The first people on the American continent were prehistoric hunters, who crossed a now-submerged Bering Strait.They came from Asia and it was about 35000 years ago.

They spread through the American continent and settled also the territory of today’s US.

At first , they were living from hunting and gathering , but since 8th millenium BC

They started to grow potatoes in the Rocky mountains,legumes , corn and maniok in Mexico and California.First known culture was Adenian(?),which appeared in Northern America before 3000 years. They builded underground buildings. On it continued Hopewellian(?) culture, which arised in the lowland of river Ohio about 100 BC. From year 700 we have information about Hohokamian(?) culture, which came into being in territory of Arizona.We know, that they could build irrigation canals.In Northern America lived about 40 million of Indians.

Most of the people think, that America have been discovered first by Christopher Columbus, but the first european saiors, who reached coasts of America were Vikings. They put to sea under the leadership of Leif Eriksson from Greenland and landed in Vinland (today’s massachussetts).Vikings established a few colonies on the East coast, but soon they have been pushed out by huge predominance of native inhabitants.

On the 12th October 1492 Christopher Columbus, sent by Spanish king Ferdinand with 3 ships to find new, better and shorter way to India, reached the Bahama Islands. It started the new era of human history, which helped many european countries, but represented destruction for majority of native people and their culture, art and lifestyle. Since 1492 America served exclusively as a colonial land, at the 1st time mainly for Spain which settled Florida, Texas, Mexico, California and islands in Gulf of Mexico. France held the Lousianna territory in the middle of the land, but there were also Duthch who established New Amsterdam in 1626 and Swedish with Fort Christina. The most important among these nations were English, who settled east coast of today’s Us, their first colony was Jamestown.The stream of colonists increased after Henry VIII. Performed his reformation of the Church in 1534.In 1619 first black slaves were delivered from africa and in 1636 was founded Harvard and Yale university. Since the 2nd half of 17th century England began to dominate as a colonial superpower.