How the United States became a country
On 4 July, 1776, a group of British colonies in North America declared themselves the United States of America, effectively laying the foundations for what is the country today.
But how did this come about?
In 1492, Christopher Columbus, a representative of the Spanish Crown, lands in the Caribbean, setting off a wave of Europeans coming over to explore the riches of these newly discovered lands.
The British Crown intends to also benefit of the newly discovered continent, and attempts are made to establish permanent settlements in 1585 and 1607, respectively, when Jamestown is eventually founded, a first colony in a region named "Virginia". The reasons why increasing numbers of settlers cross the Atlantic to start a new life here are manifold, but many of them seek religious freedom whilst others are attracted by the possibility to acquire wealth. For the native population, the influx of colonists is devastating, either because of endless wars or imported diseases.
Economically, these British colonies in the New World initially establish a tobacco growing industry. The need for labour on these plantations is met by forcibly importing African slaves, a practice which will later prop up agriculture in the South and the industrial system in the North.
By 1732, 13 very different colonies exist; what they share is their British identity and a sense of Britain as their real home, and they prove their loyalty to the Crown by fighting a war against France in the 1750s, which also has huge territorial claims on the continent but lose most of them to Britain. This victory over an imperial competitor, however, sows the seeds of discord with the motherland.
The King does not want the settlers to expand into these new territories beyond a proclamation line for fear of a war with the native population, a policy which is seen as impeding their westward conquest by the colonists. Moreover, massive debts after the war with France cause the British government to decide that the colonies should pay more taxes.
However, these policies lead to growing frustrations about Britain's rule over them among the settlers. The city of Boston, the capital of Massachusetts becomes the hotspot of discontent.
In 1765, colonists there riot against British taxes; in 1770, red-coat British soldiers shoot into a group of civilians, killing 5 people, an incident which would become known as the "Boston Massacre"; in 1773, local settlers board a British ship at Boston harbour and dump tea over board as a protest against British taxes and control over trade, the ominous "Boston Tea Party". When, in 1775, 700 British soldiers outside of Boston are confronted by a group of armed civilians resulting in the death of 8 colonists, the colonies respond by forming an army led by the legendary George Washington. The 13 colonies are now officially at war with Britain, against their own government. The American Revolution has started.
In January 1776, Thomas Paine advocates for independence from Britain in a pamphlet, questioning Britain's rule over a whole continent. The pamphlet goes viral, and public opinion is turning in favour of independence. In Philadelphia, representatives of the 13 colonies meet and choose Virginia's delegate Thomas Jefferson to draft the Declaration of Independence, which is adopted on 4 July 1776.
These events lead to an escalation of the war, and the king send 32 000 British troops to New York to stop the rebellion. The Americans look to France and Spain for help and receive military and financial support. For other European empires, this new nation breaking from England provides opportunities.
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| George Washington crossing the Delaware, by Emanuel Leutze |
George Washington leads the American Army through five years of war with Britain, tens of thousands are killed in brutal battles, until, in 1781, Washington surrounds Britain's forces in Yorktown, where they surrender and the war is over.
Americans build a nation, write a constitution, with a new idea to have a president in charge, and, in 1789, the war hero George Washington is unanimously elected by the electoral college to be the first President of the United States.
Find more on the foundational history of the United States on this ARTE playlist:
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