CSS Forums - United States history, in a nutshell

United States history properly begins with the landing of Juan Ponce de Leon, who landed in Florida in 1513. While Christopher Columbus is often credited with discovering the United States, but he did not make landfall in any U.S. state, but in Puerto Rico. We are not certain if John Cabot landed in New England in 1498, so Ponce de Leon must be given credit for discovering the continental U.S.

United States history began with the establishment and consolidation of thirteen British colonies along the eastern coast of the continent, beginning in 1607. The United States was not born, however, until these thirteen colonies revolted against the British throne, winning freedom by the American Revolutionary War. From these thirteen colonies came the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, which was ratified by the thirteen colonies in 1781.

Beginning in the eighteen hundreds, the United States began its expansion into the
continent. They maintained a ‘manifest destiny’ mindset, in which the United States was apparently destined to extend its sovereignty from the east coast to the west. This expansion, called the Westward Expansion, occurred between 1789 to 1849 when California became a state.

A new and deadly era began when gold was discovered in California. This lead to a population explosion in California and its admission into the United States. Slavery was the principle issue at the time, and with the admission of California as a free state, the balance of power in U.S. government was thrown off balance. Pro-slavery factions were in the minority. Although compromises were made, and balances were achieved and then upset, the people were unable to keep the union together in the face of the issue of slavery. By 1861, eleven southern states seceded from the Union, thereby eventuating the American Civil War. This war was settled in 1865, the Union winning over the southern Confederacy. Slavery was abolished in the United States by the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution.

During the period of United States history, between the 1890s to the 1920s, the country solidified its economic, political, social and moral character, in the midst of vast technological and economic developments. This era was called the ‘Progressive Era’ in United States history, due to all the progress made in these areas. Women won the right to vote. Direct elections of Senators became law. New election methods were established and political corruption was arrested. The government, viewed as a caring uncle, became the vogue.

The Progressive Era of United States history saw an increase in economic prosperity that came to an abrupt end with the the 1929 Wall Street Crash. This was followed by the Great Depression, a time when most Americans lived in poverty. Between 1929 and 1945, efforts were made to overcome rampant poverty, but war ended it when, in 1941, the U.S. entered into World War II and the subsequent Cold War, with the Soviet Union on one side and the United States and its allies on the other. These eras saw both great bloodshed and great technological advances in space science and automated systems. The fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 brought these eras to an end.

A new phase in United States history began on September 11, 2001, when two passenger planes were driven into the Twin Towers in New York City. The United States blamed a terrorist organization and entered into the present day global conflict, its fight on terrorism. In 2007-8, a downturn in the economy has worsened and now threatens a return to a new Great Depression, but on a global scale not seen before. We can only hope that United States history books, yet to be written, will contain references to another return to prosperity and hopefully, peace.