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"The New World"
On 6th September of 1620, a group of 102 pilgrims sailed from England to America, "The New World", on the ship the 'Mayflower'. The pilgrims left England because they wanted religious and political freedom. The journey continued for 65 days. -
Plymouth
The 9th of November of 1620, the pilgrims saw land in the distance. When the ship reached land some pilgrims left the ship to explore the area. They saw a good place and decided to build a village there. Each family built a small house and they had land to grow vegetables and keep animals. Later, they called the village Plymouth.
The first winter was very cold and 45 people died from the extreme temperatures and from hunger. -
Native Americans
In March 1921, the pilgrims met a Native American for the first time and he introduced them to his tribe. The Native American taught them how to grow corn, beans and pumpkins. Thanks to this, life became better for the pilgrims. -
Influence the New World
Other people wanted to try life on the New World so many immigrants moved there. By the 1750s the British had 13 colonies in the east coast of North America and about two and a half million colonist lived there. But France and Spain also owned big areas of land in North America and wanted to influence the New World, too. -
Taxes
From 1754 to 1763, the British army and the colonists fought the French over land in North America. The British won the war and got some of the French Land. But then the British Government asked for taxes from the colonists to pay for the war. The colonists thought this was ridiculous because they didn't have a representative in the British government and they refused to pay taxes. The 13 colonies decided to join together to fight the British. -
The Declaration of Independence
On 4th July, 1776, the colonies declared independence from Great Britain. Their leaders published the Declaration of Independence on this date. Then, fighting started. The colonists, led by George Washington, fought difficult battles. -
Treaty of Paris
In the end, the colonists defeated the British and signed the Treaty of Paris in 1783. They called their new nation The United States Of America (USA). -
Louisiana Purchase Agreement
In 1803, the French Emperor Napoleon offered to sell the land to the United States for $15 million. The president, Thomas Jefferson, accepted the offer and signed the Louisiana Purchase Agreement. This doubled the size of the country and people started to move west. -
The "Trail of Tears"
As the New World expanded, the Native American population began to suffer. Their land and traditions were in danger. In the 1830s, the US Government created the first Indian territory in the area now called Oklahoma. They forced more than 15,000 Cherokee people to leave their homes in Georgia and walk 1,600 kilometres to their new territory. Around 4,000 Cherokee people died on the way and they called this journey the "Trail of Tears". -
Expansion
By 1848, the country expanded from Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. -
The American Civil War (1860, a diary extract)
"There are problems in our country. People in the north live in towns, but in the south people live in plantations and own slaves The plantations owners want to keep their slaves, but the people in the north want to abolish slavery They say it is cruel." -
The American Civil War (1861, a diary extract)
"The south has got their Confederacy. It's got 11 states now. Richmond, in Virginia, is the capital. They think they're a different nation from then Union in the north. Confederate soldiers attacked a Union fort called Fort Sumter yesterday. So now, we're at war!. I'm very frightened." - Abraham Lincoln -
The American Civil War (1864, a diary extract)
"This war is terrible! Thousands of people are dead. Both the people in the north and the people in the south are suffering. The war can't continue for long because the Confederates are losing. They have got fewer soldiers than the Union." -Abraham Lincoln -
The American Civil War (1865, a diary extract)
"Today, General Robert E. Lee, the Confederate army leader, surrendered to General Ulysses Grant, the Union army leader. I can't believe it! It's the end of the war! But more than 600,000 Americans are dead. Now, the slaves are free and the country is one nation. But we'll never be the same again!" -Abraham Lincoln.
