United States of America

The United States is a relatively young country, having declared its independence on July 4, 1776, in England. This independence would be recognized by the British in 1783, the Treaty of Paris. The territory that now constitutes the United States was inhabited by dozens of native tribes before the arrival of the first European explorers in the region.

The British colonized the region of the Atlantic coast, where a total of Thirteen Colonies were founded. These colonies, initially very different and distant from each other politically and culturally, have banded together and declared their independence on July 4, 1776; this independence has been recognized by the United Kingdom after the end of the American Revolution of 1776, in 1783, under the terms of the Treaty of Paris. Since then, the United States gradually evolve into a superpower, going to exert increasing political, economic, military and cultural influence on the world stage.

The city of New York was the capital for a year, before the government move to Philadelphia. In 1791, the states ratified the Bill of Rights, ten amendments to the Constitution prohibiting restrictions on personal freedoms and guaranteeing a range of legal protections. The Northern states abolished slavery between 1780 and 1804 In 1800, the federal government moved to Washington, DC (District of Columbia).

Physical Map

In order to expand their territory towards the west, the American government began a series of wars against indigenous peoples, which lasted until the end of the nineteenth century. The war against England, which ended in a draw, served to strengthen American nationalism.

Tensions between slave states and abolitionists, along with increasing disagreements between the federal government and the state have caused friction in the expansion of slavery in new states. Abraham Lincoln, candidate of the Republican party and a great abolitionist, was elected president in 1860 Before they took possession of his office, seven slave states declared their secession, forming the Confederate States of America. The federal government argued that secession was illegal and thus began the American Civil War.