Who founded America and in what year. Timeline of US history. Customs regulations and visa

First Americans

According to one theory, the first people appeared in America 10-15 thousand years ago, arriving in Alaska through the frozen or shallowed Bering Strait. The tribes of mainland North America were divided and periodically fought with each other. The famous Icelandic Viking Leif Eriksson discovered America, calling it Vinland. The first visits to America by Europeans did not have an impact on the lives of the indigenous population.

Discovery of America by Europeans

After the Vikings, the first Europeans in the New World were the Spaniards. In October, a Spanish expedition led by Admiral Christopher Columbus arrived on the island of San Salvador. At the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th centuries. several expeditions were made to regions of the Western Hemisphere. The Italian Giovanni Cabot, who was in the service of the English king Henry VII, reached the coast of Canada (1497-1498), the Portuguese Pedro Alvares Cabral discovered Brazil (1500-1501), the Spaniard Vasco Nunez de Balboa founded the first city on the American continent and left to the Pacific Ocean (1500-1513), who served in the service of the Spanish king Ferdinand Magellan in 1519-1521. circumnavigated America from the south.

In 1507, the Lorraine geographer Martin Waldseemuller proposed calling the New World America in honor of the Florentine navigator Amerigo Vespucci. At the same time, the development of the mainland began. In 1513, the Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon discovered the Florida Peninsula, where the first permanent European colony arose and the city of St. Augustine was founded. In the late 1530s, Hernando de Soto discovered the Mississippi and reached the Arkansas River valley.

By the time the British and French began colonizing America, the Spanish were already firmly established in Florida and the American Southwest. The power and influence of the Spaniards in the New World began to decline after their defeat in the Spanish Invincible Armada. During the 16th century, information about new lands was collected, and documentary sources were translated into many European languages.

Colonial period (1607-1775)

Colonization of America by the British (1607-1775)

The first English settlement in America arose in 1607 in Virginia and was named Jamestown. The trading post, founded by the crews of three English ships under the command of Captain Newport, also served as a guard post on the way of the Spanish advance deeper into the continent. In just a few years, Jamestown became a thriving community thanks to tobacco plantations established there in 1609. By 1620, the population of the village was about 1000 people. European immigrants were drawn to America by the distant continent's rich natural resources and its distance from European religious dogma and political leanings. The exodus to the New World was financed primarily by private companies and individuals who received income from transporting goods and people. In 1606, the London and Plymouth Companies were formed in England and began exploring the northeast coast of America. Many immigrants moved to the New World with entire families and communities at their own expense. Despite the attractiveness of new lands, there was a constant shortage of human resources in the colonies.

Thirteen Colonies

Within 75 years after the first English colony of Virginia appeared in 1607, 12 more colonies arose - New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

In each colony, some of the population remained loyal to the royal government, but the loyalists nowhere had enough influence to control local government. Their actions came under the scrutiny of local Committees of Safety, created by the First Continental Congress in 1774, which now served as temporary local executives of Congress. The property of loyalists who opposed the revolution was confiscated, and they themselves fled to the protection of royal troops.

After the revolution, the remaining federal authorities were created as a result of the constitutional reform of 1786-1791.

Progress of hostilities

Military operations began even before the declaration of independence as a result of severe pressure from the British army, which tried to disarm the local police forces and arrest the leaders of the colonists. Since the forces of the British crown in America available by 1776 were not enough to take control of the entire territory of the colonies, and armed detachments of colonists even tried, in August 1776 a large army of the British landed in New York. The local militia units were defeated, and the approaching army of General Washington, after several defeats, was forced to retreat through New Jersey to Pennsylvania. The British held New York City until the peace treaty of 1783, making it their main stronghold in North America.

Following the retreating American troops, the British army invaded New Jersey, but here it was attacked by the army of General Washington, which by this time had regrouped and crossed the Delaware River on Christmas night, in December 1776. The British were defeated at Trenton and Princeton and retreated back to New York.

The British master plan, developed in London, was to organize a simultaneous offensive from Canada and along the Hudson River in order to capture Albany in 1777 and cut off New England from the southern colonies. But the Canadian army under the command of General Burgoyne was defeated at Saratoga, and from New York the British army headed not to Albany, but to Philadelphia. As a result, the British survivors of Saratoga were captured with the condition of repatriation to Great Britain, but the Continental Congress did not approve the terms of their surrender, and the prisoners were imprisoned.

The victory of the colonists accelerated France's entry into an alliance with the United States, which was concluded in 1778. Spain and the Netherlands then joined the alliance, and a new global war began.

Subsequently, the British concentrated their forces on trying to capture the southern states. Having a limited contingent of troops, they relied on the mobilization of loyalists. Such tactics helped them hold their position in the North-West Territories, despite the defeat of Canadian forces attempting to advance on Albany.

At the end of 1778, the British fleet landed troops and captured the capital of Georgia, the city of Savannah. In 1780, Charleston was taken in the same way. But the loyalists gathered under the British banner were not enough to advance inland, and the British had to be content with controlling the port cities. Further attacks on North Carolina and Virginia floundered, guerrilla warfare began in the occupied territories, and loyalist units were killed.

The remnants of the British army headed to the city of Yorktown, where they planned to board the ships of the British fleet. But the fleet collided with the French fleet in the Chesapeake Bay and retreated. The trapped troops of British General Cornwallis surrendered to General Washington in October 1781. When reports of this defeat reached Britain, Parliament decided to begin peace negotiations with the American rebels.

Formation of the American state (1783-1865)

Expansion (1783-1853)

Since the beginning of the 19th century, thousands of Americans have left the increasingly densely populated eastern United States and headed west from the Mississippi into a completely undeveloped region called the Great Plains. At the same time, New Englanders flocked to forest-rich Oregon, and immigrants from the southern states populated the expanses of Texas, New Mexico and California.

The primary means of transportation for these pioneer settlers were horse- or ox-drawn wagons. Caravans of several dozen vans each set off on their journey. In order to get from the Mississippi Valley to the Pacific coast, such a caravan required an average of about six months.

Migrants. 1866

Louisiana Purchase (1803-1804)

Growth of the US territory in 1800-10.

In 1803, thanks to the successful actions of American diplomats, a deal was concluded between the North American United States and France, called the Louisiana Purchase, which allowed the United States to practically double its territory. But the main achievement of this deal for the United States at that time was to place the Mississippi River, an important transportation artery that had previously been a frontier river, at the complete disposal of American farmers and traders.

Anglo-American War (1812-1815) and demarcation of borders with Canada

In the Napoleonic Wars, the United States maintained neutrality and attempted to trade with all belligerents, but both France and Great Britain discouraged trade with their opponents. After the defeat of the French fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar (1805), the British fleet blockaded American ports in an attempt to impede Franco-American trade ties. Moreover, on their ships the British continued to treat the Americans as their rebellious subjects and forced sailors from intercepted American ships into service in the Royal Navy. In addition, Great Britain formed an alliance with Indian tribes and supported their resistance to American expansion into Indian territories. In 1812, Congress declared war on England. After heavy fighting that lasted until 1815, peace was concluded, as a result of which the warring parties remained within their previous borders, but Great Britain refused an alliance with the Indians, who were the most affected party to the conflict. The United States emerged from the war with confidence in its own abilities, thanks in part to an impressive victory in the decisive battle with the British near New Orleans.

Despite the end of hostilities, many controversial issues still remained between the United States and Great Britain, including the borders between the United States and British Canada. To a large extent, they were resolved during the post-war negotiations, which ended with the conclusion of the Anglo-American Convention of 1818. Issues that remained unresolved, in particular about the status of the modern North-West of the United States, were settled with the conclusion of the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842 and the Oregon treaty of 1846

Adams-Onis Treaty (1819)

Main article: Adams-Onis Treaty

In 1819, an agreement was also concluded on the demarcation of the Spanish-American border in North America, according to which Florida was part of the United States.

War over rent (1839-1846)

Main article: Anti-Rent War

In the middle of the 19th century. A series of local civil wars took place in the United States, which became a prelude to the crisis of American statehood and the civil war of 1861-1865. Among them in 1839-1846. There was a series of civil unrest and armed clashes in New York State. Local laws that had developed during the period of Dutch rule no longer corresponded to the economic and political realities of the United States. In 1839, Albany County farmers refused to pay what they considered extortionate land rents. The impetus for this was the death on January 26, 1839 of the largest landowner and lieutenant governor of New York, Stephen Van Rensselaer. Farmers soon moved from protest rallies to pogroms. The state governor was forced to turn to the federal army to put an end to the violence, but farmers put up armed resistance and began a guerrilla war in the state. In 1845, martial law was declared in the region. By 1846, the US government made concessions and abolished the oppressive rental laws.

Oregon Treaty

In April 1861, the first battle took place in South Carolina, during which armed forces The Confederates took control of Fort Sumter, military base federal army. At first, the war was fought with varying success and mainly in Virginia and Maryland. A turning point in it occurred in 1864, when Lincoln appointed Ulysses Grant as commander in chief. The Union army under the command of William Sherman led a successful advance from Tennessee to Atlanta, Georgia, defeating troops led by Confederate generals Johnston and Hood. During the famous "March to the Sea" Sherman's army destroyed about 20% of all farms in Georgia and reached the Atlantic Ocean at Savannah in December 1864. The war ended with the surrender of General Lee's army in Virginia on April 9, 1865.

Reconstruction and industrialization (1865-1890)

Reconstruction, the period following the end of the Civil War, lasted from 1877 to 1877. During this time, the "Reconstruction Amendments" were added to the Constitution, expanding civil rights for Americans. These amendments included the Thirteenth Amendment, outlawing slavery, the Fourteenth Amendment, guaranteeing citizenship to all those born or naturalized in the United States, and the Fifteenth Amendment, guaranteeing the right to vote for men of all races. In response to Reconstruction, a number of Southern organizations emerged, including the Ku Klux Klan, to oppose civil rights for people of color. Violence from such organizations was countered by the federal army and the authorities, who passed, in particular, the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1870, which declared it a terrorist organization. However, in the Supreme Court case United States v. Cruikshank, the civil rights of the people were entrusted to the states. The failures of the Republican authorities were exacerbated by the economic crisis of 1873. Eventually, the Republican governments lost the support of Southern voters, and the Democrats returned to power in the South, who did not restore slavery, but passed discriminatory laws called Jim Crow laws. In 1877, the army's participation in government in the South was terminated. As a result, African Americans became second-class citizens, and racist principles of white supremacy continued to reign supreme. public opinion. The Democratic Party's monopoly on power in the southern states continued thereafter until the 1960s.

The expansion of gold miners, farmers and ranchers into the "Wild West" was accompanied by numerous conflicts with the Indians. The last large-scale armed conflict between white Americans and the indigenous population was the War for the Black Hills (1876-77), although isolated skirmishes with small groups of Indians continued until 1918.

By 1871, the US authorities had decided that treaties with the Indians were no longer required and that no Indian nation or tribe should be considered an independent nation or state. By 1880, as a result of the mass shooting of the American bison, almost its entire population disappeared, and the Indians lost their main fishery. The authorities forced the Indians to abandon their usual way of life and live only on reservations. Many Indians resisted this. One of the leaders of the resisters was Barf Cat, the chief of the Sioux tribe. The Sioux dealt several stunning blows to the American cavalry in their victory at the Battle of the Little Big Horn in 1876. But the Indians could not live on the prairies without bison and, exhausted by hunger, they eventually submitted and moved to reservations.

USA by the end of the 19th century

The end of the 19th century was a time of powerful industrial development in the United States. “The Gilded Age”, as the classic of American literature Mark Twain dubbed this era. The wealthiest class of American society bathed in luxury, but also did not forget about philanthropy, which Carnegie called the “Gospel of Wealth,” supporting thousands of colleges, hospitals, museums, academies, schools, theaters, libraries, orchestras and charitable societies. John Rockefeller alone donated over $500 million to charity, which amounted to more than half of his total income. The unprecedented wave of immigrants brought to the United States not only labor for American industry, but also created a diversity of national communities that inhabited the sparsely populated western territories.

The modern American economy is believed to have been created during the Gilded Age. During the 1870s and 1880s, both the overall economy and wages, wealth, national product, and capital in the United States grew at the fastest rates in the history of the country. So between 1865 and 1898. wheat plantings increased by 256%, corn by 222%, coal production by 800%, and the total length of railroad tracks by 567%. The corporation became the dominant form of business organization. By the beginning of the twentieth century, per capita income and industrial output in the United States became the highest in the world. Per capita income in the United States was twice that of Germany and France and 50% that of Britain. During the era of the technological revolution, businessmen built new industrial cities in the Northeast of the United States with city-forming factories and factories, which employed hired workers from different countries Europe. Multimillionaires such as John Rockefeller, Andrew Mellon, Andrew Carnegie, John Morgan, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and the Astor family gained a reputation as robber barons. Workers began to organize into then-small unions such as the American Federation of Labor.

USA before World War I (1890-1914)

USA between the world wars (1918-1941)

Main article: US History (1918-1945)

"Prosperity" (1922-1929)

The era of “prosperity” or prosperity is the period of economic expansion in the United States in the 1920s. In literature, the era of “prosperity” most often means unhealthy, dubious prosperity. Post-war America became a leader in economic growth rates, thanks to which it further strengthened its leading position in the world. By the end of the 1920s, America produced almost as much industrial output as the rest of the world. The average worker's wages increased by 25%. The unemployment rate did not exceed 5%, and in some periods even 3%. Consumer credit flourished. Prices were maintained at a stable level. The pace of economic development in the United States remained the highest in the world.

After the end of Woodrow Wilson's second presidential term, the Republicans came to power for 12 years: Warren Harding (1921-1923), then after his death, Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929) and Herbert Hoover (1929-1933). The US population was tired of progressive reforms, and therefore the transition to conservatism was more opportune than ever. Republicans during this period saw their main goal: 1. stability, 2. ensuring reliable economic indicators, 3. helping companies organize their activities, opening foreign markets for them.

However, the period of economic boom began very unpleasantly: government orders and foreign demand for American goods decreased. Soldiers returning from the fronts could not find work. The number of unemployed increased from 0.5 million to 5 million. In 1920, the 18th Amendment to the Constitution came into force - Prohibition. The smuggling of alcohol and the production of moonshine at home began. In this regard, in 1920-21. There was a decline in the economy and only 1923 began the process of recovery.

The reasons for the rise of the American economy are seen in the strengthening of American imperialism, the rise of the United States to a leading position in international politics and its transformation into the financial center of the world. Having considerable funds at their disposal, the American monopolies successfully upgraded their fixed capital and built new plants and factories. In 1924, the Dawes Plan was adopted to restore the German economy. The United States acted as the initiator. Germany was allocated a loan, a significant part of which was provided by US banks. The US desire to contribute to the economic stability of Europe was explained by the desire to conquer new markets for American goods, as well as the desire to prevent the spread of communist ideology. At the same time, in 1921, the United States provided charitable assistance to Soviet Russia, where famine was raging. By 1929, total American exports amounted to $85 million.

President Harding formed a cabinet of prominent financiers, millionaires and people knowledgeable in economics. In 1921-1932, the post of US Treasury Secretary was held by multimillionaire E. Mellon. On his initiative, the tax rate on income exceeding $1 million was reduced first to 66-50%, and in 1926 to 20%. Wartime laws passed to control price levels were repealed. In relation to corporations, the use of antitrust laws, which were effectively repealed by the Supreme Court through various clarifications and interpretations, ceased. At the same time, persecution of trade unions intensified and their numbers decreased by 1.5 times by 1930. In 1925, Calvin Coolidge declared, “The business of America is business,” which in domestic policy meant adherence to the principles of Laissez-faire, which opened up freedom of action for businessmen and guaranteed them from government interference in the activities of the private sector of the economy.

High protectionist customs tariffs were returned late XIX centuries, which declared one of the foundations of prosperity. The national debt has decreased and taxes have gone down.

During the years of prosperity, increases in per capita income and production efficiency led to a 40% increase in GNP. The country has the highest standard of living in the world, with low unemployment, low inflation and low interest rates on loans. Industrial production as a whole increased by 72% by 1929. The production of consumer goods developed particularly successfully. The impetus for its development was the widespread distribution of electrical energy. American homes began to be electrified household appliances- radios, refrigerators, etc. By the end of the 1920s, most industrial enterprises switched to electricity.

During Coolidge's presidency, extremely low purchase prices were established for agricultural raw materials to be used in industry. The concentration of capital occurred mainly in the electric power industry, the automobile industry, and the radio and developing film industries. The national wealth of the United States by 1928 reached $450 billion.

Big business has become even bigger. Such corporations as General Motors, Chrysler, General Electric, USA Rubber and others came to the fore. By increasing the production of goods and capturing sales markets, such companies received more and more profits, which went towards further development and expansion of production capacity. As a result, even more goods were produced, which were readily purchased by consumers. In the 1920s, the United States became the world's largest creditor and increased its share of loans by 58%.

A symbol of America in the 1920s. can be considered Henry Ford and his Ford Model T, the first mass-produced automobile in world history. This vehicle was affordable to many, since its price was less than $300, and the average annual salary of an industrial worker was $1,300. As a result, the car ceased to be a luxury and became a means of transportation. In the 1920s the car fleet grew by 250%, and by 1929 exceeded 25 million cars, despite the fact that the US population at that time was 125 million people.

The development of the automotive industry contributed to: the development of infrastructure (construction and development of roads, hotels, gas stations, points fast food). Legislative acts of 1916, 1921 and 1925 provided for the creation of a nationwide network of numbered highways. By 1929, 250,000 miles of modern highways had been built - 1.5 times more than existed 20 years earlier; the growth of American exports, as the automobile became the main export product; development of the chemical and steel industries (production increased by 20% per year), the fuel and energy complex (oil production increased by 1.5 times), glass, rubber production, etc.; the emergence of new jobs: every 12th worker was employed in the automotive industry; the development of assembly line production (this allowed the capitalists to reduce the number of workers, leaving only the most resilient and able-bodied, who received higher wages).

In general, the 1920s were the time of the formation of a consumer society. The average American was exposed to massive pressure from the manufacturers of goods: he was constantly besieged by calls to buy and buy even more. In this regard, modern advertising began to develop. Manufacturers did everything to force the buyer not to put money aside, but to spend it immediately. Those who did not have the required amount with them were offered to purchase in installments. The concept appeared - life on credit, when most cars, refrigerators, and radios were purchased in this way. However, the problem of uneven income distribution was not taken into account: two thirds of American families were not able to purchase even basic necessities.

Part of the profits of monopolies was converted into securities (shares), which absorbed undistributed income. Stocks were valuable because they were bought and money could be made from them. The country promoted easy routes to wealth through stocks. And by 1929, at least 1 million Americans were playing on the stock exchange, who, having invested all their limited funds in the purchase of shares, were waiting for success. The chairman of the General Motors financial committee, J. Raskob, argued in those years that if you save $15 a week and buy shares with this money, then after 20 years you will be able to accumulate a capital of $80,000. Holders of securities got into huge debts and actively used loans.

Results:

For the first time in American history, there were more people in cities than in rural areas, which resulted in the emergence of urban agglomerations (the so-called rural population decline in the Prosperity decade amounted to 6.3 million people).

By the end of 1929, the United States was producing 5.4 million cars annually. The United States accounted for 48% of the industrial production of the entire capitalist world - 10% more than Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan combined. The lion's share of production came from large corporations, which can be called the creators of prosperity. Production volume increased 4.5 times, and the total market value tripled. The development of the US economy was not constant: in 1924 and 1927. There were minor, short-term declines. But each time after, the American economy continued to develop with renewed vigor.

However, in 1929, the Great Depression began at the end of October and 4 years later the United States lay in economic ruins. Living on credit did not lead to endless and unhindered growth. In the banking industry, 5,000 banks were closed in the 1920s. The level of industrial production fell by a third, unemployment increased by 20%. The decline in agriculture began in 1921. There were also problems in the international arena: by persistently seeking debt repayment from the European powers (in total, the Entente countries owed about $20 billion), the Americans contributed to an increase in customs duties on European goods.

At the same time, during the period of Prosperity, such industries as coal, light (footwear, food and textile) industries, and shipbuilding did not develop properly. Coal production fell by 30%. The economic boom led to a crisis of overproduction: by 1929, the market was overflowing with various goods, but these goods were no longer in demand.

The Great Depression and the New Deal

The Great Depression in the United States began with the stock market crash at the end of 1929 and continued until the Second World War. world war. The growing deflation made the production of goods unprofitable. As a result, production declined while unemployment sharply increased, rising from 3% in 1929 to 25% in 1933. Rural areas of the Great Plains experienced drought, which, combined with poor agricultural practices, led to widespread soil erosion , caused an environmental disaster. Cities have been bombarded by dust storms for several years. The population, deprived of housing and livelihoods in the Dust Bowl, migrated further west, mainly to California, taking any low-paying job and driving down wages there, which were already low due to the economic crisis. Local authorities looked for a way out of the situation by deporting illegal immigrants from Mexico. In the American South, an already fragile economy was collapsing. Villager migrated in droves to the North in search of work in industrial centers, particularly Detroit. In the Great Lakes region, farmers, suffering from lower prices for their products, were flooding the courts with private bankruptcies.

From the USA the crisis spread to the rest of the capitalist world. Industrial production fell in the US by 46%, in the UK by 24%, in Germany by 41%, and in France by 32%. Share prices of industrial companies fell by 87% in the US, 48% in the UK, 64% in Germany, and 60% in France. Unemployment has reached colossal proportions. According to official data, in 1933 in 32 capitalist countries there were 30 million unemployed, including 14 million in the United States. These circumstances required state intervention in the economy, the use of methods of state influence on spontaneous processes in the capitalist economy in order to avoid shocks, which accelerated the outgrowth of monopoly capitalism into state-monopoly capitalism.

In 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt, a candidate from the Democratic Party, came to power in the United States, offering the American people a “New Deal,” as his policy was later called. The Republicans, who were blamed, if not for the onset of the economic crisis, then for the inability to cope with it, suffered a crushing defeat in the presidential elections of 1932 and were subsequently unable to occupy the White House for many years. The success of the New Deal was such that Roosevelt became the only president in US history to be re-elected four times in a row, and he remained in power until his death in 1945. Although many of his administration's measures were later considered controversial, a number of innovations of this period, for example, the Social Security program, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Securities and Exchange Commission still operate in the United States. President Roosevelt's most successful initiative is considered to be helping the unemployed, who were commissioned by the federal government to work in the Civilian Conservation Corps and a number of other government services.

Although measures taken by the Roosevelt administration prevented further decline in production or at least eased the effects of the economic crisis on the general population, the Great Depression ultimately ended in America only with the outbreak of World War II. The administration began financing military orders, while the production of civilian products fell sharply, and their consumption became subject to quotas. This allowed the economy to cope with difficulties. From 1939 to 1944 production almost doubled. Unemployment fell from 14% in 1940 to less than 2% in 1943, although the labor force grew by 10 million people.

World War II (1939-1945)

As during World War I, the United States did not enter World War II for a long time. However, already in September 1940, the United States, under the Lend-Lease program, provided assistance with weapons to Great Britain, which, after the occupation of France, fought alone against Nazi Germany. The United States also supported China, which waged war on Japan and declared an embargo on oil supplies to Japan. After the German attack on the USSR in June 1941, the Lend-Lease program was extended to the USSR.

On December 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, justifying its actions by citing the American embargo. The next day, the United States declared war on Japan. In response, Germany declared war on the United States.

It is ironic that the defeat of Nazi Germany increased America's international status, even though it did not play a decisive role in the military victory over Hitlerism. The credit for achieving this victory should go to Stalin's Soviet Union, Hitler's odious rival.

- occupies almost a third of the continent of North America, where it owns a territory of over 9.5 million km. sq. and according to this indicator it ranks fourth in the world.

The US population is about 314 million people(4.5% of the total population of our planet). The United States has the highest population growth rate in the world. Demographically, this is a youth state: the average age of an American is just over 36 years old.

The USA is an urban state. The vast majority of the population is concentrated in cities. No more than 18% of Americans live in rural areas.

What is a “state” and how many are there in the USA?

In 2016 the country will celebrate its 240th anniversary. Throughout its history, the United States has developed (and continues to develop) its administrative system.

From 1959 to the present, the United States includes on an equal basis 50 states, one federal district and several dependent territories that are not officially part of any state, but are directly administered by the American government.

The state is the main administrative-territorial unit, which, within the framework of its sovereignty, has significant powers in resolving internal issues, but does not interfere in the activities of the federal government on foreign policy issues.

The decision to admit a new territory to the United States as a state is made by Congress.

The procedure is long and complex. Once a state has joined a state, it will not be able to unilaterally leave it in the future. This is exactly what the US Supreme Court decided in 1869.

State Law:

1. In addition to federal legislation, which is binding throughout the country, Each state has its own legal framework, which regulates the way of life of the population of a particular state.
2. Often state laws prescribe rules that are opposite to those in force in a neighboring state, and a citizen has the right to choose under which laws his life is more convenient.
3. Local legislation should not conflict with the supreme law of the country- US Constitution.
4. The rights of one citizen should not infringe on the rights and freedoms of another.

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Division of the United States into districts

An American state is a fairly large administrative entity. In order to facilitate the administration of the territory, each state is divided, in turn, into districts.

The districts include:

• urban entities (municipalities);
• rural (townships) - available in only 20 of the 50 states.

They have their own authorities with a certain range of powers and its own resources to resolve issues of local importance. The total number of counties in the country is 3,140. The most of them are in the state of Texas (more than 250), the least in the state of Delaware (3).

The state decides independently where and how many districts to form, without the participation of federal authorities. The procedure for dividing powers between state administrations and municipalities located on its territory is also independently determined.

The District of Columbia has a special status. It is located in the US capital, Washington, and has federal significance. Until 1801, it was part of the State of Maryland. In 1871, the District of Columbia acquired federal status, which it still has today.

It is customary to add the English letters D.C (District Columbia) to the name of the city of Washington to avoid confusion with the state of Washington. The District of Columbia is home to 5.2 million people. Representative offices of federal authorities, many embassies, banks, and world organizations are located here. The residence of the head of state is also located in Washington.

The district is governed by a Council headed by the city mayor, but supreme power still remains with the US Congress.

There are several island territories under the jurisdiction of the United States. They are managed by the US Government, but they have nothing to do with any of the states.

List of dependent territories:

• Puerto Rico;
• US Virgin Islands;
• American Samoa;
• Guam;
• Midway Atoll;
• Palmyra Atoll;
• Johnston Atoll;
• Kingman Reef;
• Northern Mariana Islands;
• Baker Island;
• Navassa Island;
• Wake Island;
• Howland Island;
• Jarvis Island;
• Bank of Bajo Nuevo;
• Jar Serranilla.

In a number of these territories, residents are US citizens and, accordingly, are subject to American law; in other territories, the validity of the American Constitution is limited.

In resolving national issues, these territories are given the right of an advisory vote.

The term "Fifty-first State"

Over the past decades, there have been active discussions in the United States on the topic of increasing the number of states in the federation.

There are many people who want to become a new official state territory, but the District of Columbia is most often named as a contender.

The issue of accepting the district into the administrative structure of the country as a new US state has been repeatedly discussed in Congress.

The last discussion on this topic took place in 1993. But all attempts were unsuccessful. However, the district does not lose hope of joining the federation as the 51st state and does not remove the issue from the agenda.

Puerto Ricans and Pacific Islanders have similar plans.

Allegorically, the fifty-first state refers to countries that have come under the political influence of the United States. For example, in the press you can find references to the Americanization of the population of countries such as Georgia, Mexico, Iraq, Israel and some others.

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List of all US states

Names of American states in English with their capitals:

State name	Capital	State name	Capital
Alabama	Montgomery	Montana	Helena
Alaska	Juneau	Nebraska	Lincoln
Arizona	Phoenix	Nevada	Carson City
Arkansas	Little Rock	New Hampshire	Concord
California	Sacramento	New Jersey	Trenton
Colorado	Denver	New Mexico	Santa Fe
Connecticut	Hartford	New York	Albany
Delaware	Dover	North Carolina	Raleigh
Florida	Tallahassee	North Dakota	Bismarck
Georgia	Atlanta	Ohio	Columbus
Hawaii	Honolulu	Oklahoma	Oklahoma City
Idaho	Boise	Oregon	Salem
Illinois	Springfield	Pennsylvania	Harrisburg
Indiana	Indianapolis	Rhode Island	Providence
Iowa	Des Moines	South Carolina	Columbia
Kansas	Topeka	South Dakota	Pierre
Kentucky	Frankfort	Tennessee	Nashville
Louisiana	Baton Rouge	Texas	Austin
Maine	Augusta	Utah	Salt Lake City
Maryland	Annapolis	Vermont	Montpelier
Massachusetts	Boston	Virginia	Richmond
Michigan	Lansing	Washington	Olympia
Minnesota	St. Paul	West Virginia	Charleston
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Brief information about the country

Independence Date

Form of government

Presidential republic

Territory

9,519,431 km² (4th in the world)

Population

320,194,478 people (3rd in the world)

Washington

US dollar (USD)

Timezone

Largest cities

New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio

$16.724 trillion (1st in the world)

Internet domain

Telephone code

– one of the largest and most influential states in the modern world. It is located in North America and is the fourth largest in terms of territory after Russia, Canada and China. The United States of America is a diverse and diverse country that has made significant contributions to world culture and science. It is able to offer travelers almost everything it has to offer modern world or nature: from the wonders of the Grand Canyon, Great Lakes, mountains and Pacific Coast to the metropolises of New York, Las Vegas and Miami. Here you can enjoy whale watching in Oregon, skiing in the Rocky Mountains, clubbing in San Francisco, unparalleled entertainment and gambling in Las Vegas, or catching theater productions in between shopping trips in Manhattan.

Video: USA

general information

The area of ​​the country is truly huge - 9.5 million km², with the continental part, the largest, accounting for 7.83 million km². The remaining regions - the states of Alaska (with adjacent islands) and Hawaii, consisting of 24 islands - are separated from the mainland of the United States. The country's population, estimated as of January 2017, is 324,932,000 people - this is the third largest in the world after China and India. The capital of the USA is Washington, the largest cities are New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Houston, Seattle and Boston.

During the Cold War, Soviet propaganda did not spare epithets addressed to the United States of America. “The stronghold of world imperialism”, “the center of reactionary ideology”, “the conductor of a blatant expansionist policy”, “the instigator of the third world war” - and this is only a small part of the cliches used in the press that formed the image of the enemy. To be fair, it should be said that the American media and representatives of the ruling circles also did not remain in debt, calling the USSR an “evil empire.” With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the situation began to change; former Soviet citizens - Russians - began to travel to America more often as tourists, discovering many new and interesting things. “Uncle Sam,” as it turned out, is not as scary as he was painted...

If we talk about the USA as a tourist destination, then it should be noted that it is year-round. And this is a great advantage that many other countries do not have. Whenever you come to the United States, no matter what region or city you choose to travel to, you won’t be bored. Upscale mountain resorts are at your service in California, Colorado and Utah, and gorgeous beaches await you in sunny Florida and exotic Hawaii. Once you find yourself, either passing through or on purpose, in small towns in the heart of the country, you can plunge into the world of the Wild West during the Civil War of the second half of the 19th century. A trip to the largest cities will allow you to come into contact with history, cultural and architectural heritage. And in the USA you will find the best shopping, acquaintance with new technologies, the world of television and film industry. Although the spectator sports here are predominantly American - baseball, basketball, ice hockey and American football - they also provide lasting impressions. And all this will be flavored with the sincere smiles of Americans who, despite the deteriorating global situation, the growing terrorist threat and the global confrontation between major powers, are always happy to see those who come to their country with an open heart and pure intentions.

US cities

All US cities

Geography and climate

The USA stretches from west to east for almost 5,000 kilometers and is washed by the waters of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. In the north the country borders with Canada, in the south with Mexico. The Bering Strait, separating Alaska from Chukotka, serves as the maritime border with Russian Federation. According to the Constitution, the United States is a federal state consisting of 50 states and one federal district– Colombia, which includes the capital. In addition, the United States owns the island of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Archipelago in the Caribbean Sea, the Northern Mariana Islands, Wake Atoll, the islands of Guam, Eastern Samoa and others in the Pacific Ocean. To enter both the mainland and other regions, Russian citizens will need an American visa.

The vast territory predetermined the variety of climatic zones, ranging from the tropics (Hawaii, California, Florida) to arctic and subarctic weather conditions (Alaska). The main factors determining the climate of the United States include the atmospheric jet current: it captures air masses and moisture in the North Pacific Ocean and transports it to the continent. This circumstance causes heavy precipitation in the form of rain and snow on the northwestern coast. In the south - for example, in California - the wet season is for the most part for autumn and winter, but summer in these parts is hot and dry. Air masses heading inland rest against the Pacific Coast Mountains, which stretch along the entire western coast from the border with Canada to the border with Mexico, and the Rocky Mountains - the main massif in the Cordillera system North America, in the western United States and Canada. For this reason, mostly dry weather remains in the western Great Plains and Intermountain Plateaus.

As for the general temperature background, it is uniform. In most areas of the United States, summer temperatures range between +22...+28 °C. Moreover, if the difference is recorded by thermometers in the northern and southern states, it is relatively small. Winters are quite mild, with January temperatures ranging from 2° minus (in the north) to +8 degrees in the southern regions. However, there is no need to relax: significant temperature fluctuations are possible due to the unhindered penetration of air masses from the Arctic. The same, by the way, applies to summer temperatures, with the difference that atmospheric currents move from tropical latitudes.

Precipitation is unevenly distributed across the United States. While Hawaii, the southeast, and the Pacific coast may receive 4,000 and 2,000 mm of rain, respectively, the interior of California and Nevada can experience—just imagine! – no more than 200 mm. The level of precipitation is also affected by the terrain. Thus, the Atlantic states and the western slopes of the mountains usually receive more rain. But what’s interesting is that no matter what region of the country you find yourself in, the weather conditions (regardless of the time of year) are least likely to interfere with a comfortable holiday. For example, in the north and central part of the Atlantic coast, the swimming season usually runs from June to August-September. But this does not mean at all that you can’t swim in May, and you can’t swim in October, because even in these months the water maintains a quite comfortable temperature regime.

Those who like to take sea baths at any time of the year choose Florida for their vacation, where the average water temperature, even in winter, rarely drops below 22 degrees. In July-September, the most “tropical” state of America experiences very hot weather (+36...+39 °C), which is also characterized by high air humidity, up to 100%. However, carefree pastime can be hampered by hurricanes, which are quite common from June to November. It is noticeably hot in the summer in the southern part of the Rocky Mountains, from 26 to 34 degrees plus. In this regard, it is recommended to plan a trip to these regions in spring or autumn.

Tourists also enjoy visiting Alaska, despite its harsh climate: 30% of the state’s territory is located beyond the Arctic Circle. The northern and central regions have a subarctic climate, which is characterized by very low temperatures down to -45...-50 °C. But in summer the air in Alaska warms up to +16...+20 °C, with the exception of the northern regions, where thermometers show +2... +6 degrees. And all this with minimal humidity: precipitation here is approximately 250 mm annually. In the center and south of the state it can even be very hot in summer, the air can warm up to +30 degrees, the amount of precipitation is 400-600 mm per year.

Nature, flora and fauna

The chain of majestic Cordilleras, the picturesque Grand Canyon in Colorado, the vast coastlines of two oceans, rivers and unique lakes, the famous Niagara Falls and the ominous Death Valley in California - all this is the United States of America with its diverse and unique natural landscape. Evergreen forests and mountain ranges, endless expanses of plains teeming with life and arid deserts “coexist” on the vast territory of the country. It is hardly possible to experience the beauty of local natural landscapes virtually - it needs to be comprehended and experienced visually, being present on the spot. Visiting the habitats of wild animals, the coasts of mountain rivers and the Great Lakes, exploring steep slopes and observing the endless expanses of the steppes is a real tourist’s dream!

Mountain ranges, the Cordillera plateau and plateaus occupy almost half of the United States. The landscape of the country's mountainous regions is very diverse. Here, on the slopes, there is everything: dense mixed forests, heathlands, and even alpine meadows. Numerous rivers of the United States begin their run from the slopes: Missouri, Arkansas, Colorado, Columbia, Cheyenne, Platte, Klamath, Rio Grande, Umpqua and others.

Alaska, as we have already said, is located separately from the main part of the United States - in the northwest of the continent. Its territory (by the way, the largest of all the states) is formed by many plains - both alluvial and moraine - and the northern spurs of the Cordillera mountain range. It is in Alaska that the highest point in North America is located - Mount McKinley, also known as Denali, rushing into the sky at 6194 meters. Many island groups extending far into the Pacific Ocean - the Aleutian Islands, the Alexander Archipelago, the St. Matthew Islands, the Pribilof Islands and others - are continuations of local mountain systems.

And finally, sunny Hawaii. The archipelago, which forms the 50th American state, is located in the North Pacific Ocean. Its chain of islands is of volcanic origin. The largest islands - Hawaii, Lanai, Maui, Kauai and Molokai - are formed by the slopes of volcanoes and, accordingly, have a mountainous landscape. The region is famous not only for its stunning resorts, but also for its very high volcanic activity. The most famous local volcano that travelers come to see is Kilauea, considered the hallmark of the archipelago. However, at the beginning of 2017, he gave up his life: on January 2, as a result of an eruption, a huge piece of the volcano collapsed directly into the ocean. For this reason, the authorities decided to close tourist access to the attraction for security reasons.

The diversity of the natural landscape also implies a diversity of wildlife. Forests cover a third of the United States, and their character changes as you move from west to east and from north to south, according to climate zones. Coniferous trees, coupled with tundra vegetation, are typical of Alaska, and deciduous trees (oak, birch, ash) and unique cedar forests are typical of the central and eastern regions, respectively. It is impossible not to note the excellent seascape of California, the true decoration of which is the majestic palm trees and representatives of citrus plants. In general, magnolias and rubber trees are typical for the southern states. Also represented are many types of mangroves - evergreen deciduous forests that usually grow in the tidal zone of sea coasts and river mouths. In the famous American deserts, cacti and evergreen tree-like yuccas, typical of such places, are found.

By the same principle, depending on the location of the territory and climatic zones, the fauna of the United States of America was formed. The fauna of northern latitudes is represented by bears and deer, lynxes and ground squirrels. East of the Rocky Mountains, on the Great Plains, herds of bison, other ungulates and prairie dogs feel comfortable. The cedar forests are home to grizzly bears, wolves, badgers, foxes and skunks. These regions are also favored by exotic birds: pelicans, flamingos and kingfishers. In the western United States, deserts are home to reptiles such as lizards and poisonous snakes. Here you can also find American hares and marsupial rats. The “masters” of mountainous areas are elk and mountain goats, fat sheep and pronghorns, and representatives of other mammals that have adapted to this habitat. In the south, for example, in Florida, there are graceful cougars and toothy alligators, not to mention exotic birds - pink flamingo, purple moorhen, tree ibis.

US history

The honor of the discoverer of America undoubtedly belongs to the legendary Christopher Columbus, who made four expeditions starting in 1492. However, none of them reached directly the shores of what is now the United States. Other discoverers of the New World are the Spaniard Ferdinand Magellan, who circumnavigated it from the south in 1519-1521, and the well-known traveler of Florentine origin Amerigo Vespucci. In honor of the latter - America - it was proposed by cartographer Martin Waldseemüller to name this large continent in the Western Hemisphere. However, the indigenous Indians, who became the first people to settle in America approximately 30 thousand years ago after crossing there along the Bering Isthmus from Asia, can also be considered candidates for discoverers.

In 1565, on the Florida peninsula, after the founding of the city of St. Augustine, the first permanent colony of Europeans on the continent, namely the Spaniards, arose. In 1588, they lost the battle with the English fleet, the Spanish crown lost its power and influence, and, in addition to the British, Dutch and French colonists rushed to the continent. The first colony on the territory of the modern United States (Virginia) was founded in 1607 by the British. All the settlers were mainly from the poor - young people looking for their place in the sun, criminals and even people professing Puritanism. All were united by one thing - the desire to find gold in new lands and live a decent life. In the period from 1607 to 1732, as the Atlantic coast was settled, thirteen colonies arose: Virginia, Massachusetts, New York, Maryland, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware and others.

The indigenous Indians living in the colonies - the Iroquois and Algonquin tribes, their total number was approximately 200 thousand people - passed on their invaluable experience of surviving in unfamiliar conditions to the strangers. The colonists, in “gratitude,” began to exploit the local population, restricted their movement and did everything to strengthen the king’s power in America. The response was not long in coming. For example, residents of Boston in 1773 attacked British ships in the local port and threw all their goods into the water - expensive tea. A year later, the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, condemning the policies of the British, but did not take concrete steps to sever relations with the mother country.

The first armed resistance took place on April 19, 1775. It marked the beginning of the war for the sovereignty of the North American colonies, which ended only in 1883. On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the American Declaration of Independence, which had been proclaimed two days earlier. On September 3, 1783, the new state was recognized by Great Britain. In 1789, the first presidential elections were held - George Washington, a major slave owner and one of the founding fathers of the United States, won 100% of the electoral votes (all subsequent American leaders could only dream of such comprehensive support). Also in 1789, the Bill of Rights was adopted - the first ten amendments to the Constitution, guaranteeing fundamental rights and freedoms to the citizens of the country. In 1800, the capital was moved from Philadelphia to the city of Washington, founded on the banks of the Potomac River in 1790.

Initially, the territory of the United States was small and gradually expanded to its current borders. In December 1845, the Free State of Texas, formed by the Americans on the site of the former Mexican state, was annexed, and by force. As a result of expansion, the troops of the neighboring state had to retreat. The Americans' appetites continued to grow, and President James Polk took the initiative to buy California from Mexico, which was refused. In response, the United States invaded the disputed lands and, faced with resistance, declared war on its neighbors. The Mexican-American armed conflict lasted from 1846 to 1848. As a result, California, New Mexico and some other border territories were annexed to the United States. Mexico had to make do with the $15 million it was paid as “compensation.”

One more significant page in the history of the United States of America is the Civil War of 1861-1865, also known as the War of the North and South. It was attended by 24 northern states (20 non-slaveholding and 4 slaveholding) and 11 southern states in which slavery was maintained. One of the objective reasons for the war was the gap between the North and the South, which arose as a result of the existence of two different economic systems. The improvement of the lives of the northerners was perceived by the southerners as a danger to the unconditional power of the ruling circles there. Over 2 thousand battles took place during the war. Human casualties: The North lost 360 thousand people killed, more than 275 thousand received various injuries. The “Confederates,” as the southerners were called, lost about 258 thousand people. More civilians died in this conflict than in any other war in which the United States took part. It ended in victory for the northern states. Slavery was officially abolished by the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. Fun fact: The last Civil War veteran died in 1959. He turned out to be 110-year-old Walter Williams.

When World War I broke out in 1914, America initially remained neutral and even tried to act as a peacemaker between the parties to the conflict. But as soon as Germany sank the British passenger ship Louisiana with 100 American citizens on board in 1915, President Wilson declared a gross violation of international law. In March 1917, several more American ships were destroyed in a similar way, and the US government had no choice but to declare war on Germany - the authorities made an official decision on this on April 6. A total of one million young people aged 21-31 were mobilized to participate in hostilities.

The United States formally withdrew from the war in 1921, although the First World War officially ended in 1918. And after just eight years, a deep economic crisis began in the country. This period went down in history as the Great Depression and ended only in 1940. That, however, did not prevent the “stronghold of world capitalism” from entering the Second World War, the fire of which broke out in 1939 and burned until 1945, taking with it tens of millions of innocent people.

The war gave the US economy many advantages due to an increase in military orders, which somewhat softened the blows of the Great Depression. However, the United States could not avoid participating in hostilities, despite the fact that it and belligerent Europe were separated by an ocean. It all started with the attack on December 7, 1941 by a Japanese squadron, numbering 441 aircraft, on the Pearl Harbor base in Hawaii. Following this massive bombing, which resulted in the deaths of 2,403 people, President Franklin Roosevelt declared war on Japan.

In June 1944, the Americans, being allies of the USSR, became participants in the so-called second (western) front in Europe, landing in Normandy. US troops also operated in the Third Reich, Italy, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium and even Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. The bloodiest part for American troops was participation in the Ardennes operation in southwestern Belgium, during which the losses amounted to 89.5 thousand people, including 19 thousand killed. In total, the United States lost 418 thousand people in World War II.

After 1945, when Nazism was defeated, the United States finally overcame the consequences of the Great Depression and economic growth began in the country. At the same time, a global confrontation between the USA and the USSR, capitalist and socialist systems in general, which went down in history as the “Cold War”. This period is characterized by various international crises (for example, the Middle East conflict, the Cuban missile crisis, the wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan) and the arms race. With perestroika in the Soviet Union, the end of the Cold War was announced; positive changes also occurred within the United States: in the first half of the 90s, a law on universal literacy of the population was adopted, reforms were carried out in the field of medicine, preferential taxation was introduced for small businesses, and a number of measures to support low-income citizens.

Meanwhile, in the foreign policy arena, the United States took a direct part in various conflicts. The Korean War and the Lebanese Civil War, the Iran-Iraq War, the invasion of Grenada, Haiti and Iraq, the occupation of the Dominican Republic, the bombing of the former Yugoslavia, the Gulf War, air strikes on Libya and, finally, the civil war in Syria - here only a small list of US military operations abroad. A telling statistic: by the end of the 20th century alone, America had used military force outside its borders a total of more than two hundred times.

The United States' involvement in foreign conflicts continues into the new century. American officials explain it by the need to “fight international terrorism,” especially after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in New York and Washington, carried out by al-Qaeda and leading to the death of 2,977 people. To what has been said, it remains to be added that such foreign policy activity is often criticized by many states, including Russia.

sightseeings of USA

In the USA, every traveler will be able to find interesting places for themselves. The main attractions of the United States include both objects wildlife, and man-made architectural monuments.

Sights of Washington

Let's start our acquaintance with the sights of America from the capital - Washington, famous big amount a variety of buildings, including world-famous historical buildings, malls and memorial parks, galleries and national museums. By the way, entrance to the latter - this may surprise some - is completely free.

You probably cannot find a person who has never heard of the majestic residence of American leaders and the symbol of the nation on Pennsylvania Avenue - the White House. The total area of ​​the building exceeds 5 thousand square meters. It has 4 above-ground and 2 underground floors and 132 rooms. The most famous is the Oval Office, where US presidents work. And also - the Oval Blue Hall (it is intended for ceremonial receptions), the Green Hall - for meetings without ties, the Dining Room for official receptions on behalf of the head of state, the Great Hall and others. The White House ensemble also includes the Rose Garden, laid out by the wife of President Wilson (on the west side) and the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, located near the east wing.

Now let's move to the Capitol, the same snow-white, effectively illuminated at night. Its 540-room building houses the country's highest legislative body, the Congress, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. A tour of the building is also free, and public access from the premises is only to the famous Rotunda, where a small collection of sculptures and paintings is kept. Tourists are even given the opportunity to watch the meetings of the Congress - to do this, just go to the galleries specially designated for this. True connoisseurs and simply connoisseurs of architectural forms will definitely pay attention to the monumentality and at the same time gracefulness of the Capitol - they amaze the imagination.

The Pentagon, which has become a symbol of American military power, in Soviet time They didn’t scare except babies. However, we will not be talking about the US Department of Defense, but about the building with the same name, built in the first half of the 20th century - its headquarters. True, this world's largest office building with a recognizable pentagonal shape is located not within the city, but nearby. It looks somewhat mundane, but it has a deep meaning: military architects did not design a skyscraper, since it could become easy prey for potential terrorists. Before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the Pentagon was open to all tours. Now tourists are allowed here in limited numbers, and all excursions must be agreed upon in advance.

Sights of New York

The Statue of Liberty, the world-famous skyscrapers of Manhattan, Fifth Avenue, the UN headquarters, the Metropolitan Opera and Broadway glowing with all the lights - this is New York, the largest city in the United States, located on the Atlantic coast of the country. It seems that the metropolis absorbs itself, but that’s what makes it attractive: viewing and studying its majestic sights as if “from the inside” is very entertaining and incredibly interesting. And how many new things you can discover for yourself! Not everyone knows that the Statue of Liberty is a gift from France for the 100th anniversary of the American Revolution of 1775-1783 and that the 25 windows in its crown symbolize the earth's jewels, and the 7 rays symbolize the seas and continents. Few people know that the strength of the famous Brooklyn Bridge, opened in May 1883 over the East River Bay, was tested... with the help of elephants. How? Very simple. 21 animals from a circus that was touring nearby were simply led through this hanging beam structure 1825 meters long and that’s it.

A special flavor comes from the so-called ethnic districts of New York, founded by migrants from among the Chinese, Jews, Italians, Germans, Spaniards and others in the middle of the nineteenth century. Many of them are still heard today: Chinatown, Yorkville, Atlantic Avenue, Lower East Side, Harlem, Bronx, Little Italy. We will not exaggerate if we say that each of these quarters is a real open-air museum of the people whose representatives live in it. And, of course, do not miss the opportunity to visit Central Park - one of the most famous attractions of the almost 8.4 million metropolis. Here you can just take a walk by yourself, find something to do for your child, or sit down with a friendly group for an impromptu picnic right on the grass.

Sights of California

Well, now let's head to California - the land of eternal summer! This state, one of the largest in the United States, is the cultural and entertainment center of both the West Coast and the entire country. In terms of the number of famous attractions, California surpasses even Europe, and the list, of course, is not limited to Hollywood, Silicon Valley, Santa Barbara and the ominous Death Valley. The face of the state is also defined by magnificent castles, national parks and mountain ranges that create a unique landscape. Not to mention the beach and ski resorts that have earned California fame throughout the world.

Los Angeles is a large and vibrant metropolis. This is a showcase of all of America - not only California, despite the fact that it has no administrative functions (the state capital is Sacramento). It is in Los Angeles that the legendary Hollywood is located - the heart of the American and world film industry. In this city, stars of the first magnitude, as if straight from the pages of the tabloids, can be met simply on the street, as if they were old acquaintances. The richest museums coexist here with entertainment centers, architectural attractions coexist with expensive restaurants and modern hotels. It is not for nothing that it is called a city of contrasts.

Coming to sunny California and skipping a visit to Disneyland? Is it possible? The very first park of the famous Walt Disney is located in the city of Anaheim and was opened back in 1955. Interesting facts: the opening ceremony was conducted by the talented Hollywood actor Ronald Reagan, who in 1981 became the 40th President of the United States. So many years have passed, but the animation master’s dream come true continues to live and develop. Not only children, but also adults enjoy the revived heroes of modern cartoons and the opportunity to relax on the latest attractions. Over the 60 years of its existence, Disneyland has been visited by over 500 million people from all over the planet.

Another visiting card of California is the city of San Francisco. Its symbol is one of the most visited historical monuments - the Golden Gates Bridge. Among the controversial landmarks of the United States is the former Alcatraz prison: prisoners were kept here in very harsh conditions...

Do you want to taste exclusive dishes made from fresh seafood? Then head to Pier 39 with its well-known restaurants. But before you have a delicious meal, you can take a ride on the local cable car - the only one in the world that is manually controlled even in the 21st century. It is very interesting to visit Silicon or Silicon Valley. Semiconductors based on this element began to be developed here at one time, but today this place is more associated with products from companies such as Apple, Intel and Google. The famous Stanford University is also located here.

Florida Attractions

Another sunny American region is Florida, located on the peninsula of the same name and is the most southeastern state of the United States. From the west it is washed by the Gulf of Mexico, in the east the waves of the Atlantic Ocean break on its shores. Total length coastline is 1660 km. People come here to relax not only in summer, but also in winter. The West Coast is favored by connoisseurs of family holidays with children, as it is most suitable for this. The eastern one seems to be created for surfing fans, for whom the high waves characteristic of these places are a real gift of fate.

Famous Florida theme parks - Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World, Cyprus Gardens, Daytona Speedway, Kennedy Space Center - are located in Central Florida. In the northern part of the state, interesting cities to visit include Jacksonville and Gainesville. The tourist showcase of the south is the Florida Keys - a chain of coral islands, and, of course, the capital of finance and business, the center of the entertainment industry and nightlife of the southeastern United States - the city of Miami. The concentration of banking and commercial institutions, the presence of first-class beaches, regularly held conferences, festivals and other events attract business people, show business stars and a huge number of ordinary vacationers to this 2.5 million metropolis. The most glamorous area of ​​the city, or rather its suburb, is Miami Beach, where many celebrities relax on its beaches and nightclubs.

When talking about Florida, one cannot ignore its famous beaches. For example, Panama City Beach, Daytona Beach and West Palm Beach are considered the best here. The first of them has gained a good reputation thanks to its developed entertainment infrastructure for all tastes and ages (swimming pools, sailing, water skiing, etc.), the second has become famous as a place where motorsports competitions are regularly held (for example, The Great American Race ). But the third one is recognizable by the snow-white sand, which attracts those who like to soak up the sun.

Chicago Attractions

Let's complete our correspondence acquaintance with the cities and sights of the United States with a short virtual tour of Chicago - the second most important financial center USA after New York, as well as the economic, industrial and cultural capital of the Midwest and the largest transport hub in all of North America.

For a long time, we associated this unique and inimitable city with revolutionary events (just remember the dispersal of the May Day demonstration in 1886) and organized crime, headed by the famous gangster Al Capone and other armed bandits. Modern Chicago, the small homeland of the favorite of children and adults, Walt Disney, opens up to its guests from a completely different side - a wealth of amazing attractions. Among them are one of the tallest buildings in the United States - the John Hancock Center, the 110-story Sears Tower building and its observation deck with an exclusive glass balcony, the world's largest Shedd Aquarium, the Museum visual arts. There is also a huge number of park areas and drawbridges.

National parks

Across the country, vast national parks and nature reserves invite visitors to wander through the swamps of the Florida Everglades or climb the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, or the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

The vast parks of the West with geysers, waterfalls and evergreen forests of the Yellowstone River, Wyoming; Rainbow Canyons of Zion national park Utah; huge redwood trees in northern California; the striking appearance of the rocks of Yosemite Valley and, of course, the Grand Canyon of Arizona are reserves where you can enjoy the natural beauty where the soul of the industrial giant that is the United States lies. Even deserts - the petrified forest southeast of the Grand Canyon or the Death Valley of California's Mojave Desert - allow you to take a useful break from civilization.

The high season is between mid-July and mid-August, when most famous parks are full of visitors, so camping sites must be reserved in advance.

What to see in the USA

All attractions of the USA

Travel routes in the USA

If you're visiting the United States for the first time, you might want to spend a couple of weeks in New York, Miami, San Francisco, or one of the wonderful national parks.

When traveling around the country, Greyhound buses will take you anywhere. Trains are less convenient, with the exception of the railways along the east, south and west coasts. For long distances, airplanes are best. Shuttle flights operate regularly between New York and Washington or Boston. But try to travel by bus or car if possible: this The best way feel the vastness of the country and the romance of American roads.

From New York, it is most convenient for history buffs to visit the Mid-Atlantic region (the cities of Washington and Philadelphia), and for those who would like to combine historical curiosity with relaxation, also New England (Boston and the resorts of Massachusetts and Connecticut). Well, for those who are attracted only by endless beaches or the amusement theme park of the Walt Disney Corporation and other similar parks, Florida and the Gulf Coast in the south are suitable.

In addition, a two-week vacation in the United States can be devoted to New York in combination with study trips either across the country to California, or to one of the natural wonders like the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone. New York, especially in the summer, will bring a lot of impressions, but it will be pretty exhausting, so for the rest of the trip you will have to calm down a little, depending on how you feel.

For a month-long trip, you could take the New York-Boston-Washington route, then head straight to California and return east via Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon, perhaps with a stop in San Antonio or Santa Fe to explore the Southwest America, and then visit such wonderful cities as New Orleans or Chicago. The trip ends with a relaxation at one of the Florida seasides, after which you fly home. If you want to see many places in America in four weeks, don't try to start with California, which can be so captivating that you forget about your desire to get to know the rest of the country.

The choice of travel routes in the USA is huge, but we must remember that Americans love to combine entertainment with relaxation. And if you want to spend your vacation in an eventful way, follow their example by visiting cities, parks or resorts. Even a city like Chicago has sandy beaches around the lake; New Orleans has its own oxbow; in New York there is Long Island, in Boston there is Cod Cape, and near Los Angeles there are beaches.

Art

The USA is home to seven world-famous symphony orchestras and opera houses located in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Washington and Boston. Innovative paintings and sculptures from Manhattan and California continually represent leading movements in the world's art world.

Museums in New York, Washington and Chicago are considered some of the best in the world. American architecture seeks and finds new solutions, enriching the brilliant traditions coming from Frank Lloyd Wright, Frank Gehry and Daniel Libeskind, the chief architect of the new project for the construction of the World Trade Center in New York.

American architecture is often magnificent, sometimes stunning, but it has never been timid in its efforts to overcome the challenges of creating business and residential spaces in today's overcrowded cities.

National cuisine

The USA is called a country of migrants, which is completely true. This circumstance is reflected in national cuisine America, in which the culinary traditions of many countries and peoples, primarily the British, Spaniards, Italians, Chinese and Germans, met and intertwined for centuries. Here, as in Italy, one of the most popular dishes is pizza, the recipe of which has undergone many changes. The well-known hamburger comes from Germany, but in America its main component was not a meat steak, but an ordinary cutlet.

In the daily diet of Americans there are many Mexican dishes using traditional beef for the neighboring country, processed cheese, beans and spices. To name just a few: Mole sauce made from cocoa and peanuts, usually served with finely chopped chicken; Tamales, corn dough patties with added meat or vegetables; deep fried pork - Carnitas. The indigenous population, the Indians, had a great influence on the cuisine of the United States. With their light hand, recipes for many dishes, including those of European origin, began to be enriched with legumes, corn and pumpkin.

One of the features traditional cuisine USA - semi-finished foods. The most common method of preparation is frying using large amounts of oil. For this reason, ordinary American food is full of calories, and it cannot be called very healthy for the body. It’s not for nothing that Americans are considered the fattest nation in the world: more than 35% of the population suffers from obesity. During the holidays, the table is usually dominated by baked poultry with vegetables, be it turkey, goose, duck or regular chicken. For dessert, both children and adults love pies with various fillings. Americans can't imagine picnics without barbecue. Concerning local restaurants, then the dishes here are somewhat pompous. These are, as a rule, meat steaks of varying degrees of doneness, as well as lobsters and lobsters.

Hotels and accommodation in the USA

In such a large and developed country as the USA, there can be no problem finding a suitable hotel: among the great variety of offers, you will definitely find the best option. Using the Booking.com service you can book a hotel with a discount of up to 60%. However, there are two conditions that, if not met, can create certain difficulties. First: upon check-in, the guest must pay a cash deposit - this is a mandatory condition. Its amount varies depending on the star rating of the hotel, but should not be less than $100. Second: if you are not yet 21 years old, a deposit will not help - they will refuse to move in, this is a legal requirement. The deposit is usually not paid in cash, the required amount is simply “frozen” on the cards and then, when the guest moves out (provided that he did not make additional expenses during his stay), the money is “unfrozen”. Note to Russian tourists: domestic banks carry out these operations as withdrawals and refunds. If you use a debit card, the refund is processed in 3-4 weeks, if you use a credit card - almost instantly. Cash deposit is also accepted, but few hotels practice this.

Tourists often ask: are breakfasts in US hotels included in the price of their stay, as is the case in many other countries? Answer: As a rule, no. This is not accepted even in hotels in resort areas. However, this problem can be easily solved, because at the hotels themselves and in the surrounding area there are many restaurants and cafes where every vacationer can choose dishes to suit every taste and budget.

By the way, hotels in American resorts - both beach and ski resorts - also charge a so-called resort tax, which is paid immediately upon check-in. The same rule applies in Las Vegas. Its amount averages $25 per night and includes the cost of a number of additional services: parking, swimming pool, gym, Wi-Fi, etc. For an additional fee, many hotels, even five-star ones, allow dogs. But local hotels (with rare exceptions) do not welcome cats. A four-legged friend is unlikely to displace you, given that the hotel apartments are very spacious. The area of ​​a standard room starts from 30 m² and above. It is smaller due to the lack of space only in New York - 20-25 m².

Public transport

The transport system of American cities, especially large ones, is extensive and carries a colossal load every day. The metro is popular among travelers and locals. The oldest subway is New York, opened in 1868, younger ones are in Washington, Atlanta and San Jose (Puerto Rico). There are buses in almost every city in the United States, but trolleybuses are found in only five: San Francisco, Dayton, Boston, Seattle and Philadelphia.

In some US cities, the good old trams are being revived, they are called light rail. New York, Seattle, Phoenix and Norfolk recently acquired high-speed tram lines. The New York line serves Kennedy Airport. It has a peculiarity: it does not run along the streets, but along special separate overpasses. In another 40 cities, the design and construction of modern tram systems is just underway. Some cities also have ferry services, making travel across waterways easier.

Car driving

Driving in the USA is on the right. Road intersections are marked with a Stop sign or a Yield/Main Road sign indicating who has the right of way. Each state has its own speed limit and depends on the type of road you are driving on. Limits range from 120 km/h on selected expressways to 24 km/h near schools. Such restrictions are almost always indicated and compliance is mandatory, as is the case with a stop sign.

The United States of America is connected by a network of excellent federal highways. Odd numbers indicate highways running from north to south, while even numbers indicate highways running from east to west.

If you break down on the freeway, you need to pull over to the right shoulder, turn on your hazard lights, tie a piece of white cloth to the door handle or radio antenna, raise the hood and either ask for help on your cell phone or wait for help while sitting in your car.

American Automobile Association (AAA). AAA (1000 AAA Drive, Heathrow, Florida 32746-56-03; Tel: 1-800-AAA-HELP (222-43-57); www.aaa.com) provides travelers with information on travel within the United States and provides short-term assistance. insurance. In addition, AAA helps its members and foreigners of recognized motorists' unions with breakdowns and other difficulties.

There are many gas stations in the country and they are not difficult to find. Many stations may not operate in the evenings and on weekends. At night, in some places they demand payment without change or a credit card. There is no tip for full fills, although the cost per gallon is often higher.

Car rental

Most car rental companies in the United States provide cars at a set price with unlimited mileage. If you are going to travel more than 112 km, this solution is probably the most profitable. The fee is different everywhere, so choose the best option. In addition, some companies rent old, used, but fully functional cars. They are cheaper and are especially suitable for local trips. When traveling in summer, make sure you have air conditioning. In addition, you can choose the option where the car is taken in one place and left in another.

To avoid paying a huge deposit, grab one of the world's recognized credit cards; some companies even refuse to take cash as a deposit. Tourists from non-English-speaking countries will need to have their driver's license translated or have an international driver's license.

To search and book cars in the USA, we recommend using a service that will show you the best prices across all US rental companies at once.

Time

The forty-eight states that form a single entity are divided from east to west into four time zones: Eastern (5 hours GMT), Central (6 hours), Mountain (7 hours) and Pacific (Pacific). -8 hours. In large parts of Alaska -9 hours relative to Greenwich Time, and in Hawaii -10 hours. When switching to daylight saving time, with the exception of Alaska and part of Arizona, clocks are moved forward one hour on the second Sunday in March and one hour ago on the first Sunday in November.

Opening hours

Institutions and businesses in the United States of America generally operate from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m.). Banks are open Mon-Fri from 9.00 to 14.00, although many are open until 16.00, and some branches are open on Saturday until 12.00. Most museums are usually open daily 10.00-17.30; Small museums and art galleries have their own opening hours and are mostly closed one day a week, often Monday. Stores in American cities, as a rule, open at 9.00 and close at 17.30, but shopping centers and the passages are open longer, often until 21.00. The shopping arcades inside the huge Las Vegas casinos are usually open until midnight.

Crime and safety

Crime rates are falling in many large American cities. Along with ordinary petty thefts and non-violent crimes, serious crimes still occur. Follow a few simple rules, and then nothing will spoil your vacation. Store valuables, cash and traveler's checks (letters of credit) in the hotel safe. Take with you only what you need Everyday life. Make sure your bag is closed and your wallet is in your inside clothing pockets, not your back pocket. Never leave your belongings unattended, either at the airport, in a store, on the beach, or in plain sight in a car. As always, when you find yourself in a crowd, beware of pickpockets.

When you are in an unfamiliar place, look around. After dark, stay in busy areas. If you have a car, close the windows and doors to prevent anyone from getting in at the traffic lights. Also, don't drive around with the windows wide open and your wallet or valuables on the seat next to you.

City police monitor local crime and traffic violations, while highway patrol officers ensure road safety and monitor those driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

American police officers are mostly friendly and honest. Don't hesitate to contact them for help or advice. In case of emergency, call 911.

Health and medical care

There is no free health care in the United States, so visiting a doctor can be expensive and a hospital stay can even ruin you. Payment for medical services is immediate, so vacation medical insurance makes sense. For questions about insurance coverage, contact a major international company or your travel agent.

As for medications, it is better to take with you those medications that you take regularly. Don't forget that many medications available in your home require a prescription in the United States. If you need to buy such drugs there, get a prescription from your doctor.

Tips

Typically, the service charge is not included in the bill, so the waiter or bartender is entitled to a tip of about 15% (even more in New York or expensive establishments). Tickets in cinemas and theaters are not tipped, but doormen, cloakroom attendants, etc. should be tipped with a coin of at least 25 cents.

Five things you shouldn't do in the USA

• You cannot argue or offer a bribe to a police officer. An evening behind bars is unlikely to be included in your tour plan, so if you disagree with the law enforcement officers, either accept it or go to court.
• You can’t call African Americans “negroes,” Asians “narrow-eyed,” or Ukrainians “Russians.” The consequences of a showdown will not always be to your face.
• The inviolability of private property must not be violated, even if the door is wide open. They may not understand curiosity, but they will have time to use weapons.
• You cannot drink drinks of any strength in in public places. Even a can of beer in a paper bag will not always save you from a fine.
• Finally, watching tanned bodies, slender legs, silicone breasts, don’t even think about speaking out loud about what you see. A slap in the face will seem like a reward compared to possible legal costs due to a misunderstood compliment, including towards men. Use the services of appropriate clubs where the public comes specifically for flirting.

American style games

Tired of the wonders of the real world, you can immerse yourself in the fictional worlds of the Universal Studios film company and Disneyland or the sinful charms of Las Vegas and other resort destinations that beckon throughout the country. But here it is customary to tickle the nerves in moderation in order to avoid unnecessary tension - everywhere there are purely family entertainment (with the exception, of course, of Las Vegas - the vicious city knows almost no prohibitions). Children occupy an important place in life, and Americans have long understood that we all become children at times, perhaps more often than we admit to ourselves.

Americans love to play. Their own adaptations of European sports - baseball, which, according to one American encyclopedia, "is undoubtedly derived" from English cricket and rounders, and what they call football, to a foreigner looks like a competition that might well have been invented for Roman gladiators, - the most real performances. In addition to spectator sports, on the coasts of Florida, California and Hawaii, all sorts of concepts like surfing, roller skating, parasailing and sand buoying arise, and everyone is armed with soft “flying saucers” frisbees.

National character

Perhaps the most exciting part of your trip to America will be meeting the different people who inhabit the United States: the imperturbable New Englanders, the brash New Yorkers, the gruffly good-natured Texans, the serious farmers of the Midwest, and you soon begin to realize that in their differences they do not fit under no general definition.

Wherever you meet Americans, you see with your own eyes that they do not emerge as a monotonous people, similar in appearance, language and character. Martin Luther King was right when he compared America to a melting pot. He said it looked like a plate vegetable soup, where you can taste carrots, potatoes, onions and peas at the same time.

One thing is for sure: every time you come to the United States, you will find that the composition of the dish is constantly changing.

Table of weights and measures

The United States of America remains the only country that opposes the introduction of metric system. Milk and fruit juice are sold here in quarter-gallon and half-gallon containers, but wine and strong alcohol Today they come in liter bottles. Food items are usually weighed in kilograms and grams, as well as pounds and ounces.

English and American measures The volumes vary slightly:
1 US gallon = 0.833 English gallons = 3.8 liters, and 1 US quart = 0.833 English quarts = 0.9 liters.

Customs regulations and visa

For Russian citizens, the US embassy and consulates, as a rule, issue multiple-entry visas of category B (B, B-1, B1/B2) valid for one year. In rare cases, a single-entry visa is issued with a validity of three months. At the interview you can ask for a visa for two years.

The validity period of the visa (one, two years) makes it possible to enter the country during this period. The length of stay in the United States is determined upon crossing the border by an immigration officer on a case-by-case basis, depending on the circumstances. When passing through border control, an entry stamp is placed in the passport and a “migration form” 1-94 is attached, which contains the number of days allowed to stay in the United States. Entry into the United States can be carried out even on the last day of validity of the visa.

Due to increased security measures, be prepared to be fingerprinted and photographed upon arrival in the United States. Everyone fills out a customs declaration. Changes to Customs and Border Protection regulations can be found at www.cbp.gov.

Foreign citizens can import tax-free and duty-free items intended for gifts with a total value of up to $100. This benefit is valid if gifts are included in your luggage, if you are staying for 72 hours or more and have not used this benefit in the previous six months. This benefit also applies to cigarettes (up to 100 pieces), but the import of Cuban cigars is prohibited.

In addition, plants and food are under strict supervision; foreign citizens cannot import fruits, vegetables and meat.

Arriving and departing citizens must report cash, checks, etc., in excess of the total amount of $10,000.

Electricity

The voltage in the US electrical grid is 110 V and the frequency is 60 Hz. The sockets accept plugs with two or three flat contacts. Foreign citizens will need a 240 V / 110 V voltage converter and an adapter plug for an electric razor and other household appliances if they do not provide switching of the supply voltage.

Communications and Internet

The most famous mobile operators in the United States are Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. But only the last two practice prepaid communication services. They also offer tourists two convenient tariff plans - per day and per month. The first is usually used by those who come to America for a short time; a day of using a SIM card will cost 2-3 dollars. Let's not forget that in the USA the cellular communication standard is GSM 850/1900, while in Russia it is GSM 900/1800. The problem can be solved if your gadget supports both frequencies.

As for the World Wide Web, you can use wireless access, but Wi-Fi is not free everywhere. Russian tourists actively use mobile Internet while roaming. Thus, the domestic operator Beeline offers a 40 MB package for 200 rubles. At MTS you will have to pay 300 rubles for 30 MB. Megafon set the price for the same amount of traffic at 829 rubles. Many travelers, including Russians, are users of the international roaming communications operator GlobalSIM (GlobalSIM), which offers, among other things, special tariff plans for mobile Internet. It operates in 200 countries, providing free inbox in 147 of them. Calls - both within the US and abroad - are inexpensive, 39 cents per minute.

How to get there

The United States is located on the other side of the ocean from Russia, so the best way to get to America is by air. Aeroflot and Delta operate three joint flights from Sheremetyevo to New York; the flight lasts 10 hours and 40 minutes. Flights Moscow – Los Angeles operate 6 times a week, travel time is 13 hours.

Singapore Airlines flies from Domodedovo to Houston 5 to 6 times a week, and you will spend 12 hours 15 minutes in the air. Many European carriers also offer flights from Russia to various US cities, for example, Lufthansa, Air France, Finnair, KLM, British Airways, Czech Airlines, Iberia, Alitalia, LOT, Austrian, etc. These flights, which are often the cheapest, are carried out with transfers at European airports.

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Although the United States arose only 300 years ago, American history is filled with the most unexpected and, at times, dramatic turns. Today America remains one of the strongest powers in the world and the roots of its power lie in the very first years of the existence of the state

The first people in North America. History of America before the arrival of Europeans

It’s not for nothing that America is called the country of emigrants. Usually people who use this phrase are referring to the English, German and Dutch emigrants who arrived in America in the 16th-18th centuries. However, even the Indians, who are traditionally called the indigenous inhabitants of North America, were in fact also aliens on American soil.

In North America, not a single evidence of the presence of prehistoric man has yet been discovered. For a long time, the North American continent was completely deserted, until people came here between 42,000 and 16,000 BC. e. The first people did not come through the narrow isthmus of land that was once the site of the Bering Strait. The aliens came from Central Asia and Siberia. Until now, geneticists have traced the close relationship between North American Indians and modern inhabitants of Siberia and Altai.

About 10 thousand years ago, the first Americans began farming and gradually moved away from nomadic hunting. Thanks to a varied and plentiful diet, their population has increased dramatically. By the 15th century BC. e. Large cities began to emerge in North America. Although the main, most developed Indian cultures were located in South America, quite progressive civilizations also existed on the northern continent:

• Mayans who lived on the Yucatan Peninsula;
• the Olmecs, who settled on the southern coast of the Gulf of Mexico;
• The Aztecs lived in what is now Mexico.

The general reader knows much less about the peoples who lived at that time directly on the territory of the modern United States. However, several large cultures flourished here:

• the Poverty Point culture, whose inhabitants settled in Louisiana;
• the urban Anasazi culture centered in Colorado;
• nomadic culture of the inhabitants of the Great Plains;
• hunter-gatherers of the Pacific coast;
• Eskimos and Aleuts who inhabited modern Canada.

Indian culture was extremely colorful and diverse. Big role Religious-ethical ideas and collectivism played a role in the lives of Indians of all tribes. The Indians did not imagine themselves outside the community, which was the key unit of the social system. The religious views of the Native Americans were animistic. The Indians believed that in every natural object, structure, tool, etc., one or another spirit resides. Any event in the life of the community entailed many rituals aimed at communicating with spirits and gods.

European colonization of America

The first Europeans in North America were Scandinavian Vikings, who arrived here at the beginning of the 11th century. However, the first and only Viking colony in America did not last long. Very soon the discoveries of the Vikings were forgotten and the Europeans lost America again.

From the middle of the 15th century, the famous Age of Great Geographical Discovery began in Europe. Europeans discovered Asia with its jewelry, expensive fabrics and priceless spices. This stimulated the growth of trade and banking. Every year tens of thousands of daredevils, dreaming of untold riches, flocked to the east. The main artery supporting the connection between east and west was the Great Silk Road. Moving along it was very dangerous due to difficult climatic conditions, diseases and robbers lying in wait for merchants at every step. In addition, the goods passed through the hands of hundreds of intermediaries, which increased their cost tenfold. Trade through the Great Silk Road was especially difficult for Portugal, located at the westernmost point of Europe. An original solution to this problem was proposed by the Portuguese Prince Enrique the Navigator. On his initiative, the Portuguese began to reach Asia by sea, skirting Africa.

The Spaniards, who at that time were economic and political rivals of the Portuguese, turned their gaze to the west. The Spanish court found convincing the theory of the Italian navigator Christopher Columbus that Asia could be reached not only by sailing to the east, but also by sailing to the west. Columbus, having overcome a difficult journey, actually reached the shore, however, not the Indian one, as he thought, but the South American one. Until his death, the navigator never found out that he had discovered a new continent. All the laurels of the discoverer went to Columbus's friend and follower - Amerigo Vespucci. New lands were named after him.

The Spanish monarchs immediately began to develop the newly discovered territories. Almost no one stopped them from doing this. The Portuguese created their colonies a little later and only on the territory of modern Brazil. Therefore, Spain remained the mistress of Latin America until the beginning of the 17th century.

The Spanish invasion of South and Central America led to the fall of the Inca, Aztec and Mayan empires. Those Indians who remained alive after the next Spanish expeditions became slaves. They were forcibly Christianized and forced to abandon their familiar culture. However, the use of Indians as slaves turned out to be extremely ineffective. Native Americans had no immunity against many diseases brought from Europe (most notably, they suffered from tuberculosis, influenza and smallpox), so deadly infections quickly began to spread among the conquered. However, this did not bother the Spaniards much; they simply began to bring slaves to America from Africa.

For a long time, Europeans were not interested in the territory of the modern United States. They rarely went further than the Rio Grande River. However, some daredevils made forays into the depths of the northern continent. Many conquistadors listened to Indian legends about incredible miracles and riches that were located north of the Rio Grande. Such stories include the parables of El Dorado, the Seven Cities of Gold and the Kingdom of Saguenay. The last legend, apparently, had a very real basis: even among the Indians South America there were rumors that white people had once founded a settlement in the north. Apparently, the Indians used the word Saguenay to designate an ancient, short-lived Viking colony.

The Indians deliberately spread rumors about the wealth of the north in order to discourage greedy conquistadors from their lands. In 1565, the oldest American city, St. Augustine, was founded on the territory of modern Florida. At first, the city was a small fort founded by the Spanish general Menendez in order to expel the French from Florida, who were gradually beginning to explore the North American continent. As the Spaniards moved north, new American cities emerged - Santa Fe, San Diego, Santa Barbara, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

While the Spaniards and Portuguese were mastering Latin America and the south of the North American continent, French and Dutch colonists began to make their way to the north. At the beginning of the 17th century, the English navigator Henry Hudson, working for the Dutch East India Company, explored the large river that now bears his name. Several Dutch settlements were created at the mouth of the Hudson River, which eventually merged into a single city, later called New York. French colonists at this time explored the north of the mainland - the territory of modern Canada. The first city founded by the French in North America was Quebec. However, at that time the French failed to gain a strong foothold in America: while the Spanish crown actively supported the conquistadors and allocated them considerable funds for new expeditions, the French kings did not have such an interest in the Western lands and funding for French sailors was very meager.

British colonization

England could have joined the race to conquer America back in the 15th century, but due to a combination of circumstances, English colonies arose here much later. In 1497, Captain John Cabot undertook to look for a “western route to Asia” for the English crown. He managed to reach the island of Newfoundland, becoming the first European to set foot on North America since the Vikings, but, like Columbus, he decided that his expedition had reached the shores of Asia. Cabot's men explored a small area of ​​the coast of modern Canada and decided that it was China. Along their entire route, they did not meet a single aborigine, although they saw traces of fire pits and abandoned household items. Cabot made another expedition to the shores of America, but died soon after returning to England. Cabot's son, Sebastian, continued his father's research, but due to England's internal problems, the exploration of North America was suspended.

Under Queen Elizabeth, the study of overseas territories continued. The new continent could become not only a source of wealth and minerals, but also a place where English Protestants could create their own society, far from Catholic prelates. The lands on which the British first set foot were decided to be called Virginia (“Virgin”) - in honor of Queen Elizabeth, who refused marriage for the sake of her country. The first English colony in North America was a settlement on Roanoke Island, founded in 1585. However, the unexpected happened: the sailors participating in subsequent expeditions did not find a single white man on Roanoke. The fort was abandoned; no traces of the colonists could be found. The mystery of the disappeared Roanoke colony still remains unsolved. According to the most plausible versions explaining the disappearance of the British, the colonists could have moved inland or tried to return to England on small ships; in addition, their settlement could be attacked by the Spaniards, pirates or Indians.

However, the British did not give up their attempts to explore North America. Moreover, the initiative to colonize new lands gradually began to move from the English crown to local entrepreneurs. King James I, by special decree, granted the rights to colonize Virginia to two English joint-stock companies:

• London, which was engaged in the development of the south of the North American continent.
• Plymouth, which controlled the north of the mainland.

The latter company was unable to achieve great success and establish a long-term settlement in North America. But London entrepreneurs were much luckier.

In 1606, the London Joint Stock Company sent an expedition to North American cities led by Captain Newport. The following year, the colonists reached Virginia and founded the settlement of Jamestown. The first years were extremely difficult for the settlers. They suffered from hunger and disease, and the Europeans were constantly in conflict with the local population. The impetus for the flourishing of the small settlement, where misfortunes constantly occurred, was two factors: the discovery of tobacco, which was very much loved not only by the colonists, but also by the inhabitants of the Old World, and the use of black slaves to perform the dirtiest and hardest work. However, the changes affected not only the economic affairs of the colony. The settlers established self-government in Jamestown, which was a very progressive political practice at the time.

Following Jamestown during the 17th-18th centuries, the following arose in North America:

• Lord Baltimore's private colony of Maryland, where a bustling business center gradually emerged;
• Plymouth Colony, founded in what is now Massachusetts by the English Pilgrim Fathers (religious dissidents who fled persecution by the Catholic Church);
• Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Carolina, Rhode Island, New Haven, Connecticut, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire, founded by English Puritans;
• New York is a former Dutch colony captured by the British;
• Georgia, which was created as an outpost to confront the Spaniards.

By the beginning of the 18th century, about 250 thousand Englishmen lived in North America. In the north, where the soils were poor and scarce, dense buildings and small family farms. In the south, with its fertile lands, settlers bought huge tracts of land for tobacco and rice plantations. It was difficult for one single family to work in such huge fields, so the southerners tried to attract hired workers. At first, the main source of cheap labor was England itself, from where young people moved overseas in search of a better life. Young people entered into agreements with the planters: in exchange for payment for travel, food and housing, they had to work for their owner for several years. After this period, workers received small plots and agricultural implements. However, using the labor of free white people was very unprofitable for the planters. Unlike the English poor, African slaves worked for the owner for life; they did not have to pay wages or provide at least minimal working conditions.

Although the English settlements flourished, rich and developed cities appeared here, the British crown was dissatisfied with the state of affairs in the west, despite the fact that until 1775 the colonists considered themselves loyal subjects of the English king. This was due to a number of reasons:

• Firstly, constant conflicts with the local population, for which the British crown had to allocate a lot of money. If the Spanish colonies were compact small settlements where only professional military men and merchants lived, then the English settlers had a much more varied social composition and inhabited much larger territories. English ships with a variety of people constantly approached the American shores. At the same time, all the colonists from Old England needed their own land plots, for which they fought fierce wars with the Indians. Another positive aspect of Spanish colonization was that mostly single men came from Spain to America. Sooner or later, almost all of them acquired wives from among local women. Moreover, growing up, children born in interracial marriages could occupy not the last posts in the Spanish administration. Thanks to this, racial conflicts between Spanish colonialists and Indians disappeared in just a few decades. The situation among the English settlers was completely different. They came to new lands with whole families, and the union of a white man and an Indian was, in their opinion, disgusting.
• Second, although the English colonists supplied tobacco, sugar, and rice to the mother country, the main goal of the original expeditions to the west was gold and other minerals. The Portuguese and Spaniards regularly sent ships loaded with jewelry to their homeland, but London never received the gold.
• Third, a completely new type of citizen arose in New England, different from the servile subject of the British crown. On the one hand, the colonists, who lived in harsh conditions, were distinguished by great independence and initiative. On the other hand, constant dangers forced people to cooperate: this contributed to the fact that there were no acute diseases in the colonies. social conflict between rich and poor, especially in the north.

In London, the colonies perceived, although problematic, but, on the whole, an uninterrupted source of money and resources. The colonists regularly sent money and goods to the metropolis, which were then sold at high prices on the pan-European market, and received almost nothing in return. As a result, smuggling trade with other countries began to flourish in the colonies.

In the 1760s, relations between the colonies and the mother country deteriorated sharply. London decided to reorganize life in the colonies. The main goal of the English lords and the king was to obtain additional income to the treasury. The result of these reforms was a number of laws that were extremely unpopular among the colonists. Settlers were prohibited from printing their own money and moving beyond the Appalachian Mountains, so as not to provoke further conflicts with the Indians; high taxes were introduced on a number of goods; Tax also had to be paid on stamp paper. The innovations met a storm of criticism and demands to preserve the autonomy of the colonies. As a result, London made a number of concessions.

In 1773, the English Parliament, which did not want to give up colonial money, introduced the Tea Act. According to this law, only the East India Company could now trade tea in the colonies. Prices for the drink soared, which the colonists greeted with indignation. They began to blockade ports to prevent English ships loaded with tea from entering America. In December of the same year, in the Boston port, townspeople drowned a shipment of tea worth 10 thousand pounds sterling into the sea. This action remained in history as the Boston Tea Party.

These events served as the impetus for the start of the national liberation struggle. The main idea of ​​the Americans was the following postulate: the colonists have always been faithful servants of the British crown, but now London has taken the path of tyranny and lawlessness, free citizens cannot tolerate this and are ready to take up arms. At the same time, however, until 1776, the Americans did not consider it necessary to fight for complete independence from the mother country.

The Continental Congress, created in the fall of 1774 in Philadelphia, became responsible for the protection of the colonies from British invasion, their economy and internal politics. In its own way, it was a very progressive structure: the Americans, who feared that a tyrannical monarchy would sooner or later arise on their lands, decided that their government should be built on the principles of election, turnover and democracy. Following the Congress, individual colonies began to establish their own bodies of self-government, taking on the functions that were originally performed by British officials.

In the spring of 1775, the first armed clashes occurred between British soldiers and local militias. That same year, Congress ordered the creation of the Continental Army, led by George Washington. However, even this step did not mean that congressmen were ready to break with London. They tried to reconcile with George III, asking him to remove the most unscrupulous officials from the colonies and repeal a number of laws. Ordinary colonists, however, were more determined. The idea of ​​complete independence of the colonies had long been popular among frontier farmers. It was under the influence of these people that Congress began to draft a formal declaration of independence for the colonies in 1776. On July 4, the Declaration of Independence was adopted, marking a new era in North American history.

In the spring of 1775, the position of the colonists looked very unenviable. London had a clear superiority in technical equipment, the level of training of soldiers and the number of people. However, the colonists had their trump cards. Firstly, they fought on familiar terrain. Secondly, the settlements were scattered along the vast eastern coast and British soldiers could not act as a united front. Pursuing small partisan detachments in such conditions was an unusual and very difficult task. In addition, the colonists had clear goals and ideas, while the morale of His Majesty's soldiers who crossed the ocean was very low.

England decided to strike the first blow at Boston, the main center of anti-British sentiment. There was an opinion that the destruction of the center of the revolution in Boston would lead to the complete eradication of the Troubles. But the Bostonians managed to resist the British onslaught. Then London decided to change tactics: to capture the largest cities in America, resorting to the help of local supporters of the king (loyalists). In 1776, the British began to implement their plan. First, the royal army managed to put Washington's army to flight and occupy New York and Philadelphia. However, further actions of the British were not so successful due to lack of coherence. In the fall of 1777, the Continental Army managed to win the first big victory over the British at Saratoga. At the same time, England's longtime enemies - France, Spain and Holland - began to provide support to the colonists. England found itself isolated.

However, the years 1778-1780 did not go so smoothly for the colonists. They still lacked weapons, supplies and medicine. The Royal Army managed to win a number of victories while Washington had to take a wait-and-see attitude. In the North, the war almost stopped, but a new rise in confrontation occurred in the South, where a civil war broke out between loyalists and supporters of independence. London was preparing to deliver a decisive blow to the South, but time was lost: the colonists managed to conclude an alliance with France and prepare for a joint action against the British commander-in-chief Cornwallis. In October 1781, after a long siege at Yorktown, Cornwallis was forced to surrender, marking an American victory. In 1783, the Peace of Paris was signed and the colonists were able to internal affairs of your state.

State building

The main tasks of the colonists were: developing their own legislation and creating governing bodies. About this, a long and bitter debate arose in American society between federalists and anti-federalists:

• The Federalists (including the first president, George Washington) were entrepreneurs and large landowners. They believed that the state should have a strong center controlling all the states;
• Anti-Federalists, represented by farmers and small traders, advocated maintaining the independence of the states.

The Federalists, who had a clear program and a high degree of cohesion, for some time received legislative initiative. They replaced the rather liberal Articles of Confederation, which served as the supreme law during the Revolutionary War, with the Constitution of 1787, which deprived the states of a number of rights. In order to satisfy the demands of the Anti-Federalists, it was decided to adopt the “Bill of Rights,” which, although it did not expand the powers of the states, proclaimed the personal rights and freedoms of Americans.

The Constitution briefly satisfied most Americans, and by 1800 there was renewed public debate and demands for a reworking of the federalist model. In 1801, the Anti-Federalist, founder of the Democratic Party, won the presidential election. Republican Party- Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson's government repealed a number of unpopular laws, internal tariffs, reduced the national debt, transferred a number of powers to the states and announced a peaceful foreign policy. In addition, Jefferson almost doubled his state by purchasing Louisiana from Napoleon Bonaparte in 1803. However, Jefferson did not completely abandon the legacy of the Federalists, periodically interfering in the affairs of the free market.

Jefferson initially did not want to participate in the Napoleonic Wars, but since almost all American foreign trade was paralyzed due to England, which did not want the United States and France to exchange goods, the Democratic-Republicans announced the beginning of hostilities. The Anglo-American War of 1812-1815 ended in American victory. She had great importance not only for the external, but also for domestic policy young state. Federalists who opposed the war were declared traitors and completely lost political weight.

At the end of the 1820s, major changes occurred in American politics: the number of states increased, and the property qualification for voters was reduced. All this led to the emergence of various groups in Congress that defended their interests. Andrew Jackson, the founder of the Democratic Party, won the bitter election of 1824. By today's standards, Jackson's policies could hardly be called democratic. For example, he advocated the expulsion of Indians from their lands. However, he was able to offer Americans a number of innovative innovations: the abolition of many duties, limiting the power of the federal center and granting a number of rights to the states. However, due to some rash and impulsive actions (such as the liquidation of the Bank of the United States, which led to an economic crisis), the Jackson era was quite unstable. Very soon, an opposition Whig party formed (later becoming the core of the US Republican Party), whose members considered Jackson a tyrant and despot. The Whigs advocated nationalization, social reform, and the transfer of full power to Congress. This was the birth of the American two-party system.

New trends have also affected the economy. At the beginning of the 19th century, a market system emerged in the United States. This was due to the following indicators:

• growth of commodity production;
• widespread use of machines in production;
• development of commodity-money relations;
• formation of the internal market and economic ties between states.

The needs of the market required more and more resources, so in the first half of the 19th century the idea of ​​​​conquering the wild west was especially popular. Transport networks, cities and agricultural lands were created on reclaimed lands. However, the expansion of territories occurred not only due to advancement to the west, but also through military expansion to the south. Thus, the Mexican-American War of 1846-48 brought the United States territories that today contain as many as 5 states. In general, US foreign policy at this time was characterized by expansionism.

By the middle of the century, the standard of living of Americans had increased significantly, the population grew steadily and annually due to immigrants and newborns.

At the same time, the differences between the North and the South began to become especially pronounced. In the North, where market relations developed most actively, economic growth coexisted with crises, bankruptcies and the collapse of former ideals. And in the South, life flowed more measuredly and conservatively. That is why groups of reformers constantly arose in the North, wanting a radical restructuring of society and the economy. The southerners, in turn, were satisfied with the existing state of affairs; they lived freely and independently, trading cotton with foreign countries and almost not being involved in domestic trade.

In the second half of the 19th century, the contradictions between the South and the North reached their peak. Traditionally, the main reason for the Civil War in the United States is the desire of northerners to free the slaves who worked on the plantations of the South. In fact, the list of reasons was much wider:

• Northerners' dissatisfaction with the fact that the South independently trades cotton across the ocean, without the intermediary of entrepreneurs from the North;
• lack of free labor at enterprises in the North;
• Lincoln's desire to establish federal control over the freedom-loving South;
• difference in mentalities (southerners are hereditary aristocrats; northerners are businessmen).

The fact that the true motive of the northerners was not philanthropic impulses is also indicated by the fact that there were slave states outside the Confederacy (for example, Maryland).

The first armed conflict between supporters of slavery and abolitionists (activists who defended the rights of the black population) occurred in 1858 in Kansas, where the issue of introducing slavery had to be decided by local authorities.

The elections of 1860 divided the entire country into two hostile camps. As a result, Republican Abraham Lincoln became president, who at that time, although he did not sharply oppose slavery, believed that slavery could not be extended to new Western lands. In the South, the news of Lincoln's election was responded to by creating the Confederacy of Southern States, which seceded from the United States. Lincoln stated that he would fight for the integrity of the country and would not allow the spread of slavery in the West, but would not encroach on the established order in the South.

The first battle between Confederates and Union supporters took place in the spring of 1861 for Fort Sumter. To deplete the South, the northerners decided to establish naval blockade Confederation. At first, controlling the huge coastline with just 40 ships was very difficult. But gradually the fleet of the North grew and trade of the South with foreign countries was almost completely stopped.

The beginning of 1862 was successful for the northerners, so General Grant, who led the Union troops, stopped sensibly assessing the enemy, for which he paid in the Battle of Shiloh. Moreover, the Allies managed to strike back and, after a bloody battle, occupy the Corinth railway station in Kentucky. In the spring, the southerners lost such important coastal cities as New Orleans and Memphis. However, the Confederates under the leadership of Jackson later managed to stop the advance of the northerners in the east, but they themselves were never able to advance as a united front to the North.

In the first half of 1863, luck favored the southerners, especially since mass anti-war protests began in the North. However, in the bloody Battle of Gettysburg, General Lee, who led the Confederates, lost 30% of his men and was forced to retreat. Meanwhile, the Northerners, led by General Grant, established control of the entire Mississippi River.

In 1864, the armies of Grant and Sherman moved south to finally break the Confederate resistance. The result of these events was the loss of Atlanta by the southerners.

1865 was the last year of the war. The Confederates suffered from shortages of ammunition and food. They no longer trusted their leadership; all the South's reserves were exhausted. In April, in the town of Appomattox, General Lee was forced to capitulate. The war ended in victory for the North.

Reconstruction period

It took America several decades to overcome the consequences of the Civil War. The South was completely devastated: cotton plantations and several large cities were destroyed; landowners lost their workforce; about 250 thousand soldiers died in the war. The war did not affect the territory of the North, but the human losses here were even greater than those of the Confederates. Both sides hated each other and held the enemy responsible for starting the war.

Due to the fact that technically and bureaucratically the procedure for bringing the South back into the fold of the United States was ill-conceived and spontaneous, a real struggle broke out between authorities in the territory of the losing states for access to those riches of the South that were not destroyed during the war. In addition, both the North and the South formed their own national governments during the war, which had a very wide range of powers. The process of integrating the southern states only became more difficult after Lincoln's assassination. Lincoln's project was quite thoughtful, but Johnson, who came to the presidency, was unable to adequately implement it. In addition to all the problems outlined above, during Reconstruction there was an unprecedented surge in racism throughout the South. This was how southerners reacted to the granting of civil rights to blacks. To defend the leading positions of the white population, southerners even created a paramilitary organization - the Ku Klux Klan.

In Washington, there was a fierce debate between President Johnson, who sympathized with the southerners, and Congress. The result of these disputes was:

• granting voting and other civil rights to adult black men;
• military districts were created on the territory of the rebellious states;
• amnesty for many Confederates.

Overall, Reconstruction was a failure. Proper reform of the South never happened. Of course, Congress was able to achieve the indivisibility of the country and the elimination of the institution of slavery, but already at the end of the 1870s, the white population of the south regained a number of previous privileges and began to completely control political life region.

USA before the World Wars

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the United States developed steadily without any major shocks. The main trends during this period were:

• stabilization political system, balance between Republicans and Democrats;
• growth of large business;
• urbanization;
• increase in the number of immigrants.

The USA has become a powerful industrial power with a high standard of living. However, some social problems remained: a large gap between rich and poor, as well as the passivity of political leaders who led the country down the path of stagnation.

However, the world was changing and so was society. This is how the movements of progressives (supporters of social reforms, strong government and social unity) and suffragettes arose in America. Although such quite democratic views existed in society, relations between whites and the black and indigenous population of America remained tense, as evidenced by the racist Jim Crow laws.

The onset of the First World War (1914-1918) destroyed the American plans to establish their influence in Cuba and Hawaii. President Wilson urged Americans to remain neutral and not interfere in European affairs. However, this was impossible, since the world's waters became a field for military operations. Germany carried out attacks on French and English ships carrying American citizens. Moreover, the power of another state in the Atlantic could not please Wilson and his cabinet. And after a telegram sent by the German government to Mexico was intercepted in 1917, which directly stated its intentions to attack the United States, neutrality became impossible in principle. In April 1917, the United States entered the First World War.

In total, about 4 million Americans fought on the Western and Italian fronts. In January 1918, Wilson proposed his own version of a peace treaty, which, in his opinion, should have become the basis for all future international politics. The document provided for freedom of trade, the right of nations to self-determination, rejection of shadow diplomacy, etc. The protection of these principles was to be carried out by an organization called the League of Nations. The Entente countries rejected this project and proposed a tougher agreement. Therefore, Wilson's project remained only a beautiful utopian idea.

Interwar period

The years 1920-1941 were characterized by a departure from the ideas of the progressives. The main principles of this era were individualism and decentralization. This gave impetus to the development of private initiative and an economic boom. The Roaring Twenties became a symbol of luxury, open-mindedness and new ideals. However, in 1929, America plunged into the deepest economic crisis in the country's history. The main causes of the Great Depression were:

• overproduction;
• insufficient consumption;
• uneven development of different industries;
• unhealthy excitement around the purchase of shares (quotes rarely reflected the true financial affairs of companies).

The Great Depression struck shortly after Herbert Hoover assumed the presidency. Therefore, popular rumor blamed the economic collapse on the new president. However, it was Hoover who outlined the first right steps to eliminate negative consequences Depression: organized mass works, supported large enterprises and banks, suspended the payment of public debt, etc.

But since the natural growth of the economy began only under Theodore Roosevelt, it was he who went down in history as the savior of the nation. To revive the economy, Roosevelt developed his “New Deal,” which was actually a reworking of Hoover’s ideas. By 1939, the consequences of the Depression were finally overcome and the American economy was preparing for a new takeoff.

Due to the Great Depression and disillusionment after World War I, Americans were extremely uncomfortable with the idea of ​​re-intervening in European affairs. At the same time, President Roosevelt understood that the Nazi regime could pose a serious threat to his country and wanted to somehow influence public opinion.

In 1939-40, the United States provided Europe exclusively with material support (this is how the Lend-Lease system appeared). America moved directly to military action only after the Japanese attack on the American base at Pearl Harbor in December 1941.

While Soviet troops were fighting on their own soil, American and British armies were fighting the Nazis and their allies in the Mediterranean region. In 1943-44, Great Britain and America managed to eliminate Mussolini and reach Rome, taking Italy out of the war. In 1943, at a meeting in Tehran, the leaders of the Big Three agreed to open a second front in Europe. The Normandy landing operation took place in the summer of 1944 and was called “Overlord.” The operation was commanded by Dwight Eisenhower, a talented organizer and experienced military man. The quick victory that the Allies were counting on could not be achieved: Hitler managed to prepare a plan for a counteroffensive in the Ardennes and began to implement it in December of the same year. The Battle of the Bulge lasted two months and became the bloodiest in American history. However, the efforts were not in vain, the Nazi troops were defeated and the war actually ended on the western front.

If in the West the American participation in the war was relatively small, then in the Pacific Ocean the main burden of the war fell on the United States. The fight with Japan was difficult and protracted, but towards the end of the war there was a definite turning point. In the summer of 1945, it was decided to test two models of the latest weapons developed by nuclear physicists in Japan, provided that the Japanese government rejected the offer of surrender. As a result, the world-famous tragedy occurred in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Disputes about how justified such a step by the American military were continue to this day.

"Cold War"

Soviet and American tanks are ready to open fire at Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin.

The United States was the only state that emerged from the Second World War not only not ruined, but also even richer and more developed than in pre-war period. The forced cooperation between the USA and the USSR during the war years has now come to naught and gradually turned into confrontation. Each of the powers was authoritative and powerful enough to lay claim to world leadership. In addition, Americans and Soviet citizens professed completely different, even opposite, values. In the USA they believed that the USSR was striving to establish communism throughout Eurasia, and in the USSR that the USA was using Lend-Lease and the system of international loans as a tool to spread its influence in other countries.

Further American foreign policy was determined by:

• “Truman Doctrine” (the United States stated that it had the right to defend the oppressed peoples of Europe);
• Marshall Plan (issuing loans to European countries);
• policy of “containment” (preventing the further spread of communism).

« Cold War“was the most important reason for the construction of the Berlin Wall, the long division of Germany and a number of other events in different parts of the world.

In the years Korean War(1950-1953) the Cold War actually moved into its “hot” phase for some time: after all, on the side South Korea American soldiers fought, and Soviet soldiers fought on the Northern side. However, the United States failed to achieve its goals in the region. The war brought disappointment to American society and led to the decline of Harry Truman's authority. The next president was a Republican, a hero of World War II - Dwight Eisenhower. Eisenhower was also a supporter of the policy of “containment,” but initially acted by different methods. He decided that the most important foreign policy actions were best carried out secretly, so he decided to rely not on the troops, but on the CIA formed in 1947. The CIA facilitated the coup in Iran and supported the French in Vietnam.

With Khrushchev coming to power, relations between the two countries warmed significantly. However, in 1957, the United States suffered a bitter disappointment: the USSR launched the world's first artificial satellite into Earth orbit, demonstrating significant technological superiority. And in 1959, the communist revolution won in Cuba and Fidel Castro came to power. The final cooperation between the two countries was destroyed by an incident in May 1960, when Soviet missilemen shot down an American spy plane over the territory of their country.

Despite the tense international situation, the “red hysteria” and the fact that huge sums from the budget were spent on military needs, the years 1945-1980 were an era of prosperity for America.

• The purchasing power of the population has increased significantly;
• The government stimulated private initiative and provided jobs;
• The first computers appeared, experiments began on creating wireless communication networks;
• NASA was born in 1958, and 11 years later the first man landed on the Moon;

A new era in American history began with John Kennedy coming to power in 1961. He planned to continue the policy of “containment,” but to use economic rather than military methods of pressure. However, Eisenhower's problematic legacy still made itself felt. The project of invasion of communist Cuba, conceived by the previous president, almost led in 1962 to a nuclear war between the USA and the USSR. Fortunately for the whole world, the two powers were able to come to an agreement and resolve the issue peacefully.

Lyndon Johnson, who came to the presidency after the death of Kennedy, was determined to militarize and expand the US sphere of influence abroad. After the failure of the US Marine landings in the Dominican Republic, the President focused on Southeast Asia, intending to stop the spread of communism in Vietnam. But the Vietnam War turned out to be much more difficult and grueling than the Americans first thought. Military failures affected Johnson's authority and Richard Nixon won the next presidential election in 1968.

Nixon advocated improving relations with the USSR and China, but at the same time declared that the whole world was a zone of US interests. The Americans elected the president because he promised to quickly end the Vietnam War, however, it continued. At the same time, North Vietnam and the Soviet soldiers who supported it had a clear advantage in the region. A wave of anti-government, pacifist protests arose in America, which forced Nixon to admit defeat in the war and urgently end hostilities.

The new president, Gerald Ford, adopted the foreign policy concept of the previous administration. At the same time, he took a serious step towards international detente: under him, the Helsinki Agreements of 1975 were signed, which protected state sovereignty and human rights.

Ford's successor, Jimmy Carter, was an idealist; he believed that the United States could be a fair guardian of peace and order. However, this did not achieve popularity either among supporters of the use of force abroad, or among pacifists who considered Carter a hypocrite. The final blow to Carter's authority came from two events: the capture of American diplomats in Tehran and the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan in 1979. By 1980, most politicians and citizens realized that an aggressive and costly militaristic policy was not justified.

In this alarming and turbulent era, the staunch conservative Ronald Reagan came to power - a supporter of limiting government intervention in the economy and a lover of loud statements. Under Reagan, the US national debt increased significantly, the stock market crashed and inflation began. Foreign policy was also extremely controversial: Reagan’s tough attitude towards communism did not prevent him from establishing relations with Mikhail Gorbachev. Changes in the USSR diverted the attention of Americans from Moscow; now the main foreign policy interest of the United States was Iran.

Recent US history

In 1988, George Bush Sr., a continuator of Reagan's policies, became the owner of the White House. Eastern European processes aimed at establishing democracy, which had little dependence on America, became a symbol of the triumph of American values ​​over communism. An important problem for Bush was the conflict with Saddam Hussein, the leader of Iraq and a former US ally. Due to foreign policy turmoil, Bush stopped being involved in the country's internal affairs, which led to an economic recession, the introduction of new taxes and, ultimately, the loss of the presidency.

Since Jimmy Carter, America's leaders have been Republicans. But in 1992, Democrat Bill Clinton won the election. His main election slogan there was concern about the economy. Clinton tried to maneuver between the two parties, but his dual policies, failures in relations with other countries and numerous scandals associated with him and his family led to his loss in the 2000 election.

A Republican, George W. Bush, returned to the presidency. He advocated expanding social programs and reducing taxes for ordinary Americans. From the very beginning of his presidency, Bush Jr. had to deal with the terrorist threat. First, envelopes containing anthrax were sent to many major US offices, and in 2001, Saudi terrorist Osama bin Laden organized a terrorist attack in New York. In the same year, the United States began to fight the Taliban movement based in Afghanistan, whose members provided shelter to bin Laden. And in 2003, hostilities began against Saddam Hussein. Bush Jr. was an active supporter of the deployment of US missile defense elements in Eastern Europe and the CIS countries. Despite constantly falling ratings, Bush Jr. managed to retain the presidency for two terms, until in 2009 he was forced to cede it to Democrat Barack Obama.

For many Americans, Obama symbolized a new progressive milestone in American history. Most of his domestic political reforms were aimed at expanding the rights and strengthening the position of citizens: increasing the number of medical services covered by insurance; allowing same-sex marriages; tax reduction. Obama finally succeeded in eliminating one of the most notorious terrorists of all time. world history– Osama bin Laden and begin to improve relations with Moscow. However, many Americans soon became disillusioned with their president. Although Obama managed to get Nobel Prize peace, he could not complete military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan for a very long time, which caused discontent among his electorate, and also organized a military invasion of Libya. Relations with Russia have also deteriorated. In 2017, after two presidential terms, Obama ceded the Oval Office to Republican Donald Trump, a famous entrepreneur and TV presenter.

The first settlers on the territory of what is now North America appeared 14 thousand years ago. However, the United States was formed and became a discovery for Europeans only a few centuries ago. In the prehistoric period, the mainland was inhabited by disunited tribes, and in the 11th century AD. The Scandinavian navigator Leif Eriksson reached the shores of North America. Behind a large number of growing vines on the mainland, he named it Vinland.

However, the official discoverer of America for Europeans is considered to be Christopher Columbus, an outstanding navigator who at the end of the 15th century landed on the island of Puerto Rico, as well as on the islands of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean. Soon after the discovery of the New World, the first European colonizers appeared on the mainland. This land of wealth and abundance was primarily claimed by England. The first permanent English colony was formed in 1607 year, and a few years later the Puritans arrived and founded the Plymouth Colony.

In the 18th century, colonists arrived from various European countries. By that time, the British had already founded 13 colonies on the Atlantic coast. The northern region of America, that is, Canada, was controlled by the French, with whom the British long time feuded over territorial issues. By the end of the century, England controlled the entire continent. IN 1776 During the reign of the first President George Washington, the most significant event took place in the United States, namely, the Declaration of Independence was signed. The main author of the document was T. Jefferson.

From this period, a new stage in the development of the country began, already as an independent state. Thomas Jefferson became the third president of the United States and carried out a number of major reforms. So, for example, in 1803 year he bought Louisiana from France, thereby almost doubling the country's territory. At the beginning of the 19th century, the young country was mired in contradictions. The most pressing issue was the abolition of slavery, since according to the Declaration of Independence, “all men are born equal.”

A. Lincoln, who became the 16th President of America, managed to resolve this issue in the country. Civil War (1861-1865) ended slavery and united all states into one. Within a few years, the United States was already one of the leading industrial powers. However, rapid economic growth had its pitfalls. Large companies began to unite into trusts, trying to create a monopoly in the market. Then, the federal government had to introduce a number of new laws restricting trade. ­

The beginning of the 19th century was marked by the First World War. Despite the efforts of President W. Wilson to maintain neutrality, 1917 The United States still had to participate in the war. IN 1929 The stock market collapsed and the Great Depression began, which lasted almost 10 years. This economic crisis has affected the entire world, but most significantly the United States, Canada and European powers.

IN 1939 In the same year, another war broke out in Europe - World War II. The United States again declared its neutrality, but 1941 a year after the defeat of Pearl Harbor, they entered the war against Japan and its allies. The post-war period was marked by tense relations with the Soviet Union. This was the so-called “Cold War”. IN 1969 year, a spacecraft was launched to the Moon for the first time with N. Armstrong on board.