9. The development of American economy through booms and recessions. The Great Depression.

The fledgling thirteen colonies established their independence on ingenuity, the frontier, and support from France and her allies. The United States and her national debt were born, and both have expanded seemingly without limits. However, in the years leading up to America’s sestercentennial, serious questions about the unsustainability of America’s economic practices have developed. Once the world’s leading economic superpower, in the twentieth century America assumed the role of financial capital of the world. As America’s trade deficit continues to increase, much of America’s massive debt is now controlled by China, and a transfer of power seems to be in progress. But even amidst recession, the model of the American Dream is still clinging to life. Whether America and her dream can emerge unscathed in the coming years remains to be seen. It is a complex economic question, and one that cannot be untangled from the global economy. The Economy of Colonial America (Pre-1776) Colonial America was a predominantly agricultural economy. Even as the economy expanded over the decades of the eighteenth century, the colonies only inched toward industrialization by the year of the Declaration of Independence, in 1776. The economy of the thirteen original colonies was actually relatively stable, in stark contrast to the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Dynamic economic expansion occurred with population growth from births and immigration, but colonial Americans had naturally become increasingly self-sufficient (Perkins 1988). The initial hardships of European settlers to the New World are well documented, but soon northern prosperity from the fur industry and fishing boosted the local economy (Conte 2001). And as population growth, foreign trade, and general economic expansion allowed the colonies to sustain themselves, Americans such as Benjamin Franklin “foresaw pressure building to shift the balance of political and economic power within the British empire across the Atlantic to the colonies (Perkins 1988). Whether the world expected it or not, that shift of power is precisely what happened. By 1776, the standard of living of free white American society was already high, with abundant food and land supporting a comparatively high median income (Perkins 1988). Officially sanctioned as a sovereign nation with the Treaty of Paris in 1783, the global economy of the United States of America is born. The Constitution and Pre-Civil War Economy (1787 – 1850s) From the writing of the United States Constitution in 1787, America’s economy saw tremendous growth. The Constitution provided a kind of “economic charter,” laying out regulation of both commerce and money by Congress. Most importantly, it opened the market of the United States territory. Open borders allowed for an internal free flow of goods and ideas.

10. Native American Population.

Native Americans came from Asia. Over 20 000 years ago they traveled across the land between Siberia and Alaska. When English colonists came to the New World on board the "Mayflower" the native Americans met them and were very friendly and helped them a lot.

In those days people lived in small earth houses and grew their own food. Some Indians ate only grass, nuts, and what fruit they could find. Other people were fishermen and lived in wooden houses. Most native Americans were very peaceful. They wanted to live happily with nature and each other. They believed in many gods and thought that the gods live in trees, stones, water and fire. They believed their gods could bring success in hunting, farming and fishing. They often had special ceremonies with dances and music before they went hunting or fishing or when they began farming.

Native Americans songs and poems are a very important part of their traditions as they help them to keep their history and culture alive. Another famous tradition was smoking of a peace pipe. When they smoked this pipe together with people they did not know it meant friendship and peace. Many years ago Native American tribes lived in all parts of the USA, and hunted and fished wherever they choose. Now most of them live in poor lands to the west of Mississippi River. Many live in "reservations".