“再航行3天，”哥伦布说，“如果我们还看不到陆地就调头回家。”两天之后，他们看见了陆地。登陆之后，他们发现那里树木青翠、水源充足、水果多样；哥伦布将此岛命名为圣萨尔瓦多岛。登陆后不久，许多岛上的居民聚集在海滩上，哥伦布送给他们红色帽子和珠子作为礼物。当地人则回赠给他们鹦鹉、棉花及其他物品。哥伦布在描述当地人时说：“他们赤身裸体就像被母亲刚生下来的样子，女人也是如此，尽管我只见到一个女孩。他们体态健美，面孔俊朗。”哥伦布认为自己已经找到了印度，于是将他所看到的人称为“印第安人”。事实上，许多当地人被哥伦布一行人抓获，后来卖作奴隶。
在该岛寻找和掠夺黄金的同时，哥伦布一行到达伊斯帕尼奥拉岛（现在分成海地和多米尼加共和国），古巴和其他许多较小的岛屿。到达古巴时，他误以为那是中国——世界比他想象的要大得多。圣诞节前夕，圣玛丽亚在海地附近失事。于是，哥伦布建成一个堡垒，留下40名男子继续寻找黄金。然后，他乘尼娜号回到西班牙。平塔号也同时返回。西班牙人民把他当成英雄来欢迎。此后他又穿越大洋航行了三次。在第四次航行中，他13岁的儿子费迪南德与他同去。不过，哥伦布并没有如他希望的那样富有。在生命的最后，他只得到国王和王后给他的抚恤金，因为他是第一个到达新大陆的人。因为关节疼痛，他在床上度过了生命的最后几个月。
作为一名探险家和航海家，哥伦布远航的深远影响大大超过以往任何一次探险活动。发现新大陆是人类有史以来最惊人的地理大发现，是人类挑战自我、征服世界的一次伟大胜利。哥伦布不仅发现了一个新世界，而且为其他探险者开辟了道路。
2.Establishment of the North American Colonies 新生地：北美殖民地的建立
The original inhabitants of North America are Indians. In 16-18 century， Western Europe invaded North America， which is in the progress of capital accumulation.During the establishment of the British North American colonies， the French established New France（including the St.Lawrence River downstream of the tide zone， Mississippi River， etc.）；Spaniards established New Spain（Mexico and the southwestern United States， including vast areas）.In 1607，the British established the first colonial stronghold-James City， since they have been established 13 colonies in the Atlantic coast.Most people reach to the colony are the poor working people in Western Europe， but there are also the nobility， landowners， the bourgeoisie.Most of them are British， Irish， German and Dutch.Some of immigrants escaped war and religious persecution， some of them are voluntary and involuntary "slave contract" and the beggars， criminals， and there are also the black， who have been trafficked from Africa.A few years later， the British Puritans came to America to escape the religious persecution from the Church of England.
In 1620，some of the Plymouth company employees formed the Massachusetts Bay Company， by the British royal charter agreed in 1629，the company commissioned the UK Suffolk region manor， John Winthrop to arrange immigration plan. In March 1630，John Winthrop led more than a thousand religious moderate Puritans who came to Massachusetts Bay by five vessels.Funded by the Massachusetts Bay Company， later immigrants， more than 2 million people， are gradually come to Massachusetts.Soon， the Massachusetts Bay Company moved its headquarters to colony from the British， later， Massachusetts soon developed， depend on Boston， which is the center of colonies.
Puritans of Massachusetts came to the New World with pious religious ideals； they try to establish a doctrine saying-the "Mountain City"， wihch is talk about an example of all mankind to establish the sanctity of the holy. As a result， the local governments enacted legislation requires people to strictly abide by the doctrine， and punish immoral behavior such as alcohol and adultery， even men's hair a little longer will be trouble.These stringent and complicated rules and prohibitions soon attracted some dissatisfaction with immigration.Roger Williams， living in the town of Salem， against the Theocratic policy of the local government， he believes church and state should be separate and non-interference， the government can not implement religious law， and religion itself will ultimately depend on personal consciousness and feeling.His views soon reject by the local puritan rulers； he was expelled from the colony of Massachusetts General Court in 1635.Pastor Williams and his supporters fled to Narayan Gan Brecht Bay， where they established a new colony called Rhode Island， where he implemented the policy of secularism.
Another colony established by Puritan is Pennsylvania， which is found by Quaker William Penn， who is the leaders of Puritan Quakers， they refused to swear and military service， and soon rejected by the British government， so a large number of Christians have immigrated to North America. Payne's father was a famous British military commanders， Payne himself is very capable， he obtained a charter from King Charles I in the United Kingdom on March 14， 1681，where he have the ownership of the land area of Pennsylvania.In 1682，Pei Well established Philadelphia， he used this name by the synthesis of two Greek words， expressed his plans to live in harmony and good will of the holy experiment.Payne implemented policy of religious freedom and his reputation for impartial and soon attracted a large number of immigrants from Europe， many of them came from Germany to escape religious persecution of the Protestant splinter groups of Christians.From 1607 to 1733，the British has established 13 colonies in the east coast of North America.
北美洲原始居民为印第安人。16～18世纪，正在进行资本原始积累的西欧各国相继入侵北美洲。在英属北美殖民地建立时期，法国人建立了新法兰西（包括圣劳伦斯流域下游大潮区，密西西比河流域等处）；西班牙人建立了新西班牙（包括墨西哥和美国西南部的广大地区）。1607年，英国建立了第1个殖民据点——詹姆士城，此后在大西洋沿岸陆续建立了13个殖民地。到达殖民地的大多数是西欧贫苦的劳动人民，也有贵族、地主、资产阶级，以英国人、爱尔兰人、德意志人和荷兰人居多。移民中有逃避战祸和宗教迫害者，有自愿和非自愿的“契约奴”以及乞丐、罪犯；还有从非洲被贩运来的黑人。几年后英国的清教徒也纷纷来到美洲躲避因他们反对英国教会而遭到的宗教迫害。
1620年，普利茅斯公司的部分员工组成马萨诸塞湾公司，在1629年得到英国王室特许后，该公司委托英国萨福克地区的庄园主约翰·温斯罗普安排移民计划。1630年3月，约翰·温斯罗普率领一千多名宗教态度较温和的清教徒乘坐5艘船只来到马萨诸塞湾。在马萨诸塞湾公司的资助下，来到马萨诸塞的移民逐渐超过2万人。不久，马萨诸塞湾公司总部由英国搬到殖民地，此后，马萨诸塞殖民地很快以波士顿为中心发展起来。
马萨诸塞的清教徒怀着虔诚的宗教理想来到新大陆，他们力图在这里建立起教义上所讲的“山巅之城”，即为全人类树立圣洁的神圣榜样。为此当地的政府颁布法律要求人们严格遵守教义，并严惩酗酒与通奸这类不道德的行为，即使男士的头发稍微长一点都会遇到麻烦。这些严厉而繁琐的清规戒律很快引起了一部分移民的不满。居住在塞勒姆镇的罗杰·威廉斯牧师坚决反对当地政府的政教合一政策，他认为教会与政府应该是分离、互不干涉的，政府不能实施宗教法律，宗教本身最终依赖于个人的觉悟和感觉。他的观点很快为当地清教徒的统治者所不容，1635年，他被马萨诸塞综合法庭驱逐出殖民地。威廉斯牧师和他的支持者逃到纳拉甘希特湾，在那里建立了一个名为罗德岛的新殖民地，并在那里推行政教分离的政策。