History of USA (I)

Timelines

• 1. Pre-Colonial era• 2. Colonial period• 3. American Revolution(1776-1789)• 4. Early years of the republic (1789-1849)• 5. 19th century• 6. 20th century• 7. 21th century

1. Pre-Colonial Era• It is not definitely known how or when Native

Americans first settled the Americans and the present-day United States.

• The prevailing theory proposes that people have arrived in Alaska by crossing the Bering land bridge, at least 14,000 - 30,000 years ago. Some of these groups migrated south and over time spread throughout the Americas.

• These were the ancestors to modern Native Americans in the United States and Alaskan Native peoples, as well as all indigenous peoples of the Americas.

Pre-Colonial EraBering land bridge

Migration route of earliest Americans, descendants of Asian hunters who crossed the Bering Land Bridge from Siberia into Alaska by 12,000 B.C. or earlier. People reached the American Bottom by 10,000 B.C.

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Pre-Colonial Era

•The Bering Strait was tied together

•It was possible to for the migrants to walk from Asia to Alaska.

Pre-colonial EraNative Americans•Were skilled hunters and fishermen•Developed the brilliant American

civilizations of the Aztecs, the Incas and the Mayas.

Pre-colonial EraDiscovery of the New World

• What is the New World and why?–The New World is one of the names used for

the non-Eurasian/non-African parts of the Earth, specifically the Americas and Australia.

–When the term originated in the late 15th century, the Americans were new to the Europeans, who previously thought of the world as consisting only of Europe, Asia, and Africa (collectively, the Old World)

Discovery of the New World

The Old World and the New World

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Discovery of the New World

Christopher Columbus

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Discovery of the New World• In 1492 Columbus set sail for Asia but found the

Americas instead, exploring several islands of the Caribbean Sea.

• In the following years Columbus made three more voyages, and many other Spaniards explored the Caribbean islands and mainland.

• Spanish navigator Ferdinand Magellan became the first European to round the tip of South America during a 1519-1522 voyage that became the first circumnavigation of the world.

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Discovery of the New World

Ferdinand Magellan

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2. Colonial Period

•After a period of exploration by people from various European countries, Spanish, Dutch, English, French, Swedish, and Portuguese settlements were established.▫Spanish, Dutch and French colonization▫British colonization

Colonial Period

• Spanish, Dutch, and French Colonization–Spanish explorers were the first Europeans

to arrive in US . The Spanish created the first permanent European settlement in US at St. Augustine, Florida in 1565.–Dutch established its colonial province on

the eastern coast of North America (New Netherland, 1614).–French colonization in Canada, Acadia,

Hudson Bay, Newfoundland and Louisiana between 1534 and 1763.

Colonial PeriodBritish Colonization

For wealthe.g. The first successful English colony: Virginia (1607)For religion (refuge place, religious freedom, religious

toleration)e.g. Rigid Puritans (Pilgrims in the ship Mayflower)

Settled at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620.e.g. Roger Williams set up Rhode Island colony for

religious freedom and the separation of church and state

e.g. Maryland was settled in 1634 as a refuge for Roman Catholics

e.g. Pennsylvania was founded in 1681 as a refuge for Quakers

By 1733, English settlers had occupied 13 colonies along the Atlantic ocean, from New Hampshire in the north to Georgia in the south.

Colonial Period•British Colonization (cont’d)

▫ The first successful English colony was Jamestown, Virginia, established in 1607.

▫ The venture was financed and coordinated by the London Virginia Company, a joint stock company looking for gold.

▫ Its first years were extremely difficult, with very high death rates from disease and starvation, wars with local Indians, and little gold.

▫ The colony survived, barely, by turning to tobacco as a cash crop. By the late 17th century, Virginia’s export economy was largely based on tobacco, and new, richer settlers came in to take up large portions of land, build large plantations and import indentured servants and slaves.

▫ With easy navigation by river, few towns and no cities developed; planters shipped directly to Britain. High death rates and a very young population profile characterized the colony during its first years.

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British Colonization (III)Mayflower voyage and Plymouth Settlement

In 1620 the first group of Puritans arrived from England. They were so called because they represented the rising bourgeoisie of the time and wished to “purify” the Church of England, the established church, with the king as its head.

In order to escape from religious persecution at home, a group of Puritans set sail for America on a ship called the Mayflower.

The vessel left England on September 16, and after a grueling 66-day journey marked by disease, which claimed two lives, the ship dropped anchor inside the hook tip of Cape Cod on November 21.

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British ColonizationMayflower voyage and Plymouth Settlement

The Mayflower originally was destined for Jamestown Settlement. However, the Mayflower went off course as the winter approached, and remained in Cape Cod Bay.

The settlers stole the corn and looted and desecrated the graves, sparking friction with the locals. They moved down the coast to what is now Eastham, and explored the area of Cape Cod for several weeks, looting and stealing native stores as they went. They decided to relocate to Plymouth after a difficult encounter with the local native Americans and thus established the Plymouth colony.

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3. American Revolution

•Between 1776 and 1789, the USA became an independent country , creating and ratifying its new constitution, and establishing the federal government.

•This period witnessed the American Revolution.

American Revolution-Timeline•1775, 13 colonies began rebellion•1776, proclamation of independence•1777, victory at Saratoga, the turning

point of American revolution•1781, surrender of Britain•1783, Treaty of Paris represented the

formal acknowledgement of the US as an independent nation

American Revolution: General• The American Revolution refers to the political

upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which the Thirteen Colonies of North America overthrew the governance of the British Empire and collectively became the nation of the United States of America.

• In this period, the colonies first formed self-governing independent states, and then united to defend that self-governance in the armed conflict from 1775 to 1783 known as the American Revolutionary War (or the “American War of Independence”).

• The War resulted in the states breaking away from the empire with the Declaration of Independence in 1776, victory on the battlefield in October 1781, and British recognition of United States sovereignty and independence in 1783.

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Causes of the revolutionFirstly, long-term social, economic, and political

changes in the colonies before 1750 provided the basis for an independent nation with representative political institutions.

Next, more immediately, the French and Indian War (1754-1763) changed the relationship between the colonies and their mother country.

Finally, a decade of conflicts between the British government and the colonists, beginning with the Stamp Act crisis in 1765, led to the outbreak of war in 1775 and the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

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Causes of the revolution1. The American people2. The political systems3. Rapid economic growth4. French and Indian War

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Causes: The American People •Rapid population growth, racial and

ethnical diversity and religious diversity made the American colonies more difficult for Britain to rule.

•It was therefore an important precondition for the rise of an independence movement and the subsequent emergence of a unique American nationality.

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The Political System (1)• Colony loyalty and lack of national

consciousness• In 1750 there was little political basis for a

national consciousness in the colonies of British North America.

• The inhabitants’ first political allegiance was to their own colony.

• Each of the 13 colonies was a separate entity, with its own governor and legislative assembly.

• The lower house of each legislature was elected by the adult white men who were property owners.

• However, the upper houses, or councils, and the governors were chosen in different ways depending on the type of colony.

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The Political System (2)• In 1750 there were no governmental bodies or political

parties that could formulate policy for the colonists as a whole. Such intercolony ties were created only in response to political events that affected all the colonies—first the French and Indian War and then the struggle for independence.

• Nevertheless, the colonies shared one important political institution. ▫ Each colony had a representative assembly with authority to

make laws covering most aspects of local life. ▫ The assemblies had the right to tax; to appropriate money

for public works and public officials; and to regulate internal trade, religion, and social behavior.

▫ Although the British government was responsible for external matters, such as foreign affairs and trade, the American colonists had a great deal of self-government during the colonial period.

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The Political System (3)•The capable leaders of the assemblies

took the lead in the independence struggle. These well-functioning representative institutions would form the basis for the new state governments.

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Economic growthEconomic growth paved the way for the independence

movement. This economic system was based on the production of wheat, cattle, corn, tobacco, and rice in America for export to the West Indies, Britain, and Europe.Southern agriculture was founded on the cultivation of tobacco, wheat, and corn in Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina, and of rice and indigo in South Carolina and Georgia. There was a large demand for these crops in Europe. These crops were cultivated with the help of black slaves imported from Africa. The white planter class in the South was the most powerful, both politically and economically. Wheat was the main cash crop of the mid-Atlantic colonies of Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey. These colonies, along with those in New England, exported wheat—along with corn, cattle, horses, fish, and wood—primarily to the West Indies, where their merchants received bills of exchange from merchant houses in Great Britain. These credits were then used to purchase British manufactured goods.

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French and Indian War• Different names: In America it is known as the

French and Indian War (1754-1763). In Europe it is called the Seven Years’ War because the fighting there lasted from 1756 to 1763.

• Cause of the war: French wanted to expand its colonies in North America, thus resulting conflict first with native Indians and then British.

• The war in North America was fought mostly throughout the Northern colonies.

• In the end Great Britain defeated France. During the peace negotiations, Britain acquired French holdings in Canada and Florida from France’s ally, Spain.

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French and Indian War (2)•Before the war: Great Britain had

practiced a policy of salutary (benign) neglect, not insisting on strict enforcement of laws. During this period, the colonists developed a nearly independent political and economic system.

•After the war: However, British leaders reevaluated their relationship with the colonies, ending the policy of salutary neglect and proposing reforms and new taxes.

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French and Indian War (3)

Consequence: The war had left Great Britain deeply in

debt. British leaders viewed American prosperity as a resource and taxing the colonies as a means to relieve British debt.

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Origins of the revolution

•Britain’s victory in the Seven Year’s War led directly to a conflict with its American colonies.

•The Britain government argued that Britain had spent large sums of money to defend their American colonies in those wars, and that the colonists therefore should pay a part of those expense.

•As a result, the British government began to enact act to charge new taxes on sugar, coffee, textiles and other imported goods.

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Stamp Act 1765

•In 1765 the Stamp Act was the first direct tax ever levied by British Parliament on the colonies, a tax on the colonies without going through the colonial legislatures.

•All newspapers, almanacs, pamphlets, and official documents—even decks of playing cards—were required to have the stamps.

•All 13 colonies protested fiercely.

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Tea Act and Boston Tea Party (1)

• The Tea Act, passed by Parliament in May of 1773.• The act was not intended to raise revenue in the

American colonies, and in fact imposed no new taxes. • It was designed to prop up the East India Company

which was in financial difficulty and burdened with eighteen million pounds of unsold tea.

• This tea was to be shipped directly to the colonies, and sold at a bargain price.

• However, and the radical leaders in America found reason to believe that this act was a maneuver to buy popular support for the taxes already in force.

• The direct sale of tea, via British agents, would also have undercut the business of local merchants.

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Tea Act and Boston Tea Party (2)• Colonists in Philadelphia and New York turned the

tea ships back to Britain. • In Charleston the cargo was left to rot on the docks. • In Boston the Royal Governor was stubborn and held

the ships in port, where the colonists would not allow them to unload.

• On December 16, 1773, a group of men, led by Samuel Adams and dressed to evoke American Indians, boarded the ships of the government-favored British East India Company and dumped an estimated £10,000 worth of tea on board into the harbor.

• This event became known as “the Boston Tea Party”.

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Intolerable Acts 1774• The British government responded by passing several Acts

which came to be known as the Intolerable Acts, which further darkened colonial opinion towards the British.

• They consisted of four laws enacted by the British parliament:

• The first was the Massachusetts Government Act, which altered the Massachusetts charter and restricted town meetings.

• The second Act, the Administration of Justice Act, ordered that all British soldiers to be tried were to be arraigned in Britain, not in the colonies.

• The third Act was the Boston Port Act, which closed the port of Boston until the British had been compensated for the tea lost in the Boston Tea Party.

• The fourth Act was the Quartering Act of 1774, which allowed royal governors to house British troops in the homes of citizens without requiring permission of the owner.

• The First Continental Congress endorsed the Suffolk Resolves, which declared the Intolerable Acts to be unconstitutional, called for the people to form militias, and called for Massachusetts to form a Patriot government.

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American War of Independence1. The beginning of the war2. United States Declaration of

Independence3. Treaty of Paris4. Establishment of Constitution

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The beginning of the war

•The Battle of Lexington and Concord, taking place on April 19, 1775, marked the first fighting of the American Revolutionary War.

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Declaration of Independence•IN 1776, the second Continental Congress

voted unanimously for the independence “of the thirteen United States of America”

•The philosophy behind▫All men are crated equal▫Men have a natural right to “Life, Liberty

and the pursuit of Happiness▫Any government may be dissolved when it

fails to protect the rights of the people

Saratoga Campaign 1777•It was an attempt by the Britain to gain

military control of the strategically important Hudson River valley during the American Revolutionary War.

•It is the turning point of American Revolution.

•The American victory was an enormous morale boost to the fledgling nation, and it convinced France to enter the conflict in support of the United States, openly providing money, soldiers, and naval support, as well as a wider theater of war.

The Later Stage of the Revolution War•With the British in control of most northern

costal cities and Patriot forces in control of the hinterlands, the British attempted to force a result by a campaign to seize the southern states. 

•They failed to win enough support from the loyalists, and much of the territory they left behind dissolved into a chaotic guerrilla war, as the bands of Loyalist one by one were overwhelmed by the patriots.

Treaty of Paris• Finally in 1781, after several more years of

fighting with the aid of the French, the Americans won a decisive victory at Yorktown, Virginia. Then English army led by General Cornwallis was forced to surrender on October 19, 1781, and the war came to an end.

• A peace treaty, known as the Treaty of Paris, was signed in Paris on September 3, 1783.

• It gave the U.S. all land east of the Mississippi River and south of the Great Lakes, though not including Florida, which Britain entered into a separate agreement with Spain On September 3, 1783, and ceded Florida back to Spain.

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The Establishment of Constitution• The Constitution called for a federal government—

limited in scope but independent of and superior to the states—within its assigned role able to tax and equipped with both Executive and Judicial branches as well as a two house legislature.

• The national legislature—or Congress—envisioned by the Convention embodied the key compromise of the Convention between the small states which wanted to retain the power they had under the one state/one vote Congress of the Articles of Confederation and the large states which wanted the weight of their larger populations and wealth to have a proportionate share of power.

The Establishment of Constitution• On May 25, 1787, the constitution was drafted.• In June 1789, the constitution came into effect

in nine states.▫Established a stronger federal government▫A Supreme Court▫The principle of a “balance of power” to be

maintained among the three branches of government

• Ten amendments-The Bill of Rights-were added to the Constitution in 1791. It guaranteed individual liberties such as freedom of speech and religious practice, jury trials.

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Significance of the War• The war, though seemingly one to replace a distant

government with a local one, was a unique and radical event that produced deep changes and had a profound impact.

• By smashing the fetters of British rule, it gave the colonies their right to national independence and assured US capitalism of a free development.

• Furthermore, genuinely democratic politics became possible after the war. The rights of the people were incorporated into state constitutions. Thus came the widespread assertion of liberty, individual rights, equality and hostility toward corruption which would prove core values of republicanism to Americans.

• The greatest challenge to the old order in Europe was the challenge to inherited political power and the democratic idea that government rests on the consent of the governed.