The Formation of the USA

All of the colonies had a representative government, that is a government which was elected by the people. The English king appointed many of the colonial governors, but they all had to rule in cooperation with an elected assembly. The right to vote was given to white males who owned property.

Britain could not control its American colonies directly because London was too far away. By the middle of the 18^th century the British settlers had occupied 13 colonies all along the Atlantic coast. As a result of the Seven Years’ War Britain’s rule in North America became much stronger.

However Britain’s victory led to a conflict between Britain and the colonies. The war cost a lot of money, and Britain decided to get the money from the colonists by introducing heavy taxes. The Quartering Act forced the colonies to house and feed British soldiers. The Stamp Act (1765) became even more unpopular. According to it special tax stamps were put on all newspapers pamphlets, documents. It was only natural that the American colonists were angered by the actions of the British government, because these measures were directed against the interests of the colonists. There was great opposition to the Stamp Act. The colonists refused to pay the tax, and the stamp agents themselves faced threats from angry people. As a result of such opposition the British government was forced to abolish the Stamp Act.. However it soon introduced new taxes, such as the tax on tea and other goods. Most unpopular was the decision of the British government to close the western lands for settlement . When the white settlers refused to obey, the British government sent troops to Boston, where the opposition to Britain was very strong. In December 1773, a group of colonists boarded British ships in Boston harbor. These ships were loaded with tea. So , the patriots dressed as Indians threw 342 crates of tea into the waters of the harbor to protest against the tea tax.. These events are known as the “Boston Tea Party”. The British government responded by closing the port of Boston to all outside trade, and sent more troops to the colonies.

The War of Independence began in 1775. In May 1775 the Congress of representatives of the colonies began to act as a national government. It organized the Continental Army and Navy under the command of George Washington (1732 – 1799), a rich planter from Virginia and a veteran of the Seven Years’ War. The Congress printed its paper money and set up diplomatic relationship with foreign countries. On July 2, 1776 The Congress came to the conclusion that the colonies had the right to gain freedom and become independent. Thomas Jefferson together with other patriots prepared the text of the famous Declaration of Independence which was adopted by Congress on July 4, 1776. This famous document proclaimed the independence of the 13 American colonies from Britain.

At first the War did not go well for the Americans. The British army took New York in September 1776, then Philadelphia in 1777. But gradually the situation changed.

In October 1777 the British army under the command of General John Burgoyne suffered a defeat at Saragota in Northern New York and surrendered. After the victory France openly took the side of the Americans, and began to help the colonists in the war against Britain. The Americans began to receive financial and military help from France.

In 1781 8,000 British troops under general George Conwallis were surrounded at Yorktown in Virginia by a French fleet from the sea and a combined French-American army under the command of George Washington. Cornwallis surrendered and soon afterwards the British government asked for peace. The British finally recognized the independence of the US by signing the Treaty of Paris in September 1783. All the territory north of Florida, south of Canada and east of the Mississippi River formed the USA.

In 1787 the American Constitution was drawn up in Philadelphia which with its 26 amendments is still in force. George Washington was elected the first president of the USA. In 1800 the US federal government moved from Philadelphia to Washington according to the decision of the Congress in 1790 to establish a new capital on the banks of the Potomac river.

Date: 2015-01-02; view: 3103