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关于美国的历史Thecontinent'sfirstinhabitantswalkedintoNorthAmericaacrosswhatisnowtheBeringStraitfromAsia.Forthenext20,000yearsthesepioneeringsettlerswereessentiallyleftalonetodevelopdistinctanddynamiccultures.InthemodernUS,theirdescendantsincludethePueblopeopleinwhatisnowNewMexico;ApacheinTexas;NavajoinArizona,ColoradoandUtah;HopiinArizona;CrowinMontana;CherokeeinNorthCarolina;andMohawkandIroquoisinNewYorkState.TheNorwegianexplorerLeifErikssonwasthefirstEuropeantoreachNorthAmerica,some500yearsbeforeadisorientedColumbusaccidentallydiscovered'Indians'inHispaniola(nowtheDominicanRepublicandHaiti)in1492.Bythemid-1550s,muchoftheAmericashadbeenpokedandproddedbyaparadeofexplorersfromSpain,Portugal,EnglandandFrance.Thefirstcoloniesattractedimmigrantslookingtogetrichquicklyandreturnhome,buttheyweresoonfollowedbymigrantswhoseprimarygoalwastocolonize.TheSpanishfoundedthefirstpermanentEuropeansettlementinStAugustine,Florida,in1565;theFrenchmovedinonMainein1602,andJamestown,Virginia,becamethefirstBritishsettlementin1607.ThefirstAfricansarrivedas'indenturedlaborers'withtheBritsayearpriortoEnglishPuritanpilgrims'escapeofreligiouspersecution.ThepilgrimsfoundedacolonyatPlymouthRock,Massachusetts,in1620andsignedthefamousMayflowerCompact-adeclarationofself-governmentthatwouldlaterbeechoedintheDeclarationofIndependenceandtheUSConstitution.Britishattemptstoassertauthorityinits13NorthAmericancoloniesledtotheFrenchandIndianWar(1757-63).TheBritishwerevictoriousbutwereleftwithanastywardebt,whichtheytriedtorecoupbyimposingnewtaxes.Therallyingcry'notaxationwithoutrepresentation'unitedthecolonies,whoceremoniouslydumpedcaffeinatedcargooverboardduringtheBostonTeaParty.BesiegedBritishgeneralCornwallissurrenderedtoAmericancommanderGeorgeWashingtonfiveyearslateratYorktown,Virginia,in1781.Inthe19thcentury,America'smantrawas'ManifestDestiny.'Acombinationoflandpurchases,diplomacyandoutrightwarsofconquesthadby1850giventheUSroughlyitspresentshape.In1803,NapoleondumpedtheentireGreatPlainsforapittance,andSpainchippedinwithFloridain1819.TheBattleoftheAlamoduringthe1835TexanRevolutionpavedthewayforTexanindependencefromMexico,andthewarwithMexico(1846-48)securedmostofthesouthwest,includingCalifornia.ThesystematicannihilationofthebuffalohuntedbythePlainsIndians,encroachmentontheirlands,andtreatiesnotworththepapertheywerewrittenonledtoNativeAmericansbeingherdedintoreservations,deprivedofboththeirlivelihoodsandtheirspiritualconnectiontotheirland.Nineteenth-centuryimmigrationdrasticallyalteredtheculturallandscapeassettlersofpredominantlyBritishstockwerejoinedbyCentralEuropeansandChinese,manyattractedbythe1849goldrushinCalifornia.TheSouthremainedfirmlycommittedtoanagrarianlifeheavilyreliantonAfricanAmericanslavelabor.TensionswereontherisewhenabolitionistAbrahamLincolnwaselectedpresidentin1860.TheSouthsecededfromtheUnion,andtheCivilWar,byfarthebloodiestwarinAmerica'shistory,beganthefollowingyear.TheNorthprevailedin1865,freedtheslavesandintroduceduniversaladultmalesuffrage.Lincoln'svisionforreconstruction,however,diedwithhisassassination.America'strouncingoftheSpaniardsin1898markedtheUSA'sascendancyasasuperpowerandwokethecountryoutofitsisolationistslumber.TheUSstilldiditsbestnottogetitsfeetdirtyinWWI'strenches,butfinallycapitulatedin1917,sendingoveramilliontroopstohelpsortoutthepeskyGermans.PostwarcelebrationswerecutshortbyProhibitionin1920,whichbannedalcoholinthecountry.The1929stock-marketcrashsignaledthestartoftheGreatDepressionandeventuallybroughtaboutFranklinRoosevelt'sNewDeal,whichsoughttoliftthecountrybacktoprosperity.AftertheJapanesedroppedinuninvitedonPearlHarborin1941,theUSplayedamajorroleindefeatingtheAxispowers.AtomicbombsdroppedonHiroshimaandNagasakiin1945notonlyendedthewarwithJapan,butusheredinthenuclearage.TheendofWWIIseguedintotheColdWar-aperiodofgreatdomesticprosperityandasurfaceuniformitybeliedbyparanoiaandbetrayal.PoliticianslikeSenatorJoeMcCarthytookadvantageoftheclimatetofananticommunistflames,whiletheUSSRandUSAstockpilednuclearweaponsandfoughtwarsbyproxyinKorea,AfricaandSoutheastAsia.Tensionsbetweenthetwocountriesreachedtheirpeakin1962duringtheCubanMissileCrisis.The1960swasadecadeofprofoundsocialchange,thankslargelytotheCivilRightsmovement,VietnamWarprotestsandthediscoveryofsex,drugsandrock&roll.TheCivilRightsmovementgainedmomentumin1955withabusboycottinMontgomery,Alabama.Asanonviolentmassprotestmovement,itaimedatbreakingdownsegregationandregainingthevotefordisfranchisedSouthernblacks.Themovementpeakedin1963withMartinLutherKingJr's'Ihaveadreamspeech'inWashington,DC,andthepassageofthelandmark1964CivilRightsActand1965VotingRightsAct.Meanwhile,America'syouthwererejectingtheconformityofthepreviousdecade,growingtheirhairlongandsmokinglotsofdope.'Tunein,turnon,dropout'wasthemantraofagenerationwhoprotestedheavily(andnotdisinterestedly)againstthewarinVietnam.Assassinationsofprominentpoliticalleaders-JohnandRobertKennedy,MalcolmXandMartinLutherKingJr-tookalittleglossofftheparty,andtheAmericantroopsmiredinVietnamtookofftherest.NASA'smoonlandingin1969did