Turning PointsActual and Alternate Histories

This work is a thought-provoking look at the original 13 colonies, presenting the facts and engaging the reader by using alternate historywhat if key events had turned out differently?to help develop critical thinking skills. This entry in ABC-CLIOs exciting series Turning PointsActual and Alternate Histories covers the development of the original 13 states, from first European contact up to the Revolutionary War. Using the fascinating tool of alternate historypostulating the course of events, had one key fact been differentthe book engages students imaginations and critical thinking skills. This critical period in American history is particularly suited to the alternative history approach: The population of the colonies was small, so the import of individual actions, or of singular events, was proportionately large. If the English had lost one battle to the Swedes, the United States might have been a Swedish colony. If James, Duke of York, had died of the plague in 1654, the U.S. and French revolutions might not have happened. Detailed chronology makes the entire era of coveragefirst settlement to revolutionaccessible at a glance Each chapter is followed by a bibliography to point students to additional information on the specific colony