In 1492: The Discovery of America and British Colonization
In 1492, during one of his exploratory voyages, Christopher Columbus made the initial discovery of the United States of America. This finding ultimately resulted in the British colonization of America in the early 1600s. The various states that were already present in the north, center, and south of America became a part of Britain's numerous colonies as it began to expand its massive empire across these regions.
The Quartering Act and the Sons of Liberty
The British Parliament enacted the Quartering Act in March 1765, requiring all American colonists to provide lodging for the British soldiers and supply them with food and other materials that would support their stay in those colonies. The residents profoundly opposed this action in the affected areas and two months after the legislation of this Act, a secret organization famously known as the "Sons of Liberty" was formed and mobilized people not comply with those rules. That resulted in American Revolution of 1775 whereby people refused to pay the taxes to the Great Britain administration since they significantly felt that this Stamp Act was unconstitutional.
The American Revolution and the Formation of the Declaration of Independence
There were so many civil wars across the country which resulted in the deaths of many civilians and massacres such as the Alamo and Boston Massacre. The British military seemed to succeed in the early stages of the war, but with the support of King Louis XVI of France, the colonists eventually won the war. With that victory, John Adams, Robert Livingston, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Roger Sherman participated in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence of United States hence asserting that the colonists were now officially independent from the British monarchy. That was followed by drafting of the constitution in 1787 which was to establish the government of United States by forming the executive, legislature, and judiciary. Elections were then held, and George Washington became the first president of United States of America. The Judicial Act of the 1789 recognized presence of thirteen states which included New Jersey, Delaware, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, South Carolina, New York, North Carolina, Maryland, Massachusetts, Virginia, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.
The Expansion of American Territory and the War of 1812
The country embarked on the journey of acquiring more states that had been colonized such as Kentucky and Vermont in the attempt of increasing the American territory. In 1797, John Adams was elected as the second United States president, and under his administration, a lot of things were accomplished in the country. For instance, there was the signing of the Logan Act and the founding of the Library of Congress. By 1801, elections were held, and Thomas Jefferson won hence becoming the third President of the United States. He played a great role in negotiating for the acquisition of Louisiana and by 1803, the Louisiana Purchase Treaty was signed. Thomas Jefferson was a strong advocator of anti-slavery, and by 1807 an Act was passed that prohibited the importation of slaves into and from the country. The British support of the Native Americans such as Indians in the country and the trade restrictions made America declare war against Britain in 1812 under the leadership of James Madison who was then the president. That war caused the fire that saw the drastic destruction of the United States Capitol and the White House.
The Texas Revolution, Mexican-American War, and Civil War
By 1838, there was the emergence of the Texas Revolution whereby the state of Texas vigorously fought for its independence which brought about the Battle of Alamo. The Mexican-American war broke in 1846 whereby the government of Mexico refused to meet the demands of the American government. This war only ended in 1845 through the Cahuenga Treaty, and Mexico became part of the American territory. Slavery and economic differences between the North and South America among other issues resulted in the outbreak of the civil war which ended 1865. It is still in the same year when President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated as part of the plan of helping the Confederacy.
Bibliography
Mccolley, Robert. "The Black Abolitionist Papers, Volume III: The United States, 1830-1846; Volume IV: The United States, 1847-1858; and Volume V: The United States, 1859-1865 (review)." Civil War History 39, no. 1 (1993): 84-86. doi:10.1353/cwh.1993.0046.
Rothman, Adam. "2. The “Slave Power” in the United States, 1783–1865." Ruling America. doi:10.4159/9780674037199-003.
Salisbury, Neal. "The History of Native Americans from Before the Arrival of the Europeans and Africans Until the American Civil War." The Cambridge Economic History of the United States: 1-52. doi:10.1017/chol9780521394420.002.
