History of the USA

The History of the USA

The Colonies

- (eg. Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, Carolina)
- “New World” - America
- British and French people went first to America, most of them were prisoners.

Reasons, why they come to USA

- They had hope of work, freedom and gold.
- Missionaries come to bring the Christian religion.
- These pilgrims had been forced to leave England, because of their religion (The English people turned into Protestants, other religions had to leave).

George Washington

- 1775-1783
- Became commander of the army against the British troops
- He became 1789 the First President of the United States.
- He leaded into the “American War of Independence”
- The Declaration of Independence was on the 4th of July 1776
- He was Irish.

The Second President was John Adams, the Third President was Thomas Jefferson.

Abraham Lincoln was President from 1861 to 1863.

War of Secession: Civil War (1861- 1865)

The Civil War was the war between the Northern states and the Southern States.

The Southern states had slaves and they lived on agriculture .The slaves worked on cotton plantations.

The Northern states formed an anti-slavery-movement. A Republic Party was formed.

Abraham Lincoln did not want a Secession.

23 Northern states fought against 11 Southern states.

The Northern states were called “Yankees”, and the Southern states were called “Confederation”.

9 Millions of people lived in the South and 4 Millions were slaves.

The Northern states won the Civil War.

World War I (1914-1918)

- 1917 - America declared War on Germany, because Germany sank Americans passengers ships.
- America won the War.

World War II (1939-1945)

- The allied powers (Allies) were

Russia

Britain

France and later the

USA.

- They fought against

Germany (Austria)

Italy

Japan.

- Relations with Japan become very, very bad.

- 1941: The Americans declared war on Japan.

- 1945: They trapped atomic bombs to Nagasaki and Hiroshima

- The American soldiers were attacked by Japanese soldiers in Pearl Harbour in Hawaii.

- Hundreds of children were disabled.

- That was the most terrible event that happened in the war.

Post War America (Nachkriegszeit)

- The Iron Curtain separated Europe in two parts - the East- and the Westbloc.

- Then the NATO was founded.

- America wanted to keep Europe free from communism.

- The Secretary of States invented the Marshall-Plan.

- They wanted to help the Europeans .

- They gave billions of dollars to reconstruct the industry.

- There was permanent hostility between the Superpowers (USA and the Sowjetunion).

- The Cold War ended with the fall of the Iron Curtain (1989).

- Mr. Carthy was a senator.

He was terribly afraid of communism. (McCarthyism)

- Eastbloc:

Hungary

Poland

the former Yugoslavia

The USA

- It is a Republic.
- It consist of 50 federal states (=stars) and of 13 original colonies (=stripes), which became the first states of the Union.
- Each of these states has its own government, judicial and educational system.

- The majority of the population is WASP

W= White

A, S= Anglo-Saxon

P= Protestant

- Blacks: 13-14%

Afro-Americans, non-whites

Blacks are the largest community (group)

- The 2nd largest community are the Hispanic

This is a fast growing ethnic group

Spanish, Portuguese, Mexicans

- Oriental Americans

They come from Japan and China

They are concentrated in California.

- Native Americans

= Indians

They live mainly in reserves

- America = melting pot

Washington D.C

- Washington is the capitol of the US.

- DC stands for the District of Columbia.

- Most civil servants live there.

- A French artist “Pierre L’enfant” fought in the Revolutionary War, he planned Washington.

- The current President, George W. Bush lives in the White House.

- The most inhabitants are black.

- It contains

the White House

the Capitol

the seat of the American Congress

the Headquarters of the FBI

the Pentagon (=office of Defence Department)

the Arlington Cemetery

- Washington is also a place of culture

Georgetown University

George Washington University

Howard University

National Gallery of Arts (there are the most important art collections)

Institutions

- The United States is a federal Union
- The American Government is based on a Constitution (was written in 1787)
- Republic, Democracy
- Only the government in Washington can print money or can declare/stop a war.

Constitutions

- Legislative power

the Congress

the House of Representatives (= Lower House, consists of 435 members) Senate (=Upper House, consists of 2 Senators from each state)

- Executive power

President

Vice-President

Cabinet

- Judicial power

Courts

Legislative power

- Congress

meets in the Capitol

its main functions are to declare war and to make laws, which become effective after the Presidents approval.

The Senate ratifies treaties and agrees to nominations of high officiats.

- Senate

100 members, two from each state who are elected for 6 years and renewed (erneuern) by one third every 2 years

- House of Representatives

435 members elected for 2 years

The President

- He can be elected at most for two four years.
- Bill Clinton was elected in 1992 and reelected in 1996. § The President lives in the White House.
- He is the Head of State.
- He is the commander of the armed forces
- He carries out decisions taken by the congress
- He can act on his own in emergencies and in foreign affaires.
- America’s position as one of the world’s “super-powers” has made its president one of the central figures in world politics.

Elections

- Every four years Americans can participate in the election of the President.
- The Republicans and Democrats are the two main parties.
- In summer before the election both parties hold a convention.
- After the convention each party proceeds (voranschreiten) in the nomination of its candidates.
- The nominees (=people nominated) make their own campaigns and some months before the final election (usually in November) there is a “primary” to select one single candidate for each political party.
- The winner of the final election is the new president.