BEN FRANKLIN
"Young Ben Franklin wanted to be a sailor and see the world beyond colonial Boston. Instead, he learned the printing trade and became the most famous American of his day-the best-known writer, scientist, and inventor in the New World. Europeans admired Franklin, too. "

CIVIL WAR
"Military bands played rousing tunes as thousands of marching feet thundered along the paved streets of New York. Excited throngs roared their support. It was spring of 1861 and the nation was at war-against itself. After years of bitter disputes, 11 Southern states had seceded, which means they dissolved the union between themselves and the United States of America, and declared themselves the. . . "

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR
"Martin Luther King, Jr., devoted his life to fighting injustice on behalf of all Americans. However, he didn't believe in fighting with guns, tanks, or fists. Instead, he believed in using peaceful means. He thought that positive words and ideas and nonviolent action could change the world. In 1955, when he was twenty-six years old and had just begun pastoring a Baptist church in Montgomery, Alabama. . . "

UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
"There were no rails to ride on the Underground Railroad. No trains. No tickets. In fact, it wasn't a railroad at all. It wasn't even under the ground. But it was hidden, and it was secret. The Underground Railroad was a secret network of African-Americans and whites who helped runaway slaves from the South escape to freedom. Nobody knows exactly how many people helped them escape. . . "

JEFFERSON
"Thomas Jefferson was a man of countless talents and interests. Best known for the many ways he served his country, Jefferson was one of the founders of the United States. He wrote our nation's first and perhaps most famous document - the Declaration of Independence. He served as governor of his home state of Virginia. He traveled to France to represent the new U.S. government, and in 1800, he . . . "

WASHINGTON
"When George Washington died in 1799, General Henry Lee summed up his many achievements in just a few words. Washington, he said, was "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." Most people remember Washington as the nation's first president, but he was also an outstanding military leader. He led the nation to victory in the American Revolution, an . . . "

TEDDY ROOSEVELT
"Teddy! Energetic, enthusiastic, determined, childlike--these are the words people used to describe Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president of the United States. When Roosevelt took office in 1901, some people were delighted. Others were disappointed. He always spoke his mind, and he always did what he thought was right. It was hard to predict just what he would say or do."

PRESIDENCY
"The Constitution provides for a government of three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The executive branch carries out the laws. The legislative branch (Congress) passes laws. The judicial branch (the courts) decides if the laws are being carried out fairly. The president is the head of the executive branch. But, as you will discover, the president is much more."