2. The most important historical events in the united states

About A.D. 1000, a party of Icelandic Vikings under the command of Leif Ericson sailed to the eastern coast of North America. They landed at the place they called Vinland and established some settlements. But their stay at this land was not long. The Vikings soon sailed back to their cold country and lost contact with the new continent.

In 1492 Christopher Columbus landed on one of the Bahamas Islands, and Portuguese colonists started to settle there. The Spaniards conquered most of Latin and Central America, and founded some settlements in North America: St. Augustine in Florida, Santa Fe in New Mexico and San Diego in California.

The first successful British colony was Jamestown in Virginia, founded in 1607. But the settlements of English Puritans in New England are better known. Because of religious disputes some families of English Puritans decided to look for a better life and religious freedom on the new continent. One of these groups crossed the Atlantic Ocean on the ship “Mayflower” and settled in Plymouth in 1620.

They hoped to build “a city upon a hill” – an ideal community. Other strict believers settled in the Boston area, while more tolerant Puritans moved to Rhode Island. Roman Catholics settled in Maryland and Quakers in Pennsylvania, where German farmers joined them. The Swedes settled in Delaware, and also African slaves were first brought to Virginia in 1619. The Dutch founded New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island. So in this way America developed into a melting pot of nations and cultures.

By 1733 English settlers occupied 13 colonies along the Atlantic Ocean coast. The French controlled Canada and Louisiana. In 1763 as a result of the Seven Years War between England and France, Canada and all the territory east of the Mississippi River became English.

Conflicts between the colonies and England increased. New taxes on sugar, coffee and textile were introduced and the colonies started to protest. They were afraid that these new taxes would make trade more difficult, and England would use its soldiers to forcefully take away from the colonists the civil liberties they enjoyed. And in fact, when the colonies refused to obey the orders of the British Empire, English soldiers were sent to Boston.

In 1773 a group of American patriots responded to the tea tax by staging the Boston Tea Party. Disguised as Indians they boarded three British merchant ships and dumped all the tea that was on them into Boston Harbor. The British government closed the port of Boston to shipping, limiting the independence of the Massachusetts colonial government. Colonies began to store weapons and ammunitions and organize their own military units - militias. In 1775 colonist leaders gathered in Philadelphia and formed the Continental Congress, which started to function as a national government. George Washington became the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army and navy. After several years of fighting, the British government asked for peace. And in 1783 the independence of the USA was recognized.

After lengthy and detailed discussions in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, two important documents were adopted - the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the Constitution of the United States (1778).

REVISION MATERIAL

Answer the questions.

1. What do you know about the Iberians?

2. Who invaded England first?

3. When did the Celts come?

4. What do you know about the Iberians?

5. How did the Celts look like in times of war?

6. What do you know about the occupations of the Celts, their arms and their social system?

2. Who invaded England in the 1^st century A.D.?

3. How did the way of life in the Roman Empire differ from the life of the Celts in the 1^st century A.D.?

4. By what means did the Romans secure their position in Britain?

5. How did the Roman way of life influence the life of the Celts?

6. When did the Germanic tribes (the Anglo-Saxons) invade Britain?

7. Where did the Germanic tribes come from?

8. What changes did the new conquerors bring to Britain?

9. What was the fate of the Celts?

10. What were the customary methods of cultivating the land?

11. Describe the Anglo-Saxon village.

12. Why was the unification of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in one kingdom in the 9th century necessary?

13. How did the Danish settlers in England influence development of the country in the 10^th – 11^th centuries?

14. How was the united kingdom of England governed in the 10^th – 11^th centuries?

15. How did the Danish king Canute secure his power in England?

16. Why were the Danes’ raids successful?

17. Who became king of Denmark, Norway and England in 1017?

18. What country did he make the centre of his power?

19. What did he divide country into?

20. What were they called?

21. Who came to the throne after the death of Canute?

22. Where had the Normans settled down?

23. How did the French people differ from the Normans?

24. Who began to gather an army to invade Britain in 1066?

25. What did William want?

26. What did William begin preparations for?

27. What was built to carry the army across the Channel?

28. Where did the battle between the Normans and Anglo-Saxons take place?

29. What was the beginning of the Norman Conquest?

30. How many years did it take for William and his barons to subdue the whole England?

31. Who became the king of England in 1066?

32. How many years did William 1 rule England for?

33. Were there any uprisings in the North of England?

34. What did William do to put an end to those uprisings?

35. What are the most important events in the history of the USA?

REFERENCES

1. Веклич Ю.І. Країнознавство. Курс лекцій. – К.: КМПУ ім. Б.Д. Грінченка, 2004. – С. 16-59.

2. Веклич Ю.І. Англомовні країни (English-speaking Countries): навч.-метод. Посібн. З країнознавства для студентів вищ.навч.закл./Ю.І. Веклич, С.В. Соколовська. – К.: ун-т імені Бориса Грінченка, 2011. – С. 14-17.

3. По Великій Британії: Навч. посібник з курсу “Країнознавсво” / Укладач Н.Ф. Вовченко. – К.: Знання. – С.11-37.

4. Полупан А.П., Полупан В.Л., Махова В.В. Англоязычные страны. Книга для чтения. – Х.: Країна мрій, 2002. – С.33-44; 101-110.