The History of~The United States

America, it is one of the most powerful nation in the world, and home to around half a billion people. How did it become a nation, and how did it become the home of arguably the most powerful military in the world. This is a multi-part page where it takes you from America being a isolated part of the world, to the modern day.

This is part 1, where it talks about the first people to set foot in America, to its discovery by Europe and the French and Indian War.

## The First Americans

Around 12,000 years ago, and as the last glaciers of the ice age drew back, our first ancestors that settled in Asia have decided to move forward on a path where it is called the Land Bridge (the area which connects Alaska and Siberia) they have settled in areas in North America.

Around the 12th Century BC (at the time of Greece's Prime) a group of people known as the *Pueblos* (Or *Anasazi*) became one of the more sophisticated society in Pre-Historic America, but it wouldn't be until the 8th Century AD when they reached the height of their civilization, this was in part due to a very high rate of rainfall which made cultivation for crops possible, they even found methods that would also be used later by the Aztecs in Mexico which helped them irrigate and fertilize their own crops. However by the 14th Century (possibly due to climate change) the Anasazi migrated from their cities and they have went back to old ways of living as in living through a religion of some kind and human sacrifice.

## Europe doscivers America

It wouldn't be until another century where Europeans would accidentally stumble upon America, as Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453, Many European nations were forced to find new trade routes to Asia. But in the mind of European map makers, they have no knowledge of the Americas and think that beyond Western Europe is a huge ocean that is impossible to cross.

In 1492, a man from Genoa named *Christopher Columbus* under the aid of a new Spanish Empire was trying to find a route to Japan, but instead he discovered the *Bahamas*. Wanting to open up trade routes, he has given goods to the Bahamian people, he also made other explorations in central and South America.

After Columbus' discovery, everybody in Europe was jumping onto the Exploration bandwagon.

Around 5 years after Columbus, another European explorer named *John Cabot* from Britain have also wanted to find a route to Japan, instead of going South like Columbus, he decided to move north to try to find a route. But what he discovered instead was another small island that will be later known as Newfoundland.

It wouldn't be until around 1524 where the actual American discovery was made, and it was by a Florentine (from the Kingdom of Florence which is in Modern-Day Italy) named *Giovanni da Verrazano* when he discovered and mapped out the Eastern Seaboard of America while he was trying to find a route to the East Indies.

The French even wanted to do some exploration of this new land, in the 1600's, French explorer *Samuel de Champlain* discovered the midwest of our nation as well as Southern Canada (and even founded Quebec) and named it new France.

The Spanish (after their battle with the Aztecs) have also made some discoveries for America. In 1540, a Spanish explorer named *Francisco Vazquez de Coronado* led an expedition team to what would be known as the southwest.

Colonization didn't begin until People from Britain looking for religious freedom sailed on what was called the Mayflower to what would be known as Boston and to a rock which they will call Plymouth in 1620, these people will be known as *The Pilgrims* (which would be a part of the story of the famous American Holiday: *Thanksgiving*), another group of people looking for religious freedom called the Puritans would arrive in what would be the town of *Salem* almost a decade later.

However, as colonization continues in America, tensions began to mount (as the Dutch colonized and established the city of *New Amsterdam*) however, the British bring in their military to take the island city from the Dutch and ultimately re-named it *New York*.

## The French and Indian War

The Colonies are basically becoming divided on what to do with each other. But by the 1700's, the British and the French were beginning to disagree with how to handle that lands consisting of Native American Tribes as well as companies and other things as well, and in 1754 this began the *French and Indian War*.

The war would go on for around 7 years, consisting of not just European colonists but also Native Americans (Indians), the French in America were outnumbered by the supurior British and both also relied on the Native Americans for support. Though the British did lose ports in what would be known as Nova Scotia, but they got more resources from both Britain and the colonies by William Pitt when France was more concerned on what was going on in Europe.

Eventually, the British would take the French city of Quebec and in 1763, the French surrendered and signed a treaty which would grant the British not just New France but also the Spanish would give Florida to Britain as well and the Spanish would gain the Louisiana territory.

Well, this is it for Part 1. Coming up in Part 2 is the American Reviolution and Early America trying to stake it's claim as a legitimate nation.

Continued here