America

America

Nowadays everybody knows what the word “America” means. First of all, it is the name of the country – The United States of America. And then America is the name of  two continents – North America and South America.

Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492. The King and the Queen of Spain gave him money to go to India. Columbus sailed west and didn’t reach India, but he reached a new continent. People started to call it “The New World”. England became interested in the New World too. And at the beginning of the seventeenth century the first English settlements appeared in America. The group of English people left England for the New World to start a new life and to have no problems with the church. They set up a colony and called it “New England”. When English colonists came to the New World, the Native Americans met them and were very friendly and helped them a lot.

In 1773 there were 13 colonies in America. The English King was the King of New England and other colonies. But people in America didn’t want to depend on England. The Americans began to fight for their independence and got it. George Washington became the first President of the United States of America.

The American flag is often called “Stars and Stripes”. There are three colours – red, white and blue. As there are fifty states in the USA – there are fifty stars on the American flag. The American flag has thirteen stripes – one stripe for one of the first thirteen colonies of the USA. Americans are very proud of their flag.

One of the most famous symbols of the USA is the Statue of Liberty. The Statue is in New York on Liberty Island. The eagle is the official symbol of the United States.