Andrew Jackson, Sam Houston and David Crockett were three men of destiny in 19th century American history who had much in common in family and ancestral ties, in character, mannerisms and political and social outlook as they shaped the fabric of a nation that was to gradually emerge as the greatest, most influential in the world. They were a gallant and fearless trio of men, hewn from the same genealogical and cultural stick that was rooted back across the Atlantic Ocean in lowland Scotlan...

From their earliest arrival in America 350 years ago, the Scots-Irish left a lasting legacy. The history of the United States is interwoven with outstanding personalities from the Scots-Irish diaspora and the distinctive characteristics of a people who pushed the frontiers to new horizons.  This comprehensive study of the Scots-Irish in America by Northern Ireland author Billy Kennedy has created a much greater awareness of the accomplishments and the durability of the hardy settlers...

American frontier women of the 18th century were an extraordinary people whose contribution to the creation of the United States is one of the most enduring stories in history. The gallant women of the frontier have never been given the full credit they deserve for settling with their families in an uninhabited wilderness.  This book places on record the notable achievements of these heroines. Northern Ireland author/journalist Billy Kennedy, in the eighth of his Scots...

Series 11-15 of the major BBC Radio 4 drama charting life on the home front during the First World War – plus special extended episode Home Front: A Fragile PeaceFirst heard on radio between 4 August 2014 and 9 November 2018, each episode of Home Front is set exactly one hundred years before the broadcast date, and each follows one character’s day. Together they create a mosaic of experience from a wide cross-section of society, mixing historical ...

“An engaging piece of historical detective work and narrative craft.” —Chicago TribuneAt a time when America’s founding principles are being debated as never before, Russell Shorto looks back to the era in which those principles were forged. In Revolution Song, Shorto weaves the lives of six people into a seamless narrative that casts fresh light on the range of experience in colonial America on the cusp of revolution. The result is a brilliant de...

In 1791, General Arthur St. Clair led the United States army in a campaign to destroy a complex of Indian villages at the Maumee River in northwestern Ohio. Almost within reach of their objective, St. Clair's 1,400 men were attacked by about one thousand Indians. The U.S. force was decimated, suffering nearly one thousand casualties in killed and wounded, while Indian casualties numbered only a few dozen. But despite the lopsided result, it wouldn't appear to carry much significance; it in...

The dramatic story of a founding father, his illegitimate son, and the tragedy of their conflict during the American Revolution—from the acclaimed author of The Lincolns.Ben Franklin is the most lovable of America’s founding fathers. His wit, his charm, his inventiveness—even his grandfatherly appearance—are legendary. But this image obscures the scandals that dogged him throughout his life. In The Loyal Son, award-winning historian Daniel Mark Ep...

More than 50,000 Indians lived in the area now known as North Carolina at the time of Christopher Columbuss arrival in the New World. The Formation North Carolina Coastal and Eastern Counties examines the history of this Native American Indian population. It also focuses upon the formation of North Carolina from colonial times; tracing the origins of its earliest settlers, including Native Americans. By the middle of the nineteenth century, the number of American Indians on offici...

This installment of the Slow Travels series explores the Palmetto State of South Carolina. The routes followed in this exploration are U.S. Highways 17, 25, 52, and 178. From the Atlantic Coast, including Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Beaufort, and Hilton Head, to the Cherokee Piedmont on the North Carolina State Line, South Carolina's history is unveiled along these routes.

Tennessee, the long, thin state stretching from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Mississippi River, is as richly varied in history as in terrain. And from Davy Crockett, "Old Hickory" Andrew Jackson, and presidential candidate Estes Kefauver's coonskin cap, it has derived the colorful image of a frontier state.Tennessee has been a land of many kinds of frontiers--from the day in 1540 when Spaniards in armor, fevered for gold and glory, struggled along the river ban...

Here is a brisk, accessible, and vivid introduction to arguably the most important event in the history of the United States--the American Revolution. Between 1760 and 1800, the American people cast off British rule to create a new nation and a radically new form of government based on the idea that people have the right to govern themselves. In this lively account, Robert Allison provides a cohesive synthesis of the military, diplomatic, political, social, and intellectual aspects of the ...

"Vivid, Comprehensible . . . cuts through decades of mythmaking." —Texas MonthlyPopular culture transformed his memory into “Davy Crockett,” and Hollywood gave him a raccoon hat he hardly ever wore. In this surprising New York Times bestseller, historian Michael Wallis has cast a fresh look at the flesh-and-blood man behind one of the most celebrated figures in American history. More than a riveting story, Wallis’s David Crockett is a rev...