The discovery of America should be attributed 1492 the year when Christopher Columbus reached the shores of a new continent, which in the future was named America, in honor of the traveler from Florence - Amerigo Vespucci.

Columbus himself did not even suspect that he had discovered a new continent, but only believed that he had found a sea route to rich Asia. In total, Columbus organized four expeditions to open lands, each of which was sponsored by the Spanish crown.

Already in 1507 year, new lands received the status of a new continent and were called America or the New World.

The conquest of America.
As soon as the Europeans landed on the shores of the New World, they became aware that the new lands were already inhabited by fairly advanced civilizations. So on the territory of then known America, an empire already existed Aztecs, Mayans and Incas.

Conquest of the Aztecs

Hernan Cortes became the man who conquered the Aztec civilization - it fell first. With a small army, Cortes entered the capital city of the empire - Tenochtitlan, which after suffered from an outbreak of smallpox. By deceit, the Spaniards captured the ruler of the empire. After a short war, Cortes 1521 completely captures the capital, which leads to the speedy fall of the Aztec state. In the future, a city will be built on the site of the Aztec capital Mexico City.

Conquest of the Incas

Inspired by the successes of Cortes, another Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro with a small detachment of people moved to Peru - to the state of the Incas.

Already in the twenties, the Incas began to suffer from diseases introduced by Europeans - measles and smallpox, from which whole millions died. The weakened empire could not withstand the onslaught, although it fiercely resisted. Pizarro first executed the Inca ruler Atahualpa, and in 1536 captured the capital city of Cusco. The Incas were finally conquered only in 1572 year.

Mayan conquest

At the time of the arrival of the Europeans, the Mayan civilization was already on the verge of its collapse, mired in internal strife. IN 1528 The year the Spaniards begin the conquest of the Mayan civilization under the leadership of Francisco de Montejo. They needed whole 170 years to completely capture the Yucatan Peninsula, where the Mayans lived.

The conquest of America was accompanied by massacres of the local population - the Europeans slaughtered everyone who opposed them, as well as the elderly, women and children.

As a result of the conquest of America by Europeans, three empires were destroyed: Maya, Incas and Aztecs, as well as tens of millions of local residents were destroyed.

The first inhabitants of South America were the American Indians. There is evidence that they were from Asia. Approximately 9000 years before our era, they crossed the Bering Strait, and then descended to the south, passing through the entire territory of North America. It was these people who created one of the most ancient and unusual civilizations in South America, including the mysterious states of the Aztecs and Incas. The ancient civilization of the South American Indians was ruthlessly destroyed by the Europeans, who began colonizing the continent in the 1500s.

Capture and looting

By the end of the 1500s, most of the South American continent had been taken over by Europeans. They were attracted here by huge natural resources - gold and precious stones. During colonization, Europeans destroyed and plundered ancient cities and brought diseases from Europe that wiped out almost the entire indigenous population - the Indians.

Modern population

There are twelve independent states in South America. The largest country, Brazil, covers almost half of the continent, including the vast Amazon Basin. Most of the inhabitants of South America speak Spanish, that is, the language of the conquerors who sailed here from Europe on their sailing ships in the 16th century. True, in Brazil, on whose territory the invaders once landed - the Portuguese, the official language is Portuguese. Another country, Guyana, speaks English. Native American Indians still survive in the highlands of Bolivia and Peru. The majority of the inhabitants of Argentina are white, and in neighboring Brazil there are a large number of descendants of African black slaves.

Culture and sports

South America has become the birthplace of many unusual people and a hospitable home that has gathered many different cultures under its roof. Bright colorful houses in La Boca, the bohemian quarter of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires. This area, which attracts artists and musicians, is inhabited mainly by Italians, descendants of settlers from Genoa who sailed here in the 1800s.
The most favorite sport on the continent is football, and it is not surprising that it was the South American teams - Brazil and Argentina - who became world champions more often than others. Pele played for Brazil - the most outstanding footballer in the history of this game.
In addition to football, Brazil is famous for its famous carnivals, which are held in Rio de Janeiro. During the carnival, which takes place in February or March, millions of people pass through the streets of Rio in the rhythm of the samba, and millions more spectators watch this colorful action. The Brazilian carnival is the most massive holiday held on our planet.

New history of the countries of Europe and America of the XVI-XIX centuries. Part 3: textbook for universities Team of authors

European colonization of North America

The discovery of North American lands, which resulted in their development by Europeans, occurred at the end of the 15th century. The Spaniards were the first to arrive in America. Until the middle of the XVI century. they led the way in reconnaissance of new territories on the Pacific coast of North America, surveying the California peninsula and large sections of the coastline. In addition to the Spaniards, the main discoveries on the Atlantic coast of North America were made by the British, the Portuguese and the French. In 1497–1498 The Italian Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot) who settled in England led two expeditions organized by King Henry VII, during which the island of Newfoundland was discovered and the territory along the northern coast was explored. A couple of years later, the Portuguese discovered Labrador, and the Spaniards explored the coast of Florida. Two decades later, the French managed to penetrate from the coast of Newfoundland deep into the mainland, opening the bay and the river of St. Lawrence.

Over the next centuries, the superiority of England was clear, which, unlike other countries, sought not only to develop natural resources and export them to the metropolis, but also to colonize coastal areas of the territory. At first, Spain stood out among the rival countries of England, firmly entrenched along the shores of two oceans in Florida and Western Mexico and from there advancing towards the Appalachians and the Grand Canyon. Having begun colonization as early as 1566, she founded New Spain, also occupied Texas and California, but subsequently turned her attention to her more profitable colonial territories in Central and South America.

This led to the fact that France became the most dangerous rival for the British in North America. To the west of the St. Lawrence River valley, in 1608 she founded the first settlement in Quebec, began to explore New France (modern Canada) and, from 1682, Louisiana in the basin of the river. Mississippi.

The Dutch, who earlier than other Europeans gained access to the untold riches of India and created the East India Company in 1602 to control the colonial trade, did not have an urgent need to create numerous colonies also in America. However, the Dutch West India Company nevertheless built the New Amsterdam trading post in the middle part of the Atlantic coast, captured small islands in the West Indies, and also created the first settlements in Brazil, from where the development of this vast territory began.

British colonization of North America since the 17th century. accelerated significantly. For 170 years from the moment of the creation of the first British settlements and until the beginning of the era of their independence, the so-called "colonial period" of US history continued. The semi-nomadic North American hunting tribes that the first colonists encountered did not have some of the wealth that the Spaniards discovered from the Incas and Aztecs. When it became clear that there was no gold and silver in the explored territories, but land resources could be of independent value, Queen Elizabeth I Tudor in 1583 was the first of the monarchs to agree to the colonization of American territories. The lands discovered by the British were perceived as ownerless and declared the property of the crown.

The early settlements, founded by sailors and pirates who plundered the wealthy sea caravans of Spain, were used as transshipment bases and temporary shelters. Despite the first unsuccessful attempts, in 1584, one of the queen's favorites, Walter Reilly, ships with settlers were specially equipped. Soon the entire east coast north of Florida was declared British property. The territory was named in honor of the "Virgin Queen" - Virginia. From there, the British gradually moved to the west, to the foothills of the Appalachians. However, the first colonists were able to permanently settle on British lands in the New World only under James I Stuart. All colonies were founded by different groups of settlers independently of each other. Each had its own access to the sea.

In 1620 the Puritans founded New Plymouth. New settlements arose on the coast, gradually uniting into colonies. They served as starting bases for moving deep into the continent and strengthening the power of the British monarchs in North America. New Hampshire arose in 1622, Massachusetts in 1628, Maryland in the south and Connecticut in the north in 1634. A couple of years later - Rhode Island, and three decades later - New Jersey, North and South Carolina. Then, in 1664, all the Dutch settlements in the area of ​​the Hudson River were captured by the British. The city of New Amsterdam and the colony of New Holland were renamed New York. During the Anglo-Dutch War of 1673–1674 an attempt to recapture these lands was unsuccessful.

In the next 18th century English navigators (Alexander Mackenzie, George Vancouver) made important discoveries in the northern part of the mainland in search of an outlet to the Arctic Ocean. The Seven Years' War (1756-1763) finally weakened the position of England's European competitors in the New World. Spain lost Florida, and the French had to cede Quebec and Canada (Florida was bought from Spain in 1819 by the United States of America).

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The history of New America has not so many centuries. And it began in the 16th century. It was then that new people began to arrive on the continent discovered by Columbus. Settlers from many countries of the world had different reasons for coming to the New World. Some of them just wanted to start a new life. The second dreamed of getting rich. Still others sought refuge from religious persecution or government persecution. Of course, all these people belonged to different nationalities and cultures. They were distinguished from each other by the color of their skin. But all of them were united by one desire - to change their lives and create a new world almost from scratch. Thus began the history of the colonization of America.

Pre-Columbian period

Humans have inhabited North America for thousands of years. However, information about the indigenous inhabitants of this continent before the period when immigrants from many other parts of the world appeared here is very scarce.

As a result of scientific research, it was found that the first Americans were small groups of people who moved to the continent from Northeast Asia. Most likely, they mastered these lands about 10-15 thousand years ago, passing from Alaska through shallow or frozen. Gradually, people began to move inland, to the continent. So they reached Tierra del Fuego and the Strait of Magellan.

The researchers also believe that in parallel with this process, small groups of Polynesians moved to the continent. They settled in the southern lands.

Both those and other settlers who are known to us as the Eskimos and Indians are rightfully considered the first inhabitants of America. And in connection with long-term residence on the continent - the indigenous population.

Discovery of a new continent by Columbus

The first Europeans to visit the New World were the Spaniards. Traveling to a world unknown to them, they marked India and the western coastal territories of Africa on a geographical map. But the researchers didn't stop there. They began to look for the shortest route that would lead a person from Europe to India, which promised great economic benefits to the monarchs of Spain and Portugal. The result of one of these campaigns was the discovery of America.

It happened in October 1492, it was then that the Spanish expedition, led by Admiral Christopher Columbus, landed on a small island located in the Western Hemisphere. Thus was opened the first page in the history of the colonization of America. Immigrants from Spain rush to this outlandish country. Following them, the inhabitants of France and England appeared. The period of colonization of America began.

Spanish conquerors

The colonization of America by Europeans at first did not cause any resistance from the local population. And this contributed to the fact that the settlers began to behave very aggressively, enslaving and killing the Indians. The Spanish conquerors showed particular cruelty. They burned and plundered local villages, killing their inhabitants.

Already at the very beginning of the colonization of America, Europeans brought many diseases to the continent. The local population began to die from epidemics of smallpox and measles.

In the mid-16th century, Spanish colonists dominated the American continent. Their possessions stretched from New Mexico to Cape Gori and brought fabulous profits to the royal treasury. During this period of the colonization of America, Spain fought off all attempts by other European states to gain a foothold in this resource-rich territory.

However, at the same time, the balance of power began to change in the Old World. Spain, where the kings unwisely spent huge flows of gold and silver coming from the colonies, began to gradually lose ground, giving way to England, in which the economy was developing at a rapid pace. In addition, the decline of the previously powerful country, and the European superpower, was accelerated by the long-term war with the Netherlands, the conflict with England and the Reformation of Europe, which was fought with huge funds. But the last point of Spain's withdrawal into the shadows was the death in 1588 of the Invincible Armada. After that, England, France and Holland became leaders in the process of colonization of America. Settlers from these countries created a new immigration wave.

Colonies of France

Settlers from this European country were primarily interested in valuable furs. At the same time, the French did not seek to seize land, since in their homeland the peasants, despite the burden of feudal duties, still remained the owners of their allotments.

The colonization of America by the French began at the dawn of the 17th century. It was during this period that Samuel Champlain founded a small settlement on the peninsula of Acadia, and a little later (in 1608) - in 1615, the possessions of the French extended to lakes Ontario and Huron. These territories were dominated by trading companies, the largest of which was the Hudson's Bay Company. In 1670, its owners received a charter and monopolized the purchase of fish and furs from the Indians. Local residents became "tributaries" of companies, caught in a network of obligations and debts. In addition, the Indians were simply robbed, constantly exchanging the valuable furs they obtained for worthless trinkets.

UK dominions

The beginning of the colonization of North America by the British started in the 17th century, although their first attempts were made a century earlier. The settlement of the New World by subjects of the British crown accelerated the development of capitalism in their homeland. The source of the prosperity of the English monopolies was the creation of colonial trading companies that successfully worked in the foreign market. They also brought fabulous profits.

The peculiarities of the colonization of North America by Great Britain consisted in the fact that in this territory the government of the country formed two trading companies that had large funds. It was the London and Plymouth firms. These companies had royal charters, according to which they owned lands located between 34 and 41 degrees north latitude, and extended inland without any restrictions. Thus, England appropriated to itself the territory that originally belonged to the Indians.

At the beginning of the 17th century. established a colony in Virginia. From this enterprise, the commercial Virginia Company expected great profits. At its own expense, the company delivered settlers to the colony, who worked off their debt for 4-5 years.

In 1607 a new settlement was formed. It was the Jamestown colony. It was located in a swampy place where many mosquitoes lived. In addition, the colonists turned against themselves the indigenous population. Constant clashes with the Indians and disease soon claimed the lives of two-thirds of the settlers.

Another English colony, Maryland, was founded in 1634. In it, British settlers received allotments of land and became planters and big businessmen. The workers at these sites were the English poor, who worked off the cost of moving to America.

However, over time, instead of indentured servants in the colonies, the labor of Negro slaves began to be used. They began to be brought mainly to the southern colonies.

Over the course of 75 years after the formation of the Virginia colony, the British created 12 more such settlements. These are Massachusetts and New Hampshire, New York and Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania, North and South Carolina, Georgia and Maryland.

Development of the English colonies

The poor of many countries of the Old World sought to get to America, because in their view it was the promised land, giving salvation from debt and religious persecution. That is why the European colonization of America was on a large scale. Many entrepreneurs have ceased to be limited to recruiting immigrants. They started rounding up people, soldering them and putting them on the ship until they sobered up. That is why there was an unusually rapid growth of the English colonies. This was facilitated by the agrarian revolution carried out in Great Britain, as a result of which there was a mass dispossession of peasants.

The poor, robbed by their government, began to look for the possibility of buying land in the colonies. So, if in 1625 1980 settlers lived in North America, then in 1641 there were about 50 thousand immigrants from England alone. Fifty years later, the number of inhabitants of such settlements amounted to about two hundred thousand people.

Behavior of settlers

The history of the colonization of America is overshadowed by a war of extermination against the native inhabitants of the country. The settlers took away the land from the Indians, completely destroying the tribes.

In the north of America, which was called New England, people from the Old World took a slightly different path. Here the land was acquired from the Indians with the help of "trade deals". Subsequently, this became the reason for asserting the opinion that the ancestors of the Anglo-Americans did not encroach on the freedom of the indigenous people. However, people from the Old World acquired huge tracts of land for a bunch of beads or for a handful of gunpowder. At the same time, the Indians, who were not familiar with private property, as a rule, did not even guess about the essence of the contract concluded with them.

The church also contributed to the history of colonization. She raised the beating of the Indians to the rank of a charitable deed.

One of the shameful pages in the history of the colonization of America is the award for scalps. Before the arrival of settlers, this bloody custom existed only among some tribes that inhabited the eastern territories. With the advent of the colonialists, such barbarism began to spread more and more. The reason for this was the unleashed internecine wars, in which firearms began to be used. In addition, the process of scalping greatly facilitated the spread of iron knives. After all, the wooden or bone tools that the Indians had before colonization greatly complicated such an operation.

However, the relations of the settlers with the natives were not always so hostile. Ordinary people tried to maintain good neighborly relations. The poor farmers took over the agricultural experience of the Indians and learned from them, adapting to local conditions.

Immigrants from other countries

But be that as it may, the first colonists who settled in North America did not have common religious beliefs and belonged to different social strata. This was due to the fact that people from the Old World belonged to different nationalities, and, consequently, had different beliefs. For example, English Catholics settled in Maryland. Huguenots from France settled in South Carolina. The Swedes settled in Delaware, and Virginia was full of Italian, Polish and German artisans. The first Dutch settlement appeared on Manhattan Island in 1613. Its founder was the center of which was the city of Amsterdam, became known as the New Netherland. Later these settlements were captured by the British.

The colonialists entrenched themselves on the continent, for which they still thank God every fourth Thursday in the month of November. America celebrates Thanksgiving. This holiday is immortalized in honor of the first year of life of immigrants in a new place.

The advent of slavery

The first black Africans arrived in Virginia in August 1619 on a Dutch ship. Most of them were immediately ransomed by the colonists as servants. In America, blacks became lifelong slaves.

Moreover, this status even began to be inherited. Between the American colonies and the countries of East Africa, the slave trade began to be carried out constantly. Local leaders willingly exchanged their young men for weapons, gunpowder, textiles and many other goods brought from the New World.

Development of the southern territories

As a rule, settlers chose the northern territories of the New World because of their religious considerations. In contrast, the colonization of South America pursued economic goals. Europeans, with little ceremony with the indigenous people, resettled them on lands that were poorly suitable for existence. The resource-rich continent promised the settlers to receive large incomes. That is why in the southern regions of the country they began to cultivate plantations of tobacco and cotton, using the labor of slaves brought from Africa. Most goods were exported to England from these territories.

Settlers in Latin America

The territories south of the United States were also explored by Europeans after the discovery of the New World by Columbus. And today the colonization of Latin America by Europeans is regarded as an unequal and dramatic clash of two different worlds, which ended in the enslavement of the Indians. This period lasted from the 16th to the beginning of the 19th century.

The colonization of Latin America led to the death of ancient Indian civilizations. After all, most of the indigenous population was exterminated by immigrants from Spain and Portugal. The surviving inhabitants fell under the subjugation of the colonizers. But at the same time, the cultural achievements of the Old World were brought to Latin America, which became the property of the peoples of this continent.

Gradually, European colonists began to turn into the most growing and important part of the population of this region. And the importation of slaves from Africa began a complex process of formation of a special ethno-cultural symbiosis. And today we can say that it was the colonial period of the 16th-19th centuries that left an indelible imprint on the development of modern Latin American society. In addition, with the arrival of Europeans, the region began to be involved in world capitalist processes. This has become an important prerequisite for the economic development of Latin America.

In the early years of the 17th century began the great migration of Europeans to North America. A weak brook of several hundred English colonists in a little over three centuries turned into a full-flowing stream of millions of immigrants. Due to various circumstances, they left to create a new civilization on a sparsely populated continent.

The first English immigrants to settle in what is now the United States crossed the Atlantic much later than the flourishing Spanish colonies in Mexico, the West Indies, and South America. Like everyone who moved then to the New World, they arrived in small, overcrowded ships. The journey took 6 to 12 weeks, food was scarce, and many settlers died of disease. Storms and storms often hit ships, people died at sea.

Most European immigrants left their homeland for greater economic opportunities, often coupled with a desire for religious freedom or a determination to escape political pressure. In 1620-1635. economic turmoil swept the whole of England. Many people lost their jobs, even skilled artisans barely made ends meet. These troubles were exacerbated by crop failures. In addition, the cloth industry that was developing in England required an increase in the supply of wool, and so that the looms would not stop, the sheep began to graze on communal lands taken from the peasants. The impoverished peasants were forced to seek their fortune overseas.

On the new land, the colonists encountered, first of all, dense forests. Indian tribes lived there, many of which were at enmity with white newcomers. However, the latter would hardly have been able to survive without friendly Indians, from whom they learned to grow local varieties of vegetables - pumpkin, squash, beans and corn. Virgin forests, stretching for almost 2 thousand km along the eastern coast of the North American continent, provided them with an abundance of game and fuel. They also provided material for the construction of houses, ships, the manufacture of household utensils, as well as valuable raw materials for export.

The first permanent English settlement in America was the fort and settlement of Jamestown, Virginia, founded in 1607. The area soon became prosperous thanks to the cultivation of tobacco, which the colonists sold in London. Although the new continent had enormous natural wealth, trade with Europe was vital, since the colonists could not yet produce many goods themselves.

Gradually, the colonies became self-supporting societies with their own outlets to the sea. Each of them has become a separate, independent organism. But, despite this, the problems of trade, navigation, industrial production and finance went beyond the boundaries of individual colonies and required a joint settlement, which subsequently led to the federal structure of the American state.

Settlement of the colonies in the XVII century. required careful planning and management, and was also a very costly and risky undertaking. The settlers had to be transported by sea over a distance of almost 5 thousand km, supplied with household items, clothing, seeds, tools, building materials, livestock, weapons and ammunition. In contrast to the policy of colonization that was pursued by other states, emigration from England was not in charge of the government, but of private individuals whose main motive was to make a profit.

Two colonies - Virginia and Massachusetts - founded privileged companies: the "Massachusetts Bay Company" and the "London Company of Virginia". Their funds, created by contributors, were used to supply and transport the colonists. Wealthy immigrants who arrived in the New Haven colony (later part of Connecticut) paid their own way, supported their families and servants. New Hampshire, Maine, Maryland, North and South Carolina, New Jersey and Pennsylvania originally belonged to the owners of the English nobility (gentry), who populated the land granted to them by the king with tenants and servants.

The first 13 colonies that would become the United States were (from north to south): New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia .

Georgia was founded by a group of people led by James Edward Oglethorpe. They planned to send debtors from English prisons to America to create a border colony that would block the way for the Spaniards in the south of the continent. Meanwhile, the colony of New Netherland, founded in 1621 by the Dutch, in 1664 went to England and was renamed New York.

Many moved to America for political reasons. In the 1630s the despotic rule of Charles I gave impetus to migration to the New World. Then the revolution in England and the victory of the opponents of Charles I, led by Oliver Cromwell in the 1640s. forced many cavaliers - "the king's people" - to try their luck in Virginia. The despotism of the petty German princes, especially in matters of faith, and the numerous wars that took place in their possessions, contributed to the intensification of German immigration to America in the late 17th and 18th centuries.

Men and women, even if not too interested in a new life on American soil, often succumbed to the persuasion of recruiters. William Penn circulated in the press about the opportunities and benefits that awaited those wishing to move to Pennsylvania. Judges and jailers were persuaded to give the prisoners a chance to move to America instead of carrying out the sentence.

Only a few colonists could go overseas with their families at their own expense to start a new life there. Ship captains received a large reward for selling contracts but hiring the poor to work in America. In order to take more passengers on board, they did not disdain anything - from the most unusual promises and promises to kidnapping. In other cases, the costs of transporting and maintaining settlers were borne by colonization agencies such as the London Company of Virginia and the Massachusetts Bay Company. Settlers who signed a contract with the company were obliged to work for it as a laborer or contracted servant (servant) for a certain period - usually from four to seven years. At the end of the term, the servants could receive a small piece of land. Many of those who arrived in the New World on such terms soon found that, while remaining servants or tenants, they did not begin to live better than in their homeland.

Historians have estimated that about half of the colonists who lived south of New England came to America on the basis of a contract. Although the majority honestly fulfilled their obligations, some fled from the owners. Many fugitive servants, however, managed to get land and to acquire a farm - in the colony where they settled, or in neighboring ones. Bonded service was not considered shameful, and the families that began their lives in America from this half-slavish position did not sully their reputation. Even among the leaders of the colonies there were people who were servants in the past.

There was, however, a very important exception to this rule - the African slave trade. The first blacks were brought to Virginia in 1619, seven years after Jamestown was founded. In the beginning, many "black" settlers were considered indentured servants who could "earn" their freedom. However, by the 1960s In the 17th century, as the demand for workers on the plantations increased, slavery began to take hold. Blacks began to be brought from Africa in shackles - already as life-long slaves.

Most of the colonists in the XVII century. were English, but there were a small number of Dutch, Swedes and Germans in the mid-Atlantic colonies. In South Carolina and other colonies, there were French Huguenots, as well as Spaniards, Italians, and Portuguese. After 1680 England ceased to be the main source of immigration. Thousands of people fled from war-torn Europe. Many left their homeland to get rid of the poverty generated by the pressure of the authorities and large landlords who owned estates. By 1690, the American population reached 1/4 million people. Since then, it has doubled every 25 years, until it exceeded 2.5 million people in 1775.

American settlements were grouped into geographical "sections", depending on natural conditions.

New England on northeast(Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine) was an agriculturally secondary area: thin soil, poor vegetation, mountainous, uneven terrain, short summers and long winters. Therefore, its inhabitants solved other problems - they used the power of water and built mills and sawmills. The presence of timber contributed to the development of shipbuilding, convenient bays favored trade, and the sea served as a source of enrichment. In Massachusetts, the cod fishery alone immediately began to bring high profits. The Massachusetts Bay settlement played an important role in the religious development of all of New England. The 25 colonists who founded it had a royal charter and were determined to succeed. During the first 10 years of the existence of the colony, 65 Puritan priests arrived there, and due to the religious convictions of the leaders of the colonists and with their support, the power of the church was strengthened there. Formally, the churchmen did not have secular power, but in fact they led the colony.

In the south, with its warm climate and fertile soil, a largely agrarian society developed. IN mid-Atlantic colonies Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and New York - nature was more diverse: forests, valleys suitable for agriculture, bays where such large port cities as Philadelphia and New York grew up.

Society in the mid-Atlantic colonies was much more diverse and religiously tolerant than in New England. Pennsylvania and Delaware owe their success to the Quakers, who set out to attract settlers of many faiths and nationalities. Quakers dominated Philadelphia, and there were other sects in other parts of the colony. Immigrants from Germany proved to be the most skilled farmers, they also knew weaving, shoemaking, carpentry and other crafts. Through Pennsylvania, the bulk of Scottish and Irish immigrants arrived in the New World. Equally mixed was the population of the colonies of New York, which perfectly demonstrates the multilingualism of America. By 1646 along the river. The Hudson was settled by the Dutch, French, Danes, Norwegians, Swedes, British, Scots, Irish, Germans, Poles, immigrants from Bohemia, Portugal, Italy. But these are only the forerunners of millions of future immigrants.

Eastern states- Virginia, Maryland, North and South Carolina, Georgia - differed greatly from New England and the mid-Atlantic colonies in their predominantly rural character. The first surviving English settlement in the New World was Jamestown, Virginia.

A distinctive feature of the first stages of colonial history was the absence of strict control from the British authorities. While the colonies were being formed, they were actually left to their own devices. The British government was not directly involved in their founding (with the exception of Georgia), and the political leadership of the colonies, it began gradually and not immediately.

Since 1651, the British government has from time to time passed regulations regulating certain aspects of the economic life of the colonies, which in most cases benefited only England, but the colonists simply ignored the laws that harmed them. Sometimes the British administration tried to force their implementation, but these attempts quickly failed.

The relative political independence of the colonies was largely due to their remoteness from England. They became more and more "American" rather than "English". This trend was reinforced by the mixing of different national groups and cultures - a process that has been going on all the time in America.