America: Colonization
About this book
What more fascinating way of discovering history than reading eye-witness accounts? In all the histories of Virginia, who has improved upon Captain John Smith's original story of his meeting with Pocahontas? Who can give a better account of early Pennsylvania than William Penn himself? And could there be a better source of information about the Pilgrim Fathers, the early Indian wars or the Salem witch-hunts than those who witnessed the events themselves? Covering the period from the early Huguenot settlements in Florida to the Spanish exploration and colonization of California, this volume includes eye-witness accounts of the founding of St Augustine (the oldest town in the USA); the early months of the "lost" Roanoke colony; the settlement of Jamestown; the founding of Quebec; the voyage of the Mayflower; the establishment of New Amsterdam (New York City) and its later conquest by the English; and more. Read these accounts and make your own judgments.Introduction To The Series"After you've heard two eyewitness accounts of an auto accident, you begin to worry about history." This observation, attributed to the comedian Henny Youngman, summarizes the dilemma you face when you want to find out what really happened in the past. When you read a history book, the "facts" are actually the author's own interpretation, often colored by a conscious or unconscious wish to have you share a particular point of view. You're one step (or many steps) removed from the original source material.That's why the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States compiled this 12-volume collection of writings of people who actually witnessed the key events in American history - the actual actors in the events or contemporary observers of them. Past historians have spent decades locating, studying and consulting vast amounts of material such as this. This meticulously chosen selection brings you the essence of history as originally recorded by those who participated in it.You'll be reading mostly eye-witness accounts, by people contemporary with the events they describe, including many significant historical figures themselves. So you can make your own assessments, draw your own conclusions and gain an understanding of past events undistorted by the prejudices, assumptions and selectivity of professional historians. In some instances where there aren't reliable or easily accessible eye-witness accounts, the compilers have chosen extracts from objective, authoritative historians of past generations such as Francis Parkman whose judgements have stood the test of time.The extracts chosen aren't dry as dust: they provide an exciting, highly readable narrative from the living past. They're part of the primary source material on which all historical research is based - and these e-books bring this original, classic reporting to you directly. Through these accounts, your knowledge of American history will be immeasurably greater, your understanding of the key events in the building of the nation immensely increased.Founded in 1899, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to foster camaderie among United States veterans of overseas conflicts, from the Spanish-American War to Iraq and Afghanistan, and to ensure that they receive due respect and entitlements for the sacrifices they and their loved ones have made on behalf of the nation.