Discovery of America. American Indians.

Indians were the first Americans, they populated North America long before the continent was settled by Europeans. American Indians are of Asian ancestry. Many years before they entered NA from Siberia by crossing a narrow strip of land, that once connected Alaska and Siberia. Today this place is called the Bering Strait. Emigrants entered the world where there were no people at all, except animals, plants, berries, forests. The new comers spread out. Some moved to the south into central and South America. Others traveled east to the Atlantic Ocean. These migrations were gradual and took thousands of years. Eventually the people, who became known as Indians have spread across NA. Those people were different in their lifestyles-some were hunters, some farmers. They spoke over 300 separate languages. Indians were called so by Columbus .Recently appeared a new term, which describes first Americans more accurately-they were called Native Americans, «Amerindians»

Around 1000 AD a group of Vikings from island under Leaf Eriksson sailed from Greenland to the eastern coast of NA. The foundations of Viking’s huts were found in Newfoundland. The first Vikings settlements didn't last. The local American Indians were hostile, the northern seas were not friendly and the Vikings gave up their attempt to colonize Vinland. The expedition was soon forgotten.

The USA was discovered in 1492. In this very year Columbus persuaded the King and the Queen of Spain to finance his voyage to the Far East .Instead of Asia he landed one of the Bahama Islands in the Caribbean Sea. Columbus thought that he had reached west India and he called natives as Indians .Columbus never reached the far East but he returned home with gold and within 14 years treasure hungry Spanish adventurers conquered the Empire in South&Central Am. The Spanish established some of the earliest settlements in NA.

Date: 2015-01-02; view: 2035