Christopher Columbus
We all know by now that Columbus took the honour for discovering America, but the truth is not exactly like that... Leiv Eriksson, a Norwegian Viking was the first to discover the huge continent - after the Indians of course, and he called the country "Vineland". This area was what we now call New Foundland. Still, the "Columbus discovery" is still standing, and the truth is that he didn't even know that he had discovered a new continent, he actually believed that he had reached India by the sea. This is the reason why he called the natives Indians. Columbus got the mission from the catholic  King and Queen in Spain, Isabel and Fernando. In 1492, he came to the land he thought was India, and he called it San Salvador. First he made friends with the native people, but the imperialist in him and the white people were stronger, and we know the sad history that followed........ The Indians were also exposed to diseases and illnesses that the white people brought, and numerous natives actually died of catching a cold. This because their immune defense couldn't handle these new bacteria.
The Pilgrim Fathers
After the discovery of America, the Europeans saw the opportunity to a new start. Religious persecutions were daily life for many people, and during the 15.th century a lot of people became martyrs for their belief. A group of puritans called the Pilgrim Fathers crossed the Atlantic in 1620 with the boat "Mayflower". They founded the state Massachusetts, and started their own religious centre there. It soon came to war between the new settlers and the natives about land.
The American Revolution
The American Revolution ended two centuries of British rule for most of the North American colonies and created the modern United States of America. It started in the 16.th century with war between France and England. They fought about  who was to rule over the colonies. England won the war, and demanded tax money from USA. The colonists didn't agree, and avoid.....
The Boston tea Party
On May 10, 1773, the British parliament authorized the East India Co to export half a million pounds of tea to the American colonies with the privileges of tax and duties. With these privileges, the company could undersell American merchants and monopolize the colonial tea trade. This was not the first time the American colonists were treated unfairly by the British, regarding to the sugar and stamp taxation that were already put on them before. The Tea Act of 1773 was the last straw, and the colonists gathered in a patriot group which they called the Sons of Liberty. On November 27, 1773, three ships from the East India Co., named the Dartmouth, Eleanor and the Beaver, loaded with tea landed at Boston and were prevented from unloading their goods. Fearing that the tea would be put  customs duties on, and eventually become available for sale, the Sons of Liberty led by Samuel Adams got ready to act.... December 16.th they entered each of the ships, and threw the tea over board in front of thousands of silent spectators.... June 17, 1775 - The first major fight between British and American troops occurs at Boston in the Battle of Bunker Hill. The British succeed in taking the hill, but at a loss of half their force, over a thousand casualties, with the Americans losing about 400, including important colonial leader, General Joseph Warren. July 3, 1775 - At Cambridge, Massachusetts, George Washington (he was later to become the first American President) takes command of the Continental Army which now has about 17,000 men.
The battle goes on constantly, but George Washington and his troops slowly takes control, and the victory ends with "The Declaration of Independence" 4.th of July 1776 - USA was an independent country...
The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington was the first president.
Slavery
After the revolution, new areas took shape, and the demand of  workers on the enormous plantations were huge. Sugar and cotton were grown, and especially the south states grew rapidly. In 1789, St. Domingue was the world's most prosperous colony, and the pride of France. The colony was the envy of all other imperialist nation. The plantations needed labour, and the slave trade fully started. The imperialists, mainly from England, travelled to the African coast and bought slaves, and sailed to America with ships full of negroslaves. They then returned to Europe with goods as tobacco, alcohol and arms. The north states developed industry, while the south states grew cotton by using slaves. This was a reason for conflicts between north and south, and the south states wanted to part from the union. The plantation owners in the south had become very rich by using free labour, but some people from the north states claimed that using slaves was a crime against the declaration of Independence. The conflict led to a civil war.
The American Civil War
The slavery conflict led to the American Civil war (1861-1865). The North States won the war, and slavery was forbidden. The South states were included in the union again. However we know that some of the plantation owners still maintained slaves after the war, but officially the African slaves were free people.
Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln was president for the North States during the war, and led his troops to victory. He is regarded as the most popular American president through the history. His popularity grew even more after he was killed in the theatre quite after the war by a mental disturbed man.
USA - during the 20-ties and 30-ties
The roaring twenties has become a common saying all over the world. After the World War 1, the Americans needed some happiness and glamour in their lives. New industry grew rapidly, and entertainment became commercialised for the first time. New fashions within clothes and hairstyles and dances as Charleston became popular among young people. Europe copied these new trends, and a new era made daily life easier for people. The mafia with Al Capone as the Big Boss, made sure that liquor was available even though it was prohibited. The American mafia grew very prosperous through people's demand for entertainment of various kind. People started to put their money into the stock market, and economy grew, everybody thought........ The twenties ended of course, and so did the glamour.
The depression
October 29, 1929: The Wall Street break down: The stocking market collapsed, and sent numerous people into the darkest depression. A lot of people lost everything they had, and the money they had invested were often borrowed means. Unemployment was the hard reality for thousands of people, and it was not only broke businessmen who committed suicide.... The depression reached Europe and Norway without mercy....
New Deal
Something had to be done. Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected as a new president, and he understood that everything had to change in all sides of the society. He started a new programme called New Deal which focused on creating jobs, and getting people into work. He ordered the construction workers to build new roads, hospitals, schools and airports. The workers earned money again, and stimulated the economy by buying things (especially cars). He managed to stimulate the world economy, and became one of the most popular president besides Lincoln.
John F. Kennedy
The assassination of President Kennedy in Dallas in 1963 is one of the most - if not the most discussed case in modern American history. John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born on the 29th of May 1917. His family came originally from Ireland and he grew up in a family of nine children in Bronxville, New York. John joined the Navy in 1941. He participated in WWII and was awarded medals for his heroic efforts at sea. In 1953 he got married to Jacqueline Bouvier. John and Jackie were looked upon as very important persons in the USA. One could almost say that they had the position of a king and queen in the republic.. In 1960 he was elected President of the United States. Then he was only 43 years old and the youngest president ever. J FK was looked upon as an dynamic president and a charismatic personality. He also experienced sever challenges in his time as President, like the Bay of Pigs and the Cold War. John F. Kennedy was president for only three years. In November 1963 he and his wife visited Dallas. Three shots were fired and the last bullet hit and killed him. The man who was belived to be the killer - Lee Harvey Oswald - was arrested only few hours later. He was killed before he could stand trial.
The Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a political protest against the racial segregation on public transportation. It started on December 1, 1955, when the courageous woman Rosa Park refused to give up her seat to a white man. She was arrested by the police and this led to a widespread bus boycott in Montgomery Alabama. The boycotters organised a carpool that provided transportation to those who needed it. Others walked, rode mules or travelled by horse drawn carriages. The boycott was very effective and the segregation of African-American and whites came to an end on Montgomery buses. This victory is recognised as the spark of the Civil Rights Movement.
Martin Luther King
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by their character. I have a dream today." Martin Luther King I have a dream, 1963 This is from one of Martin Luther King's most famous speeches. He is known as the leader of America’s greatest nonviolent movement for justice, equality and peace. Martin Luther King was born in 1929, Atlanta, Georgia. Both his father and grand father were pastors in the Baptist Church. Mr. King also studied theology and became pastor of the Baptist Church. Martin Luther King is most famous for his fight for the Civil Rights Movement. For participating in civil rights activities, he was arrested thirty times. In 1964 he got the Nobel Peace prize for his efforts in the struggle for civil rights. On April 4th 1968 Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed. A man was arrested and convicted of the crime, but there were speculations about a conspiracy which included the federal government. The third Monday of January is made a national holiday, Martin Luther King Day celebrating the birth and life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
11th of September
The day that will be remembered all over the world for the cruel act of terror. Four planes were hijacked by terrorists and attempted crashed into strategic targets in the USA.Two of the planes crashed into the World Trade Centre in New York and ruined the buildings completely. In addition to this it is estimated that about 4000 people lost their lives. The World Trade Centre were the financial centre in America and played a significant role in western economy. The third plane crashed into the Pentagon in Washington. The material damages were not that extensive but also here were several lives lost. The Pentagon is the military headquarter in America.The fourth hijacked plane didn't reach its target. Passengers crashlanded the plane in a field in Sommerset County, Pennsylvania. All the passengers lost their lives. This act of terror shocked and horrified the entire world and led to an American attack on Afganisthan to chase the responsible. The war is called "The War against Terror". Most western countries support the American attack.