We’re told that the first thing most Americans think of when they hear about Oklahoma is the song: Next up: Native Americans, tornadoes, and oil. We won’t disagree, but we would add some things, which we’ve shared below. Oklahoma became a state in 1907, one of the earliest 20th century… Continue reading
Back when we were homeschooling, a nice old gentleman asked my kids if they knew the capitals of all the states. They did not. That has never been on my list of truly important things to know. If you want your kids to know it, though, I can tell you… Continue reading
John Chapman, who became known as “Johnny Appleseed,” was born on September 26th, 1774. He left home at eighteen and traveled around the Midwest planting nurseries and doing good deeds. There are a number of good picture books for this American legend, including versions by favorites Steven Kellogg and Carol… Continue reading
Nebraska was home to prehistoric peoples beginning about 12,000 years ago. In the 1700s, members of the Omaha, Oto, Pawnee, Ponca, Lakota, Cheyenne, and other indigenous peoples arrived. In 1803, Nebraska was part of the Louisiana Purchase, when the United States bought large amounts of land from France. During westward… Continue reading
We mentioned that Nebraska‘s admission as a state was vetoed by the president. Colorado got the same veto. Congress overrode the veto of Nebraska’s admission, though. Colorado couldn’t get the votes to override the veto, though, and had to wait for statehood. One reason was that there weren’t very many… Continue reading
California became a state on September 9, 1850. Most states were U.S. territories before becoming states, but California never was. It had been part of New Spain and then belonged to Mexico. A small group of Californians declared independence from Mexico in 1846, not realizing that the United States had… Continue reading
