Free History Lessons: Stories of Great Americans

Free History Studies: Stories of Great Americans

Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans by Edward Eggleston is a wonderful introduction to history for the early reader using short anecdotal biographies of famous American explorers, inventors, scientists, and statesmen.

There are 33 weeks of lessons — enough for a standard school year with a little wiggle room for holidays and other activities.

We covered one individual per week, rounding out the studies with additional information, suggestions, helps for Mom, and notebooking resources.

You’ll find free download options for the text in the Introduction.

Free History Studies: John Winthrop

John Winthrop was the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and largely credited with keeping the fledgling colony together. Free history unit.

Free History Studies: Jacques Marquette

Jacques Marquette (also known as Père Marquette) was one of the first Europeans to travel down the Mississippi. Free history unit.

Free History Studies: William Penn

William Penn founded the British colony in America named Pennsylvania and influenced the United States Constitution. Unit resources.

Free History Studies: Thomas Smith and Rice

Thomas Smith was the governor of South Carolina in the late 1600s and brought rice into the state from Madagascar. Free unit resources.

Free History Studies: Eliza Lucas & Indigo

Eliza Lucas brought the indigo plant to South Carolina from Antigua where her father was governor. Unit resources.

Free History Studies: Benjamin Franklin {Part 1}

Benjamin Franklin was an avid learner, teaching himself a wide variety of subjects by reading and observation. Unit resources.

Free History Studies: Benjamin Franklin {Part 2}

Benjamin Franklin learned a great deal from experimentation. Unit resources.

Free History Studies: John Stark & the Indians

John Stark was a brave man who became a general in the American Revolutionary War. Free History Studies: John Stark and the Indians.

Free History Studies: Anthony Benezet

Anthony Benezet was a Quaker teacher and early American abolitionist who also supported the Acadians in their displacement. Unit resources.

Free History Studies: Israel Putnam

Israel Putnam was a brave soldier who served in the French and Indian War and was a general in the American Revolution. Unit resources.

Free History Studies: George Washington and the Cherry Tree

George Washington earned an early reputation as being honest. George Washington and the Cherry Tree unit resources.

Free History Studies: Benjamin West

Benjamin West enjoyed drawing, and became one of the most famous painters in England. Unit resources.

Free History Studies: George Washington

George Washington was a beloved leader and outstanding citizen. Free unit resources.

Free History Studies: Francis Marion

Francis Marion was known for his cunning and bravery, earning the nickname “Swamp Fox” by the British. Unit resources.

Free History Studies: George Rogers Clark

George Rogers Clark was an American colonel in the American Revolution who captured a British fort. Unit resources.

Free History Studies: Daniel Boone

Daniel Boone was a brave frontiersman who opened the way for settlers through the Cumberland Gap. Unit resources.

Free History Studies: Stephen Decatur & the Pirates

Read the current chapter online: “Decatur and the Pirates” Stephen Decatur is known best as the naval hero who burned the Philadelphia, a United States frigate thatContinue reading “Free History Studies: Stephen Decatur & the Pirates”

Free History Studies: Thomas Jefferson

Read the current chapter online: “Stories About Jefferson” Thomas Jefferson was a learned man chiefly responsible for crafting the Declaration of Independence and the third president ofContinue reading “Free History Studies: Thomas Jefferson”

Free History Studies: Lewis & Clark

Lewis and Clark were the explorers sent by Thomas Jefferson to explore the new territory gained in the Louisiana Purchase.

Free History Studies: Robert Fulton

Read the current chapters online: “Quicksilver Bob” “The First Steamboat” Robert Fulton is known for inventing the first commercially successful steamboat. Suggestions Map the following (you’llContinue reading “Free History Studies: Robert Fulton”

Free History Studies: Washington Irving

Read the current chapter online: “Washington Irving as a Boy” Washington Irving was largely self-taught and his love of books made him one of America’s best-loved authors.Continue reading “Free History Studies: Washington Irving”

Free History Studies: Captain James Lawrence

Read the current chapter online: “Don’t Give Up the Ship” Captain James Lawrence is best known as the naval officer whose last command was “Don’t Give UpContinue reading “Free History Studies: Captain James Lawrence”

Free History Studies: The Star-Spangled Banner

Read the current chapter online: “The Star-Spangled Banner” Francis Scott Key wrote the words to the Star-Spangled Banner as a poem of thanksgiving upon seeing the StarsContinue reading “Free History Studies: The Star-Spangled Banner”

Free History Studies: John James Audubon

John James Audubon’s Birds of America published over a period of eleven years made him a popular naturalist.

Free History Studies: Four Boys Who Became Authors

Read the current chapter online: “Some Boys Who Became Authors” William Cullen Bryant, Nathaniel Hawthorn, William H. Prescott, and Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. were early American authorsContinue reading “Free History Studies: Four Boys Who Became Authors”

Free History Studies: Daniel Webster

Read current chapter online: “Daniel Webster and His Brother” “Webster and the Poor Woman” Daniel Webster was an American statesman known for his skills as an orator.Continue reading “Free History Studies: Daniel Webster”

Free History Studies: Charles Goodyear

Read the current chapter online: “The India-Rubber Man” Suggestions Map the following (you’ll find mapping resources below): Connecticut New Haven, Connecticut (where Goodyear was born) South America BrazilContinue reading “Free History Studies: Charles Goodyear”