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The voyage of the Mayflower
On 6th September, 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.
Early on 9th of November, 1620, the pilgrims saw land in the distance. They were very excited because their journey was near the end. -
Better life for pilgrims.
In March 1621, the pilgrims met a Native American for the first time and introduced them to his tribe. The Native Americans taught the pilgrims how to grow corn, beans and pumpkins. After this, life became better for the pilgrims. -
British government
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. The British government asked for taxes from the colonists to play for the war. The colonists thought this was ridiculous because they didn't have a representative in the British government and they refused to play the taxes. -
George Washington
The colonies declared independence from Great Britain.
The colonists, led by George Washington, fought many long, difficult battles. In the end, they defeated the British and signed the Treaty of Paris in 1783. They called their new nation the United States of America (USA). -
Expansion
The French still owned some land to the west of the colonies. In 1803, the French Emperor 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. -
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'' -
The American Civil War
There are problems in our country. The people in the north live in towns, but in the south, the live on plantations and own slaves. The plantation 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 Ended
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 American are dead. Now, the slaves are free and the country is one nation. But we'll never be the same again!
