History of the United States.docx

History of the United States.docx

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HistoryoftheUnitedStates

HistoryoftheUnitedStates

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"Americanhistory"redirectshere.Forthehistoryofthecontinents,seeHistoryoftheAmericas.

Partofaseriesonthe

Historyofthe

UnitedStates

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∙Prehistory·

∙Pre-Colonial·

∙Colonialperiod·

∙1776–1789·

∙1789–1849·

∙1849–1865·

∙1865–1918·

∙1918–1945·

∙1945–1964·

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（1896–1954·

o1955–1968）

∙CivilWar

∙Culture

∙Demographics

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∙Medicine

∙Military

∙Southern

∙Frontier（OldWest）

∙Technologyandindustry

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∙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