The History of Americans

The Earliest Americans Who were the first Americans? America was inhabited by people long before any European settlers arrived. It is believed that the first people on the North American continent came from the Asia. How did they get to America? It is believed that the first Americans came when Northern Hemisphere was still covered in ice. The first Native Americans may have came across the Bering Strait, a piece of a land that once connected Russia and Alaska.

The Bering Strait

The First Europeans Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer. Columbus set sail from Europe to find a shorter route to Asia. Asia had many resources that European traders wanted. When Columbus arrived in America, he thought he had landed in India. He called the people who lived there ‘Indians.’ Today, we called them Native Americans. Many European explorers such as Juan Ponce de Leon and Jacques Cartier came to America in search of gold and other riches. They also wanted to claim land for their rulers.

The United States Grows Christopher Columbus In the early 1700s, the United States had land all the way up to the Mississippi River. However, Americans wanted to expand further West. In 1803, the French sold land that was called the Louisiana Territory. This included much of the land from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. This was called the Louisiana Purchase.

Christopher Columbus

The United States Grows Lewis and Clark The President at the time of the Louisiana Purchase was Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the nearly purchased land. They were aided by a Native American girl named Sacagawea. They kept many journals about their expedition, which was 18 months long.

The United States Grows…..more New territory kept being added to the United States. New territory can be added from treaties, wars and purchases. In 1819, the United States purchased Florida from Spain. Texas was added in 1845. The next year, England ceded, or gave up, the Oregon Territory. In 1843, the United States purchased a huge amount of land from Mexico. By 1853, the land that would fit 48 of the 50 states was complete.

Immigration An immigrant is a person who comes to live in a new land. The English settlers who lived along the Atlantic coast in the 1600s were immigrants. Not everyone came to the country by their own choice. Many Africans were forced to come. Immigrants have continued to come to the United States throughout its history. Most people living in the United States are immigrants or descendants of immigrants. Each immigrant group has helped our country’s culture grow.

Immigration The United States’ motto is E pluribus unum. This phrase is from another language: latin. It means “out of many, one.” What does this mean? Out of many different states comes one nation. Out of many different backgrounds comes on people. United as a nation.

What Do You Think This Picture Means?

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