Essays

Imperial Rivalries

The essays in this section have been written by leading scholars of American history. They provide additional depth on events and ideas referred to in the introductory essay and, in some cases, different interpretations by historians looking at the same events. These essays are particularly useful in introducing your students to one of the most exciting aspects of studying history—understanding the past from a variety of perspectives.

The defeat of the Spanish Armada, 1588. (Library of Congress, Kraus Collection, Rare Book and Spec. Collections Div.)

England on the Eve of Colonization

Author: Paul E. J. Hammer Curriculum Subjects: World History Grade Levels: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

The Discovery of the Americas and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Author: Ira Berlin Curriculum Subjects: Grade Levels:

Essays from Other Sub-Eras

A map from History of the Expedition under the Command of Lewis and Clark. (GLC)

America the Newcomer: Claiming the Louisiana Purchase

Author: Elliott West Curriculum Subjects: Geography Grade Levels:

Conflict and Commerce: The Rise and Fall of New Netherland

Author: Simon Middleton Curriculum Subjects: Economics, World History Grade Levels: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Commissioner of Labor Statistics explains loss of wages since 1929. (LOC, P&P)

Economic Policy through the Lens of History

Author: Roger E. A. Farmer Curriculum Subjects: Economics Grade Levels: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

“Taboas geraes de toda a navegação” by João Teixeira Albernaz, 1630. (LOC Maps)

Iberian Roots of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, 1440–1640

Author: David Wheat Curriculum Subjects: World History Grade Levels: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Imaginative depiction of Magellan from a map published in Americae nona & postrema pars, edited by Theodor de Bry (Frankfurt: Apud M. Beckerum, 1602). (Library of Congress Rare Book and Special Collections Division)

Magellan: Missing in Action

Author: Laurence Bergreen Curriculum Subjects: Geography, Literature, World History Grade Levels: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Detail from a seventeenth-century map showing the waters off Cape Hatteras. (Gilder Lehrman Collection)

Navigating the Age of Exploration

Author: Ted Widmer Curriculum Subjects: Geography, World History Grade Levels: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Letter to William Johnson, British commissioner of Northern Indian Affairs, 1761. (Gilder Lehrman Collection)

The League of the Iroquois

Author: Matthew Dennis Curriculum Subjects: Government and Civics Grade Levels:

Statue of Po’pay given by New Mexico for display in the National Statuary Hall Collection. (Courtesy of the Architect of the Capitol)

The Pueblo Revolt

Author: Edward Countryman Curriculum Subjects: Government and Civics, Religion and Philosophy Grade Levels:

Old house, rural Montana. (Carol M. Highsmith's America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)

A New Look at the Great Plains

Author: Elliott West Curriculum Subjects: Geography Grade Levels: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+