The first inhabitants of South America were the American Indians. There is evidence that they were from Asia. Around 9000 BC, they crossed the Bering Strait and then descended south, passing through the entire territory North America. It was these people who created one of the most ancient and unusual civilizations in South America, including the mysterious states of the Aztecs and Incas. Ancient civilization South American Indians were mercilessly destroyed by Europeans who began colonizing the continent in the 1500s.
Capture and plunder
By the late 1500s, most of the South American continent had been conquered by Europeans. They were attracted here by enormous natural resources - gold and gems. During colonization, Europeans destroyed and plundered ancient cities and brought with them diseases from Europe that wiped out almost the entire indigenous population - the Indians.
Modern population
There are twelve independent states in South America. The most big country, Brazil, covers almost half the continent, including the vast Amazon River basin. Most residents of South America speak Spanish, that is, the language of the conquerors who sailed here from Europe on their sailing ships in the 16th century. True, in Brazil, on whose territory the Portuguese invaders once landed, state language is Portuguese. In another country, Guyana, they speak English. There are still indigenous American Indians in the highlands of Bolivia and Peru. The majority of Argentina's residents are white, and neighboring Brazil is home to large numbers of descendants of African black slaves.
Culture and sports
South America is home to many unusual people and a hospitable home that has gathered many different cultures under its roof. Bright, colorful houses in La Boca, a bohemian quarter of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires. The area, which attracts artists and musicians, is inhabited primarily by Italians, descendants of settlers from Genoa who arrived here in the 1800s.
The most beloved sport on the continent is football, and it is not surprising that it was the South American teams - Brazil and Argentina - who became world champions more often than others. Pele, the most outstanding football player in the history of this game, played for Brazil.
In addition to football, Brazil is famous for its famous carnivals, which are held in Rio de Janeiro. During Carnival, which takes place in February or March, millions of people march through the streets of Rio to the rhythm of samba, and millions more watch the colorful action. The Brazilian Carnival is the most popular holiday held on our planet.
Story New America does not go back many centuries. And it began in the 16th century. It was then that new people began to arrive on the continent discovered by Columbus. Settlers from many countries of the world had different reasons for coming to the New World. Some of them just wanted to start new life. The second dreamed of getting rich. Still others sought refuge from religious persecution or government persecution. Of course, all these people belonged to different nationalities and cultures. They were distinguished from each other by the color of their skin. But they were all united by one desire - to change their lives and create a new world practically from scratch. Thus began the history of the colonization of America.
Pre-Columbian period
People have inhabited North America for thousands of years. However, information about the indigenous inhabitants of this continent before the arrival of immigrants from many other parts of the world is very scarce.
As a result of scientific research, it was found that the first Americans were small groups of people who moved to the continent from Northeast Asia. Most likely, they developed these lands about 10-15 thousand years ago, having passed from Alaska through the shallow or frozen. Gradually, people began to move deeper into the south of the American continent. So they reached Tierra del Fuego and the Strait of Magellan.
Researchers also believe that in parallel with this process, small groups of Polynesian residents moved to the continent. They settled in the southern lands.
Both those and other settlers, who we know as Eskimos and Indians, are rightfully considered the first inhabitants of America. And in connection with long-term stay on the continent - by the indigenous population.
Discovery of a new continent by Columbus
The Spaniards were the first Europeans to visit the New World. Traveling into a world unknown to them, they marked geographical map India, and the western coastal areas of Africa. But the researchers didn't stop there. They began to look for the shortest route that would lead a person from Europe to India, which promised great economic benefits to the monarchs of Spain and Portugal. The result of one of these campaigns was the discovery of America.
This happened in October 1492, it was then that the Spanish expedition, led by Admiral Christopher Columbus, landed on a small island located in the Western Hemisphere. Thus the first page was opened in the history of the colonization of America. Immigrants from Spain are flocking to this strange country. Following them, the inhabitants of France and England appeared. The period of colonization of America began.
Spanish conquerors
The colonization of America by Europeans initially did not cause any resistance from the local population. And this contributed to the fact that the settlers began to behave very aggressively, enslaving and killing Indians. The Spanish conquerors showed particular cruelty. They burned and plundered local villages, killing their inhabitants.
Already at the very beginning of the colonization of America, Europeans brought many diseases to the continent. The local population began to die from epidemics of smallpox and measles.
In the mid-16th century, Spanish colonists dominated the Americas. Their possessions extended from New Mexico to Cape Goree and brought fabulous profits to the royal treasury. During this period of colonization of America, Spain fought off all attempts by other European states to gain a foothold in this territory rich in natural resources.
However, at the same time, a change in the balance of power began in the Old World. Spain, where the kings unwisely spent huge flows of gold and silver arriving from the colonies, began to gradually lose their positions, losing them to England, where the economy was developing at a rapid pace. In addition, the decline of a previously powerful country and a European superpower was accelerated by a long-term war with the Netherlands, a conflict with England and the Reformation of Europe, against which huge amounts of money were spent. But the last point of Spain's retreat into the shadows was the death of the Invincible Armada in 1588. After this, England, France and Holland became the leaders in the process of colonization of America. Settlers from these countries created a new wave of immigration.
Colonies of France
Settlers from this European country were primarily interested in valuable furs. At the same time, the French did not seek to seize land, since in their homeland the peasants, despite being burdened with feudal duties, still remained the owners of their plots.
The colonization of America by the French began at the dawn of the 17th century. It was during this period that Samuel Champlain founded a small settlement on the Acadia Peninsula, and a little later (in 1608) - In 1615, the French possessions extended to Lakes Ontario and Huron. These territories were dominated by trading companies, the largest of which was the Hudson's Bay Company. In 1670, its owners received a charter and monopolized the purchase of fish and furs from the Indians. Local residents became “tributaries” of companies, caught in a network of obligations and debts. In addition, the Indians were simply robbed, constantly exchanging the valuable furs they had caught for worthless trinkets.
British possessions
The colonization of North America by the British began in the 17th century, although their first attempts were made a century earlier. The settlement of the New World by subjects of the British crown accelerated the development of capitalism in their homeland. The source of the prosperity of English monopolies was the creation of colonial trading companies that successfully operated in the foreign market. They brought fabulous profits.
The peculiarities of the colonization of North America by Great Britain were that in this territory the government of the country formed two trading companies who had large funds. It was a London and Plymouth firm. These companies had royal charters, according to which they owned lands located between 34 and 41 degrees north latitude, and without any restrictions extended inland. Thus, England appropriated the territory that originally belonged to the Indians.
At the beginning of the 17th century. A colony was established in Virginia. The commercial Virginia Company expected large profits from this enterprise. At its own expense, the company delivered settlers to the colony, who worked off their debt for 4-5 years.
In 1607 a new settlement was formed. This was the Jamestown Colony. It was located in a swampy place where many mosquitoes lived. In addition, the colonists turned the indigenous population against themselves. Constant skirmishes with Indians and disease soon claimed the lives of two-thirds of the settlers.
Another English colony, Maryland, was founded in 1634. In it, British settlers received plots of land and became planters and large entrepreneurs. The workers in these areas were English poor people who worked off the cost of moving to America.
However, over time, instead of indentured servants, the labor of black slaves began to be used in the colonies. They began to be brought mainly to the southern colonies.
Over the course of 75 years after the formation of the Virginia Colony, the British created 12 more similar settlements. These are Massachusetts and New Hampshire, New York and Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania, North and South Carolina, Georgia and Maryland.
Development of the English colonies
The poor people of many countries of the Old World sought to get to America, because in their minds it was the promised land, providing salvation from debts and religious persecution. That is why European colonization of America was widespread. Many entrepreneurs have ceased to limit themselves to recruiting migrants. They began to organize real raids on people, drugging them and sending them to the ship until they sobered up. That is why it was unusually observed rapid growth English colonies. This was also facilitated by the agrarian revolution carried out in Great Britain, which resulted in the massive dispossession of peasants.
The poor, robbed by their government, began to look for the opportunity to purchase land in the colonies. So, if in 1625 there were 1,980 immigrants living in North America, then in 1641 there were about 50 thousand immigrants from England alone. Another fifty years later, the number of inhabitants of such settlements amounted to about two hundred thousand people.
Behavior of migrants
The history of the colonization of America is marred by a war of extermination against the indigenous inhabitants of the country. The settlers took the land from the Indians, completely destroying the tribes.
In the north of America, which was called New England, immigrants from the Old World took a slightly different path. Here lands were acquired from the Indians through “trade transactions.” Subsequently, this became the reason for asserting the opinion that the ancestors of the Anglo-Americans did not encroach on the freedom of the indigenous people. However, people from the Old World acquired huge tracts of land for a bunch of beads or a handful of gunpowder. At the same time, the Indians, who were not familiar with private property, as a rule, did not even know about the essence of the agreement concluded with them.
The church also made its contribution to the history of colonization. She elevated the beating of Indians to the rank of a godly act.
One of the shameful pages in the history of the colonization of America is the prize for scalps. Before the arrival of the settlers, this bloody custom existed only among some tribes inhabiting the eastern territories. With the arrival of the colonialists, such barbarism began to spread more and more widely. The reason for this was the outbreak of internecine wars, in which firearms began to be used. In addition, the scalping process was greatly facilitated by the proliferation of iron knives. After all, the wooden or bone tools that the Indians had before colonization greatly complicated such an operation.
However, relations between settlers and natives were not always so hostile. Ordinary people tried to maintain good neighborly relations. Poor farmers adopted the agricultural experience of the Indians and learned from them, adapting to local conditions.
Immigrants from other countries
But be that as it may, the first colonists who settled in North America did not have the same religious beliefs and belonged to different social strata. This was due to the fact that people from the Old World belonged to different nationalities, and, consequently, had different beliefs. For example, English Catholics settled in Maryland. Huguenots from France settled in South Carolina. Swedes settled Delaware, and Virginia was full of Italian, Polish, and German artisans. The first Dutch settlement appeared on Manhattan Island in 1613. Its founder was the center of which became the city of Amsterdam, which became known as New Netherlands. Later these settlements were captured by the British.
The colonialists gained a foothold on the continent, for which they still thank God every fourth Thursday in November. America celebrates Thanksgiving Day. This holiday is immortalized in honor of the first year of life of immigrants in a new place.
The emergence of slavery
The first black Africans arrived in Virginia in August 1619 on a Dutch ship. Most of them were immediately bought by the colonists as servants. In America, blacks became slaves for life.
Moreover, this status even began to be inherited. Between the American colonies and the countries of East Africa, the slave trade began to take place constantly. Local leaders willingly traded their young men for weapons, gunpowder, textiles and many other goods brought from the New World.
Development of the southern territories
As a rule, settlers chose the northern territories of the New World because of their religious considerations. In contrast, the colonization of South America pursued economic goals. The Europeans, with little ceremony with the indigenous inhabitants, resettled them to lands poorly suitable for subsistence. The resource-rich continent promised the settlers great income. That is why in the southern regions of the country they began to cultivate tobacco and cotton plantations, using the labor of slaves brought from Africa. Most goods were exported to England from these territories.
Migrants in Latin America
Europeans also began to explore the territories south of the United States after Columbus discovered the New World. And today the colonization of Latin America by Europeans is regarded as an unequal and dramatic clash between two different worlds which ended with the enslavement of the Indians. This period lasted from the 16th to the beginning of the 19th century.
The colonization of Latin America led to the death of ancient Indian civilizations. After all, most of the indigenous population was exterminated by settlers from Spain and Portugal. The surviving inhabitants fell under the subordination of the colonialists. But at the same time in Latin America cultural achievements of the Old World were introduced, which became the property of the peoples of this continent.
Gradually, European colonists began to become the most growing and important part population of this region. And the import of slaves from Africa began difficult process the formation of a special ethnocultural symbiosis. And today we can say that the colonial period of the 16th-19th centuries left an indelible imprint on the development of modern Latin American society. In addition, with the arrival of Europeans, the region began to be involved in global capitalist processes. This became an important prerequisite for the economic development of Latin America.
Centuries after the Indians and to their great regret, European ships appeared on the horizon. The first European colonizers in America after the Vikings were the Spaniards. Christopher Columbus, a Genoese sailor and merchant who received the rank of admiral and a flotilla from the Spanish crown, was looking for a new trade route to rich India, China and Japan.
He sailed to the New World four times and reached the Bahamas. On October 13, 1492, he landed on an island called San Salvador, planted the banner of Castile on it and drew up a notarial deed about this event. He himself believed that he had sailed either to China, or to India, or even to Japan. For many years this land was called the West Indies. He called the Arawaks, the first natives of these places he saw, “Indians.” The rest of Columbus's life and difficult fate was connected with the West Indies.
In the late 15th century and early 16th century, a number of other European nations began to explore the routes of the Western Hemisphere. Navigator of the English King Henry VII Italian John Cabot(Giovanni Caboto) set foot on the shores of Canada (1497-1498), Pedro Alvares Cabral secured Brazil for Portugal (1500-1501), Spaniard Vasco Nunez de Balboa founded Antigua, the first European city on the new continent, and went to Pacific Ocean (1500-1513). Ferdinand Magellan, who served the Spanish king in 1519-1521, circumnavigated America from the south and made the first trip around the world.
In 1507, Martin Waldseemuller, a geographer from Lorraine, proposed calling the New World America in honor of the Florentine navigator Amerigo Vespucci, who replaced Columbus, who had fallen out of favor. The proposal has strangely taken hold, and the development of the mainland is already underway alternately under two names. Juan Ponce de Leon, a Spanish conquistador, discovered the Florida peninsula in 1513. In 1565, the first European colony was formed there, and later the city of St. Augustine. In the late 1530s, Hernando de Soto reached the Mississippi and reached the Arkansas River.
When the British and French began to explore America, Florida and the southwest of the continent were almost entirely Spanish. The gold that Spain brought from South America ultimately became one of the reasons for its loss of world dominance. Buying everything that a visionary state needed to develop and strengthen, Spain was defeated at the first serious crisis. Spain's power and influence in America began to decline after September 1588, when the Anglo-Dutch fleet destroyed and captured the ships of the Spanish Invincible Armada.
The British settled in America on the third attempt. One ended with a flight home, the second with the mysterious disappearance of the settlers, and only the third, in 1607, was successful. The trading post, named Jamestown in honor of the king, was inhabited by the crews of three ships under the command of Captain Newport and also served as a barrier to the Spaniards, who were still rushing into the interior of the continent. Tobacco plantations turned Jamestown into a wealthy settlement, and by 1620 about 1,000 people lived there.
Many people dreamed of America not only as a land of fabulous treasures, but as a wondrous world where you are not killed for a different faith, where it does not matter what party you are from... Dreams were also fueled by those who received income from transporting goods and of people. In England, the London and Plymouth companies were hastily created, which from 1606 became involved in the development of the northeastern coast of America. Many Europeans, entire families and communities, used their last money to move to the New World. People came and came, but there were still not enough of them to develop new lands. Many died along the way or in the first months of American life.
In August 1619, a Dutch ship brought several dozen Africans to Virginia; The colonists immediately bought twenty people. Thus began the Great White Business. During the 18th century, about seven million slaves were sold, and no one knows how many of them died during the long voyage and were fed to sharks.
On November 21, 1620, the small galleon "May Flower" moored to the Atlantic coast. 102 Puritan-Calvinists came ashore, stern, stubborn, fierce in faith and convinced of their chosenness, but exhausted and sick. The beginning of the conscious settlement of America by the British is counted from this day. Mutual agreement, called the Mayflower, embodied the ideas of the first American colonists about democracy, self-government and civil liberties. Other colonists signed the same documents - in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire.
After the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus, Europeans began to actively conquer new and unexplored lands. The local population did not always like this, but their opinion was not taken into account. Streams of colonists rushed in search of happiness and a new life.
In the mid-16th century, almost the entire territory belonged to the Spanish Crown. The huge incomes received from trade and lease of land did not allow competitors from other countries to enter the new lands. In this regard, the dominance of the Spaniards was observed in America.
The kings and their retainers, siphoning enormous wealth from the colony, did not pay attention to its needs. Spain's position on the world stage began to gradually weaken. The final blow came in 1588, when the Invincible Armada was destroyed. With the death of the fleet, a crisis arose in the country, from which it was never able to recover.
During this difficult period for Spain, England, as well as France and Holland, began to take first place in world politics.
The emergence of English colonies
By the British - this is the second stage of the conquest of the new continent and the redistribution of property. The first British exploration expedition set out for the new continent and arrived in 1584. Open lands were named Virginia. But two groups of colonists were unable to take root on them, one of which was expelled by the Indians, and the second disappeared without a trace.
The beginning of the 17th century was marked by the entry into action of two private companies in the process of colonization. By order of the king, the northern territories were assigned to the Plymouth Company, and the southern lands to the London Virginia Company. The declared goal was to spread Christianity among the local population, but the true goal was the desire to extract as much gold, copper and silver as possible, in which the Indians were rich.
In 1607, three ships landed on the shore near Chesapeake Bay. Within a month, the colonists erected the walls of the fortification, which later received the name Jamestown. In the history of America, this settlement is idealized, but its existence was not cloudless. Hunger, cold and attacks by Indians led to the death of a huge number of pioneers, out of 500 only 60 remained. In the winter, cases of cannibalism were witnessed.
No precious metals were found, but Virginia became the main supplier of high-quality tobacco. Native Americans in this region they lived peacefully with the colonists and even became related to them.
In 1619, the decision was made to purchase the first group of black slaves, which marked the beginning of a long period of slavery in the country.
If in the 30s of the 17th century two colonies appeared in North America: Massachusetts and New York, then in the 40s there were already five: Maryland, Rolle Island, Connecticut, Delaware and New Hampshire. In 1653, a new settlement, North Carolina, appeared, and 10 years later - South Carolina. New Jersey was founded in the mid-70s. Pennsylvania appeared in 1682, and already in 1732 the last colony, Georgia, was founded.
Colonization of North America by the French
France did not lag behind the British in developing new lands. By the beginning of the 18th century, five large provinces had formed. This time period is considered the heyday of French colonization. Canada, Acadia, Hudson Bay, New Earth and Louisiana belonged to the second most powerful world power.
Dutch colonies
Others also did not remain aloof from the race for new territories. European countries. From the east, ships of the Dutch flotilla approached the shores of North America. Already in 1614, new lands appeared on the map under the name New Netherland, and ten years later the first settlers appeared. Their main location was Governor's Island, on which the city of New Amsterdam later grew. In the second half of the 17th century it was placed under the protection of the British crown.
Swedish colonies
The beginning of the Swedish conquest of new lands is considered to be 1638, when two ships set off on an expedition. The long journey and torment along the way were compensated by the discovery of a free coast, where Fort Christina was founded, securing ownership of the territories to Sweden. Wilmington would later take over this location.
The emergence of Russians in North America
The Russian Empire could not remain aloof from the massive campaign of Europeans to uncharted lands. In 1784, a large flotilla landed in the Aleutian Islands. A little more than ten years later, a Russian-American company appears, producing and selling expensive fur. Already at the beginning of the 19th century, the region acquired a capital - Novo-Arkhangelsk, and it itself transferred to the department of the East Siberian General Government. The basis of the colonists were local Aleut tribes.
Only 80 kilometers separated Russian lands from American California. This caused concern on the part of England and America, so in 1824 two Conventions were signed at once, which fixed clear boundaries between Russia and these two powers. In 1841, the southernmost settlement of Fort Ross was sold to wealthy Mexican settlers. For Alaska, the United States had to pay 7 million 200 thousand dollars. Since 1867, this section of the Russian colonies went to the buyer.
Relations between settlers and Indians
The Indians suffered the most from the colonization of the new continent. tribes of america. With the arrival of more and more new settlers, their usual way of life changes radically. Many colonists believed that they had more rights to use this land and showed obvious aggression. The standard of living of the Indians was much lower than the European one, so no one listened to their opinion, and their lands were indiscriminately taken away. Due to diseases brought by Europeans, constant clashes and real extermination, the number of Indians inexorably declined.
The Iroquois were considered one of the most warlike tribes in North America. They constantly attacked the colonists' settlements. In peaceful life, the Iroquois were farmers and also engaged in hunting and fishing. All settlements of this tribe were surrounded by a high palisade, which created an obstacle to their capture. The Iroquois were called "scalp hunters." It is still not known where the colonists from the second expedition to Virginia went.
The Apache tribes were considered the most cunning and treacherous. They very quickly mastered horse riding when this noble animal was introduced by the Spaniards. The Apaches robbed not only white colonists, but also their relatives, not disdaining the loot
Among the aborigines there were tribes that not only provided assistance to the settlers, but also sought to learn everything new from them. These included Seminole and Cherokee, Creek and Choctaw, and Chickasaw. Among the Indians of these tribes there are many actors, writers, military men, and so on.
Despite the fact that some of the natives of America accepted European culture and adapted to living conditions, this process was very painful. A five dollar reward was paid for the head of a killed Indian, and the resettlement of entire tribes was carried out by force. All these measures led to the partial assimilation of the aborigines and their mass extermination.
The history of the country is inextricably linked with its literature. And thus, while studying, one cannot help but touch upon American history. Each work belongs to a particular historical period. Thus, in his Washington, Irving talks about the Dutch pioneers who settled along the Hudson River, mentions the seven-year war for independence, the English king George III and the country's first president, George Washington. Setting as my goal to draw parallel connections between literature and history, in this introductory article I want to say a few words about how it all began, because the historical moments that will be discussed are not reflected in any works.
Colonization of America 15th – 18th centuries (brief summary)
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
An American philosopher, George SantayanaIf you are asking yourself why you need to know history, then know that those who do not remember their history are doomed to repeat its mistakes.
So, the history of America began relatively recently, when in the 16th century people arrived on the new continent discovered by Columbus. These people were different color skin and different incomes, and the reasons that prompted them to come to the New World were also different. Some were attracted by the desire to start a new life, others sought to get rich, and others were fleeing persecution from the authorities or religious persecution. However, all these people, representing different cultures and nationalities, were united by the desire to change something in their lives and, most importantly, they were ready to take risks.
Inspired by the idea of creating a new world almost from scratch, the pioneers succeeded. Fantasy and dream became reality; they, like Julius Caesar, they came, they saw and they conquered.
I came, I saw, I conquered.
Julius Caesar
In those early days, America represented abundance natural resources and a vast expanse of uncultivated land inhabited by a friendly local population.
If we look a little further back into the past, then, presumably, the first people who appeared on the American continent came from Asia. According to Steve Wingand, this happened about 14 thousand years ago.
The first Americans probably wandered over from Asia about 14,000 years ago.
Steve Wiengand
Over the next 5 centuries, these tribes settled across two continents and, depending on the natural landscape and climate, began to engage in hunting, cattle breeding or agriculture.
In 985 AD, warlike Vikings arrived on the continent. For about 40 years they tried to gain a foothold in this country, but being outnumbered by the indigenous people, they eventually abandoned their attempts.
Then Columbus appeared in 1492, followed by other Europeans, who were drawn to the continent by the thirst for profit and simple adventurism.
On October 12, 34 states celebrate Columbus Day in America. Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492.
The Spanish were the first Europeans to arrive on the continent. Christopher Columbus, being an Italian by birth, having received a refusal from his king, turned to the Spanish king Ferdinand with a request to finance his expedition to Asia. It is not surprising that when Columbus discovered America instead of Asia, all of Spain rushed to this strange country. France and England rushed after the Spaniards. Thus began the colonization of America.
Spain got a head start in the Americas, mainly because the aforementioned Italian named Columbus was working for the Spanish and got them enthusiastic about it early on. But while the Spanish had a head start, other European countries eagerly sought to catch up.
(Source: U.S. history for dummies by S. Wiegand)
Having initially encountered no resistance from the local population, the Europeans behaved like aggressors, killing and enslaving the Indians. The Spanish conquerors were particularly cruel, plundering and burning Indian villages and killing their inhabitants. Following the Europeans, diseases also came to the continent. Thus, epidemics of measles and smallpox gave the process of extermination of the local population stunning speed.
But from the end of the 16th century, powerful Spain began to lose its influence on the continent, which was greatly facilitated by the weakening of its power, both on land and at sea. And the dominant position in the American colonies passed to England, Holland and France.
Henry Hudson founded the first Dutch settlement in 1613 on the island of Manhattan. This colony, located along the Hudson River, was called New Netherland, and its center was the city of New Amsterdam. However, this colony was later captured by the British and transferred to the Duke of York. Accordingly, the city was renamed New York. The population of this colony was mixed, but although the British predominated, the influence of the Dutch remained quite strong. Dutch words entered the American language, and appearance some places reflect "Dutch" architectural style» — high buildings with sloping roofs.
The colonialist managed to gain a foothold on the continent, for which they thank God every fourth Thursday of the month of November. Thanksgiving is a holiday to celebrate their first year in their new place.
If the first settlers chose the north of the country mainly for religious reasons, then the south for economic ones. Without standing on ceremony with the local population, the Europeans quickly pushed them back to lands unsuitable for life or simply killed them.
The practical English were especially firmly established. Quickly realizing what rich resources this continent contained, they began to grow tobacco and then cotton in the southern part of the country. And to get even more profit, the British brought slaves from Africa to cultivate plantations.
To summarize, I will say that in the 15th century, Spanish, English, French and other settlements appeared on the American continent, which began to be called colonies, and their inhabitants - colonists. At the same time, a struggle for territory began between the invaders, with particularly strong military actions taking place between the French and English colonists.
The Anglo-French wars also took place in Europe. But that is another story …
Having won on all fronts, the British finally established their supremacy on the continent and began to call themselves Americans. Moreover, in 1776, 13 British colonies declared their independence from the English monarchy, then headed by George III.
July 4th – Americans celebrate Independence Day. On this day in 1776, the Second Continental Congress, held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, adopted the Declaration of Independence of the United States.
The war lasted 7 years (1775 - 1783) and after the victory, the English pioneers, having managed to unite all the colonies, founded a state with a completely new political system, whose president was the brilliant politician and commander George Washington. This state was called the United States of America.
George Washington (1789-1797) - first US president.
It is this transitional period in American history that Washington Irving describes in his work
And we will continue the topic “ Colonization of America" in the next article. Stay with us!
