Asian Americans.

When Christopher Columbus "discovered" America, he found some people there. He thought these people were from Asia. Part of what he said was right. The first Americans came in the last Ice Age which was about 100,000 to 10,000 years ago. During that period of time, thick sheets of Ice, called Glaciers spread out and covered almost one third of the Earth surface. These sheets stretched as far down as KY. The Glaciers changed the lands that it covered. When it vanished, it left behind great heaps of Earth and Rock.  Scientists believed that the Bering Sea was frozen in this period, and that's how I believed the future Native Americans came here. They may have reached here as early as 70,000 years ago. One of the causes of why they came could have been for food. The mammoths came here, so people they came here too because they hadn't yet learned farming. The temperature probably started raising about 10,000 years ago, by this time the bering sea started melting, the food was hard to find because the mammoths were dying of warmness, but the Native Americans didn't die out so fast as the mammoths did, they adapted themselves to the new geographic regions, and 5,000 years ago they learned how to grow crops such as corn, beans, and squash.     Click here for animation.     Q- Did the Native Americans learn farming 7,000 years ago?      -      Back to menu.

 

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Exploring Americas.

Introduction.       Christopher Columbus officially had discovered America for Europe, but this is only because there is not enough proofs to say that the Vikings or other culture from Europe were the discoverers.            Do you believe that the Vikings were the first Europeans here?. In 1000 A.C. times there were hardly anyone that knew the real stories, because there wasn't a good way of communication, and is hard to believe that they were saying the truth. The majority of people didn't know how to write. So the stories were passed along by words, and the people back then had to memorize everything, so I guess, that if someone forgot a part of the story, replaced with whatever they wanted. While some scientist try to find more written stories that were made back then, others try to find proof that the stories that are passed along by words were true (or not). People at that time also had beliefs of gods like Thor and Odin so a lot of times they apply these gods to the stories. Because of these facts , everyone assumes that Christopher Columbus was the discover.      Q- Who discovered Vinland for the Vikings and when approximately?     Erik the Red 920. Erik the Red 1001. Leif Erikson 1001. Leif Erikson 870.     Please click here for an animation of the the Viking's discovery.        Every one admires what Christopher Columbus did because he convinced the Queen of Spain to finance his trip. He didn't know were he was going and he didn't know where he was when he got there, even so, the Queen was very please for what he had done. From a start, the Spanish wanted the land of America for several reasons. They wanted to find gold and build towns and plantations in the Americas. In addition, they wanted to make the indians become Christians, but in the process of making the indians believe in Christianity, the made them slaves.    Christopher Columbus. Back to top. The trip.         Christopher Columbus trip lasted about two months, very bad months for the passengers of the three ships, the Niña, the Santa Maria, and the Pinta. They were very afraid because this was the first time they been so far from home. Everyone wanted to give up, and go back home, but Christopher Columbus and the captains of the other ships didn't, so they always found a way to make them think that everything was great. He was threatened with death, and he was afraid of it, but his desires were greater than the threats, so to comfort the people, he lied about the distance he covered. For example, if they made 100 miles through the sea, he would tell the crew that it was only 80 miles that they went that day. Christopher Columbus also use another kind defense to make them believe that they would get to the Indies safe. He started talking about the things that would happen if they found the Indies, how proud everyone would be of them, and what great honor they would have. Though, that didn't made so much difference, they did get nervous, they wanted to comeback to Spain. Think about how bad this trip would be, with same old piece of bread and wine every day, that was, if you were lucky to get some food. They didn't have much to do, a lot of them had families. Getting false news about finding the Indies happened when the Captains of the other ships thought they spotted land but really didn't and this also made the crew very angry. One fine day in August 1492, there wasn't a false news, they had finally found land. Back to top       What happened when they got to the Americas.          Like Christopher Columbus said when they discovered the land, they were very proud and arrogant. From far away they noticed that there was civilization at the lands, they saw some brown colored, naked humans, which wasn't the description that Marco Polo had. Columbus and the captains of the other ships were the first ones to come to the island with the flag of Spain in October 12 of 1492. They found out that the people were very friendly, they didn't have any guns to protect themselves, they were helpful, and also very civilized. The Native Americans were so friendly that they gave every gold piece that they had. Christopher Columbus told his tribulation not to take anything with them without giving something in trade, but still they did that. Back to top.       Going Back Home.          After some days of collecting gold, animals, fruit, and other things that would show that they found land, they started to think about to going back to Spain and tell the good news to the King and Queen of Spain.      Back to menu

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New England Colonies.

After the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus, most European countries started to take over the newly discovered lands.               Unlike Central and South America, North America was governed by more than one country. New England was divided in 13 Colonies. They were Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, North and South Carolina, and Georgia. New England also governed some Islands in the north of St. Lawrence River and part of Canada.                  France was governing lands that were next to the great lakes, Ohio, St. Lawrence, and west of Mississippi River, the lands of the French went west until about Utah, Idaho, and Arizona. This was mostly because in 1534 Jacques Cartier discovered the St. Lawrence. They were better in governing the land because they had only one government.                 Spain was governing the parts of the North America which now would be Florida, New Mexico, Texas, and California. They also owned the Central and South America.                Trading and commercializing in the Americas was very, very hard, because there wasn't a lot of people. The good part of this was that there was a lot of good land there and they could use them however they wanted. The English Colonies were more financially stable than the others because they were more populated than the others.               John Cabot was the one that discovered North America for Britain in 1497. Since then more and more people had come to the Americas mostly because it was to them an alternative to British rule, and because of their religious beliefs.    Q- Who Discovered the Colonies for England?    1) Christopher Columbus. 2) John Cabot. 3) Jacques Cartier.   DQ- What was the most important reason that the English came here?   1) Religion. 2) They wanted to sell the land later for a better prize. 3) Second opportunity for the debtors.      Back to menu.

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Pennsylvania Colony.

Pennsylvania was colonized by people seeking a place where they could worship as they pleased. In 1680, William Penn whose father was a great friend of King Charles II, wanted land in the New England, mostly because there, he could worship freely. So the King gave him the land for three reasons. 1) The king thought that all the Quakers would go with him and England would get rid of them. 2) If William Penn settle there with his followers, England would have more stronger hold of the land that they had claimed. 3) The king owed William Penn, and this was a cheap way of paying it because at that time, the lands in North America was considered not very valuable.                William Penn wanted to call the land New Wales, but there were people in England who objected that name. So he was going to name it Sylvania, which is the Latin word for "forest", however, King Charles wanted to honor William's father, so the king named it Pennsylvania.       Pennsylvania became one of the best Colonies of England. In 1710, Philadelphia, which was the colony's biggest city, was the largest city in American colonies.                  In the 1700's Pennsylvania played a big role for the independence from Great Britain. Philadelphia held the First Continental Congress in 1774 to discuss how to resolve troubles in England. It also held the Second Continental Congress in July 4, 1776 to adopt the Declaration of Independence. There were a lot of battles in Pennsylvania in the Revolution. George Washington and his troop spent cold winters at the Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.                Washington, D.C. is the capital of United States since 1800, but it wasn't like that always. Between the period of 1776 and 1800, the nations capital was located in Pennsylvania. Lancaster served as capital for one day in 1777, York served as capital for nine months in 1777-1778, and Philadelphia served as the country's capital four different times lasting from 1790 to 1800. The constitution of the United States of America was created in Philadelphia. Back to top.      Q- What was not one of the reasons why the King George the II let Penn have the Colony of Pennsylvania?   1) He could get rid of the Catholics. 2) He could get rid of the Quakers. 3) The King thought it was a cheap way of paying the money he owed to William. 4) Stronger hold of the Colonies.    Native Americans in Pennsylvania.          People first came to the area which now is called Pennsylvania at least 10,000 years ago. By the 1600s, there were about 15,000 Indians living in the area of Pennsylvania. Most of them belonged to several tribes called "Delaware", the "Susquehannock", the "Erie", and the "Monongahela". These Tribes hunted, fished, raised crops, and worshiped many gods. -Please see Delaware Tribey for more information.-     Q- Did the Native Americans come here because of food? Click here to find the answer.   -  Back to top. Back to menu.

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Delaware Colony.

Delaware is a very small state that lies along the Atlantic Coast of the eastern United States. Pennsylvania is Delaware's neighboring state to the north.              For many centuries Lenni-Lenape (later know as the Delaware) lived in Delaware. In 1638 the first settlers began arriving from Sweden. Delaware was part of their only American colony, which was named as New Sweden. They were the first ones to build cabins and logs here in America. After on seventeen years, New Sweden was taken by the Dutch in 1655. New Netherlands (Dutch's colony) didn't last very long either, in 1664 England captured it. Now Delaware became one of the 13 colonies. Most of the time, Delaware was controlled by the Penn family which lived in Pennsylvania.               When the Americans begin to rebel against the British, most people from this State wanted to keep the things as they were, yet they fought Independence. After the revolution, Delaware was the first State to sign the United States Constitution. The fact of being the first State to sign the constitution gave Delaware it's nickname, First State. Delaware also played an important role at the Civil War (1861-1865), which they fought with the Union (people were against slavery and which didn't wanted the Confederate of the United States to happen).              In the 1800s the way people earned their lives living was changing in many states, including Delaware. In the early 19th. century, manufacturing grew rapidly in Delaware. A famous person was E.I. du Pont who started a gunpowder factory at Brandywine Creek near  Wilmington , Delaware, in 1801 which grew into the world's largest chemical firm. A number of other companies also set up headquarters in Wilmington, which later became know as the "Chemical Capital of the World".  In addition, factories that made iron and steel products, leather goods, and cloth  products were built in Delaware's cities during the 1800s.    Q- What did Delaware do to have it's nick name "First state."?   1) Sign the Declaration of Independence. 2) Sign the Articles of Confederation. 3) Sign the constitution.   Back to top.     Delaware tribe.           The name of the State of Delaware was used also by the Englishman to name the tribe that lived in Pennsylvania. The name of the tribe is not really Delaware, it's name is Lenni Lanape, which meant "Genuine people" or "Original People". The population of the Delaware tribe varied between dozens to a few hundred. They had two kinds of dwellings - longhouse and wigwams. Both mother and father provided food for the family. The mother grew crops, such as corn, beans, and squash. The women also gathered berries and roots to feed their families. As always, the men did the hunting. Some of the animal that they hunted were deer, bears, and many kinds of game birds. They used bows and arrows to hunt and nets and bone hooks to fish. They used almost everything from the animals. Skins of animal were made into clothes and blankets. Small bones were made into hooks. Feathers, porcupine quills, and colorful corn kernels were used as decorations.               When the children began to walk they helped the family's work. Little kids watch the field and scare the birds away from the growing crops. Older girls helped their mothers to plant, harvest, and cook. Older boys learned how to hunt and make tools for hunting.      Q- Who Provided food for the family?   1) The man. 2) The women. 3) The man and the women.   Back to top.  Back to menu.

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Virginia Colony.

Past, far away past.          Many times, in a far, far distant past, much of what is now Virginia west of the Blue Ridge was flooded by ancients seas. Then the shrinking of the earth squeezed enormous folds of the rocky layers of the earth into the air, forming the ancestors of today's Appalachian Mountains. Over the years wind and waters wore these ranges almost level, then the were raised up again, and again three times. The precipitation average in a year is 45 inches (114 centimeters).            The greatest part of Virginia's land was ruled by Wahunsonacock, or Powhatan, just before the Colonists came here. He was like a king. He welded a confederacy of thirty separate kingdoms under his autocratic rule. The confederacy included as many as 161 villages, with an army of 2400 trained warriors. When Captain John Smith came to Virginia and visited the principal indian capital of Werowocomoco, he wrote that he found the "Emperor proudly lying upon a Bedstead a foote high, upon tenn or twelve mattes, richly hung with manie Chaynes of great Pearles about necke, and covered with great Covering of Rajaughcums. At head sat a woman,  at his feete another; on each side sitting upon a Matte uppon the ground, were raunged his chiefe men on each side the fire, tenne in a ranke, and behind them as many yong women, each a great Chaine of white Beades over their shoulders, their heades painted in redde: and with such a grave Majesticall countenance, as drave me into admiration..."           In 1497 British explorer John Cabot explorer the northern shoreline of North America. Later, the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth the third claimed for Her Majesty all vast region north of the lands of Spain, and named it Virginia after her. Both England and Spain laid claim to this region. As early as 1680's Spanish Jesuit missionaries had set up a mission on the banks of Aquia Creek in the Potomac region, though they failed in the mission of making the Indians turn to Christianity because they were massacred by them. In 1606 King James I of England chartered two companies to colonize Virginia. The London Company who ruled Virginia south of Chesapeake Bay and the Plymouth Company ruled the north of Virginia (roughly everything everything north of Chesapeake Bay).           On April 26, 1607, three little ships, the Discovery, the Godspeed, and the Flagship Susan Constant landed on what is now Virginia Beach. The people set up a cross to give thanks to the God at arriving in the New World. They named the place where they landed Cape Henry, and the opposite cape of this they named Cape Charles, to honor the king's son. The colonists moved slowly up the great Chesapeake Bay on May 14 of 1607, and in the next morning, the very first Virginians went ashore, they built a tiny fort and named in James Towne in honor to the king, later it became know as Jamestown.           When they landed John Smith was in chains for a minor reason, but later he was freed because he was supposed to be one of the members of the governing council. Gradually he became a acknowledged leader. A large number of the Virginians were very arrogant, and consider themselves "Gentlemen" too dignified for ordinary labor. John Smith later in the year was captured by Indians and taken to Powhatan's capital of Werowocomoco. Powhatan was going to kill Smith because of some problems that they had, one of the problems was that England was taking over Indian land. Just before he killed him the 13 year old princess threw her body over Smith to protect him and save his life. With this act, Indians became a little bit more friendly with the colonists, they helped them with supplies and things that they needed. In October of 1609 Captain John Smith went back to England because he had some severe injuries and he had to be treated in England. The winter of that year (1609-1610) became know as the "starving time." When the winter started the population of Jamestown was five hundred, and by may only sixty-five of them survived. These people that survived were going back to England but just 14 miles away they met Lord De la Warr, who came from England with supplies and new settlers, they were encouraged by this.             Next Few years the colony began to rebuild. The Indians became more unfriendly. By 1614 John Rolphe had become the leader of the colony. He promoted the growing of tobacco, which proved to be a successful crop. He also married princess Pocahontas, who has been brought to Jamestown as a hostage. Since then Powhatan kept his people generally quiet until his death in 1618. In 1619 the colony was divided into eleven regularly established plantations. An election was held to choose two representatives from each of the eleven plantations of the colony to form a "House of Burgesses." This year also was the year of the first arrival of the first European women and the first blacks, these blacks were not to be slaved, but came as indentured servants who would be free after a while. After the death of Powhatan, King Opechancanough ruled the region. He pretended friendship with settlers but had plans to drive them from the country. On March 22, 1622, along a 140 mile front covering most of the colonized are the indians attacked and killed 347 settlers, they might have succeeded completely if it wasn't by Chanco, and Indian youth who was converted to Christianity. Virginia was hard to recover from this massacre. Plans to convert the Indians to Christianity and give them education were abandoned, the colonists build a palisade across the peninsula as protection from the Indians. The Aged Opechancanough made his last effort in 1644, but failed. He was captured and carried wounded on a stretcher to Jamestown. There he was shot by a soldier who was supposed to have been protecting him.            The London Company charter had been repealed in 1624. By this time Virginia was ruled as a royal colony. King I recognized the House of Burgesses in 1628, and as early 1635 the House of Burgesses had been able to cause the removal of one royal governor. In 1660 Sir William Berkeley was the governor of Virginia, but he wasn't a good governor because he didn't defend the Colony from western Indian attack. One of the protesters was Nathaniel Bacon was angry and he had a lot of followers. Later Bacon virtually took over the government and Berkeley fled to eastern shore. When Berkeley returned to Jamestown, Bacon and his followers set the town on fire and Bacon wrote the "America's first Declaration of Independence." Bacon wrote that if England upheld Berkeley, the people of Virginia would fight for their liberties or leave the colony. He made a trip around Virginia trying to tell the people to stand firm, but he died on the trip with a fever. After Bacon's death Berkeley hanged twenty of Bacon's leader without trial, and robed their lands. The King Charles II didn't liked this and said, "That old fool has hanged more men in that naked country than I have done here for the murder of my father."            The first battle in the Revolution War took place at the Great Bridge on December 9, 1775, when Virginia militia defeated Lord Dunmore. On May 6, 1776, the fifth Virginia Convention meeting at Williamsburg declared the colony to be a free and independent commonwealth (almost the same meaning as "State"). On June 7 Richard Henry Lee suggest to the Continental Congress accept the Declaration of Independence. On June 12 Virginia adopted the George Mason's Bill of Rights and then adopted a constitution which lasted more than 50 years. The Bill of Rights was later used as a model for the U.S. bill of rights. In 1779 Patrick Henry was the Virginia's Governor, he made great speeches telling the people make temselves independent from England, one of his great know parts a speech was "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death".  On May 20, 1781 Lord Charles Cornwallis arrived to Virginia and soon began to pursue Lafayette, who was a French General. Lafayette joined Anthony Wayne and they pushed Cornwallies to his final destination, Yorktown. Meanwhile enforcement from France and General Washington were coming to Yorktown to reinforce Lafayette's trop. Admiral Francois Joseph Paul de Grasse was defeating British navy and kept it from bringing reinforcements to Lord Charles Cornwallis. On October 18, 1781 Britain was negotiating the surrender after there wasn't no place to escape for Cornwallis, from this time on, Americans were free. After that (six year later) the Colony was governed by the Articles of Confederation, the new, and first president of this new independent country was George Washington. Virginia became the tenth State of the United State, accepting the constitution in June of 1788. George Washington came from this particular commonwealth, or State. Virginia took a lot of leadership on the country after knowing that Washingto, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe were all president and all Virginians, the only one that governed the country on that period and was not a Virginian was John Adams.  Q- Who did Virginia defeat on the first battle of the Revolution War?  1- William Berkeley. 2- John Murray Dunmore. 3. Paul de Grasse.  DQ- How many amendments did the Virginian delegates want on the constitution?  1- At least 25. 2- At least 35. 3- At least 40.  Back to top. Back to menu.