CliffsTestPrep U.S. Citizenship Test
Chapter One
The New World
How Did America Begin?
North and South America were unknown to the rest of the world until the end of the fifteenth century. When Europeans
sailed from Europe to Asia, they first had to sail around Africa. This made the journey very long and very dangerous.
People began to wonder whether there was a shorter route to Asia. A few believed that sailing west from Europe would
be the shortest route. When Columbus attempted this, instead of Asia he found a new land-the Americas.
Not everyone agrees about who discovered the New World first. Some say it was a Scandinavian, Leif Erickson, around
1000 A.D. Many believe it was Christopher Columbus. He was sent in 1492 by the Spanish king and queen to find a
western route to Asia. Instead, he found islands that today we call the West Indies.
Because some believed he had landed in India, the people who lived on these islands were called Indians. Today,
we often use the word Indians to describe the native residents of the New World. But a more proper term is
Native Americans.
If Columbus or Erickson discovered the New World, why is it called America? The answer to that question is simple:
An Italian sailor ... read full excerpt from CliffsTestPrep U.S. Citizenship Test ebook
