The first ihabitants of the US were the indians, who came from Asia there. They were spreading all over the America. Christopher Colombus discovered America many centuries later in 1492. He was the first European, who landed there, but another sources say, that America was discoverd by Vikings in the 10 century, but we haven ´t any proofs.
Christopher Colombus, thinking, that he landed in India, named original inhabitants as the Indians. The name of America came from Amerigo Vespuci, famous Italian discoverer. The settlement by Europeans was very slow. The first colony was founded in 1607. The small ship called Mayflower brought a group of English Puritans. They escaped from England to avoid persecution after their conflict with King James I and his Church.
They are known as Pilgrim fathers and they landed near present day Boston, on the place which they called Plymouth. Half of them died during the first winter. Those who survive celebrated their first harvest as the Thanksgiving Day. The Pilgrim Fathers were followed by thousands of the Europeans in the next years.
There were 13 colonies under the rule of England along the Atlantic coast in the 18th century. France has got its colonies in the west. There were wars between these 2 rivals, which lasted for a long time. Britain needed money for the warfare and so the governement raised the taxes on the colonies. It caused the rebelion there. In 1773, the North Americans, dressed as the Indians, emptied the cargo of the British tea into the sea in Boston. It is called as Boston Tea Party and it marked the beginning of the War of Independence (1775 – 1783). The Declaration of Independence was addopted on the 4th of July 1776 and the United States of America were established. Britain recognized the United States in 1783. The American Constitucion was addopted in 1788 and George Washington was elected as the first president next year.
The 19th century was the turning point in the immigration. Milions of the Europeans arrived to America. Most of them settled on the North, where the industry was growing very rapidly. For these people was the South, with its slavery system, like a foreign country. But the prospority of the South depended on the hard work of the slaves. These questions, about economic and social differents and election of Abrham Lincol as the president (who was against the slavery) led to the Civil War (1861 – 1865). The United States of America was separated in two countries. The Northern countries were called the Union and consist of 26 states. The Southern countries were called the Confederation and consists from 11 states. Each country had the parliament, the governement, own rules and the army. At the beginning of the war the Confederation was more succesful, its army was smaller, but the soldiers were braver. Robert Lee and Jackson were two famous generals of the Confederation. The turning point in the war was the abolishing of the slavery in the 1863. The Confederation lost this war, but Abrham Lincoln was killed during the celebration of winning. From this time, the economic of America has been growing.
The immigration has been cotinuing in the 20th century. People came to America from all world, because it is a democratic state. America has boceme the melting pot of nation.
During the 1.World War America promised the neutrality. But the situation was bad for the allies and America had to entre to the war on their side in 1917.The allies won the war. The same situation happend during the 2. World War. Japanise attack on the Pearl Harbour covered America into the war on the side of Britain and the Soviet Union against Germany, Italy and Japan. The allies won against, but the world didn´t have long rest from the warfare. The period, called the Cold War started in 1948 and it lasted for 40 yaers. It was conflict between democracial countries on the West and the Communisct reign under the Soviet rules. Very important point of this conflict is the birth of North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1949. Korean war and Vietnamist war are the examples of this conflict too. The northern parts of this countries were under the communist riegn and they wanted to overrul democratial southern parts. These conflict could raised into 3. World War.
The Cold war ended with breaking up of the Berlin Wall and Soviet union.
Nowday the United States of America is the most powerful country in the world.
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