American History

When I went to school, we studied American history in portions. For instance, in 8th grade, I studied Pennsylvania history, the state where I lived. It started at the very beginning with William Penn being granted the land that became "Penn's Woods". Actually before the king did that, Dutch had settled here. He founded Philadelphia in the 1600's with the Delaware river on the East and the Schuylkill River to the south. Waterways were the main means of transportation then and ships could bring supplies up the Delaware River from the Atlantic bringing needed supplies.
What eventually became the state of Pennsylvania was also sectioned into portions. North of Philadelphia, along the Delaware River, anthracite coal was discovered and mined. Slowly, but surely, people traveled west and other cities were formed, mostly along rivers. At first trading posts were established along the rivers and the new settlers traded with the many native tribes. Over time the settlers were encroaching on the natives and there were raids and homes were burned and people either killed or taken hostage. The European settlers also brought new diseases with them and the natives had no immunity to them so many died from things like small pox etc. Slowly they were driven further west as the settlers claimed more and more land.
Harrisburg was founded along the Susquehanna River in the early 1700's. It is roughly only 100 miles from Philadelphia. The river there is usually shallow and wide. There are places where you can almost walk across it. In the summer, when the river is low, you can still see people standing on the riffles fishing in the middle of the river in place. The Juniata River flows into the Susquehanna River just a bit north of the city itself. It was a perfect place to build a trading post because furs and things could be brought there by canoe or raft and beads, cloth and food supplies could be taken back home the same way.
By the mid 1700's the French and Indian War broke out and Fort Ligonier was built by the British. Next came Fort Duquesne at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers where they became the Ohio River in what is now Pittsburgh. Fort Duquesne became Fort Pitt. That provided a line of defense and a chain of supplies from the east of the state to the west.
I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pa and still live close to it. I love this state and have visited all of the above places. Philadelphia was the first capital of this country. I have 3 ancestors that took part in the Revolutionary War, one at Valley Forge and the New Jersey campaign after they crossed the river.
Even though I quit school early, I loved my history teachers. They instilled in me a love of history and I have visited many battle fields, historic buildings etc. in my 80 years. I took a GED test when I was still in my 30's and they must have taught me well because I got a 98% score in the history part.
I was afraid I would not pass at all since it had been so long since I attended school and I could not take night classes because I had 7 children and lived in the country with no babysitters. I took the test cold with the intention of simply finding out what I would need to get books on to study after the kids went to bed and hubby left for work. No one was more surprised than I was at the score I did receive.
I think education has changed a lot since I went to school and I can understand why not as many people want to become teachers anymore. I have worked with college grads that could not spell. I find that sad. I realize I make mistakes but I do know that no one is two words and not noone. I also know there are 3 ways to spell there, their and they're and they each have a different meaning and serve a different purpose. I found it surprising when one of my daughters that was a senior did not know what I was talking about when on a trip I saw a road sign for Savannah and said "Savannah. Where Sherman ended his march" and she did not have a clue. She had never studied the Civil War in school. How can you be proud of or even respect a country if you don't know anything about it?
If you are a retired teacher, I guess you sometimes wonder too.