Events in the USA from 1620-1865 that contributed to its formation
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Events in the USA from 1620-1865 that contributed to its formation
History has ups and downs, twists and turns and shifts that come to shape the modern world we see today. The foundation of the world we live in today has events and occurrences laid throughout in its history. If these events never happened or had different results in a country, there would be adverse effects. To understand a nation, it is important to take a journey back to the important historical events that shaped the country. The world’s most powerful nation, the United States America, owes its greatness to the myriad of ancient events that eventually shaped what it is today. All the countless historical events have great significance in their own right. This paper discusses ten events from 1620-1865 that contributed to the formation of the United States of America as a people and a Nation.
- 1620- Establishment of the Plymouth Colony
The Pilgrims from England who were escaping persecution from King James arrived in Plymouth, which would later become Massachusetts on 21st December 1620 (Tracy, 2010). They had signed the Mayflower Compact, which would be used to govern the colony. A new nation, therefore, arose from Plymouth Colony instead of Jamestown; hence, the U.S. traces its expansion and development back to this colony.
- 1640- Printing of the first book in the USA
The first book, known as the Bay Psalm, was printed in the Massachusetts Bay colony in British North America (Haraszti, 2016). According to Como (2007), Stephen Gaye, a London printer, came with the press and established a printing office in Cambridge. This book was an advancement in the field of arts and literature of the American nation.
- 1754-1763- The beginning and end of the Revolutionary War
In 1754, there was the outbreak of the French Indian conflict which was a struggle between the British and French for the control of Eastern North America (Baugh & Baugh, 2014). The British defeated the French at Quebec. In 1763, the British and French signed the Treaty of Paris hence granting Britain official control over Canada and other French possessions. The event contributed to the development and expansion of the USA because they defeated and gained control over other colonies.
- 1776- Adoption of the Declaration of Independence
In the year 1776, North Carolina delegates joined others in the Continental Congress meeting to see through the separation of America from Great Britain through a declaration that was to the effect that the United States colonies be free and independent as a matter of rights (Wood, 2011). On 4th July 1776, the U.S. adopted the Declaration of Independence. The event was significant as it made the pursuit of American liberty and democracy more meaningful.
- 1777- Adoption of the Articles of Confederation
The Continental Congress embraced the Articles of Confederation that proposed independence of the colonies in 1777. The articles founded the country’s name, “United States of America” since this is where John Dickerson first drafted and proposed the name (Adams, 2001). The event is significant in U.S. history because it traces the origin of the nation’s name.
- 1787- The first Constitution drafted
The USA had gained independence after the Treaty of Paris in 1783. According to Yoo (2010), the Articles of Confederation failed to address the problems of the young republic hence the founding fathers such as George Washington laid down the law in the Constitution. The 1787 event marked a new era of law that met the needs of our country; the document was the first-ever American Constitution.
- 1803- Louisiana Purchase and landmark Supreme Court ruling
In 1803, the U.S. paid millions to the French for Louisiana territory, which saw the USA double in size. The U.S. Court made a groundbreaking ruling in Marbury v. Madison (1803) which established the court’s power to declare Congress acts unconstitutional. The Louisiana Purchase is important as it expanded the USA, and the ruling was brought change to the U.S. legal system.
- 1860- Election of Abraham Lincoln- 16th president of USA
In 1860, Abraham Lincoln became the president of the USA on a platform that sought to abolish slavery and unite Americans, black or white (Bailey, 2014). His reign is important in American history because of his strong campaign and success in ending slavery in America.
- 1861-1865- The American Civil War
The Bull Run began the long and costly American civil war in 1861 which saw many American soldiers losing their lives. By the end of this war, slavery was abolished, and the Union of the U.S. preserved. The Thirteenth Amendment, signed in 1865, ended this war and abolished slavery completely (Croft, 2016). The event is important because it brought an end to the disturbing practices of slave ownership in the USA.
- 1861- Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation
President Lincoln’s campaigns against slavery were not just toothless words. He issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that all slaves were officially free. According to Roediger (2014), Even though the Proclamation did not entirely end slavery, it inspired the slaves to support the Union cause, and by the end of the war, over 200,000 blacks had joined the army and navy.
References
Adams, W. P. (2001). The first American constitutions: republican ideology and the making of the state constitutions in the revolutionary era. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Bailey, D. (2014). The Emancipation Proclamation and the End of Slavery in America. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
Baugh, D., & Baugh, D. A. (2014). The Global Seven Years War 1754-1763: Britain and France in a Great Power Contest. Routledge.
Como, D. R. (2007). Secret Printing, the Crisis of 1640, and the Origins of Civil War Radicalism. Past and Present, 196(1), 37-82.
Crofts, D. W. (2016). Lincoln and the Politics of Slavery: The Other Thirteenth Amendment and the Struggle to Save the Union. UNC Press Books.
Haraszti, Z. (2016). The Bay Psalm Book: The First Book Printed in British North America, 1640. Courier Dover Publications.
Marbury v. Madison 5 U.S. (1 Cranch) 137 (1803)
Roediger, D. R. (2014). Seizing Freedom: Slave emancipation and liberty for all. Verso Books.
Tracy, K. (2010). The Plymouth Colony: The Pilgrims Settle in Massachusetts. Mitchell Lane Publishers, Inc.
Wood, G. S. (2011). The creation of the American republic, 1776-1787. UNC Press Books.
Yoo, J. (2010). George Washington and the Executive Power. U. St. Thomas JL & Pub. Pol’y, 5, 1.