History of the USA                                  

The finding of America
The race for world trade and search for new trade routes led to the discovery of America. Christopher Columbus believed that the earth is round and that it was possible to sail around it. After an eight-week voyage in 1492 Columbus landed on one of the Bahamas Islands,
believing that he had discovered India. He therefore named the native people Indians. Some other explorers tried the voyages. Another Italian sailor, Amerigo Vespucci, gave the new world its name.

The first English colony
In 1607 a colonizing company, founded in London sent the first colonists across Atlantic. They landed in Virginia and called their
settlement Jamestown.
In 1619, a Dutch ship arrived with some Negroes who were sold to the colonists. Thus Negro slavery began in the English colonies.

Pilgrim Fathers
The second permanent English colony was set up in 1620. The colonists were the Puritans. They were persecuted in England and decided for religious reasons to go to America. The first group of 102 persons became known as Pilgrim Fathers. Their little boat was called the Mayflower. They established their settlement, called Plymouth.
To mark the first harvest in the settlement, the colonists celebrated Thanksgiving Day which in a national holiday in the US, observed every year on the fourth Thursday in November.
The early Puritans believed in spending their time in hard work rather than in pleasure. They were intolerant and their religious intolerance was responsible for the founding of other nearby colonies. Another religious group, persecuted in England founded Pennsylvania.
During the 17th century new colonies were successively set up and at the beginning of the 18th century there were altogether 13 English colonies. This number is marked by 13 stripes on the American flag.
Within the next few years the Pilgrim Fathers were followed by thousands of other settlers: English, Dutch, Irish and French. They called
their new home New England.

The War for Independence
By the year 1700 the colonists numbered about 250,000. Their hard life developed in them a sense of independence. The wars with the Indians taught them how to fight. While the colonies were becoming independent, English still considered them as a source of profit. That is
why England tried to control the American trade for her own profit and a number of laws were passed to the advantage of British merchants.
All the Acts of Parliament, trying to exploit the American colonies, united the colonists and protests were made in colonies.
In 1773 in Boston about fifty citizens, dressed as Indians climbed aboard three British ships, loaded with tea and threw it into the sea.
This Boston Tea Party was the answer of the people of Boston to the English tax on tea.
It was clear that an armed conflict between England and her colonies was inevitable.
In May, 1775, the Continental Congress with representatives from all 13 colonies met at Philadelphia. Its members appointed George Washington Commander-in-Chief of the American Army and open war started. The first battle took place in Bunker Hill.
In June, 1776, a committee, headed by Thomas Jefferson was appointed to draw up a Declaration of Independence, which was formally adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. A new nation was officially born – the United States of America. Thus the Fourth of July is the greatest national holiday in the USA. The British surrender of Boston practically ended the war in New England.
The final battle of the war was fought at Yorktown, where Washington defeated the English Commander, Lord Cornwallis in 1781. By the peace treaty in 1783 Great Britain recognized the independence of the US, promised to withdraw all her troops from American territory.
In 1787 The Constitution of the US was adopted by all 13 states, but ten amendments had to be added to the Constitution. These amendments are known as the Bill of Rights (freedom of speech and of press, religious freedom, the right to hold meetings etc.)
George Washington became the first president of the US. The most important event during the postwar period was the purchase of the former French territories. This Louisiana Purchase opened new lands for the US to settle in.
In 1848 after the war with Mexico Texas and other territories were admitted to the US. Shortly afterwards, a great migration of Americans to the Pacific coast was caused by the discovery of gold in California.
The 19th century was a turning point in the flow of migration. More than 10 million new settlers arrived from Europe (English, Irish,
Scottish and Germans). Nearly all of them settled in the north.

The Civil War
After the War for Independence the North and the South in the US started to grow in different ways. The North was developing into a centre of manufacturing and trade. The interests of the South, however, centered in cotton – planting.
The causes of the Civil War were economic and political. It was a struggle between the interests of the North and these of the slave owners in the South.
In the elections of 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the US. After the news of his election had reached the South, eleven Southern states left the Union. Jefferson Davis was elected first President of the Confederacy, as the Southern states called themselves. A Southern army was set up. The Civil War began in 1861 and the North won in April 1865.
Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 which granted freedom granted freedom to all slaves. He was assassinated in Washington in 1865.
The Civil War was historically a great step forward. The victory over the slave system was a historical necessity.

In the 20th century immigration continued and reached its peak. In the second half of the century, the largest number of immigrants has
come from Latin America, especially Mexico and Asia, mainly from the Philippines, Vietnam, Korea and China. World War II brought many
Jewish refugees. America has become the „melting pot“ of the nations