The story of California’s gold rush has all the aspects of a great drama. Countless characters crossed great distances to fulfill their dreams of obtaining riches in the golden land of “El Dorado.” The great rush to California’s goldfields from points around the globe changed the face of California and transformed the United States, a young country still grappling with the growing pains of its fairly new independence. Readers will explore this exciting chapter in American history through primary sources such as broadsheets, lithographs, and poems.

This book explores the story of California's gold rush through primary source material such as broadsheets, lithographs, and poems.

This book traces the Alamo's history, from the Native American peoples who lived in the area when the mission was first built through the continuing efforts to preserve the historic site. Particular attention is paid to the Battle of the Alamo and how the bravery of its defenders inspired Texans during the Texas War of Independence.

When the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution authorized women’s suffrage in 1920, it was the culmination of decades of work by women who had fought to be considered equal to men under the law. Accompanied by primary source documents, this resource chronicles the birth of the women’s rights movement at Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848; the suffragists’ sometimes-contentious partnership with the abolitionist movement; and the slow build toward national suffrage. The efforts of Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and other important leaders are recognized.

In the decades before the Civil War effectively ended the institution of slavery in the United States, many people risked their lives to rescue Southern African Americans from the shackles of slavery and shepherd them to the safety of the Northern states and Canada. Thousands of slaves made the journey under cover of night. Once free, some became agents of the railroad while others educated those in the North about the horrors of slavery. The remarkable stories of people who would achieve freedom or die trying are chronicled within these pages.

Snaking its way through 363 miles of upstate New York, the original Erie Canal was the most massive public works project the United States had seen before the Civil War. Many doubted that such a grand waterway could be constructed, but upon its completion, it almost instantly became an enduring national symbol of American ingenuity. This volume relates the captivating story of the Erie Canal, chronicling how some dedicated political figures and surveyors-turned-engineers helped make one of the earliest American engineering marvels a reality. Primary source documents provide historical context, showing how the Erie Canal transformed the greater American landscape.

The story of the Cherokee Nation and its tragic displacement by early colonial settlers is an integral part of American history. Here that tale is told through an investigation of primary sources related to the historic episode. Images and textual transcriptions are presented of such historical documents as presidential addresses, treaties, and the Cherokee constitution. Such examination of primary sources and their use in the narration of this all-too-often overlooked piece of history is in line with the skills outlined in the Common Core standards for reading informational text.