The first humans arrived in North America during the last Ice Age, between 20 and 40 thousand years ago. They came from Asia, crossing an ancient land or ice bridge over a straight of the Bering Sea onto Alaska. Over the centuries the level of the ocean rose and the land was buried under water. The people were left in isolation from the rest of the world.

Their descendants spread gradually over North and South America, developing different ways life, cultures, languages and physical characteristics. By the time Europeans arrived in North America, many Native Americans had become skilled farmers and built rich and complex civilizations. The most highly developed ones were the Incas in South America, the Mayas and the Aztecs in Mexico. All the three had sophisticated agricultural techniques, skilled artisans, imposing cities, elaborate religious systems and celebrations.

North of Mexico most people lived in wandering tribes, leading a simple life. North American Indians were mostly hunters and gatherers of wild food. The most advanced and the largest group of Native Americans, living in the southwest, were the Pueblos. They were peaceful people who lived in multi-storied houses made of straw and mud bricks. They grew corn and other crops. Another group of Native Americans were the Iroquois in present-day New York State. That nation, one of the strongest in North America, was a league of several tribes. The Iroquois were excellent warriors and farmers.

The peoples in America had found their own ways of progress, different from those of Europeans. They had never invented the wheel, had no iron tools. Unlike the peoples of Europe, they had not built ships to cross the oceans.

Europeans made voyages overseas. They discovered new continents and explored them. Vikings were probably the first Europeans to reach America. Around the year of 1000 Leif Ericsson reached the coast of the continent. However, the Vikings were unable to establish a settlement there and their influence was soon forgotten.

Overseas voyages were resumed at the time of the Renaissance. In the 15-th century Europe traded with countries of East Indies for highly prized items like fine jewels, silks, ceramics and spices, especially pepper. The overland trade route to the East was long and dangerous. Some of it lay through Muslim countries that were often at war with European nations. Leaders of Portugal and Spain wanted a safe, direct sea way to the East. Besides, they had religious reasons for exploration. For centuries Christians and Muslims had fought in Europe, Africa and Asia. Europeans wanted to spread Christianity to other parts of the world.

In the 15-th century most Europeans knew three continents – Europe, Africa and Asia. These continents, they believed, formed a big island. They knew that the world was round. So, it seemed natural to sea captains that they could reach the Indies by sailing west. The most daring ones decided to find the North-West Passage to India. In 1492 King and Queen of Spain financed such an expedition to the east. It was led by Christopher Columbus, an Italian sailor. The voyage started in August on three ships – the Pinta, the Nina and the Santa Maria. On October 12 the sailors saw the land. It was an island in the Bahamas, which Columbus named San Salvador. He thought that the island was close to China and Japan. Columbus made four voyages to those lands, but till his death in 1506 he did not know that he had discovered a new continent. It was Amerigo Vespucci, another Italian, who realized that the land was not India but a new continent, which he called the New World. The first maps with the name "America” were printed in Europe in 1507.

Four European nations competed in the overseas expansion: Spain, France, Holland and England. They raced to establish colonies in the New World, hoping to find gold and raw materials, to expand territories and political influence.

Spanish America was the most important colonial possession. In 1513 Juan Ponce de Leon landed in Florida, becoming the first European to set foot on what is now the USA. Between 1519 and 1521 the Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortes conquered the Aztec empire with a small army of 550 soldiers, 16 horses and 10 brass cannons. From 1540 till 1542 Francisco Vasques de Coronado explored the area of present-day Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma and Kansas in search of a mythical city of gold – El Dorado. In 1565 Spanish built a fort at St. Augustine, Florida. It was the first European settlement in what is now the USA. In 1609 the Spanish founded Santa Fe in what is now New Mexico. The Spanish influence is still quite evident in the American Southwest and Florida.

The French interest in the New World developed more slowly. In 1524 an Italian sailor Giovanni de Verrazano tried to find the North-West Passage to Asia, sailing under the French flag. His ship moved along the Atlantic coast from what is now North Carolina to New York Bay. Verrazano discovered Block Island, anchored at Newport Harbor and went further to the north. His expedition failed to find a water route to India, but his explorations gave the French their first claims to new lands overseas. Ten years later Jacques Cartier sailed to the New World in search of the North-West Passage. He explored the St. Lawrence River and tried to build a colony. Though it was not a success, Cartier helped strengthen French claims to what is now Canada. There the French developed an economy based primarily on the fur trade, which required close cooperation with Native Americans. With their help the French explored the heart of the continent and reached the mouth of the Mississippi River. Robert La Salle claimed all the land from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico for the French king Louis the 14-th. The territory was named Louisiana. France now had the largest colonial empire in North America.

The first Dutch expeditions to the New World were also aimed at finding the North-West Passage. In 1609 the Dutch sent an Englishman, Henry Hudson, to find a westward sea route to the East. He explored a river and a large Canadian bay, which were named after him, but failed to find the Passage. In 1623 the Dutch settled at Manhattan. In1626 they bought the island from several Indian chiefs and named their settlement New Amsterdam. In1664 the colony was captured by the British fleet under the Duke of York.