Exploring and settling the new world

In the 1400s, Spanishjand Portuguesejxilers began to give money for voyages of exploration. In search of gold, silk and spices, Portuguese explorers sailed around Africa and Asia.

The discovery and exploration of America, in fact, was the work of Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) and the Europeans who followed him to the New World. Columbus was an Italian seaman. He asked many governments for money to make a westward voyage to India. At last the government of Spain agreed to help him, and on August 3, 1492, Columbus set sail from Spain. With three small ships he sailed for three months and on October 12, 1492 he ancf Kis men landed on an island in the Bahamas [b "ha:rruz] not far from the coast of North America.

Columbus made four voyages to Central America between 1492 and 1504. Until the end of his life he thought that those islands and the mainland were part of India. That's why they were called West Indies and the redskin men were given the name "Indians' ". ( ■><< /

Soon after Columbus's discovery, Spaniards began to settle in South America. This explains why the main language of these lands is Spanish.

For a while after the first voyage of Columbus in 1492, America was called the "'New World". Later, however, it was decided by mapmakers in Europe to name the New World after a man najT)ed_Amerigo_Vespucci (his Christian name was "Americus" in Latin) (1454-1512). He was an Italian merchant and adventurer who made three trips to the New World from 1499 to 1504. Amerigo was the first who voiced the supposition that the land was a new part of the world. Columbus became the first explorer to reach the i mainland of South America in 1498, but Amerigo Vespucci soon wrote a book in which he claimed to have gone there in 1497. This was not true, but people did not know for many years that Amerigo was lying. The book made Amerigo very popular, so the proposal to name the new land after him was accepted with general approval.

Spain, France and England were in the discovery of America so they sent many seamen to the New World. They came there to look for gold, silver and other metals. They began a trade in animal skins with the Indians. They came to live and to work there. These lands were rich in fish, animals and forests. The people settled mainly in North America where the United Slaicb of America and Canada now are. The news of the riches found in America brought explorers from the Old World. Some of them came for Still others came because they hoped to find more freedom on the new land. Many people came because they hoped to have a chance to build better homes. Some were brought like slaves.

The first English colonists landed in the south of what is now the United States in the late sixteenth century.

The beginnings of new england

In England it was the time of Kingjames I. English people did not like the king and they called him "The Foolish King of England". Many of them even left England and went to live in other countries.

Thus a group of families, the people who belonged to the Pilgrim's church iii_Leyden and_were called Pilgrims, who could not stay any more In "England because of their religion left the Port of Plymouth on September 6, 1620 to cross the Atlantic and make a home m the New World^There were about one hundred passengers on board the ship called the Mayflower, but even for this hundred the ship was too small. After the two-mBnt^"voyage the people reached the shore of Cape Cod in Massachusetts in November 1620. ;. Some of the men left the ship and went ashore to see what the new

Jand was like. In the evening they came back to the ship and brought some Haz\zQ with them. They found the maize on the coast where the Indians had left it. Nobody in Europe had seen maize then, but when the people on board the Mayflower tried it they liked it very much.

Next day was Sunday and everybody on the ship had a rest. On Monday some men went ashore again and this time they took some women with them. The women went to wash the clothes. Since that time Monday has been the wash-day in America.

During the next five weeks the men from the Mayflower left the ship every day. They were looking for a good place to live. Finally, in December 1620, the exploring party of men had found a suitable place. There was a good harbour for ships there, some fields and forests near it and even a small river. The place was called New Plymouth

It was winter. The weather was very cold; there was snow on the ground. The people were tired and cold. They did not have enough to eat. More and more of them fell ill. This first winter was very difficult, especially for the women and children. Almost half of the colonists did not live to see the spring. Those who were well enough worked to help the ill. But nobody thought of going back to England.

In March, as the winter approached its end, an Indian came to the village. He could speak English a little. He had learned the language from the sailors of a ship, which had come to this part of America a few years before. Later the Indian came to the village with some other Indians. They came as friends and helped the white settlers as much as they could. They brought them Indian corn (маис, кукуруза), as the settlers called it, to make bread. The Indians showed the white people how to plant the corn, how to catch turkey in the forest and many other useful things. The Indians called all Englishmen "YafTkee" because they could not say the word "Englishman". Since that time "Yankee" has been the name of a white man in America.

Things went well with the colonists now. They had settled in a very rich land. There was fish in the ocean and in the rivers; there was excellent hunting in the forest. In autumn the colonists gathered a fine harvest. So they were ready to meet their second winter in good houses with all the food they needed. They celebrated the good harvest in October, 1621, and held a feast, which featured among many other foods wild turkey, which is native to North America. The holiday was called "Thanksgiving Day". Since that time Thanksgiving Day has been a national holiday in the United States of America. And it is now observed on the fourth Thursday of November.

Other ships came with more settlers. The settlement grew and colonies were founded in other parts of New England.

The brave men and women who, more than three hundred years ago, landed from the Mayflower to begin a new life, became the founders of the United States of America. ; . ? ■'