United States

Creation and History

Independence

The United States of America as it is currently known came into existence in 1776. America was previously 13 British American colonies (New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia). Each colony operated independently. With unreasonable taxes in place, some of the colony's highest intellectuals like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison banded together to for "The Founding Fathers." The Founding Fathers were responsible for the Declaration of Independence, a document that officially put the colonies at war with Britain. The war had "started" a year earler with small skirmishes in Boston. The document was adopted on July 4th, making July 4th henceforth known as Independence Day.

The Revolutionary War was an ugly experience for both sides. It lasted from 1775 to 1783, mostly fought on American soil with several key battles happening in Canada. The mighty British army has one of the most powerful navies in existence at the time. Their soldiers, dubbed "Redcoats" were decked out in pristine red coats with the finest technology. The American militia, dubbed Minutemen" was comprised of several inexperience soldiers. The Americans were helped by the French, who at the time despised England. The minutemen were able to quickly come into action, hence the name, The English used the Iroquois and Cherokee Indians for support. The Americans, outnumbered, relied on guerrilla warfare. The red uniforms made the British stick out, making it easy for small troops to pick them off one by one.

The Americans were primarily led by Washington. An unexperienced military mind, George made several mistakes early on, but was able to turn the tide of battle with smart planning and effective use of his troops. The last major battle of the war was the Siege of Yorktown. The war ending in 1783 with the Treaty of Paris. Now, with the war over, the Congress of Confederation needed to form a Constitution. This would prove harder than the war itself. Appeasing all colonies, who had mostly decided to go independent after the war, while maintaining the basic liberty of what they fought for required some of the greatest political minds in history. The Constitution was created September 17th, 1787, and ratified June 21, 1788. It is still in effect almost 300 years later. It sets up the basic American government, comprised of three branches.