined with a fierce storm
defeated the huge Spanish fleet. As a result, Spain was no longer able to
block English exploration.
England discovered that supporting colonies so far away was extremely
costly. So Queen Elizabeth took no more action to do this. It was not until
after her death in 1603 that England began serious efforts to start colonies in
America.
In 1606, the new English King, James the First, gave two business groups
permission to establish colonies in Virginia, the area claimed by England.
Companies were organized to carry out the move.
The London Company sent one hundred settlers to Virginia in 1606. The
group landed there in May, 1607 and founded Jamestown. It was the first
permanent English colony in the new world.
The colony seemed about to fail from the start. The settlers did not plant


their crops in time so they soon had no food. Their leaders lacked the farming

and building skills needed to survive on the land. More than half the settlers
died during the first winter.
The businessmen controlling the colony from London knew nothing about
living in such a wild place. They wanted the settlers to search for gold, and
explore local rivers in hopes of finding a way to the East. One settler knew
this was wrong. His name was Captain John Smith. He helped the colonists
build houses and grow food by learning from the local Indians. Still, the
Jamestown settlers continued to die each year from disease, lack of food and
Indian attacks.
The London Company sent six thousand settlers to Virginia between 1606
and 1622. More than four thousand died during that time.
History experts say that all the settlers surely would have died without the
help of the local Powhatan Indians. The Indians gave the settlers food. They
taught them how to live in the forest. And the Powhatan Indians showed the
settlers how to plant new crops and how to clear the land for building.
The settlers accepted the Indians’ help. Then, however, the settlers took
whatever else they wanted by force. In 1622, the local Indians attacked the
settlers for interfering with Indian land. Three hundred forty settlers died. The
colonists answered the attack by destroying the Indian tribes living along
Virginia’s coast.
The settlers recognized that they would have to grow their own food and
survive on their own without help from England or anyone else. The
Jamestown colony was clearly established by 1624. It was even beginning to
earn money by growing and selling a new crop, tobacco.
The other early English settlements in North America were much to the
north of Virginia, in the present state of Massachusetts. The people who
settled there left England for different reasons than those who settled in
Jamestown. The Virginia settlers were looking for ways to earn money for
English businesses. The settlers in Massachusetts were seeking religious
freedom.

King Henry the Eighth of England had separated from the Roman Catholic
Church. His daughter, Queen Elizabeth, established the Protestant religion in
England. It was called the Church of England, or the Anglican Church. The
Anglican Church, however, was similar to that of the Roman Catholic


Church.
Not all Protestants liked this. Some wanted to leave the Anglican Church
and form religious groups of their own. In 1606, members of one such group
in the town of Scrooby did separate from the Anglican Church. About one
hundred twenty-five people left England for Holland. They found problems
there too, so they decided to move again… to the New World.
These people were called pilgrims, because that is the name given to
people who travel for religious purposes.
About thirty-five pilgrims were among the passengers on a ship called the
Mayflower in 1620. It left England to go to Virginia. But the Mayflower
never reached Virginia. Instead, it landed to the north, on Cape Cod Bay. The
group decided to stay there instead of trying to find Jamestown.
The pilgrims and the others on the Mayflower saw a need for rules that
would help them live together peacefully. They believed they were not under
English control since they did not land in Virginia. So they wrote a plan of
government, called the Mayflower Compact. It was the first such plan ever
developed in the New World.
They elected a man called William Bradford as the first governor of their
Plymouth Colony. We know about the first thirty years of the Plymouth
Colony because William Bradford described it in his book, Of Plymouth
Plantation.
As happened in Jamestown, about half the settlers in Plymouth died the
first winter. The survivors were surprised to find an Indian who spoke
English. His name was Squanto. He had been kidnapped by an English sea

captain and had lived in England before returning to his people.
The Pilgrims believed Squanto was sent to them from God. He made it
possible for them to communicate with the native people. He showed them
the best places to fish, what kind of crops to plant and how to grow them. He
provided them with all kinds of information they needed to survive. The
settlers invited the Indians to a feast in the month of November to celebrate
their successes and to thank Squanto for his help. Americans remember that
celebration every year when they observe the Thanksgiving holiday.
Other English settlers began arriving in the area now called New England.
One large group was called the Puritans. Like the pilgrims, the Puritans did
not agree with the Anglican Church. But they did not want to separate from


it. The Puritans wanted to change it to make it more holy. Their desire for this
change made them unwelcome in England.
The first ship carrying Puritans left England for America in 1630. By the
end of that summer, one thousand Puritans had landed in the northeastern part
of the new country. The new English King, Charles, had given permission for
them to settle the Massachusetts Bay area.
The Puritans began leaving England in large groups. Between 1630 and
1640, 20,000 sailed for New England. They risked their lives on the
dangerous trip. They wanted to live among people who believed as they did,
people who honored the rules of the Bible. Puritans believed that the Bible
was the word of God.
The Puritans and other Europeans, however, found a very different people
in the New World. They were America’s native Indians. That will be our
story next week.


004. Buffalo, ‘Mystery Dogs’ (Horses) and the Lives of

the Plains Indians
Scientists believe that the native peoples of America came here thousands
of years ago during the last ice age. These people settled the land from the
cold northern areas to the extreme end of South America.
As the groups of people settled different parts of the land, they developed
their own languages, their own cultures and their own religions. Each group’s
story is important in the history of the Americas. However, it is perhaps the
tribes of the central part of the United States that are most recognized. They
will be our story today.
In 1804, Merriwether Lewis and William Clark led a group of explorers to
the Pacific Ocean. They were the first educated Americans to see some of the
native tribes of the Great Plains.
And they were the first white people these Native American people had
ever seen.
When the group of explorers neared the eastern side of the great Rocky
Mountains, they met with a tribe of Indians called the Shoshoni. Merriwether
Lewis was the first to see them.
Let us imagine we are with Merriwether Lewis near the Rocky Mountains
almost two hundred years ago. Across a small hill, a group of sixty Shoshoni
men are riding toward us.
The first thing we see is that these men are ready for war. Each is armed
with a bow and arrows. Some carry long poles with a sharp knife on the end.
They are riding very fast. Some horses seem to be without riders. But a
closer look shows that the men are hanging off the sides, or under the horse’s
neck. They are using the horses’ bodies as protection.
The horses are painted with many different designs that use blue, black,
red or other colors. Later we learn that each design has a special meaning for
the man who owns the horse. Each one tells a story.
For example, the man riding one horse is a leader during battle. Another
has killed an enemy in battle. One of the designs protects the horse and rider.

As they come nearer, the Shoshoni group sees that we are not ready for
war. They slow their horses but are still very careful. Merriwether Lewis
holds up a open hand as a sign of peace. The leader of the Shoshoni does the


same. They come closer.
The Shoshoni are dressed in clothes made from animal skin. Most of these
skins are from deer or the American buffalo. The shirts they wear have many
designs, and tell stories like the designs on the horses. One shows a man has
fought in a battle. Another shows a man has been in many raids to capture
horses. Still another shows the man saved the life of a friend.
Captain Lewis smiles at these men. He again makes a hand sign that means
peace. The signs are now returned. Lewis and the Shoshoni chief cannot
speak each other’s language. They can communicate using hand signs.
One young Shoshoni man comes near. He drops to the ground from his
horse. He is tall and looks strong. His hair is black in color and long. He
wears one long bird feather in the back of his hair. Some of his hair is held in
place by animal fur.
His arms have been painted with long lines. We learn that each line
represents a battle. There are many lines. But we leave the Shoshoni without
him adding another one.
The Shoshoni were only one of many tribes of native people who lived in
the Great Plains area. The life, culture and society of these tribes developed
because of the land that was their home.
The Great Plains today is still huge. Even in a car, traveling at one hundred
kilometers an hour, it can take two long days of driving to cross the Great
Plains. The plains reach from several hundred kilometers north in Canada
across the middle of the continent to Mexico in the south.
In the East, the Great Plains begin near the Mississippi River and go west
to the huge Rocky Mountains. It is the center of the United States. There are

big rivers here, deserts and mountains. Other areas are so flat that a person
can see for hundreds of kilometers. Millions of kilometers of this land were
once covered by a thick ocean of grass.
The grass provided food for an animal that made possible the culture of the
Indians of the Great Plains. The grass fed the bison, the American buffalo.
The buffalo was the center of native Indian culture in the Great Plains. The
huge animal provided meat for the Indians. But it was much more than just
food. It was an important part of the religion of most of the native people in
the Great Plains.
The Lakota tribe is one of the people of the Great Plains. The Lakota are