11. History from Leif Ericson to 1865. New Land. English settlements

Erikson was an Icelandic explorer and probably the first European visitor to North America, 500 years before Christopher Columbus. Leif Erikson was the second of three sons of Erik the Red, who established a settlement in Greenland after he was exiled from Iceland. Leif Erikson's story was recorded in several different sagas, but the accounts they give are so different it is impossible to be certain of the details of his life. He is a Norse explorer, and the first European known to have discovered North America—more specifically, the region that would become Newfoundland and, by later extension, Canada.

New Land. English settlements. Roanoke is the name of the island where the first English settlement was started in North America in 1587. Roanoke is located near the coast of present-day North Carolina. Shortly after the attempt to settle Roanoke, 105 Englishmen arrived in present-day Virginia. They hoped to find gold and other riches. They began a settlement called Jamestown in 1607. Despite many hardships, Jamestown became the first successful English colony in North America. A few years later, 102 English people arrived in present-day New England. They built a settlement called Plymouth in what is now Massachusetts. Most of these people left England to seek religious freedom. They became known as the Pilgrims. Pilgrims are people who go on a religious journey.

12. The Midwest. The Great Lakes Industrial Belt. The Midwest is known as the nation's "breadbasket." The fertile soil of the region makes it possible for farmers to produce abundant harvests of cereal crops such as wheat, oats, and corn. 5 states: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The Great Lakes region is distinguished for significant contributions in natural resources, political economy, technology and culture. The lakes hold almost one fifth of the world's surface freshwater. Illinois. "Land of Lincoln," because it's where the 16th president was raised. Became the 21st state in 1818. At the northern edge of the state on Lake Michigan lies Chicago, the nation's third largest city. The rest of the population lives in the smaller cities and on the farms that dot the state's gently rolling plains. Indiana. "land of the Indians." It joined the Union in 1816 as the 19th state. A state of mostly small towns and midsize cities. Its largest city and capital is Indianapolis, where the nation's most famous auto race, the Indianapolis 500, is held each year. Indiana has broad, fertile plains and is a part of the Corn Belt. Agriculture: Corn, soybeans, hogs, cattle, dairy products, eggs. Industry: Steel, electric equipment, transportation equipment, chemical products, petroleum and coal products, machinery. Michigan "large lake." in 1837, Michigan became the 26th state in the Union. One of the nation's leading manufacturing states and it leads in the production of automobiles. Detroit, Michigan's largest city, is called the Automobile Capital of the World or Motor City. M. touches four of the five Great Lakes - Erie, Huron, Michigan and Superior. Ohio, a major producer of machines, tools, and other products, is one of the leading industrial states. O. is an Iroquois word meaning "great water." As part of the Midwestern Corn Belt, agriculture also plays an important role in the state's economy. Wisconsin. The state's name is an English version of a French adaptation of an Indian name said to mean "the place where we live." In 1634, Frenchman Jean Nicolet became Wisconsin's first European explorer. The French controlled the area until 1763, when it was ceded to the British. In 1848, Wisconsin was admitted as the 30th state. Clean lakes, rolling hills, quiet valleys, deep forests and cool, pine-scented breezes. Wisconsin is first in the country in the production of milk, cheese, and butter.