Us Hisatory

History of the United States


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 orwith the prehistory of the Native peoples, with the latter approach having become increasingly common in recent decades.[1]

Indigenous populations lived in what is now the United States beforeEuropean colonists began to arrive, mostly from England, after 1600. By the 1770s, thirteen British colonies contained two and a half million people. They were prosperous and growing rapidly, and haddeveloped their own autonomous political and legal systems. The British Parliament asserted its authority over these colonies by imposing new taxes, which the Americans insisted were unconstitutionalbecause they were not represented in Parliament. Growing conflicts turned into full-fledged war beginning in April 1775. On July 4, 1776, the colonies declared independence from the Kingdom of GreatBritain and became the United States of America.

With major military and financial support from France and military leadership by General George Washington, the Patriots won the Revolutionary War andpeace 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 proved unworkable, a new Constitution wasadopted in 1789; it remains the basis of the United States federal government, and later included a Bill of Rights. With Washington as the nation's first president and Alexander Hamilton his chiefadvisor, a strong national government was created. When Thomas Jefferson became president he purchased the Louisiana Territory from France, expanding American territorial holdings. A second and last warwith Britain was fought in 1812.

U.S. territory expanded westward across the continent, displacing Native American populations along the way. Slavery of Africans was abolished in all the Northern...