The discovery of America is attributed to Christopher Columbus, an Italian sailor. But the first white men, who had reached the shores of North America, were the Vikings around the year 1000.
In 1492 Columbus thought he had reached Asia, but in fact, he had discovered the Bahama Islands. Columbus originally sailed to India and that’s why he called the natives „the Indians“ and then on account of the colour of their skin they were called Red Indians.
America recieves its name from an Italian, Amerigo Vespuci, who explored the coast of Brasil in the early 1500s.
After the explorations of the Spanish and French in the New World, the English were among the last to settle the North American continent. The real British colonozation began at the beginning of 17th century. The first English colony was called VIRGINIA (in honour of the Queen Elizabeth I) and the first successful settlement in Virgina was established in 1607, under King James I. After whom it was called JAMESTOWN. Huge tobacco plantations brought settlers considerable profit and they naturally wanted to increase their profits and enlarge their plantations, but more workers were needed. The Red Indians weren’t good workers because they weren’t used to hard physical work (their main tasks were hounting and fighting) and their close knowledge of nature made it easy for them to escape. The result was that planters found the solution in the Negro People of Africa. Thus the first shipload of African slaves landed in North America in 1619 and slavery became most firmly established in the Southern colonies.
In 1620 a group of Puritan refugees from England, known as the Pilgrim Fathers, reached the coast of North America in their ship called „Mayflower“. They landed on the Massachussetts coast and founded a settlement there, which they called PLYMOUTH, in memory of the English port of the same name. This was the beginning of the northern English colonies in America, called New England. The puritans emigrated from England to escape the religious persecution under the Stuarts. The first year in America was difficult. After a very hard work, the newcomers and Indians gave thanks to God for the first harvest and made a huge meal together. It was on the fourth Thursday in Novermber 1621. In memory of it Thanksgiving Day is celebrated annualy. The northern colonies were prosperous from the very start.
The English colonies in the South (Virginia, North Carolina) were separated from the North (New England) by a Dutch colony. Its chief town was New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island. In 1664 New Amsterdam was captured by the English and Charles II granted this area to his brother James, Duke of York, after whom it was renamed NEW YORK.
