A new world

The First Americans

• 1492 – Italian adventurer Christopher Columbus in the intention to discover new trade route to Asia landed in America, island San Salvador (West Indies)

• Columbus named native people Indians – they lived in tribes, spoke 300 languages, came to America 50 000 years ago from Asia through the Bering Strait and 12 000 years they crossed the isthmus of Panama and came to South America

Indian tribes:

Pueblo

• in present areas of Arizona and New Mexico

• lived in big terraced houses made of adobe, in towns or villages

• made clothing and blankets from cotton, wore leather shoes

• farmers – grew maize and beans; irrigation on high level Apache

• neighbors of Pueblo, never settled, fierce and warlike

• hunted deer and gathered wild plants, also stole food Iroquois

• in the woods of northeastern North America

• farmers, hunters and fishermen (birch bark canoes)

• lived in villages, in wooden huts with barrel-shaped roofs

• fierce warriors, fought also one another to win honor, bravery won respect and high position in the tribe

Dakota (=allies)/Sioux (=enemies)

• in the area from Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains

• depended upon hunting the buffalo – food, clothing, houses

• tepees – conical buffalo-skin tents, outside of it was decorated

• leather bags – “parfleches” Haida

• in the northwest coast of North America

• fished salmon, gathered plants – enough food – time for carving and building

• wooden houses, totems (decorated tree trunks – record of the family history)

Explorers from Europe

• 1000 - first European in America was a Viking sailor Leif Ericson

• in 1492 the European occupation of America began

• by the 17^th century people were ready to settle in America – wanted to become rich or find safety from political or religious persecution

Spain:

• Christopher Columbus

• Hernán Cortés - attacked the Aztecs (in today’s Mexico, wealthy)

• Francisco Pizarro – attacked Incas of Peru

• Hernando de Soto, Francisco Coronado – explored the southern part, area of U.S.

• Ponce de León – claimed Florida for Spain, St. Augustine – first permanent settlement England

• John Cabot – reached Newfoundland France

• Giovanni Verazzano - aim to find lands rich in gold and a new route to Asia like Cabot and Columbus

• Jacques Cartier – discovered St. Lawrence River, claimed area of Canada for France

Virginian Beginnings

• 1607 – English settlers founded their first settlement Jamestown

• settlers from the Virginia Company (joint stock London company) who were supposed to found gold, silver, pearls and precious stones

• in the early years because of illnesses and starvation and wars with Amerindians only one third of them survived

• Captain John Smith organized the settlers, the story about Pocahontas who helped him

• new settlers continued to arrive, either prisoners, homeless or willingly who tried to escape the bad conditions in England and gain a piece of land

• when sir Walter Raleigh brought first tobacco leaves to England, its popularity started to grow and became a new source of money – plantations with “indentured” white servants from England and later black servants from Africa

• 1619 the Virginia Company created the House of Burgesses where elected representatives advised the governor on the laws (roots of democracy in America

• Puritan New England

• in the 16^th - 17^th century the Europe was torn by religious quarrels – leaders like Martin Luther or John Calvin doubted the teaching of traditional Roman Catholic Church, its wealth and worldly pride

• people were usually expected to have the same religion as the ruler

• after the English King Henry VIII. formed a national church, some people disliked its ceremonies, rich decorations and the teaching – Puritans (they wanted to make it more pure)

• to escape the persecution of James I. in England, the Puritans went to Holland and a small group of them, the Pilgrims went to America

• all men on board of the ship Mayflower signed the Mayflower Compact – they set up a government (civil body politic) to make just and equal laws

• 1620 - the Pilgrims reached Cape Cod, they founded a settlement called Plymouth

• more settlers were coming to escape the rule of Charles I. – they settled in Boston area

• Boston combined with the Plymouth colony – Massachusetts

• idea to build an ideal colony – the laws force people to obey God’s will

• 1535 - minister Roger Williams wanted to separate the church and the government, so he left Massachusetts to the south and set up Rhode Island

• 1681 – Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn – he belonged to a religious group, the Society of Friends/Quakers from England, Ireland and Germany (Dutch) – in Pennsylvania they found religious freedom

• 1626 - New York was settled as New Amsterdam (English captured it later from the Dutch)

• 1670 – North Carolina, South Carolina were found, the last was Georgia

• Dutch settlers bought Manhattan Island from the Shinecock for 24 dollars (different belief – right to share the land)