Unit 12 IMPORTANT HISTORICAL EVENTS OF AMERICA

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 353.

About 1,000 AD a group of Icelandic Vikings under the command of Leif Ericson sailed to the eastern coast of North America. They landed at the place, they called Vinland and where they established some settlements. But their stay at this land wasn't long. The Vikings soon sailed back to their cold country and lost contacts with the new continent.

In 1492 Christopher Columbus landed on one of the Bahama Islands and Portuguese colonists started to settle there. Spaniards conquered most of Latin and Central America and founded some settlements in the North America.

The first successful British colony was Jamestown in Virginia, founded in 1607. The settlements of English Puritans in New England were formed in 1620. Roman Catholics settled in Pennsylvania, Swedes settled in Delaware, the Dutch founded New Amsterdam. Also African slaves were first brought to Virginia in 1619. So, many nations and cultures mixed up in America.

By 1733 English settlers occupied 13 colonies along the Atlantic Ocean coast. The French controlled Canada and Louisiana. In 1763 as a result of Seven Years War between England and France Canada and all the territory east of the Mississippi became English.

Conflicts between the colonies and England increased because of the new taxes on sugar, coffee and textiles. The colonies refused to obey the Orders of the British Empire. English soldiers were sent to control the situation, but the colonies organized their own military units – militias. In 1775 the leaders of 13 former British colonies gathered in Philadelphia and formed the Continental Congress, which started to function as a national government. George Washington became the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army and Navy. After some years of fighting the British Government recognized the independence of USA in 1783, though the Declaration of Independence was adopted in Philadelphia in 1776.

By the middle of the 19^th century the problem of slavery tore the American nation apart. The Northern states abolished slavery but the Southern states' economy was based on large plantations where slaves grew tobacco, cotton and rice. So, Southerners defended slavery. Another point of dispute was high tariffs on industrial goods which were produced in the industrially developed North.

In 1861 11 Southern states left the USA and formed the Confederacy. That caused the Civil War. It was the tragedy for the nation. America lost 635,000 lives on both sides. But the war helped to abolish slavery and to keep the USA as the indivisible single state.