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The history of the United States is almost entirely modern. |
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The history of the United States is closely tied to other related areas of knowledge. Sociology and Institutions of the United States can be connected. Culture, anthropology, personal studies, and science can be connected.
This was inhabited by American Indian peoples during prehistory, through antiquity, and into classical and medieval history, but these are not directly considered.
The history of the United States of America is considered entirely modern.
English colonization began in the 16th century. The English did little but send a few explorers in the early 16th century, early mid 16th century, mid 16th century, or late-mid 16th century. In the late 16th century, founded a colony in what is now Newfoundland. An attempt to found a colony in what is now North Carolina failed when the colonists disappeared.
Colonization began in earnest in the 17th century. In the early 17th century, the colonies at Jamestown, Virginia, and Plymouth, Massachussets were founded. In the early mid 17th century, these were followed by other colonies in Massachussets, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and in Maryland, while Dutch colonists set up New Amsterdam and Swedish colonists founded New Sweden. In the mid 17th century, these colonies continued to grow, but New Amsterdam had absorbed New Sweden. In the late-mid 17th century, the British took New Amsterdam from the Dutch and divided it into New York and New Jersey. Colonies were also founded in what is now North and South Carolina. Warfare with the Indians (King Phillip's war) broke out. In the late 17th century, a new colony (Pennsylvania) was founded, and warfare between the British and French spilled over into the colonies as "King William's war".
The United States originated as a nation in the 18th century. In the early 18th century, the European War of the Spanish Succession was reflected in war between the English colonists and the French, and called Queen Anne's War. In the early-mid 18th century, the colony of Georgia was founded and colonists such as Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton began to come to prominence in the colonies. In the mid 18th century, the war of the Austrian succession was reflected in the colonies as King George's war, again between the British and the French, and again, the French and Indan war broke out, in which the British assumed control of French posessions in North America. I do not yet have details of the early 1740s, late 1740s, early 1750s, or late 1750s. In the late-mid 18th century, following the end of the French and Indian war, tensions between the British colonies and Britain increased during the early 1760s, late 1760s, and early 1770s. In the late 1770s, the Americans declared independence in 1776. Washington, as commander in chief of the Continental army, sucessfully led the War of American Independence, or American Revolution. In the late 18th century, independence was granted. In the early 1780s, independence was granted to the United States. In the late 1780s, a written Constitution established the basic form of a new government, and George Washington was elected the first President. In the early 1790s, Washington was re-elected President. In the late 1790s, John Adams was elected President.
The United States expanded considerably in the early 19th century. In the early 1800s, Thomas Jefferson was elected President. The Louisiana purchase nearly doubled the size of the United States. In the late 1800s, James Madison was elected President. In the early 1810s, the US fought the inconclusive war of 1812 with Great Britain. In the late 1810s, James Monroe was elected President.
In the early-mid 19th century, it was largely concerned with internal development and expanded to the Missisippi River and beyond, including settlements in California. In the early 1820s, James Monroe was succeded as President by John Quincy Adams. In the late 1820s, Andrew Jackson was elected. In 1830, Joseph Smith published the Book of Mormon and organized a church. In the early 1830s, Jackson served a second term as President. In the late 1830s, Martin van Buren was elected President.
In the mid 19th century, it grew substantially. In the early 1840s, Wiliam Heny Harrison was elected President but shortly died of and was succeeded by John Tyler, who was followed by James K. Polk. In the late 1840s it gained fully transcontinental extent following the Mexican war of 1846-48. Zachary Taylor was elected President. In the early 1850s, Millard Fillmore succeded Taylor, and Franklin Pierce was elected President. In the late 1850s, James Buchanan was elected.
Beginning the late-mid 19th century, in the early 1860s the election of the anti-slavery Abraham Lincoln as the 16th US president initiated the US Civil War, which resulted in the abolition of slavery. Lincoln was assassinated and his vice-Pesident Andrew Johnson succeeded him. Following the war in the late 1860s the process known as Reconstruction of the southern states began, and a transcontinental Railroad was completed. US Grant, a Civil War general, was elected president. I do not have many details of the early 1870s except that Grant was re-elected. In the late 1870s, Rutherford B. Hayes was elected in a highly disputed election, and began to end Reconstruction.
During the late 19th century the US developed internally, and its industrialization proceeded. In the early 1880s, electric lighting in cities began to appear. James A Garfield was elected as President and assassinated, and his successor Chester A Authur organized a Civil service system. Restrictions on immigration began as immigants from eastern Europe and China began to arrive in large numbers. In the late 1880s, The Statue of Liberty, the Washington Monument, and the first skyscraper were erected. Labor unions began to attract notice. The last of the Indian wars ended, and the frontier was considered closed. Grover Cleveland and then Benjamin Harrison were elected as Presidents. In the early 1890s, labor unons were involved in incidents of unrest. Grover Cleveland was elected again as President. In the late 1890s, Wiliam McKinley was elected president. The United States defeated Spain in the Spanish American War, and while it did not take posession of Cuba, it did claim Puerto Rico and the Philippines.
The US became recognized as a world power. Specific details of the early 20th century, early mid 20th century, mid 20th century, late-mid 20th century, late 20th century, and early 21st century can be examined.
The future of the United States has not yet been closely examined. Events of the near future including next month ( November 2008, December 2008), next quarter (January 2009, February 2009, and March 2009) and next year can in part be anticipated. The middle future including the next five years, next 20 years, next century, and next 5 centuries is more obscure. The far future is also obscure.