European colonization of America. US history. America's first settlers. Forest hunting tribes of Canada

The first inhabitants South America were American Indians. There is evidence that they were from Asia. Approximately 9000 years before our era, they crossed the Bering Strait, and then descended to the south, passing through the entire territory of 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 was ruthlessly destroyed by the Europeans, who began the colonization of the continent in the 1500s.

Capture and looting

By the end of the 1500s, most of the South American continent had been taken over by Europeans. They were attracted here by huge natural resources - gold and precious stones. During colonization, Europeans destroyed and plundered ancient cities and brought diseases from Europe that wiped out almost the entire indigenous population - the Indians.

Modern population

There are twelve in South America independent states. The largest country, Brazil, covers almost half of the continent, including the vast Amazon Basin. Most of the inhabitants 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 invaders once landed - the Portuguese, official language is Portuguese. Another country, Guyana, speaks English. Native American Indians still survive in the highlands of Bolivia and Peru. The majority of Argentina's residents are white, while neighboring Brazil is home to a large number of descendants of African Negro slaves.

Culture and sports

South America has become the home of many unusual people and a hospitable home that brought together many different cultures under its roof. Bright colorful houses in La Boca, the bohemian quarter of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires. This area, which attracts artists and musicians, is inhabited mainly by Italians, descendants of settlers from Genoa who sailed here in the 1800s.
The most favorite sport on the continent is football, and it is not surprising that it was the South American teams - Brazil and Argentina - that became world champions more often than others. Pele played for Brazil - the most outstanding footballer in the history of this game.
In addition to football, Brazil is famous for its famous carnivals, which are held in Rio de Janeiro. During the carnival, which takes place in February or March, millions of people pass through the streets of Rio in the rhythm of the samba, and millions more spectators watch this colorful action. The Brazilian carnival is the most massive holiday held on our planet.

New history of the countries of Europe and America of the XVI-XIX centuries. Part 3: textbook for universities Team of authors

European colonization of North America

The discovery of North American lands, which resulted in their development by Europeans, occurred at the end of the 15th century. The Spaniards were the first to arrive in America. Until the middle of the XVI century. they led the way in reconnaissance of new territories on the Pacific coast of North America, surveying the California peninsula and large sections of the coastline. In addition to the Spaniards, the main discoveries on the Atlantic coast of North America were made by the British, the Portuguese and the French. In 1497–1498 The Italian Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot) who settled in England led two expeditions organized by King Henry VII, during which the island of Newfoundland was discovered and the territory along the northern coast was explored. A couple of years later, the Portuguese discovered Labrador, and the Spaniards explored the coast of Florida. Two decades later, the French managed to penetrate from the coast of Newfoundland deep into the mainland, opening the bay and the river of St. Lawrence.

Over the next centuries, the superiority of England was clear, which, unlike other countries, sought not only to develop natural resources and export them to the metropolis, but also to colonize coastal areas of the territory. At first, Spain stood out among the rival countries of England, firmly entrenched along the shores of two oceans in Florida and Western Mexico and from there advancing towards the Appalachians and the Grand Canyon. Having begun colonization as early as 1566, she founded New Spain, also occupied Texas and California, but subsequently turned her attention to her more profitable colonial territories in Central and South America.

This led to the fact that France became the most dangerous rival for the British in North America. To the west of the St. Lawrence River valley, in 1608 she founded the first settlement in Quebec, began to explore New France (modern Canada) and, from 1682, Louisiana in the basin of the river. Mississippi.

The Dutch, who earlier than other Europeans gained access to the untold riches of India and created the East India Company in 1602 to control the colonial trade, did not have an urgent need to create numerous colonies even in America. However, the Dutch West India Company nevertheless built the New Amsterdam trading post in the middle part of the Atlantic coast, captured small islands in the West Indies, and also created the first settlements in Brazil, from where the development of this vast territory began.

British colonization North America since the 17th century. accelerated significantly. For 170 years from the moment of the creation of the first British settlements and until the beginning of the era of their independence, the so-called "colonial period" of US history continued. The semi-nomadic North American hunting tribes that the first colonists encountered did not have some of the wealth that the Spaniards discovered from the Incas and Aztecs. When it became clear that there was no gold and silver in the explored territories, but land resources could be of independent value, Queen Elizabeth I Tudor in 1583 was the first of the monarchs to agree to the colonization of American territories. The lands discovered by the British were perceived as ownerless and declared the property of the crown.

The early settlements, founded by sailors and pirates who plundered the wealthy sea caravans of Spain, were used as transshipment bases and temporary shelters. Despite the first unsuccessful attempts, in 1584, one of the queen's favorites, Walter Reilly, ships with settlers were specially equipped. Soon the entire east coast north of Florida was declared British property. The territory was named in honor of the "Virgin Queen" - Virginia. From there, the British gradually moved to the west, to the foothills of the Appalachians. However, the first colonists were able to permanently settle on British lands in the New World only under James I Stuart. All colonies were based different groups migrants independently. Each had its own access to the sea.

In 1620 the Puritans founded New Plymouth. New settlements arose on the coast, gradually uniting into colonies. They served as starting bases for moving deep into the continent and strengthening the power of the British monarchs in North America. New Hampshire arose in 1622, Massachusetts in 1628, Maryland in the south and Connecticut in the north in 1634. A couple of years later - Rhode Island, and three decades later - New Jersey, North and South Carolina. Then, in 1664, all the Dutch settlements in the area of the Hudson River were captured by the British. The city of New Amsterdam and the colony of New Holland were renamed New York. During the Anglo-Dutch War of 1673–1674 an attempt to recapture these lands was unsuccessful.

In the next 18th century English navigators (Alexander Mackenzie, George Vancouver) made important discoveries in the northern part of the mainland in search of an outlet to the North Arctic Ocean. The Seven Years' War (1756-1763) finally weakened the position of England's European competitors in the New World. Spain lost Florida, and the French had to cede Quebec and Canada (Florida was bought from Spain in 1819 by the United States of America).

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The history of the discovery of America by Europeans

Pre-Columbian era

Currently, there are a number of theories and studies that make it highly likely that European travelers reached the shores of America long before the expeditions of Columbus. However, there is no doubt that these contacts did not lead to the creation of long-term settlements or the establishment of strong ties with the new continent, and thus did not have a significant impact on the historical and political processes in both the Old and New Worlds.

Travels of Columbus

Colonization of South and Central America in the 17th century

Chronology major events:

- Christopher Columbus lands on the island.
- Amerigo Vespucci and Alonso de Ojeda reach the mouth of the Amazon.
- Vespucci, after the second journey, finally comes to the conclusion that the open continent is not part of India.
- After a 100-day trek through the jungles of Vasco Núñez de Balboa, he crosses the Isthmus of Panama and reaches the Pacific coast for the first time.
- Juan Ponce de Leon goes in search of the legendary Fountain of Youth. Having failed in reaching the object of search, he, nevertheless, discovers deposits of gold. Names the Florida peninsula and declares it a Spanish possession.
- Fernando Cortez enters Tenochtitlan, captures the Emperor Montezuma, thereby starting the conquest of the Aztec empire. His triumph leads to 300 years of Spanish rule in Mexico and Central America.
- Pascual de Andogoya discovers Peru.
- Spain establishes a permanent military base and a settlement in Jamaica.
- Francisco Pizarro invades Peru, destroys thousands of Indians and conquers the Inca Empire, the most powerful state of South American Indians. A huge number of Incas die from chickenpox brought by the Spaniards.
- Spanish settlers found Buenos Aires, but after five years they were forced to leave the city under the onslaught of the Indians.

Colonization of North America (XVII -XVIII centuries)

But at the same time, the balance of power in the Old World began to change: the kings spent the streams of silver and gold flowing from the colonies, and had little interest in the economy of the metropolis, which, under the weight of an inefficient, corrupt administrative apparatus, clerical dominance and lack of incentives for modernization, began to lag behind more and more. from the booming economy of England. Spain gradually lost the status of the main European superpower and mistress of the seas. Many years of war in the Netherlands, huge funds spent on the fight against the Reformation throughout Europe, the conflict with England hastened the decline of Spain. The last straw was the death of the Invincible Armada in 1588. After the English admirals, and more so in a violent storm, destroyed the largest fleet of the time, Spain fell into the shadows, never to recover from this blow.

Leadership in the "relay race" of colonization passed to England, France and Holland.

English colonies

The well-known chaplain Gakluyt acted as the ideologist of the English colonization of North America. In and 1587, Sir Walter Raleigh, by order of Queen Elizabeth I of England, made two attempts to establish a permanent settlement in North America. The reconnaissance expedition reached the American coast in 1584 and named the open coast of Virginia (eng. Virginia - "Virgin") in honor of the "Virgin Queen" Elizabeth I, who never married. Both attempts ended in failure - the first colony, based on Roanoke Island off the coast of Virginia, was on the verge of collapse due to Indian attacks and lack of supplies and was evacuated by Sir Francis Drake in April 1587. In July of the same year, a second expedition of 117 colonists landed on the island. It was planned that ships with equipment and food would arrive in the colony in the spring of 1588. However, for various reasons, the supply expedition was delayed by almost a year and a half. When she arrived at the place, all the buildings of the colonists were intact, but no traces of people, with the exception of the remains of one person, were found. The exact fate of the colonists has not been established to this day.

At the beginning of the 17th century, private capital entered the business. In 1605, two joint-stock companies received licenses from King James I to establish colonies in Virginia. It should be borne in mind that at that time the term "Virginia" denoted the entire territory of the North American continent. The first of these companies was the London Virginia Company. Virginia Company of London) - received the rights to the south, the second - the "Plymouth Company" (eng. Plymouth Company) - to the northern part of the continent. Despite the fact that both companies officially proclaimed the spread of Christianity as the main goal, the license they received granted them the right to "search and mine gold, silver and copper by all means."

On December 20, 1606, the colonists set sail aboard three ships, and after a difficult, almost five-month voyage, during which several dozen people died of starvation and disease, in May 1607 they reached Chesapeake Bay (Eng. Chesapeake Bay). Over the next month, they built a wooden fort, named after King Fort James (English pronunciation of the name Jacob). The fort was later renamed Jamestown, the first permanent British settlement in America.

The official historiography of the United States considers Jamestown the cradle of the country, the history of the settlement and its leader, Captain John Smith (Eng. John Smith of Jamestown) has been covered in many serious studies and works of art. The latter, as a rule, idealize the history of the city and the pioneers who inhabited it (for example, the popular cartoon Pocahontas). In fact, the first years of the colony were extremely difficult, in the hungry winter of 1609-1610. out of 500 colonists, no more than 60 survived, and, according to some accounts, the survivors were forced to resort to cannibalism in order to survive the famine.

American stamp issued for the tercentenary of the founding of Jamestown

In subsequent years, when the issue of physical survival was no longer so acute, the two most important problems were strained relations with the indigenous population and the economic feasibility of the existence of the colony. To the disappointment of the shareholders of the London Virginia Company, neither gold nor silver was found by the colonists, and the main commodity produced for export was ship timber. Despite the fact that this product was in some demand in the metropolis, which depleted its forests in order, the profit, as well as from other attempts at economic activity, was minimal.

The situation changed in 1612, when the farmer and landowner John Rolfe (Eng. John Rolfe) managed to cross a local variety of tobacco grown by the Indians with varieties imported from Bermuda. The resulting hybrids were well adapted to the Virginia climate and at the same time suited the tastes of English consumers. The colony acquired a source of reliable income and long years Tobacco became the basis of Virginia's economy and exports, and the phrases "Virginia tobacco", "Virginia blend" are used as characteristics of tobacco products to this day. Five years later, tobacco exports amounted to 20,000 pounds, a year later it was doubled, and by 1629 it reached 500,000 pounds. John Rolfe rendered another service to the colony: in 1614 he managed to negotiate peace with the local Indian chief. The peace treaty was sealed by marriage between Rolf and the leader's daughter, Pocahontas.

In 1619, two events occurred that had a significant impact on the entire subsequent history of the United States. This year Governor George Yardley George Yeardley) decided to transfer part of the power Council of Burghers(English) House of Burgesses), thus founding the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. The first meeting of the council took place on July 30, 1619. In the same year, a small group of Africans of Angolan origin was acquired by the colonists. Although formally they were not slaves, but had long-term contracts without the right to terminate, it is customary to count the history of slavery in America from this event.

In 1622, almost a quarter of the population of the colony was destroyed by the rebellious Indians. In 1624, the license of the London Company, whose affairs had fallen into decay, was revoked, and from that time Virginia became a royal colony. The governor was appointed by the king, but the colony council retained significant powers.

Settlement of New England

In 1497, several expeditions to the island of Newfoundland, associated with the names of the Cabots, laid the foundation for the claims of England to the territory of modern Canada.

In 1763, under the Treaty of Paris New France passed into the possession of Great Britain and became the province of Quebec. Rupert's Land (the area around Hudson Bay) and Prince Edward Island were also British colonies.

Florida

In 1763, Spain ceded Florida to Great Britain in exchange for control of Havana, which the British occupied during the Seven Years' War. The British divided Florida into East and West and began to attract immigrants. For this, the settlers were offered land and financial support.

In 1767, the northern boundary of West Florida was substantially moved, so that West Florida included parts of the present-day territories of the states of Alabama and Mississippi.

During the American Revolutionary War, Britain retained control of East Florida, but Spain was able to take over West Florida through an alliance with France at war with England. Under the Treaty of Versailles in 1783 between Great Britain and Spain, all of Florida was ceded to Spain.

Caribbean Islands

The first English colonies appeared in Bermuda (1612), St. Kitts (1623) and Barbados (1627) and were then used to colonize other islands. In 1655, Jamaica, taken from the Spanish Empire, was under the control of the British.

Central America

In 1630, British agents founded the Providence Company. (Providence Company), whose president was the Earl of Warwick, and the secretary was John Pym, occupied two small islands near the Mosquito Coast and established friendly relations with the locals. From 1655 to 1850, England, and then Great Britain, claimed a protectorate over the Miskito Indians, but numerous attempts to establish colonies were unsuccessful, and the protectorate was disputed by Spain, the Central American republics and the United States. The objections from the United States were caused by fears that England would gain an advantage in connection with the proposed construction of a canal between the two oceans. In 1848, the capture of the city of Greytown (now called San Juan del Norte) by the Miskito Indians, with the support of the British, caused great excitement in the United States and almost led to war. However, by signing the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty of 1850, both powers pledged not to strengthen, colonize, or dominate any part of Central American territory. In 1859, Great Britain transferred the protectorate to Honduras.

The first English colony on the banks of the Belize River was established in 1638. In the middle of the 17th century, other English settlements were established. Later, British settlers began harvesting logwood, from which a substance used in the manufacture of dyes for fabrics was extracted and had great importance for the wool spinning industry in Europe (see article Belize#History).

South America

In 1803, Britain captured the Dutch settlements in Guiana, and in 1814, under the Treaty of Vienna, officially received the lands, united in 1831 under the name of British Guiana.

In January 1765, British captain John Byron explored Saunders Island at the eastern tip of the Falkland Islands and announced that it was annexed to Great Britain. Captain Byron named the bay on Saunders Port Egmont. Here in 1766 Captain McBride founded an English settlement. In the same year, Spain acquired French possessions in the Falklands from Bougainville and, having consolidated its power here in 1767, appointed a governor. In 1770, the Spanish attacked Port Egmont and drove the British off the island. This led to the fact that the two countries were on the brink of war, but a later peace treaty allowed the British to return to Port Egmont in 1771, while neither Spain nor Great Britain abandoned their claims to the islands. In 1774, in anticipation of the impending American Revolutionary War, Great Britain unilaterally abandoned many of its overseas possessions, including Port Egmont. Leaving the Falklands in 1776, the British installed a commemorative plaque here to confirm their rights to this territory. From 1776 until 1811, a Spanish settlement remained on the islands, administered from Buenos Aires as part of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. In 1811, the Spaniards left the islands, also leaving a tablet here to prove their rights. After declaring independence in 1816, Argentina claimed the Falklands as its own. In January 1833, the British again landed in the Falklands and notified the Argentine authorities of their intention to restore their power on the islands.

Timeline of the founding of the English colonies

1607 - Virginia (Jamestown)
1620 - Massachusetts (Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Settlement)
1626 - New York
1633 - Maryland
1636 - Rhode Island
1636 - Connecticut
1638 - Delaware
1638 - New Hampshire
1653 - North Carolina
1663 - South Carolina
1664 - New Jersey
1682 - Pennsylvania
1732 - Georgia

French colonies

By 1713, New France was at its largest. It included five provinces:

Acadia (modern New Scotland and New Brunswick).
Hudson's Bay (present-day Canada)
Louisiana (the central part of the USA, from the Great Lakes to New Orleans), subdivided into two administrative regions: Lower Louisiana and Illinois (fr. le Pays des Illinois).

Spanish colonies

The Spanish colonization of the New World dates back to the discovery by the Spanish navigator Columbus of America in 1492, which Columbus himself recognized as the eastern part of Asia, east coast or China, or Japan, or India, because the name West Indies was assigned to these lands. The search for a new route to India is dictated by the development of society, industry and trade, the need to find large reserves of gold, for which demand has risen sharply. Then it was believed that in the "land of spices" it should be a lot. The geopolitical situation in the world changed and the old eastern routes to India for Europeans, which passed through the lands now occupied by the Ottoman Empire, became more dangerous and difficult to pass, meanwhile there was a growing need for the realization of a different trade with this rich land. Then some already had the idea that the earth was round and that India could be reached from the other side of the Earth - by sailing west from the then known world. Columbus made 4 expeditions to the region: the first - 1492 -1493 - the discovery of the Sargasso Sea, the Bahamas, Haiti, Cuba, Tortuga, the foundation of the first village in which he left 39 of his sailors. He declared all the lands to be possessions of Spain; the second (1493-1496) years - the complete conquest of Haiti, the discovery

America in the modern sense of the term "United States" began to exist since 1776. In our time, the United States is a superpower with great human and intellectual resources and a huge potential for development. And this is no coincidence. Over the centuries, there have been theoretical concepts and practical methods of state regulation of economic policy.

It is generally accepted that for the first time the news of the existence of America was brought to Europe by Christopher Columbus, who, as you know, having lost his course, accidentally discovered new lands. It happened in 1492 in the West Indies, and in 1493, making a second trip to these lands, he landed on the territory of the island of Puerto Rico, which today belongs to the United States.

The discoverers of America, according to some sources, were a certain Viking merchant Bjarni, who, during his journey in 985, from Iceland to Greenland, was carried by waves to the West to a wooded country. Fifteen years later, Leif Eirikson with a squad along the route indicated by Bjarni went to those very places. He, unlike his predecessor, examined the area, found that it was rocky. In honor of his stay, Eirikson named it Helluland - the Land of Flat Stones. The places where there was a forest were named by him Markland - Forest Country. Thus, part of the indigenous population of America came there from Greenland and existed there until the middle of the fourteenth century. Such a conclusion can be drawn on the basis of the testimony of Bishop Ivar Bordson, who in 1350, having landed on the shores of the Norman settlements, found there only empty churches, abandoned settlements, feral animals.

The end of the 15th century can be called decisive in the discovery of America, since from different angles the globe new expeditions arrived to hitherto unknown lands, which turned the beginning of the 16th century for Europeans into the era of the “conquest of the New World”. The Spaniards should be called the first in a series of masters. This is Admiral Christopher Columbus in 1492 with an expedition to San Salvador.

The Spaniard Ferdinand Magellan in 1519-1521 rounded America from the south. The notorious Florentine, Amerigo Vespucci, in honor of whom the continent was renamed in 1507 at the suggestion of the geographer Martin Waldseemüller, went down in history as a discoverer. Following the discovery of the Florida peninsula in 1513, the city of St. Augustine was laid out in 1565 and the first permanent European Spanish colony was established.

They are followed by the British, who reached the coast of Canada in 1497-1498. led by Giovanni Cabot.

Colonization of America by the British

In the fifty years that have passed since the discovery of America by the Spaniards, they quickly settled in Florida and the southwest of the continent. After the defeat in 1588 Invincible armada Spaniards in the battle with the English fleet, Spain lost its influence and power. Colonists rushed to America from England, Holland and France. The first colony was founded in 1607 by the British in what is now Virginia. Settlers were attracted by gold. The gold rush drove the poor, the youth, the criminals here; people who preach Puritanism were forced to move here by the persecution of the authorities. So, in 1620, in the northern part of the mainland, at Cape Cod, 102 "wandering pilgrims" landed. Later, the city of New Plymouth was built on this site.

Gradually, thirteen colonies formed on the territory of the Atlantic coast:

On the territory of the colonies lived two main tribes from among the indigenous Indians - the Algonquins and the Iroquois. They numbered about 200,000 people. They taught the colonists everything that helped them survive in unfamiliar conditions: clearing the territory for crops, growing maize and tobacco, hunting wild animals, and baking shellfish. Europeans bought furs from the natives for a penny, and the island where the central part of New York - Manhattan is located, was bought for a set of knives and beads, worth only ... 24 dollars !!!

War for independence

The English colonists tightened the exploitation of the population, introduced decrees restricting the movement of residents to the west, and did not allow the opening of new enterprises. They took every measure to strengthen the power of the king in the colonies. In 1773, the people of Boston attacked British ships in port and threw bales of taxed tea overboard. In 1774, the first meeting of the Continental Congress was held in Philadelphia. Congressmen condemned the policy of England, although they did not take decisive action to break it. Armed action was taken on April 19, 1775. Thus began the American Revolutionary War.

Mexican–American War (1846–1848)

The cause of the war was the forcible annexation by the United States of the free state of Texas, which was formed by American settlers in place of the Mexican state, in December 1845. Mexican troops had to leave the occupied territory. In addition, the United States did not manage with a simple annexation, and James Polk, who was then President of the United States, offered to buy California and New Mexico from Mexico, but the Mexican government refused to negotiate on this issue. Then in March 1846, the American General Zacharias Taylor, elected president at the end of the war, invaded the disputed territories with his army and captured Point Isabel at the mouth of the Rio Grande. The resistance of the Mexicans led to the declaration of war by the American side on May 12, 1946. As a result of two years of hostilities, the cities of Santa Fe, Los Angeles, Veracruz were conquered, in February 1847 - Buena Vista. The majority of California's population went over to the American side. The Americans stormed the fortified positions at Chapultepec, and then on September 14, 1847, occupied Mexico City without a fight.

On March 10, 1848, a peace treaty was adopted and ratified by the US Senate. California, New Mexico and a number of other border territories departed to the USA. Mexico received $15 million in compensation for the ceded territories. As a result of the war with Mexico, the United States increased its holdings in North America.

Slavery in the USA

Most of the slaves consisted of Africans and their descendants, forcibly removed from their places of residence. The poor settlers, "white slaves", appeared because they could not pay for the road, entered into enslaving agreements from 2 to 7 years with merchants and ship owners, who then resold them in America. These people were called "indentured servants." It was difficult to get the Indians to work. Along with the "white slaves", the importation of blacks began in 1619. Slave labor was especially widely used in the fields. Only the strong power of the colonists made it possible to maintain such a method of exploitation for two hundred years in the conditions of the simultaneous development of capitalist relations. Nevertheless, in the entire history of the existence of slavery in America, more than two hundred attempts at conspiracies and rebellions were made by slaves. In 1860, out of a population of 12 million, 15 American states where slavery persisted, 4 million were slaves. Of the 1.5 million families living in these states, more than 390,000 families had slaves.

American Civil War

The American Civil War (War of the North and the South) of 1861-1865 was a war between the states of the North and the eleven slave states of the South to abolish slavery. By 1861 each state lived federal laws, that is, the interaction between the states was minimal. In the North, where there was a rapid development of production, and in the South, where slavery and farming persisted, two different economic systems developed. Therefore, the Northerners, who carried out reforms and thereby improved the living conditions of citizens, posed a danger to the unconditional power of the Southerners. Start civil war falls on April 12, 1861, when Fort Sumter was shelled, the completion dates to May 26, 1865, when the remnants of the army of the southerners under the command of General C. Smith finally surrendered. The main goal of the northerners in the war was the proclamation of the safety of the Union and the integrity of the country, the southerners - the recognition of the independence and sovereignty of the Confederation. During the war there were about 2,000 battles. More US citizens have died in this war than in any other war in which the US has been involved.

US in World War I (1914–1918)

The relationship between America and Western European countries in the hostilities of 1914-1918 can be divided into three periods:

The period of neutrality (1914-1917), when the United States tried to act as an intermediary - a peacemaker between the conflicting parties. As long as England controlled the waters of the oceans and allowed neutral countries to trade by blocking only German ports, America remained neutral.
Period 1917-1918 After the sinking of the British passenger ship Lusitania in 1915, on which there were 100 American citizens, Wilson declared a violation of international law. Germany partially stopped the "underwater" war. But in 1917, after a new sinking of American ships in March, under pressure from Congress, on April 6, 1917, the American government announced its entry into the war against Germany. To participate in hostilities, it was decided to mobilize one million adults from 21 to 31 years old.
The period of completion of hostilities (1918-1921). For America, it was a long period of formal withdrawal from the war. It ended only in 1921, when Congress (already under the Harding administration) finally adopted a joint resolution of both chambers officially announcing the end of hostilities. The League of Nations began its work without the participation of the United States.

The Great Depression

The times of the Great Depression are called long, from 1929 to 1940, economic crisis, which began in the United States and left a deep mark on the global economy. Officially ended in 1940, but in reality the US economy began to recover after World War II.

USA in World War II (1939-1945)

Remoteness from Europe and, as a result, from the theater of operations, gave the United States many advantages, including the improvement of the economy through military orders. But the country still had to participate in World War II. December 7, 1941 is considered the day the war began, when a squadron of 441 Japanese aircraft attacked the American military base at Pearl Harbor. 4 battleships, 2 cruisers and 1 mine layer were sunk by bombing. The casualties in this battle amounted to 2,403 people. Roosevelt, six hours after this bombing, announced war on Japan by radio. In November 1942, the Mediterranean theater of operations was added. In June 1944, as allies of the USSR, US troops took part on the Western Front in Europe. American troops were operating in France (in Normandy). And also in Italy, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. The total US casualties in World War II were 418,000. The most bloody battle for the American army was the Ardennes operation. After her in terms of the number of losses are the Normandy operation, the Battle of Monte Cassino, the Battle of Iwo Jima and the Battle of Okinawa.

USA during cold war

The period of the Cold War is considered to be the time period from March 5, 1946 to December 26, 1991. The term "Cold War" was originally used by George Orwell in the Tribune article "You and the Atomic Bomb" on October 19, 1945. This name refers to the ideological, geopolitical, economic confrontation between America and its allies and the USSR and its allies.

The main reason for the Cold War is different models of development of countries - capitalism and socialism. In his opinion, possession nuclear weapons made it possible to divide the world among themselves "superpowers". Remaining invincible, on the one hand, thanks to atomic bombs, these countries would be forced to maintain a tacit agreement never to use atomic bombs against each other, while being in a state of cold war or peace, which is not peace by definition.

Recent US history

In the 90s, America entered under the leadership of President George W. Bush, who represented the Republican Party. The events that mark the modern history were multidirectional. On the one hand, the end of the Cold War with the USSR was announced, on the other hand, in January 1991, America, together with a coalition of Western countries, carried out an air action "Desert Storm" of an anti-Iraqi orientation, which intensified the policy of confrontation with the rest of the socialist camp.

In domestic politics positive changes were observed. For example, in 1991 the United States adopted a law on universal literacy of the population, according to which all citizens of the country received the right to secondary education. 1992 brought victory to the Democrats, led by Clinton. The fruits of his activity: reform in the field of education and health care, measures to protect the poor, tax incentives for small businesses. The reforms allowed Clinton to win a large number of supporters and be elected to a second term. 2001 brought victory to George W. Bush. It is overshadowed by the events of 11 September.

US policy remains today a source of not only political but also economic tension in the world. The strategy of massive influence on all is the most important and most characteristic contemporary US foreign economic policy.

Centuries after the Indians, and to their great regret, European ships appeared on the horizon. First European colonizers After the Vikings, the Spaniards came to America. Christopher Columbus, a Genoese navigator and merchant, who received the rank of admiral and flotilla from the Spanish crown, was looking for a new trade route to rich India, China and Japan.

He swam in New World four times and swam to the Bahamas. On October 13, 1492, he landed on an island called San Salvador, set up the banner of Castile on it and drew up a notarial deed about this event. He himself believed that he sailed either to China, or to India, or even to Japan. For many years this land was called the West Indies. The Arawaks, the first natives of these places he saw, he called "Indians." The rest of Columbus' life and difficult fate was connected with the West Indies.

At the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century, a number of other European nations began to explore the paths of the Western Hemisphere. Navigator of the English king Henry VII Italian John Cabot(Giovanni Caboto) set foot on the coast of Canada (1497-1498), Pedro Alvares Cabral assigned Brazil to Portugal (1500-1501), Spaniard Vasco Nunez de Balboa founded Antigua, the first European city on a new continent, and went to Pacific Ocean (1500-1513). Ferdinand Magellan, who served the Spanish king in 1519-1521, circled America from the south and made the first trip around the world.

In 1507, Martin Waldseemüller, a geographer from Lorraine, proposed that the New World be named America in honor of the Florentine navigator Amerigo Vespucci who replaced the fallen Columbus. The proposal has strangely taken hold, and the development of the mainland is already proceeding 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 went to 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 eventually became one of the reasons for the loss of her world domination. Buying everything that a far-sighted state needs to develop and strengthen, Spain was defeated during the first serious crisis. The power and influence of Spain 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 try. One ended with a flight home, the second - mysterious disappearance settlers, and only the third, in 1607, became successful. The trading post, named Jamestown after 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 there were already about 1,000 people living in it.

Many people dreamed of America not only as a land of fabulous treasures, but as a wonderful world where you are not killed for a different faith, where it doesn’t matter what party you are from ... Dreams were also fueled by those who received income from the transportation of goods and of people. In England, the London and Plymouth companies were hastily created, which from 1606 were involved in the development of the northeast coast of America. Many Europeans with their whole families and communities moved to the New World with the last money. People arrived and arrived, but they were still not enough to develop new lands. Many died on 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, a small galleon "May Flower" moored to the Atlantic coast. 102 Puritan-Calvinists came ashore, stern, stubborn, frantic in faith and convinced of their chosenness, but exhausted and sick. The beginning of the conscious settlement by the British of America is counted from this day. The mutual treaty, called the Mayflower Treaty, embodied the ideas of the early American colonists about democracy, self-government and civil liberties. The same documents were signed by other colonists - in Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire.