As the major country in North America, the United States was colonized by the English, gained independence in 1776 and became the largest economic and military power in the world.
The United States (USA) is the richest and most powerful nation in the world today, and its history is full of important events that have marked world history. The territory that corresponds to the present United States was colonized by the English, until the American colonists led a pioneer independence process on the continent.
Throughout the 19th century, the United States became an extremely wealthy nation and became a world economic power during the First World War. Its history was marked by wars such as the Civil War , World War II and the Vietnam War.
In addition, American history was marked by social movements – such as the movement that fought for the civil rights of African Americans in the 1960s and had prominent names, such as Martin Luther King Jr. , Rosa Parks, Malcolm X , etc. Recently, American history has highlighted the country’s struggle – questioned by many – against terrorism.
Don’t stop now … There’s more after the publicity;)
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- The colonization of the USA was carried out by the English.
- Thirteen Colonies was the term used to define British colonies located on the East Coast of the USA until they gained their independence.
- The first attempt at English colonization was carried out by the English privateer Sir Walter Raleigh.
- The first of thirteen colonies was Virginia, founded in 1607 by the London Company,
- The thirteen colonies were able to develop quite autonomously, with characteristics that allowed them to be divided into Colonies of the North and Colonies of the South.
- The independence of the USA was the result of the divergence of interests between the colony and the metropolis throughout the 18th century.
- After five years of war, the British, defeated, recognized the independence of the United States.
- In the 19th century, the Americans expanded their territory in what became known as “March to the West”.
- At the height of the territorial expansion process, the United States fought against Mexicans in the Mexican-American War, which took place between 1846 and 1848.
- The Civil War was the result of political divergences between the northern and southern states on the issue of expanding slave labor to the new territories.
- In the Southern Reconstruction process, a series of racist laws were passed in the southern United States, with the aim of removing civil and political rights from African Americans.
- In the 20th century, the United States became the world’s largest economic power, but it suffered a major blow in the 1929 Crisis, well known for being a collapse of overproduction.
- In 1941, the United States entered World War II as a result of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
- On August 6 and 9, 1945, the Americans dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki as a way to force Japanese surrender.
- Harry Truman’s 1947 speech is considered to be the milestone that started the polarization that symbolized the Cold War.
- Throughout the Cold War, Americans were directly or indirectly involved in conflicts such as the Indochina War, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, etc.
- At the end of the 1950s, the African American civil rights movement started, with Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. as big names.
- From the 1960s, Americans financed military dictatorships in countries in Latin America, such as Brazil, Argentina and Chile.
- In the 21st century, the USA was the target of terrorist attacks in 2001, and, in retaliation, ordered the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003.
Colonization
The colonization of the United States was carried out by the English in what became known as Thirteen Colonies. Literally, there were 13 colonies founded by the English and which became the USA. The Spaniards arrived in the American continent in 1492, and, in the territory of the present USA, they were the first Europeans to establish themselves.
The first Spaniards arrived in Florida at the beginning of the 16th century, but the colonization of the USA was carried out by the English. The first attempts at colonization of these in North America took place during the reign of Elizabeth I , which allowed Sir Walter Raleigh to begin the conquest of the region.
This initial attempt at occupation failed, and the symbol of that failure is the case of the colony on the island of Roanoke . In 1590, an English expedition arrived in Roanoke, but the colony established there was previously deserted. Natives are believed to have attacked it.
At the beginning of the 17th century, new attempts at occupation were established, and the founding of the Virginia colony in 1607 is considered to be the starting point of English colonization . The British granted colonization and exploitation rights to two private companies, which quickly went bankrupt (London Co. and Plymouth Co.).
As the colonization project came to fruition, 13 English colonies emerged:
- Virginia, founded by the London Company in 1607.
- New Hampshire, founded by the London Company in 1623.
- Massachusetts, founded by John Mason and other Puritan separatists, between 1620-1630.
- Maryland, founded by Lord Baltimore in 1634.
- Connecticut, founded by emigrants from Mass, in 1635.
- Rhode Island, founded by Roger Williams in 1636.
- North Carolina, founded by emigrants from Virginia, in 1653.
- New York, founded by the Netherlands, in 1613.
- New Jersey, founded by Berkeley Carteret, in 1664.
- South Carolina, founded by English nobles, in 1670.
- Pennsylvania, founded by William Penn, 1681.
- Delaware, founded by Sweden in 1638.
- Georgia, founded by James Oglethorpe, in 1733.
Mind Map: American Revolution
An important milestone for Americans is the arrival of pilgrims via a ship called Mayflower, which, according to them, brought the “founding fathers“. One of the main holidays in the USA – Thanksgiving Day – is in celebration of that day held by pilgrim parents for the first time in Massachusetts in the year 1621.
The growth of the colony was rapid, and a symbol of this is the great population growth of the Thirteen Colonies. Thus, if in 1620 the population was 2500 people, a century later it had surpassed the three million residents, according to the historian Leandro Karnal.
The Thirteen Colonies developed each with their own characteristics, since English colonization was less controlling than Spanish and Portuguese colonization. With this greater autonomy, the Thirteen Colonies were able to promote their development as they saw fit.
These were grouped into two groups, depending on their characteristics. These groups were the colonies of the South and colonies of the North . We briefly explain the characteristics of each of them below:
- Northern colonies: they had a temperate climate, similar to that found in England and, therefore, agriculture was not very profitable. Agricultural production was based on polyculture and was geared towards meeting the needs of domestic consumption. The predominant work in this region was free and family work, other prominent economic activities were manufacturing, ship production and fishing, and the triangular market was important for the local economy.
- Southern colonies: their climate and soil allowed agriculture to be carried out on a large scale and turned to export. The most prominent products were tobacco and cotton, produced on large properties known as plantations. The predominant form of labor was that of slave labor carried out by Africans.
- The ABBREVIATIONFINDER provides most commonly used abbreviations and initials containing the continent name of North America.
Browse a collection of political and reference maps of the North American continent. Check out the North and South American Continent map.
Forest Cover Map of the United States
Scaled-down digital copy of a physical map from the United States Department of the Interior shows the extent and density of America’s forests.
Website: http://www.nationalatlas.gov/forestmap.html
Greenberg’s Map Of Migration – NewScientist.com
Offers a different view of the North American continent by depicting the scientist’s theory of human migration from Asia via the Bering Strait.
Website: http://www.newscientist.com/ns/981017/map1.html
Historic North American Maps – David Rumsey Collection
Use a Java-enhanced browser to view images of historical maps, atlases, maritime charts and related materials depicting North America.
Website: http://www.davidrumsey.com/
Jayzee Bear – North America Map
Features a long view color map of North America with country borders indicated. Includes a map game.
Website: http://www.jayzeebear.com/map/namerica.html
MSN Encarta – North American Maps
Check out a pair of professional maps of the North America, one a solid outline map, the other a detailed political map.
Website: http://encarta.msn.com/maps/mapview.asp?mi=T630677A&submit3=
North America – Clickable Map
Clickable map of the entire North American continent, including Canada, United States, Mexico, and Greenland. Find facts, flag details, and country info.
Website: http://www.1uptravel.com/flag/flags/geo-noam.html
North America – National Geographic Map Machine
View an interactive map of North America. Click on the country and territory names to find regional maps, flags, facts and profiles.
Website: http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/index.html?i
North America – National Geographic Political Maps
Features political maps of North America and the US, available for PC or Mac download. Find a preview and a description.
Website: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/maps/polymaps/north.html
North America – National Geographic View From Above
Explore the continent from a bird’s-eye perspective with these cloudless, composite portraits, which draw on data from weather satellites.
Website: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/maps/view/namerict.html
North America – National Geographic Xpeditions
Start with a printable map of North America, and narrow the focus from there to locales such as Grenada, Guatemala and Greenland.
Website: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/atlas/nameri/na
North America – Panoramic Maps
Library of Congress collection of panoramic maps, a popular late 19th-century cartographic form, depicts US and Canadian cities and towns.
Website: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/pmhtml/panhome.html
North America – Physical Map
Access maps of North America that display each country’s physical features. View the map images, or download for Mac or PC.
Website: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/maps/physmaps/northb.html
North America – Travel.com Map
Check out this medium-sized graphical map of North America and find Canada, the US and Mexico, or click on a country for a profile.
Website: http://www.travel.com.hk/region/namermap.htm
North America Map – Maps.com
Presents a fast-downloading graphical map that shows the physical features as well as the major cities, states and countries of North America.
Website: http://media.maps.com/NEWSITE/MGDE/northamerica.jpg
North America Map Game – Jayzeebear
Access a page containing a colorful map of North and Central America. Look at the question box and click on the map to get the answers.
Website: http://www.jayzeebear.com/map/namerica_2.html
North American Continent Map
Detailed, easy-to-read map of North America with all the countries and US states clearly visible. With Canada, Central America and the islands.
Website: http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/namerica/namera.
Rare Maps Collections – McMaster University Library
Scan through an extensive virtual gallery of rare and historic maps of present-day Canada, United States and Nova Scotia.
Website: http://www.mcmaster.ca/library/maps/rcmaps.htm#9968/9
Road Map Collectors of America
Road trips are one of life’s great pleasures. Find a catalog of official highway maps, buy, sell and trade maps, or find a map dealer.
Website: http://www.roadmaps.org/
Street Map Express
Find up-to-date street and road map publications for the N.Y. Tri-State area at discounted prices. Notes inventory for USGS topography maps.
Website: http://streetmapexpress.com/
United States – Physical Map
Provided by National Geographic, this map allows viewers to easily identify the major land features of the United States, from sea to shiny sea.
Website: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/maps/physmaps/unitedb.html
USGS Mapping Information
Search by feature name, type, location or elevation range to receive latitudinal and longitudinal profiles, maps and satellite images.
Website: http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnis/web_query.gnis_web_query_f
USGS National Mapping Information
Guide to the United States Geographical Survey explains how to find maps, photos and geographical tools.
Website: http://mapping.usgs.gov/
