American History in 2500 Words or Less

American History - This paper explores the entire history of the United States in under 2500 words, making for a quick and interesting introduction to the topic. I've also included photos.

Columbus Discovers the New World (1492)

Christopher Columbus, hoping to find a trade route to India by going around the world, stumbled upon land. Thinking he was in India, he called the natives Indians (that's why Native Americans are still called Indians). But he was actually in the
Americas.

Colonization

Later, England, France, Spain, and Portugal colonized North America. But the English monarchy heavily taxed the colonists in New England, without giving the colonists the power of government. The colonists complained about "taxation without representation."

Eventually fed up, the colonists revolted. They signed the Declaration of Independence, declaring their independence from the English.

Revolutionary War (1775-1783)

The English naturally didn't like this independence. So they sent troops to New England regain control.

European wars were fought in open fields, with each side lining up in formation, walking towards the other, and shooting. Generally, the larger and better-supplied army won. But England had one of the most powerful armies in the world at the time, while the American army was untrained and low on supplies.

So the Americans became innovative and inventing guerrilla warfare. This meant they hid behind trees, or in cities, essentially changing the way wars were fought. Things were tough at first, but eventually the Americans began winning battles. This brought help from France, who disliked England and decided that England might lose. This helped tremendously. In the end, the Americans were victorious and won the war.

Articles of Confederation (1777)

Since they revolted against the monarchy, Americans feared centralized power after the revolution. They did not want to risk their lives to defeat one of the strongest armies in the world, only to have more tyranny. So they signed the Articles of Confederation, essentially making each state its own country, with a very weak federal government. Each state even had its own currency! This didn't work well, and states feuded. I can't verify, but I've heard that some states marched on each other and fought mini wars.



American Constitution (1791):

Since the Articles of Confederation weren't getting the job done, America needed to come up with a new form of government. A stronger central government was needed, but states still feared a king ruling over them. The solution was a strong central government with a separation of powers. There was a legislature to make laws, the courts to interpret the laws, and an executive branch (led by the President) to enforce the laws. Each branch had some power of the other, creating a system of checks and balances. This would prevent anyone from gaining too much power.

Additionally, the central government would be restricted by a constitution, which guaranteed certain rights to the states and individuals. This further protected the states. The result was an effective central government with protection against anyone gaining too much power.

Louisiana Purchase (1803)

France controlled much of the continent west of New England. But Napoleon was busy taking over Europe, so Thomas Jefferson sent negotiators to France. France needed the money for their European conquests, so the United States got a great deal. 530,000 aces cost $15 million.

War of 1812

After the Revolutionary War, the English never really left America. For the most part, they just fled to less populated northern U.S. territory. Eventually, the United States got fed up and attacked the English. England, still having a strong navy, managed to burn the White House and the Library of Congress. In the end though, the United States won. Some call the War of 1812 the Second Revolutionary War. Now the U.S. was completely free from the English.

Manifest Destiny (1845-1855)

After securing its borders in the War of 1812 and purchasing masses of land in the Louisiana Purchase, the United States expanded westward. President Andrew Jackson claimed that the United States had a god given right to expand to west all the way to the Pacific Ocean, and South to the Rio Grande (which is currently the southern border of the United States). This was supposedly a God-given right, a "manifest destiny".



American Civil War (1861-1865)

Slavery was popular in the southern states, which had lots of farms. Slaves were key to their economic well-being. In the North, factories were the key to the economy. Many northern states abolished slavery. They divided on politics, with relatively equal powers. As new states were created in the frontier, the North and South battled as to whether the new Manifest Destiny states would be slave states or free states. Neither wanted to lose political power to the other. The North starting gaining political control. Fearing that the North would gain control too much control of Congress, the South decided to leave the United States and form its own country. The war was bloody, but the North won, helped largely by their factories. Slavery was abolished and the United States were again United. During the war, President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring slavery illegal in rebel states.

Industrialization

In the later 1800's and the early 1900's, the United States became more industrialized. Factories became much more common. As a result, many immigrants came to the United States to join the industrial labor force.

World War 1 (1917)

Since 1914, Europeans dug trenches and continually shot at each other. Neither side gained much ground, but many people died. The Americans joined the Allied Powers (France, Britain) in 1917, and the war ended in 1918. This war had tremendous repercussions on Europe, destroying entire populations and economies. This opened the door for the United States to become even more of an economic powerhouse.

The Roaring 20's

As the new economic powerhouse, the American economy flourished. With the strong economy, American culture progressed.

Black Tuesday (1929) and the Great Depression

The American economy began struggling. On Black Tuesday, the stock market crashed, leading the United States deeper into economic depression. Quickly, the depression spread to Europe and the rest of the world. Unemployment was high, and life was tough. Poor economies seem to have led people to abandon democracy. Autocratic (this means that one individual essentially holds all the power), rulers like Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Joseph Stalin were able to gain immense power by during these times of hard ship.

The New Deal (1933-1937)

The United States never neared autocracy, but did give unprecedented power to the federal government during the depression. Trying to end the Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt, instituted a series of policies called the New Deal. The SEC was created to regulate the stock market. Farms were given subsidies. The government sponsored public works programs to create new jobs. The FDIC was created to instill confidence in banks. Social Security was created.

This is when the current interpretation of the word "liberal" began. People who were liberal supported the New Deal and its larger, more active government. Conservatives opposed. Among economists, there is lots of debate whether New Deal policies helped end the Great Depression or prolong it.

World War 2 (1937-1945)

Two of these autocratic rulers, Hitler (Germany) and Stalin (Soviet Union), secretly joined forces. Hitler was the first to become aggressive, taking over most of Europe in only 2 years (1941). Britain was able to resist. The Soviet Union fought with the Germany, helping them take over East Europe.

Japan invaded China in 1937. The United States responded by embargoing iron exports to Japan. Japan then allied with Germany and Italy, forming the Axis Powers. Next, Japan invaded French territory in Indochina. The United States responded by blocking Japan's access to oil. Then the Japanese launched a surprise attack on the United States, bombing Pearl Harbor (1941). The next day, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States.

This meant that the United States had to fight two wars.

The war in Europe (and Northern Africa) against the Germans is called the Western Theater or the European Theater. In Europe, Hitler turned against his ally Stalin, launching a surprise attack on the Soviet Union in June 1941, forcing the Soviet Union into an awkward alliance of necessity with the Allied forces, the United States and Britain. Germany did well at first, but was stopped outside of Moscow in the cold winter of 1941. The United States was able to land ground forces in German-controlled Europe in 1944. The battle is known as D-Day. In the end, the Allies defeated Germany.

The war against the Japanese is called the Eastern Theater of the Pacific Theatre. The marines did much of the fighting in the Eastern Theater, storming Japanese controlled islands. These battles were often very bloody, with many people dying. In 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. 3 days later, another was dropped on the Nagasaki. An estimated 200,000 Japanese civilians died in the bombings. No other atomic attacks have since occurred. 6 days after Nagasaki, the Japanese surrendered and World War 2 was over.

To fight in both theatres of World War 2, American armed forces needed lots of weapons, tanks, ships, and planes. This demand helped spur US industry, boost employment, and end the Great Depression.

Cold War (1945 - 1980)

During and after World War 2, The United States and the Soviets battled diplomatically over German territory. The two countries did not get along well before the war; they allied only by necessity against the German threat. Once the German threat was eliminated, US & Soviet history and ideological differences created tensions. These tensions led to the Cold War.

The feuding allies compromised by splitting Germany. West Germany became Democratically controlled by France, Germany, and the United States. East Germany became Communist and controlled by the Soviet Union. The German capital Berlin was in East Germany. Inside Communist East Germany, Berlin was also split into a Democratic West Berlin and a Communist East Berlin.

The Soviets sought to spread Communism and gain territory. In the US, Harry Truman signed the Truman Doctrine, essentially making it policy to stop the spread of Communism. To help contain communism, Truman also created the Department of Defense, created the Central Intelligence Agency, and the National Security Council

In 1948, the Soviets tried to blockade West Berlin. The Americans beat the blockade by flying supplies over the blockade and dropping them in West Berlin. In 1949, the Soviet Union exploded its first atomic device, ending the US monopoly as the only atomic power. Also, the US supported regime in China fell to a Communist group led by Mao Zedong, giving the Soviets a powerful ally.

Korean War (1950 - 1953)

Japan invaded Korea in World War 2. Like Germany, Korea was split into two. Communist North Korea and Democratic South Korea. With substantial support from the Soviet and Chinese (mainly military equipment), North Korea invaded South Korea. The United States had provided less military equipment to South Korea. Alarmed by the invasion, the United States intervened with American troops and pushed the North Koreans back to the original border. However, the United States continued fighting and began controlling part of North Korea. This took the US containment policy to a new level beyond containment. This alarmed the Chinese, who then committed Chinese troops to the war. From 1951-1953, a stalemate occurred with each side controlling its original territory. The border became a demilitarized zone, with North Korean troops and South Korean troops defending each side of the zone today.

Vietnam War (1959 - 1973)

The Vietnam War was somewhat similar to the Korean War, with a Soviet and Chinese-supported Communist North Vietnam battling with an American-supported Democratic South Vietnam. Weariness grew in the United States as the war lasted longer and longer, eventually leading to widespread protest. American troops left Vietnam in 1973. Communist North Vietnam controlled all of Vietnam by 1975. The Vietnam War is considered to the only American military defeat.

Bay of Pigs (1961)

In 1959, Communist Fidel Castro gained control of Cuba, a country just south of Florida. Thinking locals opposed Castro, the CIA launched an attack on Cuba at the Bay of Pigs. The invasion failed, increasing tension with both USSR and Cuba.

Berlin Wall (1961)

Life apparently was better in West Berlin. Consequently, 2.5 million people left Communist East Berlin to live in West Berlin from 1949 to 1962. Since its labor force was vanishing, the USSR built the Berlin Wall to prevent emigration. Only 5,000 people emigrated from 1962 to 1989, after the wall was built.

Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

The United States had a clear nuclear weapon advantage over the USSR. Americans believed that the USSR could not successfully bomb US territory. But then the USSR began building missile sites in Cuba. With missiles in Cuba, the USSR could launch a nuclear attack on Washington DC.

Negotiating was difficult, as both sides feared beginning a Nuclear War, which could theoretically destroy the world. In the end, President John F. Kennedy decided not to attack Cuba, but to instead institute a naval blockade, preventing the Soviets from transporting nuclear materials to Cuba. In the end, the United States agreed to remove missiles from Turkey, near the USSR, if the USSR removed its missiles from Cuba.

Fall of the Berlin Wall (1989)

Eventually, the Soviet economy weakened and a new generation of younger communists began enacting change in the USSR. Eventually, Communism fell. As a symbol of the fall of Communism, the Berlin Wall was torn down, reuniting East and West Berlin. The Cold War was over. The United States lost its major rival and emerged as the world's only superpower.



9/11 Terrorist Attacks (2001)

After a relatively calm period with a continually improving economy, Muslim terrorist hijacked airline jets and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York City. Both buildings were destroyed, killing around 3,000. The attack, the largest on American soil since the Civil War, shocked Americans. The calm was over.

President George W. Bush responded by launching a War on Terrorism, first invading Afghanistan, who harbored the terrorists. After quickly overthrowing the Afghan government, the United States invaded Iraq. The Iraq War did not go as well as the Afghan War. Today, fighting continues in American occupied Iraq.

Photo Credits: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Wikipedia, Alice Wycklendt, National Park Service