On July the 4th, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed. It was written mainly by Thomas Jefferson and declared the independence of the USA as well as the principles of American society. USA army led by George Washington finally forced the British army to surrender at Yorktown in 1781. In the Treaty of Paris, signed in 1783, Britain accepted the independence of the USA.
Constitution of the United States was written in 1787 and ratified one year later. The first amendment[1] was added in 1791. It was The Bill of Rights. George Washington became the first President.
After the war with the revolutionary France, the USA decided that it wouldn’t have any political ties with other nations. A country characterised by a decentralised economy, minimal government and maximum freedom of action and enterprise for everybody. In 1803, the territory of Louisiana was purchased[2] from the French.
During the Napoleon wars British ships were controlling most of the Atlantic Ocean and prevented American ports from exporting and importing goods. As a response in 1812 the USA declared war upon Britain. They were quite successful in Canada but the British naval blockade of the East Coast hit the American trade badly. Peace was signed in 1814 and re-established the pre-war status quo.
In 1819 Florida was bought from Spain. Three years later President James Monroe announced the Monroe Doctrine. No colonies or European intervention in the New World were tolerated. There were two major political parties. The Whigs who wanted a strong Government, social policy and central institutions, and the Democrats who based their ideology on liberal principles.
In 1846 Oregon territory joined the USA and the war with Mexico broke out. The main issue was Texas. The USA won. Peace was signed in 1848 and the southern border of the USA moved to the river Rio Grande.
Slavery became the main problem. Originally slave and non-slave countries were equal in number, but newly joined countries could easily destroy this balance. The Missouri Compromise which split the North America in two halves was just a temporary solution. While the North became an industrial area and supplied the South with manufactured products, the South grew the essential tobacco and cotton. After a successful war with Mexico there was the danger that slavers would gain a dominant position in central government. The new Republican Party was created in response. They were for the abolition of slavery and had support of northern countries. Against them there stood the Democrats with the support of the South.
[1] dodatek
[2] zakoupit
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