To understand how the United States came together as a nation, students must first acquaint themselves with the original 13 colonies - and how each of these colonies followed its own path to the ratification of the Constitution. ""The Thirteen Colonies"" set conveys the excitement of these stories to young people. Beginning with a brief introduction that discusses some of the broad reasons why Europeans came to the New World, both as explorers and settlers, each book's gripping narrative highlights the people, places, and events that were important to the development of each colony. Each volume in the set covers the following: a description of the American Indian peoples who lived in the area that would become each colony, the first European colonial settlements and life in the early colonies, conflicts between the colonists and American Indians, the battles and events of the Revolutionary War, each colony's role in the creation and ratification of the U.S. Constitution, and more.