2. Discovery of America. American Indians.

Indians were the first Americans, they populated North America long before the continent was settled by Europeans. American Indians are of Asian ancestry. Many years before they entered NA from Siberia by crossing a narrow strip of land, that once connected Alaska and Siberia. Today this place is called the Bering Strait. Emigrants entered the world where there were no people at all, except animals, plants, berries, forests. The new comers spread out. Some moved to the south into central and South America. Others traveled east to the Atlantic Ocean. These migrations were gradual and took thousands of years. Eventually the people, who became known as Indians have spread across NA. Those people were different in their lifestyles-some were hunters, some farmers. They spoke over 300 separate languages. Indians were called so by Columbus .Recently appeared a new term, which describes first Americans more accurately-they were called Native Americans, «Amerindians»

Around 1000 AD a group of Vikings from island under Leaf Eriksson sailed from Greenland to the eastern coast of NA. The foundations of Viking’s huts were found in Newfoundland. The first Vikings settlements didn't last. The local American Indians were hostile, the northern seas were not friendly and the Vikings gave up their attempt to colonize Vinland. The expedition was soon forgotten.

The USA was discovered in 1492. In this very year Columbus persuaded the King and the Queen of Spain to finance his voyage to the Far East .Instead of Asia he landed one of the Bahama Islands in the Caribbean Sea. Columbus thought that he had reached west India and he called natives as Indians .Columbus never reached the far East but he returned home with gold and within 14 years treasure hungry Spanish adventurers conquered the Empire in South&Central Am. The Spanish established some of the earliest settlements in NA.

3. The European exploration of the North American continent (Spanish, Dutch, French, German territories)

Colonial powers 1)Spain possessed all the southern part of NA and the Pacific coast. 2)German farmers settled in Pennsylvania. 3)Sweeds founded the colony of Delaware. 4)Hudson was a very good see navigator who was employed by Dutch company to explore eastern coast of NA. The Dutch bought an island from Indians which was called Manhattan and they built a town of New Amsterdam on it. The settlements weren't very prosperous. In 1664 it was captured by the British and remained New York. 5) Russian colonists. Russian American company was formed to explore the wealth of Russian America as Alaska and California came to be named. About that time the Russian began to show interest to the eastern coast. In 1812 a Russian settlement Fort Ross was established in California. In 1867 Alaska was sold to the USA. It was a good bargain for the states. They paid only 7.2millions§ was a largest state. For Russia it was a considerable loss. As soon as large deposits of gold and coal was found in Alaska and later oil.

The main rivals of the English in colonization of NA were the French. They had 2large territories: New France and Louisiana. A vast territory along Mississippi. If the British came to a new world to get there and develop the land, the French were mostly traders. In the 18th century the continental wars between England and France. The latter were defeated. The 7 years war ended with a peace of Paris. The English kept the territories they had conquered in America and received all the territory east of Mississippi except New Orleans. The rest of French province of Louisiana was transferred to Spain. By 1733 there were 13 colonies settled along the Atlantic Sea board. Virginia, Massachusetts, N Hampshire, New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Rhode island, Delaware, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New Jersey, South Carolina, Georgia. Each had own government, currency, trade laws, religion ways .The 3 cultures emerged on the British colonies the planter society of the South .The more galaterian settlements of New England were controlled by a puritan oligarchy. 3 the greatly variety Middle Colony reaching from New York to the Virginia border which were agrarian and merchentile. Besides they gave birth to the first cities, businessman, a stream of ports and a range of traders.