Readers will be enthralled by the story of the oldest settlement on the North American continent. The story will transport readers back to 42 years before the English colonized Jamestown and 55 years before the Pilgrims set foot on Plymouth Rock.

Explores the establishment of the American colonies. Authoritative text, colorful illustrations, illuminating sidebars, and a "Voices from the Past" feature make this book an exciting and informative read.

Discover the story of Fort Mose in the only book for children about the first free Black community in America In 1724, Francisco Menendez escaped from a plantation in the colony of South Carolina and, with a small group of men, headed south to Florida, at the time a Spanish colony, to the town of St. Augustine. There he was granted his freedom. He soon became a member of the Black militia and helped defend the area from English invaders. In 1738, Menendez helped found the first legally sanctioned free Black community in America. It was called Fort Mose, and it lay just north of St. Augustine. There were thirty-eight households of men, women, and children living together at Fort Mose, creating a frontier community that drew on a range of African backgrounds and blended them with the local Spanish, Native American, and English peoples and cultures. Fort Mose became a southern destination for travelers of the Underground Railroad many years before the birth of its legendary “conductor,” Harriet Tubman.

Pedro Menéndez de Avilés (1519–1574) founded St. Augustine in 1565. His expedition was documented by his brother-in-law, Gonzalo Solís de Merás, who left a detailed and passionate account of the events leading to the establishment of America’s oldest city. Until recently, the only extant version of Solís de Merás’s record was one single manuscript that Eugenio Ruidíaz y Caravia transcribed in 1893, and subsequent editions and translations have always followed Ruidíaz’s text. In 2012, David Arbesú discovered a more complete record: a manuscript including folios lost for centuries and, more important, excluding portions of the 1893 publication based on retellings rather than the original document. In the resulting volume, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and the Conquest of Florida, Arbesú sheds light on principal events missing from the story of St. Augustine’s founding. By consulting the original chronicle, Arbesú provides readers with the definitive bilingual edition of this seminal text.

By reading this history book, your third grader will be able to describe the founding of St. Augustine in 1565. St. Augustine, today, is known as America’s oldest city. What is its heritage being the oldest city? There’s a lot to learn from reading. Encourage your child to pick up a book and read. Choose one that meets the standards of the US curriculum. Enjoy!

"If history were this fun in school it would be everyone's favorite subject." Taking a unique approach, this book leaves out all of the politics, which take up 80% of a usual history book. What remains are all of the exciting & interesting parts of history: the wars, treachery, battles, plagues, hurricanes, pestilences, uprisings, fires & pirates!

This book is an introduction to St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest permanent settlement by Europeans in the United States.