When Columbus discovered America in 1492, its indigenous people were already scattered across the land. Spanish settlers, and others that followed, began referring to the different ethnic bands, tribes and groups collectively as American Indians. Other terms used by these colonizers were Native Americans, Indigenous People and Aboriginals. The tribes were scattered throughout what is… Continue reading The American Indians – The Effects of Colonization
The War of Texas Independence, more commonly known as the Texas Revolution, was a six-month war that lasted from the October of 1835 to April of 1836. The war was waged between Texan colonists and the Mexicans, which led to Texas’s Independence from the state of Mexico. This war was the prerequisite to the founding… Continue reading Texas Revolution
Beginning on September 7th of 1857 and ending four days later on the 11th, the deaths of 120 men, women and children at the hands of Mormon church members, is now known as the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Despite the attempts of church members to pass off the massacre as an attack by Native Americans from… Continue reading Mountain Meadows Massacre and Mormon Theology
Many religions have faced persecution, and many have brought abuse on others. Mormonism is no different, perhaps we just don’t hear about Mormon ties with violence as often as this religion is mainly centered in the US and today the church does not condone widespread use of corporal punishment. The history of brutality and Mormonism… Continue reading Mormonism and Violence
Construction of each leg of the railroad began at a different time. The western leg was undertaken by Central Pacific, and Judah’s project became dominated by ‘The Big Four.’ Although well-known businessmen, they had no previous experience constructing railroads and borrowed a great amount of money to finance the project. They also used loopholes to… Continue reading First Transcontinental Railroad – Central and Union Pacific Meet in the ‘Middle’
As the USA expanded, many white settlers believed that they were entitled to the land that Native Americans had farmed and hunted for hundreds of years in Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Alabama and North Carolina. At the beginning of the 1830s there were approximately 125,000 Native Americans living in these states, but by the end of… Continue reading The Trail of Tears – A Journey Resulting in Loss and Heartache
The main pathway followed by Americans looking for new lands and opportunities on the frontier, during the 1800s, was known as the Oregon Trail. The route stretched 2000 miles from Missouri, over the Great Plains and the Continental Divide, ending in the Californian gold fields and the Willamette Valley. Between 1840 and 1860 more than… Continue reading The Oregon Trail – America’s Pioneer Route
One of the world’s most important commercial waterways, the Mississippi River is the second longest river in North America. It passes through, or borders, the states of Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. The word ‘Mississippi’ originates from the French misi-ziibi, meaning Great River. The river’s source can be found at… Continue reading The Mississippi River
The Great Plains, also called ‘The Plains,’ is the flatland which extends from west of the Mississippi River to east of the Rocky Mountains. The expanse is covered in prairie, grassland and steppe, and has a height of 600 - 1200 feet in the east, and between 4000 and 6000 feet near the mountains. The… Continue reading The Great Plains
Native American culture is rich with stories and legends, which vary throughout the tribes. Many of the legends are spiritual in origin, and have been passed down through generations by word of mouth. Tribe elders became the main storytellers, and did their best to ensure that tales of physical and spiritual origin was passed on… Continue reading Native American Legends – The Ark on Superstition Mountain
