Southampton County, Virginia

Michael Sweeney’s Earth and Sky, commissioned for the 2013 Nebraska All-State Eighth Grade Band, celebrates the Omaha tribe’s belief that the sky and earth are interconnected. Prior to the 1800s, the animistic union between sky and earth permeated all aspects of Omaha culture. In fact, the tribe even developed a social structure based on the belief. During this time, the Omaha tribe was divided into two half-tribes: the Sky People (know as the Insta’shunda) and the Earth People (known as the…

different groups of people, the participants from the Virginia Company and the Puritans. Despite this similarity, both the participants and the Puritans had other intentions of moving to America and with this, many other differences. Taking all the advantages and disadvantages the two groups had into consideration, the state of Rhode Island in the New England colonies would have been in the best condition to live in. Both groups, the Virginia Company’s (settled in the Southern colonies) and…

From the very beginning of American history to the current day United States, equal opportunity has evolved to further incorporate more and more groups of people. With every step in the right path, there also seemed to be a backstep and vice versa. Starting from the beginning, the first major era in the American past was the Colonization and Settlement Period, approximately 1607-1750. During which settlers broke away from Britain but became confined within their villages and towns. The next era…

American Revolution leads to Civil War in America America, how we know it today, was not formed in one day, but was rather established through a series of events. Two of the greatest stepping stones in American history were the American Revolution, and the American Civil War. Although they were both two separate events, the Revolution lead to many events, such as the Constitution and the Articles of Confederation, that were primary causes of the American Civil War. The Revolution also caused…

The American Revolution (1775-1783) The 13 colonies rejected Britain 's impose taxes and authority in order to found the united states of America. Expanding into a world war, France and the Netherlands joined America, bringing them resources and military power. The American colonies were ultimately able to gain independence from Great Britain in 1783. Battle of Yorktown (September-October 1781) When General Cornwallis seized Yorktown and Gloucester, General Washington marched from New York to…

Gary Wills is the author of the book James Madison, which details the life of James Madison through his career as a politician. The focus of the book is Madison’s presidency, which Wills brings to the forefront as the major topic. Wills states that most other books do not focus on Madison’s presidency saying, “Madison’s very presidency is semi-forgotten. When Madison expert Jack N. Rakove published a selection of his writings in 1999, only 40 of its 864 pages came from his presidential years.”…

Many argue that the pen is mightier than the sword, but there is nothing mighty about writing something without meaning. Historically, speaking “during the first fifteen years following its adoption … the Declaration of Independence seems to have been all but forgotten” (Finkelman). Thomas Jefferson, widely known for writing the Declaration of Independence and declaring “all men are created equal,” is constantly and wrongfully credited with the insertion of equality for all in America. In…

the British population to lose their jobs. With the loss of jobs and lost hope of acquiring any land, the British set their sights on the New World. Many journeyed across the Atlantic to populate a variety of areas, ranging from the West Indies to Virginia and Massachusetts’s Bay. Although both the Chesapeake and New England regions were settled by the white English, by 1700 both evolved into distinct societies due to economic,…

Disney Pictures decided to create a film called “Pocahontas” which was to be based off of John Smith’s A True Relation of Such Occurrences and Accidents of Note as Hath Happened in Virginia since the First Planting of that Colony. In A True Relation of Such Occurrences and Accidents of Note as Hath Happened in Virginia since the First Planting of that Colony, John Smith writes the small about of time that he spent in the New World. When the movie begins, John Smith is portrayed as a lively, free…

It had to be the perfect speech. Patrick Henry, the 29 year-old, stood up in front of the Virginia House of Burgesses, and delivered one of the most impactful speeches of his time. He had to convince the House that they needed to go to war with Britain because of the taxes and treatment they receive from them. He also wanted to inspire the colonists not to be afraid to stand up and fight for what they believe in. His tone switches throughout the speech, going from a very academic and scholarly…