The USA – History and places of interest

HISTORY

Discovery of North America 40,000 years ago – ancestors of the American Indians 1000 A.D. – The Vikings – Leif Erikson – Christopher Columbus discovered America

First settlements 1620 – Pilgrim Fathers – ship Mayflower – Plymouth Colony 1621 – rich harvest - first Thanksgiving day

War of independence 1773 – The Boston Tea Party – new taxes 1775 – 1783 – The War of Independence  13 american colonies X Britain  Reason was new taxes  Colonies won – The Declaration of Independence  George Washington, Thomas Jefferson

War of independence 1789 – the peace treaty in Paris  The Constitution went into effect 1789 – 1797 – G. Washington  The first president of the USA 1791 – The Bill of Rights  Freedom of religion, a free press, free speech,..

The Civil War 1861 – 1865 Social reforms became improtant, especially the abolition of slavery The north X the south

The north Abolished slavery Development of an industrial economy The Republicans

The south The economy based on large plantations Usage of slaves The Democrats

The process 1860 – Abraham Lincoln (north) was elected President  Strong anti-slavery stand Southern states protested against Lincoln  They left the Union and formed the Confederacy 1863 – The Emancipation Proclamation

Winner April 1865 – the Northern Army won the war Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at the Ford Theatre shortly after the end of the war

Results of the war 635,000 lives The North strong and rich The South in ruins The country became united again 1865 – Slavery was abolished in the Constitution (Ku Klux Klan)

World War I – the USA in WWI  President Woodrow Wilson

The Roaring Twenties Large economic prosperity Until 1929 – the Great Depression  After the stock market crash at Wall Street  Black Friday High unemployment 1933 – Franklin Roosevelt – New Deal The depression lasted till beginning of the WWII

World War II 1941 – 1945 Pearl Harbour Invasion of Normandy Hiroshima and Nagasaki The United Nations Organisation

The Post-war Period Economy expansion The space race The Cold War against the Soviet Union  1989 ended with the colapse of communism 1950 – The Korean War 1961 – 1973 – The Vietnam War 1991 – The Gulf War

The USA in 21st century The war on terrorism – 11th September 2001 Military actions in Iraq  2004 – Saddam Hussein captured

PLACES OF INTEREST

Washington D.C. White House U.S. Capitol Washington Monument Pentagon

New York - Manhattan Central Park Times Square Broadway Statue of Liberty Empire State Building

Other famous places The Golden Gate Bridge  San Francisco and Marin Country Mount Rushmore  Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln Las Vegas  gambling

Nature beauty Yellowstone  1st national park in the world Everglades Niagara falls Grand Canyon