America - still a young country by world standards - began as an experiment in self-government. This collection includes stories of America's people as they follow a path of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
Frederick Douglass was a much-sought-after speaker. This image depicts a page from one of his lectures honoring John Brown. Among other observa...
Second page of a letter from Frederick Douglass to America's then-Secretary of State, James G. Blaine, accepting the offer (made by President Benjamin...
This is an excerpt of the Preface which WIlliam Lloyd Garrison wrote for Frederick Douglass' Narratives. The white abolitionist greatly admired...
In this letter, Caroline Purdy explains how the famous Star-Spangled Banner flag was made.
Page two of the letter, Caroline Purdy [Mary Pickersgill's daughter] wrote to Georgiana Appleton [Major Armistead's daughter] describing how the Fort ...
This receipt, given to Mary Pickersgill by the U.S. Army, shows that she was paid $405.90 for making the Star-Spangled Banner and $168.54 for making a...
The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 permitted slave-hunters to seize an alleged fugitive slave without the slightest due process of law. It also proh...
Long before Americans fought a Civil War - beginning in 1861 - slaves were running away. This document, from the U.S. National Archives, depicts...
In his book, The Underground Railroad, William Still includes a story about four slaves who wanted to escape from Delaware (a slave state which remain...
The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) web site provides the following about the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter: The Black Hawk is the primary di...
After the successful “Trinity Test,” of the plutonium core of “The Gadget,” high-ranking U.S. military commanders made ready t...
On the 20th of February, 1962, Brigadier General Edward G. Lansdale prepared a memo addressing how the United States government could "help th...
Story
Chapter
Story Brief
Learning Task
Video
Image
Audio
Questions to Ponder
Audio Narration