This was a very crucial era in American history. The Constitution was written, along with the Bill of Rights. George Washington became the first president of the United States. He was the only president ever to be elected unanimously. Following him were other great men who also had fought to create the United States, such as John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, who became the second and third presidents.

In 1803 Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana territory from the French for $15 million. This became known as the Louisiana purchase. Doubling the size of the United States. The legendary Lewis and Clark expedition was organized and set out in 1804. They accomplished their mission of reaching the Pacific Ocean and returned home in 1806.

Though America tried to avoid another war, but it was inevitable. The war known as the War of 1812 began on June 18, 1812, this conflict with Britain would last for three years ending on February 17, 1815, with the Treaty of Ghent being signed. The most memorable battle fought is the Battle of Fort McHenry, where Francis Scott Key penned our national anthem The Star Spangled Banner from the deck of a British ship, where he had been trying to negotiate the release of Dr. William Beanes, who had been captured earlier in the day.

The Industrial Revolution began in 1793 in America, with the opening of Slater’s Mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. One of the most well known mills is the Lowell Mills in Lowell, Massachusettes. By the 1840’s more than seventy – five percent of the work force at Lowell Mill were women. They were known as ‘Mill Girls.’ During the revolution, people moved to the cities to work in factories. Cities grew and became overcrowded, unsanitary, and polluted. In many cities, the workers lived in crowded and unsafe buildings.

The Underground Railroad was created and set into motion helping hundreds of men, women and children escape to freedom. The issue of slavery slowly escalated, with debates and actions becoming more and more volatile.

This is an era of new beginnings, new discoveries, and a new country. Great leaders emerged, setting a foundation for our country, that others would follow for years to come. Brave men traversed the new, uncharted land of the Louisiana Purchase. And after the War of 1812, the United States was recognized as a world power. In the east, men and women took a stand against slavery and began the secretive and dangerous Underground Railroad. With mills opening in the cities, the American family changed, with the father and sometimes the mother and children working outside the home, leaving behind their farms for the city.

One of my favorite novels of this era is Love’s Awakening by Laura Frantz. This is a deeply moving tale, about two families who have been at odds for years. Not speaking to or even about each other. One of my favorite aspects of this novel was the incorporation of the Underground Railroad. And all the fun tidbits of the culture of the time. Laura Frantz seamlessly weaves these into the story, making it a very enjoyable read.

Listed below are several novels for your perusing. I hope you enjoy this stop on our historical tour. Next, is the era of Westward Expansion, when brave men and women traveled into the unknown, settled the untamed land and carved a life out in the American wilderness, paving the way for generations to come.

1792 Refuge Assured –Jocelyn Green

Lacemaker Vivienne Rivard never imagined her craft could threaten her life. Yet in revolutionary France, it is a death sentence when the nobility, and those associated with them, are forced to the guillotine. Vivienne flees to Philadelphia but finds the same dangers lurking in the French Quarter, as revolutionary sympathizers threaten the life of a young boy left in her care, who some suspect to be the Dauphin. Can the French settlement, Azilum, offer permanent refuge?

Militiaman Liam Delaney proudly served in the American Revolution, but now that the new government has imposed an oppressive tax that impacts his family, he barely recognizes the democracy he fought for. He wants only to cultivate the land of his hard-won farm near Azilum, but soon finds himself drawn into the escalating tension of the Whiskey Rebellion. When he meets a beautiful young Frenchwoman recently arrived from Paris, they will be drawn together in surprising ways to fight for the peace and safety for which they long.

1811 Veil of Pearls –MaryLu Tyndall

She thought she could outrun her past. . .

It is 1811, and the prosperous port city of Charleston is bustling with plantation owners, slaves, and immigrants. Immigrants such as the raven-haired Adalia Winston. But Adalia has a secret: her light skin belies that she is part black and a runaway slave from Barbados. Skilled in herbal remedies, Adalia finds employment with a local doctor and settles into a quiet life, thankful for her freedom but still fearful that her owner will find her.

Born into one of Charleston’s prominent families, Morgan Rutledge is handsome, bored—and enamored of the beautiful Adalia, who spurns his advances. Morgan’s persistence, however, finally wins, and Adalia is swept into the glamorous world of Charleston high society.

But her new life comes at a high price—that of denying her heritage and her zeal for God. How far is Adalia willing to go to win the heart of the man she loves? And when her secret is revealed, will that love be enough, or will the truth ruin Morgan and send Adalia back into slavery?

1812 The Magnolia Duchess –Beth White

Fiona Lanier is the only woman in the tiny Gulf Coast settlement of Navy Cove. While her shipbuilding family races to fill the demand for American ships brought by the War of 1812, Fiona tries to rescue her brother who was forced into service by the British Navy.

Lieutenant Charlie Kincaid has been undercover for six months, obtaining information vital to the planned British invasion of New Orleans. When a summer storm south of Mobile Bay wrecks his ship and scatters the crew, Charlie suffers a head injury, ultimately collapsing in the arms of a beautiful mermaid who seems eerily familiar. As Charlie’s memory returns in agonizing jags and crashes, he and Fiona discover that falling in love may be as inevitable as the tide. But when political loyalties begin to collide, they’ll each have to decide where their true heart lies.

This is part of a three novel series.

1814 Lady in the Mist –Laurie Alice Eakes

By virtue of her profession as a midwife, Tabitha Eckles is the keeper of many secrets: the names of fathers of illegitimate children, the level of love and harmony within many a marriage, and now the identity of a man who may have caused his wife’s death. Dominick Cherrett is a man with his own secret to keep: namely, what he, a British nobleman, is doing on American soil working as a bondsman in the home of Mayor Kendall, a Southern gentleman with his eye on a higher office.

By chance one morning before the dawn has broken, Tabitha and Dominick cross paths on a misty beachhead, leading them on a twisted path through kidnappings, death threats, public disgrace, and . . . love? Can Tabitha trust Dominick? What might he be hiding? And can either of them find true love in a world that seems set against them?

This is the first in a three novel series.

1814 Surrender the Dawn – MaryLu Tyndall

An upper crust lady desperate to save her family…

A nefarious town rogue blackmailed into selling out his country…

And the destiny that awaits them both amid the War of 1812.

When the war of 1812 robs Cassandra Channing of her father and brothers, she must find a way to support her mother and younger siblings without being forced to marry a man she does not love. Determined to remain independent, she hires a privateer, captained by the town rogue.

Tortured by guilt for his parents’ death, Luke Heaton spends his time drinking and gambling. When Cassandra offers him enough money to fix up his ship, he sees an opportunity to redeem his reputation and help the lady he has loved from afar. Things go well until the British blackmail him into selling supplies to their ships. Still Luke cannot allow Cassandra’s family to be tossed on the streets.

Cassandra has fallen in love with Luke. When she begins to suspect his nefarious activities, she is heartbroken. Hoping to prove her suspicions wrong, she sets out to catch him in the act. But what she doesn’t expect is to get caught up in a massive British invasion… and one of the most decisive battles of the war where lives, liberty, and the future of a nation are at stake.

1819 Honor –Lyn Cote

When unexpected circumstances leave Honor Penworthy destitute after the death of her grandfather, she is forced to leave her Maryland plantation—and the slaves she hoped to free—and seek refuge with a distant relative. With no marketable skills, her survival hinges on a marriage arranged through the Quaker community to local glass artisan Samuel Cathwell. Samuel is drawn to Honor, but he has been unwilling to open his heart to anyone since scarlet fever took his hearing as a child.

A move west brings the promise of a fresh start, but nothing in Honor’s genteel upbringing has prepared her for the rigors of frontier life with Samuel. Nevertheless, her tenacity and passion sweep her into important winds of change, and she becomes increasingly—though secretly—involved in the Underground Railroad. Samuel suspects Honor is hiding something, but will uncovering the truth confirm his worst fears or truly bring them together as man and wife?

1822 Love’s Awakening –Laura Frantz

Ellie Ballantyne, youngest child of Silas and Eden, has left finishing school. But back at her family home in Pittsburgh, Ellie finds that her parents are away on a long trip and her siblings don’t seem to want her to stay. When she opens a day school for young ladies, she begins tutoring the incorrigible daughter of the enemy Turlock clan. The Turlocks are slaveholders and whiskey magnates, envious of the powerful Ballantynes and suspicious of their abolitionist leanings. As Ellie becomes increasingly tangled with the Turlocks, she finds herself falling in love with an impossible future–and Jack Turlock, a young man striving to free himself from his family’s violent legacy. How can she betray her family and side with the enemy? And will Jack ever allow her into his world?

This is the second novel in a series called the Ballantyne Legacy. Each novel can be read as a stand-alone.

1828 Daughter of the Loom – Tracie Peterson & Judith Miller

Young women at the end of the 19th century seek employment from driven men intent on transforming America’s textile industry. Daughters of the Loom features Lilly Armbruster, who is forced to work in the mills as her only means for survival. But Lilly’s resentment runs deep against the “lords of the loom”–the men she believes have stolen her father’s farm and caused his premature death. Her animosity happens to include Matthew Cheever, her childhood friend and one-time betrothed. Though separated by their opposing views about the future of the mill and the community that surrounds it, the emotions of their hearts still bind them. Will their dreams for the future allow their fragile love to survive?

This is the first novel in a three novel series.

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