Asimov Isaac. The Shaping of North America: From Earliest Times to 1763

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1973 — 261 p. — ISBN 978-0395154939, 0395154936Asimov’s final four books on history written for Houghton-Mifflin deal with American history (meaning, of course, with typical US prejudice “United States” history). The first of these has to do with the period through the mid-eighteenth century when the American continents are discovered and colonized by West Europeans. It’s a good book, comparable to the earlier histories, and worth reading.
A history of North America concentrating on European interests and rivalries and their influence on the development of the New World.
«The Shaping of North America: From Earliest Times to 1763» gives good attention to Europe's age of exploration because of its later influence in the new world; then the author moves on to North America's colonization. He traces the European rivalries and jealousies that persisted in the New World and points up the painful patterns of Indian-Colonial relations brought on by the credibly arrogant assumption that the Indians had no rights at all to the land they lived on.Before Columbus
The Indians
The Greeks and Phoenicians
The Irish and Vikings
The Mongols and Venetians
By sea to the Indies
The rise of Portugal
Down the coast of Africa
Christopher Columbus
The greatest voyage
Exploring the New World
England disregards the line
Spain pushes outward
The French intrude
The English loot
The English foothold
First attempts
The competitors
Virginia
Maryland
North of Virginia
New England
New Netherland
New Sweden
New France
The English expand
The end of new Netherland
The gifts of Charles II
Trouble in New England
Trouble in Virginia
The French expand
Beyond the Great Lakes
King Williams war
Witches!
Queen Annes war
The stakes are raised
France and Russia
Great Britain
Georgia makes thirteen
King George's war
Maneuvering for Position
The growing colonies
George Washington
Benjamin franklin
Braddock’s defeat
The final decision
Lake Champlain
Louisbourg
Quebec
A new beginning
Table of dates
Index