History of the United States.docx
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HistoryoftheUnitedStates
HistoryoftheUnitedStates
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"Americanhistory"redirectshere.Forthehistoryofthecontinents,seeHistoryoftheAmericas.
Partofaseriesonthe
Historyofthe
UnitedStates
Timeline
∙Prehistory·
∙Pre-Colonial·
∙Colonialperiod·
∙1776–1789·
∙1789–1849·
∙1849–1865·
∙1865–1918·
∙1918–1945·
∙1945–1964·
∙1964–1980·
∙1980–1991·
∙1991–present
Byethnicity[show]
∙AsianAmerican
∙ChineseAmerican
∙FilipinoAmerican
∙JapaneseAmerican
∙MexicanAmerican
Bytopic[show]
∙
oCivilRights
(1896–1954·
o1955–1968)
∙CivilWar
∙Culture
∙Demographics
∙Diplomacy
∙Economics
∙Historiography
∙Medicine
∙Military
∙Southern
∙Frontier(OldWest)
∙Technologyandindustry
∙Territory
∙Women
UnitedStatesportal
∙v·
∙t·
∙e
ThehistoryoftheUnitedStatesascoveredinAmericanschoolsanduniversitiestypicallybeginswitheitherChristopherColumbus's1492voyagetotheAmericasorwiththeprehistoryoftheNativepeoples,withthelatterapproachhavingbecomeincreasinglycommoninrecentdecades.[1]
IndigenouspopulationslivedinwhatisnowtheUnitedStatesbeforeEuropeancolonistsbegantoarrive,mostlyfromEngland,after1600.Bythe1770s,thirteenBritishcoloniescontainedtwoandahalfmillionpeople.Theywereprosperousandgrowingrapidly,andhaddevelopedtheirownautonomouspoliticalandlegalsystems.TheBritishParliamentasserteditsauthorityoverthesecoloniesbyimposingnewtaxes,whichtheAmericansinsistedwereunconstitutionalbecausetheywerenotrepresentedinParliament.Growingconflictsturnedintofull-fledgedwarbeginninginApril1775.OnJuly4,1776,thecoloniesdeclaredindependenceunderadocumentwrittenbyThomasJeffersonfromtheKingdomofGreatBritainandbecametheUnitedStatesofAmerica.
Withlarge-scalemilitaryandfinancialsupportfromFranceandmilitaryleadershipbyGeneralGeorgeWashington,thePatriotswontheRevolutionaryWarandpeacecamein1783.Duringandafterthewar,the13stateswereunitedunderaweakfederalgovernmentestablishedbytheArticlesofConfederation.Whentheseprovedunworkable,anewConstitutionwasadoptedin1789;itremainsthebasisoftheUnitedStatesfederalgovernment,andlaterincludedaBillofRights.WithWashingtonasthenation'sfirstpresidentandAlexanderHamiltonhischieffinancialadvisor,astrongnationalgovernmentwascreated.IntheFirstPartySystemtwonationalpoliticalpartiesgrewuptosupportoropposeHamiltonianpolicies.WhenThomasJeffersonbecamepresidenthepurchasedtheLouisianaTerritoryfromFrance,doublingthesizeofAmericanterritorialholdings.AsecondandlastwarwithBritainwasfoughtin1812.ThemainresultofthatwarwastheendofEuropeansupportforNativeAmerican(Indian)attacksonwesternsettlers.
UnderthesponsorshipoftheJeffersonianDemocrats,andtheJacksonianDemocrats,thenationexpandedtotheLouisianapurchaseandallthewaytoCaliforniaandOregon,andaquestforinexpensivelandforYeomanfarmersandslaveownerswhopromoteddemocracyandexpansion,atthecostofviolenceandadisdainforEuropeanculture.Theexpansion,undertherubricofManifestDestinywasarejectionoftheadviceofWhigswhowantedtodeepenandmodernizetheeconomyandsocietyratherthanmerelyexpandthegeography.SlaverywasabolishedinalltheNorthernstates(northoftheMason-DixonlinewhichseparatedPennsylvaniaandMaryland)by1804,butitflourishedintheSouthernstatesbecauseofheavyEuropeandemandforcotton.
After1820,aseriesofcompromisespostponedashowdownontheissueofslavery.Ininthemid1850s,thenewRepublicanpowertookpoliticalcontroloftheNorthandpromisedtostoptheexpansionofslavery,whichimplieditseventualdeath.The1860presidentialelectionofRepublicanAbrahamLincolntriggeredthesecessionofelevenslavestatestofoundtheConfederacyin1861.TheAmericanCivilWar(1861-1865)wasthecenterpieceofAmericanhistory.Afterfouryearsofbloodywarfare,theUnion,underPresidentLincolnandUlyssesS.GrantasthecommandinggeneraldefeatedtheSouthwithRobertE.LeeasitsforemostgeneralTheUnionwassaved,slaverywasabolished,andtheSouthwasimpoverished.IntheReconstructionera(1863–77),theUnitedStatesendedslaveryandextendedlegalandvotingrightstotheFreedmen(AfricanAmericanswhohadbeenslaves).Thenationalgovernmentwasmuchstronger,andbecauseoftheFourteenthAmendmentitnowhadtheexplicitdutytoprotectindividualrights.Reconstructionendedin1877andfromthe1890stothe1960sthesystemofJimCrow(segregation)keptblacksinpolitical,socialandeconomicinferiority.TheentireSouthremainedpooruntilthe2ndhalfofthe20thcentury,whiletheNorthandWestgrewrapidlyandprospered.
TheUnitedStatesbecametheworld'sleadingindustrialpowerattheturnofthe20thcenturyduetoanoutburstofentrepreneurshipintheNorthandthearrivalofmillionsofimmigrantworkersandfarmersfromEurope.Thenationalrailroadnetworkwascompleted,andlargescaleminingandfactoriesindustrializedtheNortheastandMidwest.Middleclassdissatisfactionwithcorruption,inefficiencyandtraditionalpoliticsstimulatedtheProgressivemovementfromthe1890sto1920s,whichpushedforreformsandallowedforwomen'ssuffrageandtheprohibitionofalcohol(thelatterrepealedin1933).InitiallyneutralinWorldWarI,theU.S.declaredwaronGermanyin1917,andfundedtheAlliedvictorythefollowingyear.Afteraprosperousdecadeinthe1920s,theWallStreetCrashof1929markedtheonsetofthedecade-longworld-wideGreatDepression.DemocratFranklinD.RooseveltbecamepresidentandimplementedhisNewDealprogramsforrelief,recovery,andreform,definingmodernAmericanliberalism.AftertheJapaneseattackonPearlHarboronDecember7,1941,theUnitedStatesenteredWorldWarIIalongsidetheAlliesandhelpeddefeatNaziGermanyinEuropeand,withthedetonationofnewly-inventedatomicbombs,JapanintheFarEast.
TheUnitedStatesandtheSovietUnionemergedasopposingsuperpowersafterWorldWarIIandbegantheColdWar,confrontingoneanotherindirectlyinthearmsraceandSpaceRace.U.S.foreignpolicyduringtheColdWarwasbuiltaroundthecontainmentofCommunism,andthecountryparticipatedinthewarsinKoreaandVietnamtoachievethisgoal.LiberalismwonnumerousvictoriesinthedaysoftheNewDealandagaininthemid-1960s,especiallyinthesuccessofthecivilrightsmovement,butconservatismmadeitscomebackinthe1980sunderRonaldReagan.TheColdWarendedwhentheSovietUniondissolvedin1991,leavingtheUnitedStatestheonlysuperpower.Asthe21stcenturybegan,internationalconflictcenteredaroundtheMiddleEastandheightenedsignificantlyfollowingtheSeptember11attacksandtheWaronTerrorismthatwassubsequentlydeclared.TheUnitedStatesexperienceditsworsteconomicrecessionsinceWorldWarIIinthelate2000s,whichhasbeenfollowedbyslowerthanusualratesofeconomicgrowthduringthe2010s.
Contents
[hide]
∙1Prehistory
∙2Pre-Columbianera
∙3Colonialperiod
o3.1Spanish,Dutch,andFrenchcolonization
o3.2Britishcolonization
o3.3Politicalintegrationandautonomy
∙4AmericanRevolution
o4.1Civilreligion
∙5Earlyyearsoftherepublic
o5.1ConfederationandConstitution
o5.2Washingtonestablishedastronggovernment
o5.3Slavery
∙619thcentury
o6.1Jefferson
o6.2Warof1812
o6.3EraofGoodFeelings
o6.4Indianremoval
o6.5SecondGreatAwakening
o6.6Abolitionism
o6.7WestwardexpansionandManifestDestiny
o6.8DivisionsbetweenNorthandSouth
o6.9CivilWar
o6.10ReconstructionandtheGildedAge
∙720thcentury
o7.1ProgressiveEra
o7.2Imperialism
o7.3WorldWarI
o7.4Women'ssuffrage
o7.5RoaringTwentiesandtheGreatDepression
o7.6WorldWarII
o7.7TheColdWar,counterculture,andcivilrights
▪7.7.1Climaxofliberalism
▪7.7.2CivilRightsMovement
▪7.7.3TheWomen'sMovement
▪7.7.4TheCountercultureRevolutionandColdWarDétente
o7.8Closeofthe20thcentury
o7.9Environmentalism
∙821stcentury
o8.19/11andtheWaronTerror
o8.2GreatRecessionandBarackObama
∙9Seealso
∙10References
∙11Textbooks
∙12Furtherreading
∙13Externallinks
Prehistory[edit]
Mainarticle:
PrehistoryoftheUnitedStates
Pre-Columbianera[edit]
Mainarticle:
Pre-Columbianera
Seealso:
NativeAmericansintheUnitedStates
ItisnotdefinitivelyknownhoworwhentheNativeAmericansfirstsettledtheAmericasandthepresent-dayUnitedStates.TheprevailingtheoryproposesthatpeoplemigratedfromEurasiaacrossBeringia,alandbridgethatconnectedSiberiatopresent-dayAlaska,andthenspreadsouthwardthroughouttheAmericas.Thismigrationmayhavebegunasearlyas30,000yearsago[2]andcontinuedthroughtoabout10,000+yearsago,whenthelandbridgebecamesubmergedbytherisingsealevelcausedbytheendingofthelastglacialperiod.[3]Theseearlyinhabitants,calledPaleoamericans,soondiversifiedintomanyhundredsofculturallydistinctnationsandtribes.
Thepre-ColumbianeraincorporatesallperiodsubdivisionsinthehistoryandprehistoryoftheAmericasbeforetheappearanceofsignificantEuropeaninfluencesontheAmericancontinents,spanningthetimeoftheoriginalsettlementintheUpperPaleolithicperiodtoEuropeancolonizationduringtheEarlyModernperiod.WhiletechnicallyreferringtotheerabeforeChristopherColu