The rich and fertile subject of American history usually starts with the Declaration of Independence. However, select events in the 150 years between the landing of the Mayflower and 1776 changed the course of history and had profound and lasting effects on the path our country took. These stories put our countryαs early history in perspective and help the reader understand in new, fresh ways the emergence of the American nation. For example, few people realize that the first permanent settlement on American soil was not Jamestown or Plymouth, but the Spanish town of St. Augustine in Florida. Or that an atrocity committed by George Washington in the Pennsylvania woods in 1754 set off a world war between England and France. Or that the successful siege of a Canadian fort by an untrained group of New Englanders was a key step leading to the American Revolution.

Four castaways become the first men of the old world to span the new, 1528-1536 -- Spain plants the first permanent European settlement in North America, 1565 -- Puritan New England's first major war--and a harbinger of things to come, 1637 -- The first female defendant of the new world tests the tolerances of Puritan righteousness, 1637 -- The five nations invade the West and solidify an Iroquoian empire, 1654 -- The English steal a colony and gain a metropolis, 1664 -- One Indian Sachem ignites a conflict that changes New England forever, 1675 -- A New England carpenter changes the calculus of war with the Indians, 1675 -- Race war and naked ambition ignite the Virginia frontier, 1676 -- Bostonians forcefully reject the royal prerogative in New England, 1689 -- A colonial minister's ordeal highlights the clash of America's cultures, 1704 -- A costly colonial war nearly wipes South Carolina from the map, 1715-1716 -- Scalp hunting in New Hampshire spawns an enduring American legend, 1725 -- America strikes a blow for Britannia--and draws further away from the empire, 1745 -- A novice named Washington helps spark a world war, 1754 -- Victory against all odds marks the swan song of New France, 1758 -- America's founding ranger makes history with a dubious enterprise, 1759 -- British victory in the French and Indian War incites a vast and ugly conflict, 1763.