Us History

The history of the United States as covered in American schools and universities typically begins with either Christopher Columbus's 1492 voyage to the Americas or with the prehistory of the Native peoples, with the latter approach having become increasingly common in recent decades.[1]

The United States of America began as an independent nation with the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. European colonists reached the Gulf and Pacific coasts, but the largest settlements were by the English on the Atlantic coast, starting in 1607. By the 1770s, the Thirteen Colonies contained two and a half million people. They were prosperous and growing rapidly, and had developed their own political and legal systems. The Parliament asserted its authority by imposing new taxes, which the American insisted were unconstitutional because the colonists were not represented in Parliament. It became a test of strength and neither side would back down, but the 13 colonies began collaborating. Protests culminated in the Boston Tea Party in December 1773; Britain stripped Massachusetts of self-government and the colonists started drilling their militia. All out war began in April 1775. After expelling Royal officials and clamping down on Loyalists, the Patriots took control. The July 1776, Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson proclaimed that all men are born equal and announced the formation of a new nation, the United States of America. With major military and financial support from France, and military leadership by General George Washington, the Patriots won the American Revolutionary War and peace came in 1783. During and after the war, the 13 states were united under a weak federal government established by the Articles of Confederation. When these became unworkable, a new Constitution was written in 1789; it remains the basis of the United States federal government, and soon included a Bill of Rights. With Washington as the first president and...