Study the life of Padre Junipero Serra and his missions to America. Understand why the Spanish government decided to send missionaries to the southwestern part of the US, especially in Texas and California. What the life of a mission like during those times? How did they reach out to the Native Americans? Read all about it in this book for third graders.

A portrait of the priest and colonialist who is one of the most important figures in California's history In the 1770s, just as Britain's American subjects were freeing themselves from the burdens of colonial rule, Spaniards moved up the California coast to build frontier outposts of empire and church. At the head of this effort was Junípero Serra, an ambitious Franciscan who hoped to convert California Indians to Catholicism and turn them into European-style farmers. For his efforts, he has been beatified by the Catholic Church and widely celebrated as the man who laid the foundation for modern California. But his legacy is divisive. The missions Serra founded would devastate California's Native American population, and much more than his counterparts in colonial America, he remains a contentious and contested figure to this day. Steven W. Hackel's groundbreaking biography, Junípero Serra: California's Founding Father, is the first to remove Serra from the realm of polemic and place him within the currents of history. Born into a poor family on the Spanish island of Mallorca, Serra joined the Franciscan order and rose to prominence as a priest and professor through his feats of devotion and powers of intellect. But he could imagine no greater service to God than converting Indians, and in 1749 he set off for the new world. In Mexico, Serra first worked as a missionary to Indians and as an uncompromising agent of the Inquisition. He then became an itinerant preacher, gaining a reputation as a mesmerizing orator who could inspire, enthrall, and terrify his audiences at will. With a potent blend of Franciscan piety and worldly cunning, he outmaneuvered Spanish royal officials, rival religious orders, and avaricious settlers to establish himself as a peerless frontier administrator. In the culminating years of his life, he extended Spanish dominion north, founding and promoting missions in present-day San Diego, Los Angeles, Monterey, and San Francisco. But even Serra could not overcome the forces massing against him. California's military leaders rarely shared his zeal, Indians often opposed his efforts, and ultimately the missions proved to be cauldrons of disease and discontent. Serra, in his hope to save souls, unwittingly helped bring about the massive decline of California's indigenous population. On the three-hundredth anniversary of Junípero Serra's birth, Hackel's complex, authoritative biography tells the full story of a man whose life and legacies continue to be both celebrated and denounced. Based on exhaustive research and a vivid narrative, this is an essential portrait of America's least understood founder.

In 18th-century Spain, daring stories of missionaries spreading the Gospel in the New World ignited the imagination of a devout young boy. Miguel Serra's dream soon became a reality. As Franciscan friar Junípero Serra, he traveled to the New World and tirelessly preached the love of Christ to the natives living in the uncharted wilderness of California. Join the "founding father of California" on his amazing journey. Experience the zeal of the saint who established the first nine Catholic missions in California, from San Diego to San Francisco.

Junípero Serra was an influential Franciscan missionary who created missions that stretched from San Francisco to San Diego. His impact on California is still felt-and debated-today. Introduce students to his life with this nonfiction biography that builds students' reading skills and promotes social studies content literacy. The dynamic primary source maps, letters, and images provide authentic nonfiction reading materials and keep students interested in learning. Text features include a glossary, index, captions, sidebars, and table of contents. This book connects to California state studies standards and the NCSS/C3 Framework and features appropriately leveled text to accommodate different reading levels. Additional features include Read and Respond and a culminating activity that prompt students to dive deeper into the text for additional reading and learning.

This history of Native Americans, from the period of first contactto the present day, offers an important variation to existingstudies by placing the lives and experiences of Native Americancommunities at the center of the narrative. Presents an innovative approach to Native American history byplacing individual native communities and their experiences at thecenter of the study Following a first chapter that deals with creation myths, theremainder of the narrative is structured chronologically, coveringover 600 years from the point of first contact to the presentday Illustrates the great diversity in American Indian culture andemphasizes the importance of Native Americans in the history ofNorth America Provides an excellent survey for courses in Native Americanhistory Includes maps, photographs, a timeline, questions fordiscussion, and “A Closer Focus” textboxes that providebiographies of individuals and that elaborate on the text, exposing students to issues of race, class, and gender

This two-color traveler’s companion features more than 130 of California’s best missions, mansions, and museums. In addition to insider information on many of the destinations, the guide features themed tours that will appeal to tourists and armchair travelers alike, history buffs, as well as teachers and parents. Every entry details the highlights of a particular place and includes operating hours, entrance fees, location, a phone number, and website information. Themed tours range from famous Californians, to lighthouses, ghost towns, and much more. This guidebook is a must-have for anyone interested in California's eclectic history.

Accurate renderings of 21 structures: San Diego de Alcalá, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Clara de Asís, San José de Guadalupe, Santa Cruz, many more, plus realistic vignettes of mission life. Captions.