Peter Roop

Christopher Columbus had a dream - to reach the fabled lands of the East, rich with spices, jewels, silver, and especially gold. Having studied the travels of other explorers, Columbus was convinced he could reach his destination by traveling west across the seas. After convincing Queen Isabella...

Many kids have heard of the Declaration of Independence, but few know the story behind the people and events that helped forge it. They may know about Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, but do they know the roles that Patrick Henry and Thomas Gage played in setting fire to a revolution?...

When Sacagawea's son asks her about her life, she isn't sure where to begin. Does she start with her birth as a Shoshoni? Her kidnapping by an enemy tribe at age 11? Or her role as the famous guide for the Lewis and Clark expedition? She's seen and experienced more in her young life than most...

Fourteen-year-old Samantha Byrd is an excellent shot - she's even better than her brother at providing food for her family. Although the winds of war are blowing in Virginia, she knows that she could only ever use her skill for hunting - not for hurting another person. When the Revolutionary War...

In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana territory from the French for $15,000,000. The purchase made President Jefferson's dream of extending the US west of the Mississippi River come true. Now the much larger United States had difficult questions to answer: How would Louisiana...