Turbulent Virginia: Pirate Base...Royal Colony: Roanoke, the First English Colony
The English use the "black legend of Spanish conquest" as the moral justification for their incursions into the Western Hemisphere. Sir Walter Raleigh, supported by Queen Elizabeth, selects Roanoke as his base of operations. It is a location that is...
Manifest Destiny?: Manifest Destiny and the Colonization of Texas
During the 1840s, the United States gains more than a million square miles of new territory, the greatest wave of expansion since the Louisiana purchase. Much of the land is annexed in a struggle between the U..S. and its neighbor to the south-Mexic...
Pressures from Within: U. S. Tilts Toward Nationalism in Final Years of Monroe's Administration
During the Monroe years as president battles continue between those who favor a strong federal government and those who are suspicious of centralized control. In almost every instance, the decisions of the Supreme Court tilt the scale toward nationa...
Manifest Destiny?: Factors Influencing the Outcome of the Mexican War
Initially, Mexican leaders think they have a good chance of defeating the Americans, but they have few troops to oppose United States advances into California and New Mexico. Mexico's defeat in Central Mexico where they were the dominant force is li...
Manifest Destiny?: Geographic and Demographic Effects of the Mexican War
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo dramatically alters the geographic and demographic profile of the United States. Many of the Mexican negotiators work hard to assure citizenship rights for the Mexican afuera who live in the territories now part of th...
From Days Before Time: Spanish Conquistadors, The
In time, Spanish explorers stop thinking of the Americas as simply an obstacle en route to Asia. They see it as a potential source of wealth, and claim the entire New World for Spain. Spanish monarchs do not have their own military force. Instead t...
From Days Before Time: Religious Motivation for Spanish Colonization
The Franciscan missionaries are appalled by the violence of the conquistadors and lobby the king to reduce their power. The Indian population sees an advantage to accepting the Franciscans as protectors, but realize that this too will come with a pr...