America: Colonization (America, Great Crises In Our History Told by its Makers)

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What more fascinating way of discovering history than reading eye-witness
accounts? In all the histories of Virginia, who has improved upon Captain John
Smith's original story of his meeting with Pocahontas? Who can give a better
account of early Pennsylvania than William Penn himself? And could there be a
better source of information about the Pilgrim Fathers, the early Indian wars or
the Salem witch-hunts than those who witnessed the events themselves? Covering
the period from the early Huguenot settlements in Florida to the Spanish
exploration and colonization of California, this volume includes eye-witness
accounts of the founding of St Augustine ; the early
months of the "lost" Roanoke colony; the settlement of Jamestown; the founding
of Quebec; the voyage of the Mayflower; the establishment of New Amsterdam and its later conquest by the English; and more. Read these accounts
and make your own judgments.

Introduction To The Series

"After you've heard two eyewitness accounts of an auto accident, you begin to
worry about history." This observation, attributed to the comedian Henny
Youngman, summarizes the dilemma you face when you want to find out what really
happened in the past. When you read a history book, the "facts" are actually the
author's own interpretation, often colored by a conscious or unconscious wish to
have you share a particular point of view. You're one step
removed from the original source material.

That's why the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States compiled this 12-
volume collection of writings of people who actually witnessed the key events in
American history - the actual actors in the events or contemporary observers of
them. Past historians have spent decades locating, studying and consulting vast
amounts of material such as this. This meticulously chosen selection brings you
the essence of history as originally recorded by those who participated in it.

You'll be reading mostly eye-witness accounts, by people contemporary with the
events they describe, including many significant historical figures themselves.
So you can make your own assessments, draw your own conclusions and gain an
understanding of past events undistorted by the prejudices, assumptions and
selectivity of professional historians. In some instances where there aren't
reliable or easily accessible eye-witness accounts, the compilers have chosen
extracts from objective, authoritative historians of past generations such as
Francis Parkman whose judgements have stood the test of time.

The extracts chosen aren't dry as dust: they provide an exciting, highly
readable narrative from the living past. They're part of the primary source
material on which all historical research is based - and these e-books bring
this original, classic reporting to you directly. Through these accounts, your
knowledge of American history will be immeasurably greater, your understanding
of the key events in the building of the nation immensely increased.

Founded in 1899, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is a
nonprofit organization dedicated to foster camaderie among United States
veterans of overseas conflicts, from the Spanish-American War to Iraq and
Afghanistan, and to ensure that they receive due respect and entitlements for
the sacrifices they and their loved ones have made on behalf of the nation.