America

Flag of America

The **United States of America**, more commonly known as **America**, **US**, or the **United States**, is a country and Constitutional Federal Republic in North America. The country is made up of 50 States. The capital city is Washington D.C..

## History

### Pre-Columbian America

The Pre-Columbian Era is the period preceding Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas in 1492. Native Americans resided on the territory that is currently ruled by the **United States** at the time. Native Americans in the Eastern Woodlands hunted game and deer; Native Americans in the Northwest fished; Native Americans in the Southwest planted corn and built pueblos; and Native Americans in the Great Plains hunted bison. The Vikings came to Newfoundland in the year 1000. They did not, however, dwell there.

### Colonial America

In 1585, the English attempted to establish a settlement on Roanoke Island. Nobody knows what happened to the folks when the settlement failed. John Smith, John Rolfe, and other Englishmen eager in gold and adventure established the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. Many people perished of sickness and famine in Virginia's early years. The Virginia colony survived because it produced money by growing tobacco, rice, and cotton.

In 1621, a group of Englishmen called the Pilgrims settled at Plymouth, Massachusetts. A bigger colony was built at Massachusetts Bay by the Puritans in 1630. The Pilgrims and the Puritans were interested in making a better society, not looking for gold. They called this ideal society a "city on a hill". A man named Roger Williams left Massachusetts after disagreeing with the Puritans, and started the colony of Rhode Island in 1636.

Great Britain was not the only country to settle what would become the **United States**. In the 1500s, Spain built a fort at Saint Augustine, Florida. France settled Louisiana, and the area around the Great Lakes. The Dutch settled New York, which they called New Netherland. Other areas were settled by Scotch-Irish, Germans, and Swedes. However, in time Britain controlled all of the colonies, and most **American** colonists adopted the British way of life. The growth of the colonies was not good for Native Americans. Many of them died of smallpox, a disease brought to **America** by the Europeans. The ones who lived lost their lands to the colonists.

The Great Awakening was a religious movement in the colonies in the early 1700s. Sermons were delivered by preachers such as Jonathan Edwards. "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" was one of them. The Great Awakening may have influenced the ideology that fueled the American Revolution.

There were thirteen colonies by 1733. At the period, the major cities and key ports were New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, and Charleston.

From 1756 to 1763, England and France fought the Seven Years' War, often known as the French and Indian War, for their territories in **America**, which the British conquered. The Royal Proclamation of 1763, issued after the war, stated that colonists may not dwell west of the Appalachian Mountains. The Proclamation irritated many colonists who wished to go to the frontier.

### American Revolution

Following the French and Indian War, the colonists began to believe that they were not being granted their "rights as freeborn Englishmen." This meant they expected the English government to treat them equitably. This was mostly due to additional levies imposed by the British on the colonies in order to fund the war. This was dubbed "No taxation without representation" by **Americans**, who believed that colonies should not have to pay taxes unless they had a vote in the British Parliament. Each tax was detested and was replaced by another, resulting in greater solidarity among the colonies. In 1770, Boston colonists known as the Sons of Liberty clashed with British soldiers. This was nicknamed the Boston Massacre. Following the Tea Act, the Sons of Liberty tossed hundreds of tea cartons into the sea. This was referred to as the Boston Tea Party. As a result, the British Army took control of Boston. Following that, leaders from the 13 colonies convened the Continental Congress. The Continental Congress included several notable individuals, including Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock, Roger Sherman, and John Jay.

In 1776, Thomas Paine published Common Sense, a pamphlet. It contended that the colonies should be liberated from English control. This was founded on John Locke's and others' English conceptions of natural rights and social contract. The 13 colonies signed the United States Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. This meant that they were no longer a part of England and were free and independent states. At the time, the colonists were already battling Britain in the Revolutionary War. The Revolutionary War began in 1775 with The Battles of Lexington and Concord. Despite losing numerous engagements to the British, **American** forces led by George Washington achieved a crucial victory at Saratoga in 1777. As a result, France and Spain sided with the **Americans** in the conflict. In 1781, an American victory at Yorktown, aided by the French, convinced Britain to call it quits and cede the colonies. **America** had triumphed in the war and gained its independence.

### The Federal Period

The colonies created a confederation of states under the Articles of Confederation in 1781, although it only lasted six years. It delegated practically all authority to the states while giving the federal government relatively little. There was no president of the confederation. It couldn't drive Native Americans or the British off the frontier, and it couldn't put down mob upheavals like Shays' Rebellion. Many individuals felt the Articles of Confederation were broken after Shays' Rebellion.

A constitution was drafted in 1787. Many of those who contributed to the writing of the Constitution, including Washington, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and Gouverneur Morris, were significant intellectuals in America at the time. Some of these men would subsequently rise to positions of power in the new administration. The constitution established a more powerful national government, with three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial.

Washington was chosen the first President in 1789. He outlined how a President should conduct and departed after two terms. During Washington's presidency, there was a Whiskey Rebellion, in which rural farmers attempted to prevent the government from collecting whiskey taxes. The Jay Treaty, ratified by Congress in 1795, provided for expanded commerce with Britain in exchange for the British giving up their forts on the Great Lakes. However, the United Kingdom continued to do things that harmed the **United States**, such as impressment, which forced **American** sailors to join the British Royal Navy.

In the election of 1796, John Adams beat Thomas Jefferson to become the second President of the **United States**. This was the first election in **America** between two political parties. As president, Adams expanded the army and navy. He also pushed through the Alien and Sedition Acts, which were widely opposed.

Jefferson beat Adams in the 1800 election. One of the most important things he accomplished as President was purchase the Louisiana Territory from France, which doubled the size of the **United States**. Lewis and Clark were dispatched by Jefferson to chart the Louisiana Purchase. Jefferson also attempted to halt commerce with England and France in order to keep the **United States** out of the two countries' wars. Fighting erupted between the **United States** and England in 1812, under the presidency of James Madison. This was known as the War of 1812.

### Expansion Industrialization And Slavery

Slavery was one of the issues throughout this time period. By 1861, the South had enslaved over three million African-Americans. This implies they worked for others yet had no independence and received no compensation for their efforts. The majority picked cotton on huge plantations. After Eli Whitney created the cotton gin in 1793, cotton became the predominant crop in the South. Slave rebellions against slavery occurred, notably one headed by Nat Turner. All of these uprisings failed. The South desired to maintain slavery, but at the time of the Civil War, many in the North desired to abolish it. Another point of contention between the North and South was the function of government.

The Federalist Party died away after the War of 1812, leaving a "Era of Good Feelings" in which just one party was significant, under Presidents James Madison and James Monroe. The Monroe Doctrine, which claimed that Europe should quit attempting to dominate the United States and other independent countries in the Americas, was the United States' strategy in North America under Monroe. Around this period, the "American System" was proposed by Congress. Banking, transportation, and communication were all part of the American System. The American System resulted in larger cities and more factories. The Erie Canal, a canal in the state of New York, was one of the major transportation developments at the period.

The industrial revolution arrived in America in the early nineteenth century. Many industries were constructed in northern cities like Lowell, Massachusetts. The majority of them created garments. Many industrial employees were women, while others were children or immigrants from Ireland or Germany. Despite this industrialisation, America remained a farming nation.

Many American women experienced a "cult of domesticity" in the 19th century. As a result, most married women were expected to stay at home and raise their children. As in other nations, American wives were heavily reliant on their husbands and had little rights. Women who were not married had few options for employment, such as working in garment factories or as maids. Women like Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton believed that women should have more rights during the nineteenth century. Many of these women met in 1848 and resolved to fight for broader women's rights, including the ability to vote.

Andrew Jackson was elected President in 1828. He was the first Democratic president to be elected. He influenced the government in a variety of ways. Because many of his followers were low-income individuals who had never voted before, he compensated them with government positions, a practice known as "spoils" or "patronage." Because of Jackson, a new party named the Whigs was founded to run against him. This was known as the "Second Party System." Jackson was adamantly opposed to the National Bank. It was a symbol of Whigs and wealthy American businesses, he thought. Jackson also proposed a hefty import tax, which the South opposed. It was dubbed the "Tariff of Abominations." John C. Calhoun, Jackson's Vice-President, was from the South.

At this period, people began to migrate west of the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains. People who captured and traded animal skins, such as John Colter and Jim Bridger, were among the first to migrate west. By the 1840s, many individuals were travelling to Oregon by wagon, and thousands more followed the 1849 California Gold Rush. Many more states were added to the original thirteen, mostly in the Midwest and South prior to the Civil War and in the West thereafter. Native Americans lost most of their territory during this time period. They had been defeated militarily by the Americans in Tippecanoe and in the Seminole War.

### The Mexican–American War

Texas, which had become a nation after leaving Mexico, joined the United States in 1845. Mexico objected, and the Americans want the territory Mexico possessed on the West Coast. As a result, the United States and Mexico engaged in the Mexican-American War. The United States took the cities of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Monterrey, Veracruz, and Mexico City during the conflict. As a result of the conflict, the United States seized control of most of California and the American Southwest. Many individuals in the North opposed the war because they believed it was only beneficial to Southern slave states.

### American Civil War

In the 1840s and 1850s, people in the Northern and Southern states disagreed on whether slavery was good or bad in portions of the United States that were not yet states. Government officials attempted to broker peace treaties in order to avert a conflict. The Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act were two compromises that did not work to keep the Union together. People in the South were outraged by publications like Uncle Tom's Cabin that condemned slavery. People in the North were outraged by the Dred Scott decision, which retained a slave. In Kansas, individuals from the South and the North began killing each other over slavery.

The Democratic Party divided in the 1860 election, and the Republican nominee for President, Abraham Lincoln, was elected. Many Southern states quit the Union as a result of this. Eleven states eventually departed. They attempted to establish a new country known as the Confederate States of America, or the "Confederacy." The Union and the Confederacy went to war. The lack of manufacturers made it more difficult for Southern forces to get weapons and clothes. Northern ships had blockaded the Southern shore, preventing the South from receiving supplies.

Confederate generals such as Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson won engagements early in the war against Union generals such as George B. McClellan and Ambrose Burnside. The Union Army attempted numerous times in 1862 and 1863 to conquer the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, but failed each time. Lee's army twice attacked the North, but was repulsed at Antietam and Gettysburg. In the midst of the conflict, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves in the Confederacy and allowing black men to fight in the Union Army. After the battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg in 1863, the war began to favor the Union. Gettysburg prevented Lee from attacking the North, while Vicksburg handed over control of the Mississippi River to the Union.

### Reconstruction and the Gilded Age

Lincoln was shot and died while watching a performance in April 1865. Andrew Johnson, the new president, had to go through the reconstruction process, which involved putting the United States back together after the Civil War. The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution were ratified during this time period, liberating slaves, making them citizens, and granting them the right to vote. After the Civil War, Congress was led by "Radical Republicans" who intended to punish the South. They disliked Johnson and were on the verge of deposing him. They also dispatched a large number of troops to the South, imposed unpopular "scalawag" administrations, and forced the South to ratify the 14th and 15th Amendments.

Many individuals immigrated to the United States during this time period from nations such as Ireland, Italy, Germany, Eastern Europe, and China. Many of them worked in enormous industries and lived in large cities such as New York City, Chicago, and Boston, frequently in small, impoverished, close-knit communities known as "tenements" or "slums." They were frequently utilised by "political machines," which provided them with jobs and money in exchange for votes.

Political machineries picked and corrupted major politicians. The government had minimal influence, and corporate leaders frequently had more power than the government. There were numerous extremely large enterprises known as trusts during the time. Trust managers gained millions of dollars while giving their employees pitiful wages. John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and J.P. Morgan were among these individuals.

Many Americans believed that the railways charged farmers so much money that they became impoverished. Workers staged repeated strikes against the railroad, which were crushed by the army. Farmers also formed anti-railroad organization's such as the Grange. These organization's merged to become the Populist Movement, which almost won the presidency under William Jennings Bryan. The Populists advocated for reforms such as an income tax and direct Senate election. The Populist Party ceased to exist after 1896. Many of the Populists' desires would be realised during the Progressive Era.

### The Spanish–American War

In the United States, progressivism is the notion that the government should have a stronger role in the daily lives of Americans in order to ensure decent living conditions for people, particularly workers. Imperialism was the concept that the United States should strengthen its fleet and acquire land.

The United States began to get increasingly involved in international affairs in the late 19th and early 20th century. The Spanish-American War was fought between the United States and Spain in 1898. The US prevailed, gaining Puerto Rico, Guam, Guantanamo, and the Philippines. With the acquisition of Alaska and the occupation of Hawaii, the United States had acquired all of the territory it possesses today, plus some that it would subsequently lose after World War II. Around this period, the United States and Europe began trading with China. This was due to their victories over China in the Opium Wars and the Boxer Rebellion. Through the Open Door Policy, the United States and Europe were permitted to trade with China.

Republican Theodore Roosevelt was elected President in 1901. He had served in the Spanish-American War. He advocated for a "Big Stick" foreign strategy. This entailed maintaining a big navy and exerting control over Latin America. The United States dispatched soldiers into Latin America three times between 1901 and 1930. During Roosevelt's presidency, construction on the Panama Canal, a connection between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans that would speed up travel across the world, began.

Woodrow Wilson was elected President in 1912. He was a Progressive, but not in the same way that Roosevelt was. He battled the "triple wall of privilege," which included large business, taxes, and tariffs on products entering the US. During this time, the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Amendments to the United States Constitution were ratified. The Constitution was ratified. They permitted a federal income tax and the direct election of U.S. Senators.

### World War I

The United States did not want to engage World War I, but it did want to export armaments to both sides. In 1915, a German submarine sunk the Lusitania, which was transporting Americans. Americans were outraged, and Germany ceased assaulting passenger ships. In January 1917, Germany launched another offensive and issued the Zimmerman Telegram to Mexico, threatening to invade the United States. The United States entered the war against Germany, which lasted a year. Wilson tried to establish the League of Nations, an international institution. The League's primary purpose was to avert conflict. The United States, however, did not join because isolationists opposed the peace pact.

A flu pandemic killed millions of people in the United States and Europe at the end of World War I. After the war, the United States was one of the world's richest and most powerful countries.

### The "Roaring Twenties"

Following World War I, the United States pursued an isolationist foreign policy. That means it didn't want to start another world war. It enacted laws and accords that were meant to put an end to war for good, and it refused to sell weapons to its former friends.

Racism was prominent throughout the 1920s. The Ku Klux Klan was once again dominant, and it persecuted black people, Catholics, Jews, and foreigners. People blamed the war and commercial troubles on immigrants and labor leaders, whom they accused of being Bolsheviks. Many individuals also believed that America had lost contact with religion. They dealt with it by changing religions, and some by opposing science.

Warren G. Harding was elected President in 1921. He thought that the best approach to improve the economy was for the government to be more pro-business by lowering taxes and regulating less. While the economy was performing well under these measures, America had the greatest disparity in wealth between the affluent and the poor. There were various issues with Harding's administration. The largest was Teapot Dome, which was built above oil operations in the Navy Oil Reserve. When Harding died in 1923, Calvin Coolidge took over as President. Coolidge, like Harding, thought that the government should stay out of business and continued many of Harding's policies. Coolidge declined to run for president in 1928, and Herbert Hoover took his place.

### The Great Depression

The United States experienced the Great Depression in 1929. The stock market plummeted. Many banks ran out of funds and had to shut. By 1932, more than a quarter of the country was unemployed, and much of the country was impoverished or unemployed. Many people were forced off farms not just because of the Depression, but also because of the "Dust Bowl" disaster and because farmers had not been doing well in the 1920s.

President Hoover attempted to address the Depression, but it was ineffective. He was defeated in 1932, and Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected President. He was the architect of the New Deal. It was a set of government program's designed to provide relief, recovery, and reform.

Social Security, the National Recovery Administration, the Works Progress Administration, the Civilian Conservation Corps, and the Tennessee Valley Authority were all part of the New Deal. These programmes employ millions of Americans, but at poor wages. Many of these projects began early in Roosevelt's presidency, during the "Hundred Days," or in 1935, during the "Second New Deal." Programs like Social Security came out of populist campaigns like "Share Our Wealth" and "Ham and Eggs" headed by people like Huey Long.

The New Deal is sometimes referred to as the "saving of capitalism," as it prevented America from becoming a Communist or Fascist state. Although the New Deal helped the economy, it did not bring the Great Depression to an end. World War II put an end to the Great Depression.

### World War II

As the Second World War began, the United States declared that it would not participate. Most Americans believed that the US should remain neutral, while some believed that the US should enter the war on the side of the Germans. With the Lend Lease Act, the United States eventually attempted to assist the Allied Powers. It granted the Allies a lot of money and munitions in exchange for the use of aviation bases all around the world.

Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, a U.S. naval base, on December 7, 1941. Hawaii Naval Base The United States had lost its neutrality and had declared war on the Axis powers. Because the conflict produced many employment, the United States' entry into World War II ended the Great Depression. While the United States participated in air and naval conflicts with Japan, the majority of its combat was in Europe and Africa. The United States launched multiple fronts, including those in North Africa and Italy. The United States also bombarded Germany from the air, destroying towns and enterprises. D-Day was the invasion of Normandy by American and British forces on June 6, 1944. Roosevelt died in 1945, and Harry Truman was elected president. The United States chose to unleash two nuclear bombs on Japan.

For women and minorities, the conflict meant various things. Many women worked at weapons industries throughout the conflict. They were embodied by the figure "Rosie the Riveter." Many African-Americans served in the army, although they were sometimes sent to segregated regiments with white officers. On the West Coast, Japanese-Americans were forced to dwell in internment camps, albeit a handful served in the Army.

## Points of Interest

* Alabama
	+ Montgomery
	+ Huntsville
* Alaska
	+ Juneau
	+ Anchorage
* Arizona
	+ Phoenix
	+ Montezuma Castle
* Arkansas
	+ Little Rock
* California
	+ Sacramento
	+ Los Angeles
	+ San Francisco
		- Alcatraz Island
		- Golden Gate Bridge
* Colorado
	+ Denver
	+ Mesa Verde National Park
		- Cliff Palace
* Connecticut
	+ Hartford
	+ Bridgeport
* Delaware
	+ Dover
	+ Wilmington
* Florida
	+ Tallahassee
	+ St Augustine
		- Castillo de San Marcos
	+ Jacksonville
	+ Key West
		- Fort Jefferson
* Georgia
	+ Atlanta
* Hawaii
	+ Honolulu
* Idaho
	+ Boise
* Illinois
	+ Springfield
	+ Chicago
* Indiana
	+ Indianapolis
* Iowa
	+ Des Moines
* Kansas
	+ Topeka
	+ Wichita
* Kentucky
	+ Frankfort
	+ Louisville
* Louisiana
	+ Baton Rouge
	+ New Orleans
	+ Oak Alley Plantation
* Maine
	+ Augusta
	+ Portland
* Maryland
	+ Annapolis
	+ Baltimore
		- Fort McHenry
* Massachusetts
	+ Boston
		- Faneuil Hall
		- Bunker Hill Monument
	+ Provincetown
		- Pilgrim Monument
	+ Plymouth
		- Plimoth Plantation
* Michigan
	+ Lansing
	+ Detroit
* Minnesota
	+ St. Paul
	+ Minneapolis
* Mississippi
	+ Jackson
	+ Mississippi River
* Missouri
	+ Jefferson City
	+ Kansas City
	+ St Louis
		- Gateway Arch
* Montana
	+ Helena
	+ Billings
* Nebraska
* Nevada
	+ Hoover Dam
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
	+ Taos Pueblo
* New York
	+ New York City
		- National September 11 Memorial
		- Statue of Liberty
		- Ellis Island
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
	+ Philadelphia
		- Independence Hall
		- Liberty Bell
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
	+ Charleston
		- Fort Sumter
* South Dakota
	+ Keystone
		- Mount Rushmore
	+ Crazy Horse Memorial
* Tennessee
* Texas
	+ San Antonio
		- The Alamo
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
	+ Arlington
		- Arlington National Cemetery
* Washington
* Washington D.C.
	+ Washington Monument
	+ United States Capitol
	+ The White House
	+ Lincoln Memorial
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming

See also: Category:Locations in America

See also: Category:U.S. States

See also: Category:American Cities

See also: Category:American Frontier Towns

## Trivia

* The **United States** is the third largest country in the world by landmass.
	+ It is nearly as big as the entire continent of Europe.
* Since 1871, the **United States** has retained its position as the world's greatest economy. Because the US economy accounts for over a quarter of the world economy, it is frequently referred to as an economic powerhouse.
* The first American flag only displayed 13 stripes as well as 13 stars that were arranged in a circle. The stars and stripes represented the 13 colonies that declared independence from Great Britain.
* **America's** musical influence has had a significant global impact. **America** dominates the music business because it is home to so many outstanding musicians. Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Jimmy Hendrix, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Beyonce, and many others are among the greatest musical performers of all time.
* While English is predominantly spoken across the **United States**, on a federal level there are no laws stating that English is the official language. However, even though there are no federal laws, 31 states have declared English the official language.