united states of america

early 17th century - first english colonies

in the north - puritans strove to build a “holy commonwealth”

in the south - virginia based on tobacco plantations worked by african slaves

end of seven years’ war

british government expected american colonies to help them pay debts

→ americans rebelled, issuing the declaration of independence on 4 july 1776, signed by “founding fathers”

USA independence

by 1783 - the british had recognised independence of the USA

under the new constitution, the former colonies became “states”, entrusting certain powers to a “federal” government

USA soon became democratic, but women, native americans and african americans were denied the vote

southern states

in the southern states, tobacco was supplanted by cotton - made possible by slavery, “the peculiar institution” of the south

middle of 19th century - expanding

USA expanded westwards into texas, california, and others, seized from mexico + oregon, ceded by britain

believed it was their “manifest destiny” to overspread the entire continent

american civil war (1861-5)

debate whether slavery should be extended to new territories → war

south - seceded to form the confederate states of america

north - triumphed under abraham lincoln

→ slavery was abolished forever

south refused to treat black people as equals

→ in “plessy v. ferguson”, supreme court ruled that segregation was legal so long as all groups were treated equally (“seperate but equal”)

the 1920s - economic growth

USA had rapid economic growth - mass culture revolving around cinema and radio - henry ford’s model t automobile

year 1929 - great depression

new york stock exchange on wall street crashed

president roosewelt promised a “new deal” - federal government embarked on a massive programme of infrastructure development and job creation = system of “social security”

WWII

USA joined WWII after japan bombed pearl harbor

war also ended on the pacific, after USA dropped atomic bombs on japan (1945)

except pearl harbor, USA had not been bombed or occupied = economy was booming

→ new superpower, rivaled only by SSSR (the cold war)

the 1960s - movement against segregations

m. l. king led a movement against segregations

→ passage of 1964 civil rights act by president lyndon b. johnson - also promised to use the power of the federal government to build a “great society”

ronald rengan

r. rengan became president - determined to dismantle the new deal and the great society by scrapping regulations and cutting taxes

11 september 2001

after the collapse of SSSR, USA found a new enemy

→ islamic terrorism - after attacks on 11 september 2001, USA invaded afghanistan and iraq