On January 6, 1912, the United States welcomed the 47th state — New Mexico. It was a long and arduous path to statehood. New Mexico was added to the United States as a territory in 1850. Residents began petitioning for full-fledged statehood shortly thereafter, but conflicts blocked the way. Conflicts between: Northern and Southern states. […]
West Virginia: A Unit Study
West Virginia state unit. On March 26, 1863, West Virginia ratified a new state constitution.
Kansas: A Unit Study
On January 29, 1861, Kansas became the 34th state in the Union, an event which had long been delayed due to intense conflict between free-state and pro-slavery proponents. Kansas History The first white man to explore Kansas was Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, who came through in 1541. He left in disappointment when he found no […]
Virginia: A Unit Study
On June 12, 1766, the state of Virginia ratified a Declaration of Rights recognizing the inherent rights of men — a document that would become a precursor to the United States Declaration of Independence, and later, the Bill of Rights. Virginia History Virginia was first settled by white men as a result of an act […]
Massachusetts: A Unit Study
On February 6, 1788, Massachusetts became the 6th state to enter the Union. Massachusetts History Massachusetts can claim some of the richest history of any state in the United States. The first noted explorer of the area was Bartholomew Gosnold in 1602 in the English ship Concord, 18 years before the Pilgrims landed. It was […]
Connecticut: A Unit Study
On January 9, 1788, Connecticut became the fifth state to enter the Union. History Early exploration of Connecticut began in 1614 by representatives of the Dutch West India Company. In 1633 the Dutch erected a trading fort near present-day Hartford. In that same year, English settlers from Plymouth, Massachusetts, began to move into the […]
Nevada: A Unit Study
On October 31, 1864, Nevada became the 36th state in the United States of America. The state constitution had been telegraphed to Congress just days before the November 8 presidential election. Nevada Beginnings The new state had boasted a population of only 6,857 in 1860, a far cry from the 40,000 mark typically required for […]
Maryland: A Unit Study
On June 20, 1632, King Charles I granted the Charter of Maryland to Cecilius Calvert, the Second Baron of Baltimore and son of the late Sir George Calvert the First Lord Baltimore. Sir George had the great desire to establish a colony in America, one where he would rule and be able to establish a […]
Nebraska: A Unit Study
On this day, May 30, 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska act was signed into law, thus establishing the territory of Nebraska. It was divided from its sister territory of Kansas by the 40th parallel north. Its northern border was defined by the 49th parallel north which also served as the border separating Canada from the United States. […]
Alaska: A Unit Study
On this day, January 3, 1959, Alaska became the 49th state of the United States of America. Purchased from Russia on March 30, 1867, for the total sum of 7.2 million dollars, Alaska was later organized into a territory on May 11, 1912. One of two U.S. states not connected to the 48 contiguous states, […]
Delaware: A Unit Study
Before being settled, Delaware was the home to the Lenni Lenape, and the Nanticoke Indian tribes. The Dutch were the first Europeans to settle in Delaware in 1631; however, this settlement was destroyed by local Indians and the settlers killed. The Dutch again settled in 1651 establishing a fort at the site of present day […]
Maine: A Unit Study
On this day, March 15, 1820, Maine became the 23rd state in the Union as part of the Missouri compromise maintaining the status quo between free and slave states. History Maine’s long European history began with a settlement established on Saint Croix Island in 1604 by Frenchman Pierre Duqua, Sieur de Mons. The French named […]
