Harriet Beecher Stowe grew up in a family where the boys were seen as assets and the girls as second-class citizens. The lack of power for women in the 1800s fueled her outrage against slavery, and she began to write religious periodicals to support her family. ""Uncle Tom's Cabin"" appeared in weekly installments from June 1851 to April 1852 in the antislavery magazine ""National Era"". Eventually published as a novel and a play, ""Uncle Tom's Cabin"" argued against slavery, creating a stirring effect on the abolitionist cause and angering the South, where it was banned.Upon meeting Stowe, President Lincoln was quoted as saying, 'So you're the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war!' Stowe became a celebrity and went on to write 10 adult novels, including a second antislavery novel called ""Dred"". During the Civil War, she aided runaway slaves, and after the war, she built and established several schools and boarding homes for newly freed slaves. Although ""Uncle Tom's Cabin"" cannot be denied its importance and influence, it also has been associated with the creation and popularization of negative stereotypes of blacks.

The story of Florida, the 27th state of the Union, has been characterized by continuous growth. Named La Florida by Juan Ponce de Leon, the Sunshine State changed hands numerous times as various explorers who saw the natural beauty of the region decided to claim it for themselves. Prior to the 16th century, an estimated 350,000 Native Americans lived in this unsettled region. European explorers later introduced diseases that greatly reduced the Native American population. Florida was made a Spanish colony, changed ownership to Great Britain, and then went back under Spanish control with the Treaty of Paris in 1783. In 1810, Floridians declared their independence from Spain. Sensing a prime opportunity, President James Madison and Congress claimed the region as part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. The United States took formal possession of Florida in 1821, and the state was admitted to the Union in 1845. Read the fascinating history in ""The Acquisition of Florida"".

In 1879, Thomas Alva Edison invented the first practical incandescent electric light in his Menlo Park, New Jersey, laboratory, ushering in an era driven by electricity. ""The Electric Light"" is an enlightening look at this monumental achievement, examining how the lightbulb was partly responsible for transforming the country's agrarian economy into the modern industrial economy it is today.

Arnold initially joined the Revolutionary Army during the war with the British. By 1779, Arnold was dissatisfied, shifted his loyalties, and became a spy for the British.

In simple language, these informative books offer explanations of the important concepts high school students encounter in science and physics classes. The series uses easy-to-understand examples throughout, to help students investigate and interpret scientific methodology, theories, and laws. Each title in the series covers a specific concept in physics, including the laws of motion and thermodynamics; kinetic and potential energy; gravity and magnetism; the characteristics of sound; and more. Colorful diagrams and photographs help to make this the perfect series for challenged high school students who might have trouble understanding required high school physics concepts. Physics is mandated as part of the high school curriculum, though some students find basic textbooks difficult to understand. Using diagrams and photographs to illustrate challenging concepts, this absorbing book is written in simple, easy-to-understand language specifically for those students. It includes well-organized descriptions of the concepts of gravitational force, electromagnetic, force and strong and weak forces, as well as examples of how these forces work in nature.

A fascinating, in-depth timeline of American Indian history, ""Chronology of American Indian History, Updated Edition"", updated and expanded with current information, describes thousands of years of events that helped shape the lives and cultures of Native Americans, as well as American society as a whole - from their ancestors' arrival in North America to the present. Cited year-by-year, the events highlight important and interesting moments in American Indian history - both those well-known to any student of American history and those largely unfamiliar to most general readers. A completely new chapter has been added as well, covering events from January 2001 to the present, including such information as court decisions, museum openings, protests, and cultural celebrations. This new material also presents the Indian perspective on more general events - such as the Iraq War and the Katrina disaster - that have made the past five years among the most tumultuous in American history. This edition also includes an expanded bibliography, as well as new photographs that illustrate the people, places, and events discussed in the new chapter.

Discover how a game of lacrosse led to a victory for the Ojibwa tribe against the British, find out why the Menominees are called the wild rice people, and meet some of the great heroes of Native America, from Sequoyah and Sitting Bull to Pocahontas. Enjoy the holidays, foods, dances, and stories of these diverse peoples and find the answers to all your questions about Native American history....

Why did the Mound Builders build mounds? See page 14.

What was the Trail of Tears? See page 59.

Why didn’t Montezuma attack Cortes’ men? See page 27.

Who were the Navajo Code Talkers? See page 94.

What was the Alcatraz takeover? See page 107.

What was the Iroquois confederacy? See page 33.

Did all Inuit live in igloos? See page 131.

What were the Mayans’ greatest scientific achievements? See page 21.

During World War II, as Allied forces sought to combat the Axis powers by conventional military means, recent advances in nuclear science led the U.S. military to organize the Manhattan Project-a massive government-run program to invent an atomic bomb. The Manhattan Project operated facilities across the country that employed more than 100,000 workers. Most crucial to the program's success was the top-secret laboratory at Los Alamos, New Mexico. There, surrounded by a wire fence manned by armed guards, many of the world's greatest scientists wrestled with their consciences while racing to build the most destructive bomb the world had ever known. Their invention of the atomic bomb not only changed the course of the war, but also gave humanity a frightening new weapon capable of destroying the planet. In this new title, read how the development and use of the bomb greatly affected the course of World War II and the history of the world.

In 1848, a carpenter found gold in a river in California. The news spread quickly, and soon prospectors from across the country were arriving to pursue their fortunes. This mass migration, known as the Gold Rush, reshaped the United States by drastically accelerating the immigration to the far West. It transformed American society, as many citizens embraced in California a newfound independence and release from traditions. Perhaps most importantly, it remolded the American character, turning a country of settled farmers into a nation of forward-thinking risk-takers. ""The California Gold Rush"" explores how this pivotal era introduced new ideas about work and wealth, luck and greed, and success and failure, into the way Americans looked at their lives, their livelihoods, and most of all, themselves.

With the sudden end of the Vietnam War in April 1975, throngs of Vietnamese fled their country. Within months, more than 130,000 arrived in the United States, determined to begin their lives anew. In the three decades since that time, Vietnamese Americans have faced many struggles - from finding jobs and learning English to coping with the physical and emotional scars of war. Despite these hardships, many have distinguished themselves, especially as students and entrepreneurs. Here is an all-in-one place to begin a study of this vital segment of the American population. ""Vietnamese Americans"" incorporates a lively text and high-quality, full-color photographs. Fact boxes, sidebars, information on genealogy, and other features add scope, making this useful for reports and general interest.

In the tradition of the best-selling series Revolutionary War Leaders, this new series presents 10 figures whose choices of the American Revolutionary War. Ideally suited for middle school students, at 100+ pages these books are the perfect length for school reports and are fully documented. This series meets national history curriculum standards.