Here is a book that is usually a good fit for the beginning of a school year — Historical Events of Colonial Days by Rupert S. Holland. Published in 1916, this free public domain eBook tells the stories of ten figures from early United States history, providing an introductory look at how the colonies began.
Places and people covered include:
- Roger Williams
Rhode Island, 1630 - Peter Stuyvesant
New York, 1661 - Edmund Andross
Connecticut, 1675 - Nathaniel Bacon
Virginia, 1676 - Michael Rowan
Maryland, 1684 - Ann Swan
Massachusetts, 1692 - William Penn
Pennsylvania, 1706 - Blackbeard
South Carolina, 1718 - James Oglethorpe
Georgia, 1732 - Ethan Allen
Vermont, 1774
Although told in story form, most of the characters covered were real. Of course, you’ll run across other, perhaps more familiar characters mentioned in the telling.
Historical Events of Colonial Days makes a perfect read aloud. There are 10 chapters, but several of the chapters contain more than one section, creating 25 readings and making this a great resource for younger history students!
Free eBook
Suggestions
Have your students do one or more of the following:
- Create a timeline for the events mentioned.
- Show the locations mentioned on a map. (You might want to use a map that focuses on the original 13 colonies — see resources below.)
- Narrate each chapter.
- Create a character sketch of those individuals focused on.
Additional Resources
13 British Colonies
EduPlace.com map with labels.
13 British Colonies
EduPlace.com map without labels.
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