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WAGONS HO!

Oregon fever spread quickly in the early 1800s. The symptoms included restlessness, hunger for land, and a thirst for adventure. The cure was to get to Oregon Country as quickly as possible.

Eyes on Oregon

The instructions President Thomas Jefferson gave his minister to France in 1802 were simple: negotiate the purchase of the port city of New Orleans from France.

Getting Started

The people who settled the United States have a history of being restless. They often were on the move, always searching for a better place to live. The first settlers who sailed from Europe crossed the Atlantic Ocean. They established colonies along North America’s eastern coastline.

Keeping the Legacy Alive

Several sites in Virginia work to keep alive James Monroe's legacy. In Westermoreland County, Monroe Hall, Monroe's birthplace and the place he called home until he was 16 years old, has been re-created.

The Family Behind the President

A year after meeting, James Monroe and Elizabeth Korthright were married on February 16, 1786. James met Elizabeth in New York, while he was serving in the Continental Congress.

The Monroe Doctrine

The American continents... are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers.\" With these words, President James Monroe announced his foreign policy to the world. It became known as the Monroe Doctrine.

The American Colonization Society

In 1821, President James Monroe signed into law the controversial Missouri Compromise.

REBUILDING FROM THE ASHES

On New Year's Day 1818, President James Monroe and First Lady Elizabeth Monroe hosted a large public 0 reception at the White House. It signified the home's official reopening. The magnificently redecorated residence impressed foreign diplomats and Americans alike.

Claiming the Continent

When President James IS Monroe took office in 1817, he gave his inaugural address in a scarred capital. The United States still was recovering from the War of 1812 (1812-1815), during which the British had set fire to the city.

Binding the Republic Together

John C. Calhoun of South Carolina addressed his fellow legislators in the U.S. House of Representatives in February 1817 with these words: \"Let us... bind the Republic together with a perfect system of roads and canals. Let us conquer space.\"

Monroe on Tour!

ERA OF GOOD FEELINGS. During the late Presidential Jubilee many persons have met at festive boards, in pleasant converse, whom party politics had long severed. We recur [think back] with pleasure to all the circumstances which attended the demonstration of good feelings.

VIRGINIA PATRIOT

For most of his life, James Monroe lived a life of public service. That dedication to the future of the United States began when Monroe was a teenager.

Getting Started

During James Monroe's lifetime, the 13 American Colonies D broke away from England and fought and won the Revolutionary War (1775-1783).

An International Industry

For many countries, cinema plays an important role in their culture. Here are three countries with interesting film industries.

Animal Actors

Actors take on all kinds of roles, and animal actors are no different. Take a look at these animals who proved essential to the show!

Saving the Art of the SILVER SCREEN

When George Eastman died in 1932, he left his 50-room home in Rochester, New York, to the University of Rochester. But the school found the estate too large to use effectively.

Must-See Hollywood

Famous things in Hollywood

MOVIE MAGIC

Special effects are the special ingredients that make movies magical. They create scenes that otherwise would be impossible to capture.

What's in a name?

If you were a beautiful woman who dreamed of being a famous actress, would you want a plain name like Norma Jeane Mortenson? Or would you want a more glamorous name to go with your new persona?

WALT DISNEY'S MAGICAL WORLD

Most people associate Walt Disney (1901-1966) with the theme parks and video streaming platform that bear his name.

Silent Stars

Early motion pictures, with their short stories and their .silence, could be enjoyed by almost anyone, anywhere.

Behind the Scenes

Have you ever watched film credits roll up a screen and wondered why it took so many people to make a movie?

Movie Moguls and Studio Sharks

In the early days of Hollywood, getting a movie studio up and running was challenging.

Those Early Picture Machines

A row of cameras is set up alongside a track. Attached to the shutter of each camera is a string that stretches across the track.

Getting Started

Today, the word \"Hollywood\" brings to mind an internationally famous and glamorous film industry.

Getting Started

The definition of citizenship is \"the status of a person owing loyalty to and entitled to the protection of a state or nation.\"

Start Your Civic Career as a VOLUNTEER

Volunteering is a part of civic life for many Americans. Hundreds of organizations rely on this ethic of service in the United States to accomplish their missions.

THE JUROR'S JOB

A jury is made up of people who take time out from their regular routines to perform one of the highest duties of U.S. citizenship.

The Path to Become an American

In 2021, about 3.6 million babies were born in the United States. Just that act alone-being born in this country-gave those babies automatic U.S. citizenship, even if their parents were not U.S. citizens.

Taxes The Price of Citizenship

Every April 15, millions of Americans file federal income tax returns. President John F. Kennedy called this the \"annual price of citizenship.\"