Early America

EARLY AMERICA

Human beings first migrated to the Americas from Russia during the

Last Ice Age (c. 15,000 years ago).

Thousands of years later (1492), with the voyage of Christopher Columbus,

Europeans “discovered” the Americas.

A hundred years after Columbus, people started exploring the

east coast of the United States.

Most of the land along the Atlantic coast was claimed by the British.

The first colony on the east coast was called Jamestown (1607),

located in modern-day Virginia.

The people of Jamestown suffered through much hardship, but

ultimately, the colony survived.

The people of Jamestown began planting tobacco and started

making lots of money.

The Dutch colonized the land in the northeast along the Hudson River. They named their colony

New Amsterdam (1621).

The British liked New Amsterdam and so, decided to

take it (1664). They renamed it New York.

By 1773, there were 13 British colonies strung along the Atlantic

coastline.

The colonies were separated into 3 regions: New England, The Middle,

and the Southern Colonies.

Today, New England consists of the following 6 states:

Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New

Hampshire, and Maine.

The British government let the colonists govern themselves. The

colonists enjoyed their independence.

Later, however, the British decided to start taxing the colonists. The colonists didn’t like that, and so

the two sides went to war.

Led by George Washington, the colonial army defeated the British,

and created their own country called: The United States of

America.