История США

МИНИСТЕРСТВО НАУКИ И ВЫСШЕГО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ 
РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ 
 
РОСТОВСКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИЙ 
УНИВЕРСИТЕТ (РИНХ) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Е.С. Николаева, Е.В. Абраменко 
 
 
 
 
 
ИСТОРИЯ США 
 
 
 
 
 
Учебное пособие 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ростов-на-Дону 
Издательско-полиграфический комплекс РГЭУ (РИНХ) 
2023 

УДК 811.111(075) 
ББК 81.432.1 
Н 63 
 
Николаева, Е.С. 
Н 63  
История США : учебное пособие / Е.С. Николаева, Е.В. Абраменко. Ростов-на-Дону: Издательско-полиграфический комплекс 
Рост. гос. экон. ун-та (РИНХ), 2023. – 130 с. 
ISBN 978-5-7972-3102-8 
 
Предлагаемое учебное пособие содержит краткое изложение теоретических положений курса истории США – от древнейших времён до настоящего времени. Пособие знакомит читателя с особенностями исторического 
развития страны, политическим строем и культурной жизнью США указанных эпох. Каждый раздел снабжен вопросами и упражнениями, контролирующими понимание и стимулирующими самостоятельный анализ обучающихся. 
Учебное пособие предназначено для студентов направления 45.03.02 
«Лингвистика», профиль 45.03.02.02 «Перевод и переводоведение». 
Рекомендуется в качестве основного или вспомогательного материала 
как для самостоятельной работы студентов, так и для использования преподавателями вуза языковых профилей. 
УДК 811.111(075) 
ББК 81.432.1 
Рецензенты:  
доктор филологических наук, доцент, зав. кафедрой языкознания и 
иностранных языков Ростовского филиала ФГБОУ ВО «Российский государственный университет правосудия» Саркисьянц В.Р., 
к.филол.н., доцент, зав. кафедрой иностранных языков для гуманитарных специальностей ФГБОУ ВО «Ростовский государственный экономический университет (РИНХ)» Гермашева Т.М. 
 
 
Утверждено в качестве учебного пособия  
учебно-методическим советом РГЭУ (РИНХ) 
 
 
ISBN 978-5-7972-3118-9 
 Ростовский государственный 
экономический университет 
(РИНХ), 2023. 
 Николаева Е.С., Абраменко 
Е.В., 2023 
 

ОГЛАВЛЕНИЕ
SECTION 1. HISTORY ........................................................................................ 7 
UNIT 1. A PERIOD OF EXPLORATION ........................................................ 7 
CHAPTER 1. THE FIRST INHABITANTS .................................................. 7 
PART 1. THROUGH THE GATEWAY .............................................................. 7 
PART 2. WAYS OF INDIAN LIFE ..................................................................... 7 
CHAPTER 2. SEARCHING FOR RICHEST ................................................ 8 
PART 1. EUROPEAN FIRST EXPLORERS ...................................................... 8 
PART 2. SPAIN AND THE NEW WORLD ........................................................ 9 
PART 3. OTHER EUROPEAN EXPLORERS .................................................. 11 
UNIT REVIEW ................................................................................................... 13 
UNIT 2. A PERIOD OF COLONIZATION .................................................... 14 
CHAPTER 3. EARLY SETTLEMENTS ..................................................... 14 
PART 1. SPANISH SETTLEMENTS ................................................................ 14 
PART 2. FRENCH AND DUTCH COLONIES ................................................ 15 
PART 3. ENGLISH SETTLEMENTS ............................................................... 15 
CHAPTER 4. THE ENGLISH COLONIES................................................. 17 
PART 1. NEW ENGLAND ................................................................................ 17 
PART 2. THE MIDDLE COLONIES ................................................................ 19 
PART 3. THE SOUTHERN COLONIES ........................................................... 20 
UNIT REVIEW ................................................................................................... 21 
UNIT 3. A NATION IS ESTABLISHED ....................................................... 23 
CHAPTER 5. TROUBLE IN THE COLONIES .......................................... 23 
PART 1. TROUBLE WITH FRANCE ............................................................... 23 
PART 2. TROUBLE WITH BRITAIN .............................................................. 23 
CHAPTER 6. THE WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE ..................................... 25 
PART 1. PREPARING FOR WAR .................................................................... 25 
PART 2. DEFENDING THE NATION .............................................................. 26 
CHAPTER 7. A NATION IS BORN ........................................................... 27 
PART 1. FORMING A GOVERNMENT .......................................................... 27 
PART 2. THE NEW NATION ........................................................................... 29 
PART 3. THE WAR OF 1812 ............................................................................ 30 
UNIT REVIEW ................................................................................................... 31 
UNIT 4. SETTLING THE WEST ................................................................... 33 
CHAPTER 8. THE PIONEERS ................................................................... 33 
PART 1. SETTLING THE FRONTIER ............................................................. 33 
PART 2. PIONEER LIFE ................................................................................... 35 
PART 3. EXPANDING THE NATION ............................................................. 36 
CHAPTER 9. TO THE PACIFIC ................................................................. 38 
PART 1. MEXICO .............................................................................................. 38 
PART 2. OREGON AND UTAH ....................................................................... 40 

PART 3. CALIFORNIA ..................................................................................... 41 
CHAPTER 10. NEW WAYS IN THE NEW NATION ............................... 42 
PART 1. DEMOCRACY GROWS ..................................................................... 42 
PART 2. NEW TRANSPORTATION ................................................................ 44 
PART 3. THE NATION’S SECTION ................................................................ 46 
UNIT 5. THE NATION IS DIVIDED ............................................................. 48 
CHAPTER 11. SLAVERY DIVIDES THE NATION ................................. 48 
PART 1. THE SLAVE SYSTEM ....................................................................... 48 
PART 2. FIGHTING SLAVERY ....................................................................... 49 
CHAPTER 12. THE CIVIL WAR................................................................ 50 
PART 1. THE ROAD TO WAR ......................................................................... 50 
PART 2. THE WAR YEARS ............................................................................. 51 
CHAPTER 13. RECONSTRUCTION ......................................................... 53 
PART 1. THE SOUTH AFTER WAR ............................................................... 53 
PART 2. A NEW WAY OF LIFE....................................................................... 54 
PART 3. THE NEW SOUTH ............................................................................. 55 
UNIT REVIEW ................................................................................................... 56 
UNIT 6. GROWTH AND CHANGE .............................................................. 57 
CHAPTER 14. CHANGES ON THE FRONTIER ...................................... 57 
PART 1. SETTLING THE WEST ...................................................................... 57 
PART 2. RANCHING AND MINING ............................................................... 58 
PART 3. CHANGING IN THE LIFE OF INDIANS ......................................... 59 
CHAPTER 15. INDUSTRIAL GROWTH ................................................... 61 
PART 1. THE RAILROAD BOOM. STEEL AND OIL .................................... 61 
PART 2. THE AGE OF INVENTION ............................................................... 62 
CHAPTER 16. CITIES, PEOPLE AND INDUSTRY ................................. 64 
PART 1. AMERICAN CITIES GROW .............................................................. 64 
PART 2. WORKERS AND FACTORIES.......................................................... 65 
PART 3. NATION OF IMMIGRANTS ............................................................. 66 
PART 4. PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT........................................................... 68 
UNIT REVIEW ................................................................................................... 69 
UNIT 7. GAINING POWER IN THE WORLD ............................................. 70 
CHAPTER 17. THE UNITED STATES IN WORLD AFFAIRS ............... 70 
PART 1. THE CHANGING ROLE OF THE UNITED STATES ..................... 70 
PART 2. WORLD WAR I .................................................................................. 71 
CHAPTER 18. THE 1920’S AND THE GREAT DEPRESSION ............... 73 
PART 1. AFTER WORLD WAR I ..................................................................... 73 
PART 2. THE ROARING TWENTIES .............................................................. 74 
PART 3. DEPRESSION YEARS ....................................................................... 77 
CHAPTER 19. WORLD WAR I .................................................................. 78 
PART 1. THE WAR IN EUROPE ...................................................................... 78 
PART 2. AMERICANS AT WAR ..................................................................... 80 

PART 3. THE LAST ACT .................................................................................. 82 
UNIT REVIEW ................................................................................................... 83 
UNIT 8. THE UNITED STATES TODAY ..................................................... 85 
CHAPTER 20. THE UNITED STATES AFTER WORLD WAR II .......... 85 
PART 1. THE SEARCH FOR PEACE ............................................................... 85 
PART 2. LIFE AFTER WORLD WAR II .......................................................... 87 
CHAPTER 21. ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND PROBLEMS ...................... 88 
PART 1. SCIENCE AND PROGRESS .............................................................. 88 
PART 2. ADVANCES IN DEMOCRACY AND CURRENT PROBLEMS .... 90 
UNIT REVIEW ................................................................................................... 91 
SECTION 2. PRESENT-DAY AMERICA ........................................................ 93 
CHAPTER 1. AMERICAN PEOPLE .......................................................... 93 
PART 1. THE NATIVE AMERICANS ............................................................. 93 
PART 2. THE BRITISH ..................................................................................... 93 
PART 3. THE NEW ENGLAND YANKEE ...................................................... 93 
PART 4. AFRICAN-AMERICANS ................................................................... 94 
PART 5. IMMIGRANTS FROM NORTHERN AND WESTERN EUROPE .. 95 
PART 6. IMMIGRANTS FROM SOUTHERN AND EASTERN EUROPE .... 95 
PART 7. HISPANIC-AMERICANS .................................................................. 96 
PART 8. ASIAN-AMERICANS ........................................................................ 96 
CHAPTER REVIEW .......................................................................................... 96 
CHAPTER 2. HOW THEY LIVE ................................................................ 97 
PART 1. THE WAY OF LIFE ............................................................................ 97 
PART 2. EDUCATION ...................................................................................... 98 
PART 3. CULTURE. LEISURE. ENTERTAINMENT ..................................... 98 
PART 4. HOLIDAYS ......................................................................................... 99 
PART 5. THE COWBOY ................................................................................. 100 
CHAPTER REVIEW ........................................................................................ 101 
CHAPTER 3. NEW YORK ........................................................................ 102 
PART 1. A UNIQUE CITY .............................................................................. 102 
PART 2. LOWER (DOWNTOWN) MANHATTAN ...................................... 103 
PART 3. MIDTOWN ........................................................................................ 104 
PART 4. UPPER (UPTOWN) MANHATTAN ............................................... 105 
CHAPTER REVIEW ........................................................................................ 107 
CHAPTER 4. OTHER AMERICAN CITIES ............................................ 107 
PART 1. WASHINGTON, THE NATION’S CAPITAL ................................. 107 
PART 2. CHICAGO ......................................................................................... 108 
PART 3. NEW ORLEANS ............................................................................... 109 
PART 4. SAN FRANCISCO ............................................................................ 110 
PART 5. LOS ANGELES ................................................................................. 111 
CHAPTER REVIEW ........................................................................................ 111 
SECTION 4. FAMOUS AMERICANS ............................................................ 113 

POCAHONTAS ................................................................................................ 113 
GEORGE WASHINGTON (1732-1799) ......................................................... 113 
THOMAS JEFFERSON (1743-1826) .............................................................. 114 
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN (1706-1790) ............................................................ 115 
FENIMORE COOPER (1789-1851) ................................................................. 116 
HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW (1807-1882) ................................ 116 
SAMUEL HOUSTON (1793-1863) ................................................................. 117 
SOJOURNER TRUTH (1797-1883) ................................................................ 117 
HARRIET BEECHER STOWE (1811-1896) .................................................. 118 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN (1809-1865) ............................................................... 119 
WALT WHITMAN (819-1892)........................................................................ 120 
MARK TWAIN (1835-1910) ............................................................................ 121 
O. HENRY (1862-1910) ................................................................................... 122 
THOMAS ALVA EDISON (1847-1931) ......................................................... 122 
CASEY JONES (1863-1900) ............................................................................ 123 
ALBERT EINSTEIN (1879-1955) ................................................................... 124 
ERNEST HEMINGWAY (1899-1961) ............................................................ 125 
MARTIN LUTHER KING (1929-1968) .......................................................... 126 
ELEANOR ROOSEVELT (1884-1962) ........................................................... 127 
MICHAEL COLLINS (1930-2021) .................................................................. 127 
THE UNITED STATES PRESIDENTS ........................................................... 128 
 
 
 

SECTION 1. HISTORY UNIT1.APERIODOFEXPLORATION
Imagine a time many thousands of years ago. A group of hunters came 
to a huge, unexplored land. They were the first people in America. 
For many thousands of years the descendants of those hunters moved 
farther into the new territory. Finally they settled in all parts of the land. Different groups developed different languages and customs. These people were 
American Indians, or Red Indians. 
Then, one day, a new group of travellers came to the land. They had new 
customs, new languages and a very different way of life. They were Europeans. 
 
CHAPTER 1. THE FIRST INHABITANTS 
PART 1. THROUGH THE GATEWAY 
No one knows exactly how people first came to North America. However, 
many scientists believe that America’s first settlers were hunters who came from 
Siberia. These hunters followed big animals over a land bridge into what is now 
Alaska.  
About two million years ago the weather in the northern half of the earth 
changed greatly. It grew colder. The snow that fell did not melt in summer. Much 
of the land was covered with huge glaciers. This period of time is called the Ice 
Age because so much of the North was covered with ice. Sea water froze, and the 
water level in the sea dropped. There is a narrow strait between the Bering and 
Chukchi Seas. During the Ice Age this strait probably became very shallow. In 
some places it dried up completely and formed a land bridge from Asia to North 
America.  
The scientists think that the people of Asia found this land bridge between 
15,000 and 40,000 years ago. Group after group moved across the bridge to the 
unexplored continent of North America. They passed through what is now Alaska 
and western Canada. 
 
QUESTIONS 
1. What was the Ice Age and when did it occur? 
2. How did the first American Indians reach America? 
 
PART 2. WAYS OF INDIAN LIFE 
North America is a land of many geographic features. There are mountains 
and deserts. There are forests, plains, lakes and oceans. American Indians, descendants of the first settlers, lived in or near all these regions.  

The Indians’ way of life depended on the geography of the area they lived 
in. The Indians who settled near the ocean fished. On the Great Plains, where there 
were many animals, the Indians were hunters. In places with rich soil the Indians 
farmed.  
There were hundreds of different American Indian tribes. Each tribe had its 
own territory. Tribes had different languages and customs, too.  
American Indians can be divided into five groups, according to where they 
lived.  
The Northwest Indians lived near the forests of the Pacific coast. They 
sailed along the Pacific coast in very long boats (up to 18 metres) called canoes, 
and fished.  
The California Indians settled between the Rocky Mountains and the California coast. They fished in the Pacific Ocean and hunted in the forests. They 
also gathered acorns and other nuts in the forests. 
The Southwest Indians lived in what is now Nevada, Arizona and New 
Mexico. They were farmers and grew corn and beans. In dry areas they developed 
irrigation.  
The Eastern Woodlands Indians lived in the eastern part of the continent. 
They fished in the Atlantic Ocean and in the rivers, hunted in the forests. Many 
of them built villages and became farmers. 
 
QUESTIONS  
1. What did the Indians’ way of life depend on? 
2. What five groups can North America’s early Indians be divided into? 
Where did each of the groups live? What did they do for their living? 
 
CHAPTER 2. SEARCHING FOR RICHEST 
PART 1.  EUROPEAN FIRST EXPLORERS 
From the very first, Europeans who explored North America were looking 
for riches. It took a lot of courage to be an explorer a thousand years ago. Every 
trip was a journey into the unknown. Slowly, however, explorers began to learn 
more about the world. With each voyage they could draw maps more accurately. 
The early explorers made travelling easier for those who came later.  
Viking voyages. In the late 900’s the Vikings, who lived in Scandinavia, were 
the best sailors and shipbuilders in Europe. Each year they left their homes and sailed 
to foreign lands in search of food and riches. They discovered Iceland and Greenland. 
In 1001 a Viking called Leif Ericsson sailed west of Greenland and came 
to the shore of Newfoundland. Most of what we know about Ericsson’s voyage 
comes from stories that the Vikings told. These stories, called sagas, were histories of Viking leaders and their adventures. The sagas of Ericsson’s trip describe 

a land in which Ericsson found grapes, wheat and trees. He called this place Vinland. The sagas also describe a house that Ericsson built there. But Ericsson’s 
settlement did not last long. Because of problems with the American Indians the 
Vikings sailed away from Vinland.  
Riches from the East. While the Vikings were sailing west, other Europeans 
were travelling east. Some went to the areas around the Mediterranean Sea. Others 
went as far east as India and China. They found these lands rich in gold, gems and 
silk. They tasted new spices that could be used to better the taste of food.  
One traveller to the East was an Italian named Marco Polo. He went to 
China in 1275 and stayed for seventeen years. When he returned to Italy, he wrote 
a book about his journey. In his book Marco Polo described the places he had 
visited and the customs of the people he had met. Many people first learned about 
China from Marco Polo’s book.  
At that time routes from Europe to the East crossed both land and water. 
Land travel was slow and often dangerous. Sometimes bandits attacked the traders. Sometimes the traders were not allowed to pass through certain lands. The 
traders wanted a fast and safe route to the East. European traders thought that an 
all-water route would be better.  
In 1498 one Portuguese captain, Vasco da Gama, sailed around the southern tip of Africa. The Portuguese called the tip the Cape of Good Hope. Da Gama 
sailed to India and then back to Portugal8. At last an all-water route to the East 
had been found. 
 
QUESTIONS  
1. Why did the Vikings travel to foreign lands? 
2. What did Leif Ericsson find on the land he discovered? What did he call this land? 
3. Why did Europeans travel east to India and China?  
4. What lands did Marco Polo travel to? What did he write in his book?  
5. Why did Europeans seek an all-water route to the East?  
6. Who was the first European to travel to India by sea? By what route did 
he travel? 
 
PART 2. SPAIN AND THE NEW WORLD 
In the late 1400’s Spain began searching for another water route to the East. 
Instead of it, Spanish explorers found a new continent. A mapmaker called it the 
New World – the land across the Atlantic that was not part of Asia. 
The great explorer. Christopher Columbus was born in Italy and grew 
up near the sea. As a boy, he loved to go to the port and listen to the sailors’ 
stories. In 1476, when he was 24 years old, Columbus sailed on a ship bound for 
England. His ship sank near the coast of Portugal, but he managed to get to the 
shore. Columbus remained in Portugal and learned Latin, geography and shipbuilding there. He became a mapmaker and then a sea captain. Like many other 

Europeans, Columbus began to think that the earth was round. He decided to try 
to find a quick route to the East by sailing west.  
The King of Portugal thought that the plan was too dangerous and refused 
to pay for the voyage. So, in 1485, Columbus went to Spain for help. Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain liked Columbus’s plan and agreed to give him 
money for sailors, ships and supplies. 
On August 3, 1492, three ships left Spain and sailed to the west. The three 
small ships sailed for weeks with no sight of land. The sailors became nervous. 
They asked Columbus to turn back. “Sail on,” was the reply.  
As time passed, the sailors grew angry. They threatened to rebel, but finally 
agreed to sail on for three more days. Columbus promised that if they did not see 
land, they would turn back. On the morning of the third day they saw birds flying 
in the sky. Then a sailor saw land.  
On October 12, 1492, Columbus stepped ashore, holding the Spanish flag. 
Columbus thought that he had reached a group of islands near the coasts of 
China and India which were called the Indies. That’s why he called the people he 
saw Indians.  
Columbus made three more voyages to the New World. But he never knew 
that he had discovered a new world. He was sure that he had approached China 
and India from the east.  
Cortes in Mexico. In the early 1500’s a number of Spanish soldiers and adventurers 
went to Hispaniola and Cuba, islands in the West Indies. From these islands they were planning to explore other parts of the New World. These adventurers called themselves conquistadors, which meant conquerors. One of the conquistadors was Hernando Cortes. 
Many of the conquistadors came to the New World after hearing rumours 
that there was much gold to be found there. In 1519 Cortes led an expedition to 
find out if the rumours were true. He went to a land west of Cuba, called Mexico. 
In Mexico Cortes met an Indian woman who told him about the rich and 
powerful Aztec Indians. These Indians lived in Central Mexico, in a huge city, 
she told Cortes. They had much gold and silver.  
Cortes led an army to conquer the Aztecs. The march was long and difficult. 
Along the way, other Indians who wanted to fight the Aztecs joined Cortes. Finally, Cortes and his army came to a land with beautiful blue lakes. On an island 
in one of the lakes was Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital city. 
The Spaniards were amazed by the Aztec city and its people. The city had 
fine architecture and sculpture. Aztec doctors could cure many diseases. The Aztecs also had well-trained soldiers and an efficient government.  
Montezuma, the Aztec leader, treated Cortes as an honoured guest. He 
gave Cortes gold and silver. He offered Cortes a palace to stay in. Montezuna 
treated Cortes so well because he thought that Cortes was the great Aztec god 
Quetzalcoatl. Aztec legends described Quetzalcoatl as white-skinned and 
bearded, just like Cortes.