American History for Tijn's Website

2. SUBJECTS
• DISCOVERY
• NATIVE AMERICANS
• SLAVERY
• INDUSTRY
• INFORMATION

3. DISCOVERY
• 1: WHO DISCOVERED AMERICA?
THE FIRST PERSON TO DISCOVER AMERICA IS CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS.
ALTHOUGH THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE WHO FOUND IT FIRST. ALTHOUGH THEY
DIDN’T CLAIM IT. COLUMBUS WAS AN ITALIAN WHO SAILED FROM SPAIN IN
1492.
• 2. WHY WERE THEY LOOKING FOR IT?
COLUMBUS WAS LOOKING FOR A DIFFERENT TRADING ROUTE WITH ASIAN
COUNTRIES. AND COLUMBUS THOUGHT HE HAD FOUND IT. HE WAS NOT
AWARE THAT THIS WAS NOT ASIA, BUT A NEW CONTINENT
• 3. WHY IS IT CALLED AMERICA?
EVEN THOUGH IT WAS NOT WHAT HE WAS LOOKING FOR. PEOPLE CALLED IT
‘’THE NEW LAND’’ AND THEY WANTED TO LIVE THERE TO ESCAPE FROM
GOVERNMENTS, RELIGION AND OTHER LAWS. A DIFFERENT MAN CALLED
AMERICO VESPUCCI DISCOVERED IT WAS NOT ASIA. WHEN PEOPLE
CONFIRMED THIS. THEY CHANGED IT TO AMERICA, SINCE EVERY CONTINENT
HAS A FEMALE NAME, THEY TOOK THE FEMALE VERSION OF HIS FIRST NAME.
1. WHO DICOVERVED AMERICA?
2. WHY WERE THEY LOOKED FOR IT?
3. WHY IS IT CALLED AMERICA?

4. NATIVE AMERICANS
1. WHAT IS THE CORRECT WAY OF ADDRESSING NATIVE
AMERICANS?
PEOPLE CALL THEM ‘’INDIANS’’, WHICH IS INCORRECT. INDIANS ARE PEOPL
FROM INDIA. IF YOU WANT TO BE POLITICAL CORRECT, YOU CALL THEM
‘’NATIVE AMERICANS’’. BUT AMERINDIANS IS ALSO AN ACCEPTABLE NAME.
2. WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?
AMERINDIANS (NATIVE AMERICANS) HAVE BEEN THERE SINCE THE LAST
ICE AGE, PEOPLE BELIEVE THEY WENT OVER THE ICE FROM RUSSIA TO
ALASKA. AND MADE THEIR WAY DOWN OVER THE NEXT HUNDERS OF
YEARS.
3. WHAT HAPPEND WHEN THEY DISCOVERED THE
EUROPEAN
THAT REALLY DEPENDS ON WHO THE EUROPEANS ENCOUNTERED. SOME
TRIBES OF NATIVE AMERICANS WERE FRIENDLY. THEY THOUGHT THE
EUROPEAN HOW TO FARM AND FISH. BUT SOME TOOK UP ARMS AND
FOUGHT TO THE DEATH.
1. WHAT IS THE CORRECT WAY OF
ADDRESING NATIVE AMERICANS?
2. WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?
3. WHAT HAPPEND WHEN THEY DISCOVERED
THE EUROPEAN?

5. SLAVERY
1. WHERE DID SLAVERY COME FROM
THE DUTCH WERE THE FIRST TO BRING SLAVES FROM AFRICA. THEY WERE
SOLD TO THE EUROPEAN IN AMERICA. THE SLAVES WERE USED ON THE
FARMS AND OTHER HARD WORK. THEY WERE (ALMOST) ALL BLACK.
2. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SLAVES AND LENT
WORKERS
THE EUROPEANS TOOK LENT WORKERS WITH THEM. THESE WERE PEOPLE
THAT WORKED A FIXED NUMBERS OF YEARS OF A LAND OWNER (BECAUSE
IT WAS EXPENSIVE TO COME TO AMERICA) AND AFTER THAT TIME. THEY
COULD CLAIM LAND ON THEIR OWN (OR WERE GIVEN A BIT OF LAND BY THE
PREVIOUS EMPLOYER). BUT SLAVES HAD NO HOPE OF BEING RELEASED. THEY
HAD TO WORK MORE, HARDER AND WITHOUT PAY. THEY GOT FOOD BUT
JUST ENOUGH TO STAY ALIVE.
3.WHEN DID SLAVERY STOP
SLAVERY DIDN’T STOP UNTIL THE END OF THE CIVIL WAR. THE NORTH
WANTED TO STOP SLAVERY IN AMERICA (WHICH WAS A COUNTRY BY THIS
TIME) AND THE SOUTH DID NOT WANT THIS. THE NORTH WON AND
SLAVERY WAS ABOLISHED (BANNED).
1. WHERE DID SLAVERY COME FROM
2. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
SLAVES AND LENT WORKERS
3. WHEN DID SLAVERY STOP

6. INDUSTRY
1. WHAT CHANGED?
BEFORE THE 1900’S, MOST WORK WAS DONE BY HAND. USUALLY BY A LOT
OF WORKERS, EVEN CHILDREN. BUT AROUND 1900 MORE PEOPLE BEGAN TO
INVENT MACHINES TO MAKE LIFE EASIER. FOR EXAMPLE. A MACHINE WAS
MADE THAT WOULD CRUSH THE SEEDS OUT OF COTTON PLANTS. THIS
MACHINE DID THE WORK WHAT 15 EMPLOYEES DID IN 8 HOURS, NOW IT
WAS BEING DONE IN 1 HOUR BY 1 EMPLOYEE.
2. WHAT WAS SO IMPORTANT ABOUT IT?
BEFORE THOSE INVENTIONS, AMERICA IMPORTED MOST OF THE
PRODUCTS FROM EUROPE OR SOUTH AMERICA. BUT NOW THAT WAS NO
LONGER NEEDED. THEY COULD MAKE THE PRODUCTS CLOSER TO HOME,
PROVIDE WORK AND IT WAS CHEAPER. SO AMERICA BECAME MORE AND
MORE INDEPENDENT.
1. WHAT CHANGED?
2. WHAT WAS SO IMPORTANT ABOUT IT

7. INFORMATION • READ THE BOOK:
AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE USA
BY: BRYN O’CALLAGHAN
WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE
HISTORY?