At a time when surveys reveal that Americans know less and less about our past, Tony Williams provides entertaining and informative descriptions of 50 of the most important and dramatic events from the colonial and Revolutionary period—some known and some forgotten—from the Mayflower Compact to the Annapolis Convention. Published in association with The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, America's Beginnings takes the reader throughout the American colonies and introduces many leading figures, from John Smith and John Winthrop to the Founding Fathers. Along the way, Williams examines the principles that led colonists to come to America and succeeding generations to become a free and independent nation. Read individually or from cover to cover, these stories illuminate the founding principles and heroic struggles that established the country and shaped the American character.

"What were the 50 most important events of the colonial and revolutionary era? A new book published by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and Rowman & Littlefield Publishers surveys the top 50, from the Lost Colony of Roanoke to the passage of the Bill of Rights. Written by historian Tony Williams, America’s Beginnings, the Dramatic Events that Shaped a Nation’s Character” guides readers throughout the colonies, introducing figures such as John Smith, John Winthrop and the Founding Fathers while also examining the principles that turned subjects of a king into citizens of a free and independent nation." - The Virginia Gazette