The Founding of a Nation: The story of the 13 Colonies

by Elizabeth Richards

Now, when the hard-earned rights and freedoms we enjoy are taken for granted, we need to rediscover what life was like without them and how difficult, conflicted, and tenuous the development of our democracy was. Elizabeth Richards provides for children a highly readable and essential history of our democracys founding. Her book helps to lay a sound basis for understanding the challenges our form of government faced and the difficulties faced by those who labored to create our democratic republic. Alan Wadsworth, retired social studies teacher and school administrator

103 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2008

Reviews

[Kim Dennis · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book really frustrated me, although to be fair, I didn't get very far into it. I was looking for a book that I could use with my students that would give me a good summary of the founding of the colonies. I do have to admit I was put off from the get go because she said she "felt compelled to write the story...because [she feels] history is not taught adequately in schools today". Given her attempts to correct the deficiencies of those of us who teach history, I would have expected something better than what she did.

Within the first 12 pages of text, I found no fewer than three historical mistakes -- one of them glaring, two pretty minor, and then a couple of other things she said that I questioned, but wasn't sure on. First of all she perpetuated the myth that people of Columbus's day believed the earth was flat. People had known the earth was round for over 1700 years BEFORE Columbus sailed. That's a myth that surprises me that anyone still believes. (Both that people of Columbus's day believed it and it totally blows my mind that there are flat-earthers today, but that's a totally different rant.) Secondly, she had the date wrong on the founding of Rhode Island when she did her chronology. She had it in the right place, but she listed the date two years off. Admittedly, that is somewhat minor, but if she's going to try to rectify deficiencies in schools, that's something that should be pretty easy to get right. Then finally, she had some misinformation about the Roanoke settlement -- especially as it relates to the Maltese Cross.

At that point, I decided not to finish the book. I read history books to get tidbits I can share with my classes to make the people come alive. I would have questioned everything she said that gave me information I hadn't known, which totally defeats the purpose. I would have been reading the book looking for more mistakes and I have waaaaay too many books to read to waste my time reading something that is going to frustrate rather than help me.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very nice summary of the origins of the thirteen colonies for young people, but many comments like "...we got rid of slavery in this country. Unfortunately today there are still slave traders in existence; the Arab nations are among those who continue to trade in slaves." She refers to readers as "you their descendants" (descendants of European colonists) when so many young readers may not be.