The main historic periods of the USA

The history of the USA c.b. divided into several periods:

1) Pre-colonial America. Before Europeans arrival A. wasn’t an empty wilderness. There were 10-12 mill. of Indians. They spoke about 450 languages. Most tribes combined hunting, gathering and cultivation of corn and some other vegetables.

2) Early European Settlements. The first recorded exploration of the Americas was by Christopher Columbus in 1492. After a period of exploration by various European countries, Dutch, Spanish, British, French, Swedish, and Portuguese settlements were established. The first such settlement was a Spanish settlement at in the state of Florida, which still exists today. During colonization, the European colonizers committed ruthless acts. The Spanish conquistadores killed many Indians. European diseases, brought over by the colonizers, killed countless natives. While the colonizers already had an immunity to these diseases, the natives were susceptible to them. European settlers did everything to deprive Americans of their land and resourses, and to get rid of them.

3) Colonial America (1493 – 1776). The 1^st prominent Eng. settlement was established in 1607 in Jamestown, Virginia. Immigration was vast. The main reasons for it were: 1) political and eligious oppresion; 2) economic oppresion. Besides the English, there were immigrants from spain, Germany, Italy, France, etc. A conflict between the traditional way of life and the new patterns of society arised. One of the most awful consequence of it was accusation of 20 people of witch crafts in 1962 that ended with their hanging. This year is considered to be the turning point in the history of colonies.

During this period the British government adopted a number of acts, that increased taxes collection from the colonies (Stamp Act – merchants and employers were obliged to byu stamps for ship paper and legal documents. Sugar Act – tax on sugar. Quarters Act – British army could stay at any housse. etc). It caused reactions from the colonies’ side. Tensions between American colonials and the British led to open military conflict in 1775. Thirteen British colonies declared their independence as the United States of America in 1776. George Washington commanded the Continental Army during the American War of Independence. In July 4, 1776 Declaration of Independence was adopted. It rejected British authority in favor of self-determination.

4) History of America (the end of 18 cent.). The Second Continental Congress was given the nominal authority to make some decisions. In 1787 the United States Constitution was ratified to establish a federal union of sovereign states and a federal government to operate it.

5) The 19^th century. The most prominent events are: the War of 1812 (to 1815) with British Empire. The war ended as a stalemate, with no territory changing hands. Some history books refer to this war as the "War of 1812-14", using the date of the peace treaty as the ending date of the war. The Mexican-American War (1846–1848) with Mexico. Its most important consequence was the the sale of the Mexican territories of California and New Mexico to the U.S. and the recognition of the joining of Republic of Texas.

In the mid-19th century, the nation was divided over the issue of states' rights, the role of the federal government, and the expansion of slavery, which led to the American Civil War. At the time, the Northern states were opposed to the expansion of slavery, while the Southern states saw the opposition as an attack on their way of life, since their economy, especially the cotton industry, was so dependent on slave labor. The Civil War effectively ended slavery in 1865.

The technological advances made during the Civil War, combined with an unprecedented wave of immigrants who helped to provide labor for American industry and create diverse communities in previously undeveloped areas, hastened the industrial development of the United States and its rise to international power.

6) The 20^th century. With the start of the First World War in 1914, the United States at first decided to maintain its neutrality, but eventually entered the war against the Central Powers. American sympathies were very much in favor of the British and French. American involvement in the war brought the country much wealth and prestige, even though much of Europe lay in ruins.

During most of the 1920s (Roaring 20-s), the United States enjoyed a period of unbalanced prosperity. The boom was fueled by a rise in debt and an inflated stock market, which resulted in a crash in 1929, triggering the Great Depression. The nation did not recover until the Second World War, where the United States joined the side of the Allies against the Axis[1] after a surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The war became the most costly war in American history, but it helped to pull the economy out of depression as it provided much needed jobs both at home and at the front.

The post-war era was defined by the beginning of the Cold War in the late 1940s, when the United States and the USSR attempted to expand their own global influence (U.S. representied democracy and capitalism, and the USSR – communism and a centrally planned economy). The results – weapon (especially nuclear) and space races. The result was the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the nuclear tense of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The 1950s were marked by. the Red Scare.

At the same time, discrimination across the United States, especially in the South, was increasingly challenged by a growing civil-rights movement led by such prominent African American as Martin Luther King, which led to the abolishment of the Jim Crow laws (they restricted access of African-Americans to public facilities) that legalized racial segregation between whites and blacks in the Southis. Racial segregation is characterized by separation of people of different races in daily life when both are doing equal tasks, such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a rest room, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home.

7) The 21^st century. At the beginning of the new millennium, following the September 11, 2001, attacks, the United States foreign policy became highly concerned with the threat of terrorist attacks. In response, the United States government under George W. Bush began a long series of military, police and legal operations termed the War on Terror. With the support of most of the international community, the armed forces invaded Afghanistan and overthrew the Taliban government, which was considered to be a safe haven for terrorism activities in the Middle East. More controversially, the "War on Terror" continued with the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's government. This second invasion proved relatively unpopular amongst the international community.

As of 2006, the political climate remains polarized as debates continue over issues such as the increasing trade deficit, a rising health care cost, illegal immigration, the separation of the church and the state, abortion, free speech, gay rights, as well as the ongoing war in Iraq

[1]ось Берлин-Рим-Токио – коалиция нацистской Германии, фашистской Италии и милитаристской Японии