How did 13 colonies manage to turn into the United States and ultimately, the most powerful nation on Earth.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, many people began to leave Europe for economic reasons and to seek political or religious freedom. In less than a century, almost 3 million people immigrated to America. By the 1750s, the heaviest population lay in the land along the Atlantic coast, which included the thirteen English colonies.
The Thirteen Colonies
The thirteen colonies had a population of about one and a half million people, and most of these were Englishmen. Did you know that even though the colonies were located next to one another they didn't have good communications? Eight of the thirteen colonies were royal colonies, founded on charters granted by the King of England. Private trading companies who had charters with England settled the three colonies of Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania. People who had left the Massachusetts colony settled the two colonies of Rhode Island and Connecticut.
England tried to bring the colonies together, but with little success. Each colony had its own constitutions; however, the English King appointed a Royal Governor to supervise the governments of two of the thirteen colonies. Although the local Assembly had the right to decide on its own administration, the Royal Governor had the power to veto, which caused friction in the colonies.
The Mother Country gave the colonists some freedom to run their governments but was quite strict in economic matters. The colonists were not allowed to export their goods to any country but England under the Navigation Acts. They also had to import goods made in England. By preventing them from trading with other countries England could control how they developed economically. When Parliament taxed sugar, molasses, and tea, it placed a great financial burden on the colonists, and they began to complain against England.
The colonists were getting tired of seeing English soldiers everywhere they looked. They were even more tired of having to support them through the Stamp Act. This tax was placed on newspapers and legal documents. As the colonists became more frustrated, they found a way to dodge the English taxes and trade restrictions by smuggling.
Under George III things became even more severe, and soon riots broke out and angry crowds gathered in streets. In order to settle things down a bit, committees of correspondence were formed. They wanted representatives from the colonies in the English Parliament to assure their rights. Even though many English statesmen sympathized with the colonists and defended their cause, the colonist's requests continued to be ignored. But the young country did not give up, and the colonists continued to try to come to terms with England.
The Continental Congress
In 1774, representatives of the colonies held the first Continental Congress in Philadelphia. They issued a Declaration of Rights, asking for control over their own affairs. In London ,some of the agents representing the colonies were being treated with unfairness and abuse. In 1775, a second Continental Congress organized an American army with George Washington as its leader.
The Declaration of Independence
All peaceful efforts had failed, and the colonies and British troops began to clash with one another causing the Continental Congress to make an important decision. On July 4, 1776, they issued a Declaration of Independence.
It stated that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
The war between the colonists and England went on for more than six years. In Europe sympathy lied with the colonists, and many citizens went so far as to sail to America to join in the cause. Generals Lafayette, de Kalb, Von Steuben, and others offered their services in the colonial army, and France and Spain allied themselves with America. When The Netherlands refused to stop trading with the colonies, they found themselves at war with England.
In 1781 after seven long years of fighting for independence, General Cornwallis surrendered to the American forces at Yorktown, Virginia. England at last recognized the colonists' independence, and two years later a peace treaty was signed in Paris, France. In 1789, the new nation made its constitution official. The constitution was designed so that no individual could become a dictator, nor could any certain group of people have too much power. The government was comprised of three parts.
1. Legislative: an elected Congress
a) The Senate: each state would send two representatives.
b) A House of Representatives: each state would send a certain number of representatives according to the size of its population.
2. Executive: a president would be elected every four years to serve a term of four years.
3. Judicial: a Supreme Court of Justices would be appointed by the president.
The first man to become president of the United States of America was George Washington, who was inaugurated in New York City on April 30, 1789. New York City served as the capital of the United States until 1800 when Washington, D.C., was chosen as the new location.
