History of the United States. When to date the start of the history of the United States is debated among historians.
Older textbooks start with the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492 and emphasize the European background, or they start in 1600 and emphasize the American frontier. In recent decades American schools and universities typically have shifted back in time to include more on the colonial period and much more on the prehistory of the Native peoples.[1][2]
American Revolution - American war of independence. On the outbreak of the war the American colonies were, from North to South; Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut (making up New England), New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
The principal cities were Boston in Massachusetts, New York, Philadelphia, the colonial capital of Pennsylvania, and Charleston, the capital of South Carolina. To the North of the colonies lay the British province of Canada, with its mainly French speaking population, and to the West the hinterland of the American landmass. The American colonies differed widely. The New England colonies had been established and settled largely by English Presbyterians and comprised small close knit farming communities, with fishing and trading centres along the coast. The populations were inward looking and intolerant of outsiders.
Declaration of Independence. In early 1776, American public opinion was deeply divided over the issue of declaring independence from Britain.
A discernible drift toward independence was occurring, but the publication of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense and news of King George III’s decision to hire foreign mercenary soldiers to fight in America radicalized the views of many. On May 10, the Continental Congress adopted a resolution that urged the states to form their own independent governments to replace the defunct royal governments. Despite this action, opinion remained divided over the wisdom of having Congress itself make a statement of independence. On June 7, 1776, the Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee, acting in accord with the instructions which the Virginia convention had given their delegation, brought three resolutions before the Congress: A statement of independence that concluded with the words, "These United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States.
" Native_american_map.jpg (JPEG Image, 1419×1056 pixels) - Scaled (57%)