-
The first people to ever set foot on the American continent, came over the Bering Strait from Siberia, Asia. -
Cristopher Columbus's expedition reached the Americas in 1492. This marked the beginning of European colonization. -
Plantation owners saw the need for cheap labor, and the first legal slave owner was recognized in 1654. Slaves were part of the Triangular Trade that took goods from England to Africa where they were exchanged for slaves. The slaves were then taken to America and sold for tobacco, sugar and cotton.
-
When the colonies wanted independence from the British crown, a war broke out over disagreements. But in 1776, the colonies signed the Declaration of Independence.
-
The constitution of the United States was written in 1789 by a group called the Founding Fathers, and was completed with the Bill of Rights in 1791. A member of the Founding Fathers, George Washington, became the first president of the USA in 1789. -
President at the time, Abraham Lincoln, used his presidency to ensure the freedom of slaves. Slavery was one of the issues that led to a civil was between Northern and Southern states. The North won, and slavery was abolished (1865)