Category: Sample Chapter

Sample Chapter, United States History Series

Sample Chapter – July 10, 1754, – Albany Plan of Union Adopted

Albany Plan of Union
When Benjamin Franklin learned that colonial leaders planned a Congress in Albany, New York in 1754 to plan united action on several issues he printed the cartoon “Join or Die,” in his newspaper. The cartoon appeared in The Pennsylvania Gazette and featured a dead snake cut into thirteen pieces, the implication being that the colonies, like a snake cut into pieces, would perish if they remained disunited. Continue reading Sample Chapter – July 10, 1754, – Albany Plan of Union Adopted

Sample Chapter, Travels Across America

Sample Chapter – Traveling to Bryson City

As November, 2015 approached my wife and I discussed what we would like to do to celebrate our coming wedding anniversary. We decided upon an expedition we had often talked about before, a ride on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. So, we made arrangements and traveled to Bryson City on November 6, 2015 to take a ride on the rails. We stayed at the Microtel Inn on Songbird Forest Road, just off US Highway 74. Potential riders to the area will find other lodging options in Bryson City; however, we chose this one because it was convenient. The room had a microwave, refrigerator and the hotel offers a continental breakfast in the morning. Continue reading Sample Chapter – Traveling to Bryson City

Sample Chapter, Travels Across America

Sample Chapter – Chapter title – Day One – Anchorage

The Alaskan cruise was several months in the planning, with help from my brother and his wife, who are travel agents. Once the cruise date was set it required several days planning the excursions we would take. There are several planned excursions available from the cruise line and we did take advantage of a couple of these. However, we like to see things at our on pace and on our own schedule. Therefore, I printed out maps and planned itineraries. I made rental car arrangements for the various ports on the internet. Continue reading Sample Chapter – Chapter title – Day One – Anchorage

Sample Chapter, Timeline of United States History

Sample Chapter – Chapter title – April 18, 1775 – Midnight Ride of Paul Revere

Leaders of the colonial resistance belonging to the Boston Committee of Correspondence and the Massachusetts Committee of Safety had heard reports of the British plans to move against Lexington. The groups had hired Paul Revere to act as a messenger to carry letters back and forth between colonial leaders in various locations around Boston. One of the leaders contacted Revere on the evening of the 18th and told him that British troops were on the move and he should ride to Lexington to warn the leaders that were staying there that the British were on the march. Since colonial leaders had alre Continue reading Sample Chapter – Chapter title – April 18, 1775 – Midnight Ride of Paul Revere

Sample Chapter, Timeline of United States History

Sample Chapter – First of the Colonist’s Advocate Letters

Benjamin Franklin resided in London during the turbulent years from 1764 through 1775. From his perch in the English capital, he watched as relations between England and her North American colonies unraveled. Initially sent to persuade the King to transform Pennsylvania from a proprietary colony to a royal one, he spent much of his time trying to persuade the English parliament to repeal the Stamp Act, and later the Townshend duties. His testimony before Parliament in January 1766 probably played a role in Parliament’s repeal of the hated Stamp Act. Continue reading Sample Chapter – First of the Colonist’s Advocate Letters

Sample Chapter, Timeline of United States History

Sample Chapter – The Earliest Possible Date for the First Thanksgiving Day

September 21, 1621 – The Earliest Possible Date for the First Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving feasts were a common practice for the European settlers and their native neighbors. It was tradition for the Europeans to set aside days of thanksgiving. They celebrated for a bountiful harvest, drought-ending rains or other providential events. These events did not have any connection with their worship service. They were set during week and commonly involved fasting beforehand. After the fasting, they would have one or several days of celebratory feasting. The Indians had similar traditions. They had thanksgiving celebrations sporadically throughout the year for special events. Thus, both peoples had traditions of this type of celebration. Continue reading Sample Chapter – The Earliest Possible Date for the First Thanksgiving Day

Sample Chapter, Short History Series

Sample Chapter – Evolution of Road Building Materials

The first roads developed from well used places like stream and river fords, mountain passes and other high traffic areas. From there these early roads most likely followed game trails and natural features of the land. Sometimes extensive networks developed which connected settlements for trade and travel, though they were little more than dirt paths in most cases. The predominant traffic on these early roads would have been foot traffic. Later on horses with travois and then wagons would have used them. Continue reading Sample Chapter – Evolution of Road Building Materials

Sample Chapter, Short History Series

Sample Chapter – Early Greek and Roman Railways

Early Greek and Roman Railways
First Railways
Archeological evidence indicates that the Greeks, and later the Romans, built paved trackways as early as 600 BC. These trackways consisted of grooves carved into limestone road beds that guided wooden wheeled vehicles along a path. Called the Diolkos, the trackway was about 5 miles long and allowed men to pull boats across the land using some type of wheeled vehicle. This provided a shortcut across the narrowest part of the Isthmus of Corinth. The shortcut gave boats a way to escape the arduous sea voyage around the Peloponnese peninsula. The Greeks used this trackway for about 700 years. The Romans also built similar trackways later on.
Mid-16th century (1550) –Hand-propelled mining tubs
Coal mine workers in the 1550’s used hand propelled mining tubs called hunds to transport the coal from the mine pit to the surface. These vehicles rolled on two wooden planks. A pin in the center of the tub that penetrated the gap between the two planks kept the tub going the right way. The Germans exported the technology to England. Continue reading Sample Chapter – Early Greek and Roman Railways

Sample Chapter, Short History Series

Sample Chapter – Ancient Gardens – Forest Gardens

The first efforts at gardening appeared in the equatorial regions of Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. No one knows when humans first started cultivating plants, however archeological evidence exists that suggests human first began choosing plants to grow to provide food around 45,000 years ago in forest gardens. These gardens were usually in tracts of land bordering rivers. A forest garden is still a forest, however it contains a large percentage of edible fruit species. Continue reading Sample Chapter – Ancient Gardens – Forest Gardens