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Jamestown Virginia
The first permanent English settlement was founded in Jamestown, Virginia. It was founded in 1607. It served as the capital of Virginia until 1699. The Virginia company of London sent an exhibition to settle an expedition to establish a settlement in the Virginia Colony in December of 1606. They chose the Jamestown Island because they were advised to to select a location that could be easily defended from enemy ships and Navies. The island had amazing visibility up and down the James River. -
Death of Shakespeare
Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616 in the United Kingdom. His death is a mystery. It was documented in a diary of John Ward that the night before Shakespeare died he and some of his acquaintances met for drinks. It is thought that he died of typhus which they called a new fever. Shakespeare died at the age of 52. He wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets. -
The General History of Virginia
The General History of Virginia is written by Captain John Smith. It was first published in 1624. It was one of the earliest if not the earliest histories of the territory of Virginia to be written. In 1609 John got into an accident and returned to England in that same year due to his accident. After his return to England he fell out of favor with the directors of the Virginia Company. After he fell out of favor he wrote a series of publications about the English colonial effort in Jamestown. -
The Wonders of the Invisible World
Cotton Mather published The Wonders of the Invisible World in defense of the Salem witch trials. The Salem witch trials were a series of court hearings and prosecutions. It started in February of 1692 and ended in May of 1693. The result was 20 executions, 14 of them were women and 6 were men. 19 of them were hung and the other one was burned alive. The trials were held in Salem Village ( now Danvers), Salem Town, Ipswitch, and Andover. -
The Boston Newsletter
The Boston Newsletter was the first American newspaper. It was regarded as the first continuously published newspaper. Although the British government frowned upon it the governor approved of all copies. The first editor was John Campbell, a book seller and postmaster of Boston. The newsletter was issued weekly, it was a half sheet, single paged, and printed on both sides. -
Gulliver's Travels
Jonathan Swift, an Irish writer, clergy man, wrote Gulliver's Travels. It was popular right away after it was published. The author was born on November 30, 1667. He grew up fatherless but his uncle took care of him. He received a bachelor's degree from Trinity College. In his later life, he became the dean of St. Patricks Cathedral in Dublin. He died on October 19, 1745. He stayed in Dublin, Ireland most of his life. -
The Great Awakening
The Great Awakening was a revitalization movement that went through Europe, British America, and the American Colonies. It was an important social event in New England that challenged establish authority. It had an impact in reshaping many churches including the Congregational church, the Presbyterian church,and the Dutch Reformed Church. It strengthened the small Baptist and Methodist Anglican church. It had very little impact on most Anglican, Lutherans, Quakers, and non-Protestants. -
Common Sense
Thomas Paine wrote a widely known pamphlet called Common Sense. He argued the case for independence. It was written in 1775-76. It was sold and distributed widely and read aloud at taverns and meeting places. It had the largest sale and circulation of any book published in American history. Thomas Paine arrived in the American colonies in November of 1774. -
US Constitutional Approval
The US constitution was created on September 17, 1787. It is divided into three parts; The legislative, the Executive and the judicial. It was amended twenty-seven times to meet the changing needs of a nation. The first ten amendments are known as the Bill of Rights, they offer specific protections of individual liberty and justice and place restrictions on the powers of government. The majority of the seventeen later amendments expand individual civil rights protections -
Dream of the Red Chamber
The classic Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber was published in 1791. It was published by Cao Xueqin. This novel circulated in manuscript copies with various titles until its print publication in 1791. The first 80 chapters were written by Cao Xueqin the next 40 were prepared by Gao E. The title has also been translated as Red Chamber Dream and A Dream of Red Mansions.