1

An Outline of American History, 3rd Edition

Steven L. Rosen

Mail: rosen@pu-hiroshima.ac.jp

Homepage: http://stevenlrosen.yolasite.com

2

Chapter I The Colonization of America

The Europeanization of the world starts with the discovery of

America at the end of the 15th century by Columbus. As we enter the

16th century, Europe and the rest of the world begin a period of radical

change in social structure, economy, religion, and politics. It is the end

of feudal civilization in Europe, and the beginnings of a new social

order. It is also the beginning of globalization. Europe would see an

incredible growth in wealth and power, and individual Europeans

would gradually experience more economic, political and religious

freedom. For many people in the non-European world, we should

remember, the 16th century the beginning of the end of their

civilizations.

Early European Conquest: Spain and France

In 1492 Columbus discovered America, and shortly after that,

Spain, France and later England started colonies in the Americas. The

appeal of unlimited free land, rich in natural resources was very great,

and these countries actively tried to explore and settle the North

American continent.

The Spanish came in search of gold. They colonized Florida first

and, by 1600, had colonized the American southwest, spreading their

language and culture. In 1608 the French started a settlement in

Eastern Canada and this became the beginning of New France, the

3

French empire in America.

The French were mainly involved in the fur trade and had very

good relations with many of the Indian tribes in America. They

explored the region down to the Gulf of Mexico (1682) and all this land

was put under French control. It was given the name Louisiana after

King Louis XIV. In 1718 New Orleans was founded as a major trading

port.

17th century French map of North America

The English Colonies

Tudor Dynasty monarch, Queen Elizabeth I

4

(1533-1603; reigned from 1558 till her death; Shakespeare’s queen)

In 1584 Queen Elizabeth I of England allowed a colony to be

started on the east coast of America north of Spanish Florida. It was

named Virginia (because Elizabeth was known as the “Virgin Queen”).

Under Elizabeth, England had become a rich and powerful nation in

competition with Spain and France. Also, Elizabeth had firmly

established the Protestant religion (Anglican Church or Church of

England) as the national religion of England. Spain and France were, of

course, both Catholic, so there was also religious hostility between

England and these nations.

North America became a place where these European countries

competed for colonial possessions. The spread of religion through

missionary activities was also was a factor in colonialism.

Under the next English King, King James I, the colony called

Jamestown, in Virginia, was established (1607). This is really

considered the first English colony in America. King James I of

England gave the London Company the right to settle in Virginia and

North Carolina, and the Plymouth Company was given the right to

settle New England. In 1612 they started growing tobacco in Virginia

and more and more English went there. America was becoming a good

place for British merchants to invest.

New England: the Puritans

In 1620 the first group of Puritans landed in

Massachusetts. They were called Puritans because they wanted to

purify the Church of England (the Anglican Church), which they saw

as corrupt. They were also called Separatists, because they wanted to

separate from the Anglican Church. Their purpose in coming to

America was to start a religious community. The Puritans were a

product of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. This was a time

when, not only Puritans, but many people saw hope for freedom from

the old social and political systems in Europe, like the Church or the

5

monarchy.

The first Puritans arrived in America on the

ship, The Mayflower (Dec., 17, 1620). In 1629 a larger group of 400 came to start the

Massachusetts Bay Colony around Boston and Salem. They were then followed by a

great migration of mostly English Puritans.

In 1620, a ship of 102 Puritans landed in Massachusetts after a 65

day journey across the Atlantic Ocean, and set up the Plymouth Colony

there. Massachusetts’s winters are very severe and about half of them

died in the first winter. However, an Indian named Squanto (who could

speak English before they arrived!) taught them how to plant corn and

where to fish and hunt. In the fall, after their first harvest, they had a

feast (1621) which was the first “Thanksgiving.”

In 1629 other Puritans came to start the Massachusetts Bay

Company (Boston). This was the start of the Puritan migration; by

1640 more than 20,000 had came to New England. Many of its

members were quite wealthy and many highly educated. Unlike the

Virginia colony, the leaders of the New England Puritans wanted to

make a religious community that strictly followed “God’s laws.” They

saw a need for higher education for the training of clergy, and in 1636,

6

a wealthy colonist, John Harvard, help to start Harvard College.

Social Stresses: the Salem Witch Trials

In 1692 a kind of hysteria took over the people living in the

village of Salem, Massachusetts. They believed there were witches

among them, and 14 women and 6 men are executed. Later on, they

realized that they had executed innocent people.

This community of Puritans came under many social as well as

environmental stresses and eventually died out or became absorbed in

the growing communities started by the Massachusetts Bay Company.

Eventually these first New England Puritan communities died out.

The 13 British colonies in North America (17th and 18th centuries)

7

Historical and Economic Context:

British Mercantilism and Colonialism

The American colonies were part of a European system of

trade called mercantilism. Mercantilism is an economic policy

where a nation’s government tries to actively protect domestic

markets (merchants and industries). It does this by restricting

imports (through heavy tariffs/duties and shipping regulations).

This policy also encourages exports because this will mean more

money coming in and less flowing out. If necessary, military power

(war) was used to enforce mercantilist policies.

In the 1620’s we see the first mercantilist laws: tobacco from

American colonies could only be sold in Britain. Other countries that

wanted to by tobacco had to buy through British merchants; they

couldn’t by directly from the colony in Virginia.

In 1651, England passed the first law which helped to give a

monopoly to British ships: only English ships could be used for

importing goods from European countries into Britain.

In the 1660’s, the “Navigation Acts” said that all European

goods going to British colonies had to go through England first.

In 1733, England put heavy taxes on sugar coming into to

America from French colonies in the West Indies (i.e., the

Caribbean). Also, certain products produced in America (tobacco,

rice, and sugar) had to be shipped to England first before they could

be sold to other European countries.

Ships built in New England sailed all over the world in the expanding

colonial trade markets and routes. In the case of North America, British

colonies produced lumber, tobacco, rice, indigo, and in sugar in the West

Indies (the Caribbean islands of Jamaica and Cuba).

By the 18th century, what some people call the “triangular trade”

8

developed. This was a system of highly profitable trade routes between the

Caribbean islands, the British colonies on the east coast of North America,

England, the “wine islands” of Spain (Madeira) and Africa (for slaves to work

on sugar and tobacco plantations).

Great Britain became one of the richest countries in the world thanks

to colonialism and mercantilism. The rise of the British East India Company

as the most powerful and world’s richest company is an example of the

success of both mercantilism and colonialism.

Ships of the British East India Company. North

America was one of the major importers of Indian tea.

9

The Middle Colonies

New York

Dutch West India Company Ships

In 1621 the Dutch West India Company was formed to establish a

colony in America (in the area of New York). They bought Manhattan

Island from the Indians for about 26 dollars worth of jewels and tools

and founded New Amsterdam there. In 1664 the English king Charles

II sent warships to take the Dutch colony and rename it New York.

10

Dutch Manhattan King Charles II

Pennsylvania and the Quakers

The Quakers were another of the many new Protestant groups

which were emerging in Europe and leaving to find freedom and

independence in some place far from Europe. The Quakers were very

similar to the Puritans in many ways, but unlike the Puritans of New

England, the Quakers believed in toleration for other people’s

religious beliefs.

Pennsylvania was founded in 1681 by William Penn, who was

himself a Quaker. Because of the Quaker belief in peace and love for all

men, Pennsylvania became a place of safety for Indians, who were

treated very well there. For the main city of his colony, William Penn

11

chose an area on the Delaware River, which he called Philadelphia

(from Greek, meaning “Brotherly Love”). This city became an

important port and later on, the first capital of America.

The Southern Colonies Develop

The people of Virginia grew tobacco as its cash crop.

Tobacco was enormously popular in Europe and this helped bring great

wealth into America’s southern colonies. Tobacco, and also rice

cultivation, required a large labor force, more than was available from

whites or Indians. In the 17th century blacks were shipped from Africa

to work on southern plantations as well as plantations on Caribbean

islands (the West Indies). The first Africans arrived in Virginia in 1619

(on a Dutch ship). By the mid 18th century about 20% of the population

of America was African-American.

12

The Carolinas were given to some private merchants in

1634 and grew quickly and became two colonies (North and South

Carolina) in 1729. North Carolina was mostly small farms, but South

Carolina has a large number of big plantations.

In 1732 King George II gave land to a group of wealthy

men north of Spanish Florida. This new colony was therefore called

Georgia. Like the other southern colonies, Georgia rapidly grew and

became a colony in 1752.

Overview: Colonial Government in North America

The 13 British colonies which stretched along the east coast of North

America all had local governments based on a British model, which included

ideas of democracy and legal civil rights.

Summary: Colonial America

~~In general, the northern colonies had a stronger emphasis on

education and religion, and in the southern colonies agricultural grew

thanks to the labor of black slaves. Slavery was not legal in the

northern colonies.

~~After 1680, in addition the British, there was a lot of immigration

from many countries to North America. Large numbers of people came

from France, Germany and Holland and other countries, particularly in

Northern Europe.

~~England was becoming the most powerful country in the world, and,

13

in North America was gradually pushing out the French and Dutch to

become the main colonial power there.

17th century British soldier

The Road to Revolution: the French and Indian War

As the British colonies spread west they came into conflict with

the French, particularly in the region of the Ohio Valley. The governor

of Virginia organized a group of citizens (led by George Washington) to

fight the French. It is called the French and Indian War because

Indians were helping out on both sides.

14

This conflict spread beyond America when, in 1756, England

and France declared war on each other in Europe. When the British

finally captured the cities of Quebec and Montreal in New France

(1760), the French finally surrendered. As a result of this victory over

the French, the British colony of Canada was established in 1763.

Two very important consequences of this war:

1) It helped to unite the 13 colonies and gave them a sense of

their own power.

2) The debts from the war led to higher British taxes which,

later on, made the Americans desire independence from

England.

15

Chapter II

The American Revolution

By the end of the French and Indian war, Britain had emerged

as the most powerful country in the world. However, the cost of having

a large army meant that Britain had to raise money. One way to do this

was to force the colonists to pay taxes on imports into the colonies,

like tea, sugar, coffee, cloth and wine. The rich and powerful merchants

of America, as well as the common people did not, however, want to

have to pay British taxes. No “taxation without representation,”

they complained. They resented Britain trying to take away the great

wealth colonies from the colonies without any political

representation in London.

Resentment towards Britain and British soldiers in America

began to grow. When a group of British soldiers in Boston fired on a

crowd of protesters (March 5, 1770) people in Boston rioted. This was

the famous “Boston Massacre.” (see picture below)

The Boston Massacre

Then, in 1773, Britain passed a law called the Tea Act, and this

pushed the colonists to take action to protest British control of the

American colonies. American merchants felt that the Tea Act would

result in a monopoly by the East Indian Company and, in protest; tea

16

was thrown from British ships into Boston Harbor. This was the

famous “Boston Tea Party” which symbolized America’s

determination to be free from British rule. The Boston Tea Party

made the British so angry that they started to make even stricter laws

in an effort to control their American colonies.

American colonists dressed as Indians throw British tea into

Boston Harbor (“The Boston Tea Party”)

More British control, of course, only made the American colonists

more angry at the British. They became even more united in their

desire for independence.

In 1775 fighting started, and in July of 1776 the American

Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to formally declare

independence from Britain. A document called the “Declaration of

Independence” was written and signed which can be considered as

the birth of the United States. It stated the principles of democracy and

called for revolution using force in order to gain political freedom.

Every 4th of July in America is as Independence Day- to celebrate the

day America formally declared its independence as a separate nation.

(see picture below)

17

1776, Philadelphia: the signing of Declaration of Independence.

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

１７７６年７月４日、第２回大陸会議（連合会議）決議 アメリカ合衆国１３州の満場一

致の宣言

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one

people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and

to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which

the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the

opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel

them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created

equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable

Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of

Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,

deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any

18

Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right

of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government,

laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them

shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

人の営みにおいて、ある人民にとって、他の人民と結びつけてきた政治的な絆（きずな）を解消し、

自然の法や自然の神の法によってその資格を与えられている独立した、対等の地位を地上の各国のうちに

得ることが必要となるとき、人類の意見をしかるべく尊重するならば、その人民をして分離へと駆り立て

た原因を宣言することが必要とされるだろう。 我らは以下の諸事実を自明なものと見なす。すべての人間

は平等につくられている。創造主によって、生存、自由そして幸福の追求を含むある侵すべからざる権利

を与えられている。これらの権利を確実なものとするために、人は政府という機関をもつ。その正当な権

力は被統治者の同意に基づいている。いかなる形態であれ政府がこれらの目的にとって破壊的となるとき

には、それを改めまたは廃止し、新たな政府を設立し、人民にとってその安全と幸福をもたらすのに最も

ふさわしいと思える仕方でその政府の基礎を据え、その権力を組織することは、人民の権利である。

確かに分別に従えば、長く根を下ろしてきた政府を一時の原因によって軽々に変えるべきでないとい

うことになるだろう。事実、あらゆる経験の示すところによれば、人類は害悪が忍びうるものである限り、

慣れ親しんだ形を廃することによって非を正そうとするよりは、堪え忍ぼうとする傾向がある。しかし、

常に変わらず同じ目標を追及しての権力濫用（乱用）と権利侵害が度重なり、人民を絶対専制のもとに帰

せしめようとする企図が明らかとなるとき、そのような政府をなげうち、自らの将来の安全を守る新たな

備えをすることは、人民にとっての権利であり、義務である。

これら植民地が堪え忍んできた苦難はそうした域に達しており、植民地をしてこれまでの統治形態の

変更を目指すことを余儀なくさせる必要性もまたしかりである。今日の（スコットランド・イングランド・

ウェールズの三地方から成る）グレートブリテン国王の歴史は、繰り返された侮辱と権利侵害の歴史であ

り、その事例はすべてこれらの諸邦に絶対君主制を樹立することを直接の目的としている。それを証明す

べく、偏見のない世界に向かって一連の事実を提示しよう。公共の利益のために最も穏当かつ必要な法律

に裁可を与えることを拒否した。緊急かつ切迫した要のある法律を通過させることを総督に禁じ、総督を

して国王の裁可が得られるまでその権能において保留させることを課し、そのようにして保留させた上で

（裁可すべき）法を全く閑却（かんきゃく＝いい加減に）した。

広範な地域の人民のための他の法を通過させることを拒み、その人民に本国の立法府において代表

される権利を放棄することを求めた。そのような権利は人民にとってかけがえのないものであり、これを

恐れるは専制君主のみである。立法府を普通でない、公文書の保管所からも離れた不便な地に召集した。

疲弊（ひへい）させることにより本国の施策に従わせんとするためである。人民の権利の侵害に対し断固

とした雄々しい（おおしい＝力強い）決意をもって反対した代議院をたびたび解散した。そのような解散

ののち、長きにわたって新たな代議員が選出されるようにはからうことを拒否した。これにより、消滅す

ることのない立法権限は人民全体にその行使が返還されたのである。その間もその邦は外からの侵略、内

なる騒乱のあらゆる危険にさらされていたのである。

これら諸邦の人口を抑制せんと努めた。その目的のために外国人帰化諸法を妨害し、この地への移

民を促進する他の諸法の通過を拒み、新たな土地の割り当ての条件をつり上げた。司法権を確立させる諸

法への裁可を拒否することにより、司法の執行を妨害した。判事を、その地位、俸給額、俸給の支払いに

ついて、己の意志にのみ依存せしめた。

おびただしい数の新たな官職を創設し、この地へ官吏の大群を送って我らが人民を悩ませ、我らが

物資を蚕食（さんしょく＝カイコが桑の葉を食うように端から次第に奥深く他の領域を侵略すること）し

た。平時において我らのうちに、我らの立法府の同意なく常備軍を駐留させた。軍部を文民権力から独立

させ、それに優越させようと努めた。 我らを、我らが国制にとって異質で我らが法によって認められてい

ない権限のもとにおくべく（本国議会と）共謀し、本来の権能を逸脱した立法府の下記の目的の諸法に裁

可を与えた。

19

George Washington

The British army and navy were the strongest in the world at that time,

and the war was a long and hard one. Eventually the British gave up the

fight, mostly because it was hard for them to fight so far from home in an

environment very different from Europe.

The French navy helped the Americans fight the British

France was an enemy of Britain at this time and greatly supported the

colonists in their fight for independence. In 1783 the Treaty of Paris

was signed giving the colonies independence from England.

Creating a New Nation: The United States

Constitution

The Treaty of Paris gave the American colonies the right to

govern themselves, but the hard work of building a republic had to

20

begin. The great challenge was how to form a government which would

you unite 13 separate colonies into one republic. In 1787

representatives from all over the former colonies were sent to

Philadelphia to write a constitution, which would serve as the legal

framework for a new system of government.

On September 17, 1787, after much debate and with

compromises, a constitution was accepted creating a republic with two

levels of government- state and national- but with a strong central

federal government having ultimate power over the states.

The U.S. federal government is divided into three branches- the

executive (=the president and his cabinet), the legislative (the two

houses of the Senate and Congress), and the judicial (the court

system with the Supreme Court at the top). This simple but elegant

system was designed to make sure no single branch of government got

too much power. The “founding fathers” of the U.S.A. were concerned

that the president might become too powerful like a king, so the two

other branches were given powers which could prevent this from

happening.

In addition to establishing the United States system of

government, the writers of the constitution also added 10

amendments, called the Bill of Rights. These 10 amendments protect

American’s basic legal and human rights, such as the right to follow

any religion, the right of free speech, the right to a trial by a jury with

a lawyer, and the right to own a gun. These constitutional protections

are a basic part of American social life, now as in the past.

21

The U.S. Constitution has served for more than two hundred

years as the basic framework for American society. Although it has

been changed or added to over time, the basic principles of

democracy (rule by the people) have not changed. However, the

fundamental problem of whether to give more power to the states or

to the central government remains even now a major theme in

American political life.

Chapter III:

The 19th Century and Westward Expansion

In 1800 a great area of land between the Mississippi River and the

Rocky Mountains was purchased from France for $10,000. This was

called the Louisiana Purchase. It almost doubled the size of the

United States. At this time St. Louis, Missouri was the edge of the

frontier- beyond that were unknown and wild lands.

The famous Lewis and Clark Expedition was sent to explore

the new lands for America and go on as far as the Pacific Ocean. They

crossed the Rocky Mountains and then followed the Columbia River to

the Pacific Ocean, returning to St. Louis in 1806.

22

The Lewis and Clark Expedition

The expedition of Lewis and Clark opened up the Oregon Trail,

and in 1841 the first covered wagons left Missouri and went north

along the Platte River for the 6 months journey to Oregon. In 1843

the Oregon territory was settled with its own government and schools.

More and more pioneers went west along the Oregon Trail, settling in

the fertile lands of Washington and Oregon. Little by little these

American pioneers replaced the British merchants who had trading

stations there.

The Oregon Trail

Covered wagon

23

The Great Plains

At this time, the population of the United States was increasing at

a very fast pace, and cities were growing at a tremendous rate,

especially in the north. The Great Plains seemed like a difficult place to

farm so many people became interested in moving past them to the

Pacific region. Soon a trade route extended across this dry region of the

American west and on to the Pacific coast, to places like Los Angeles

and to San Diego in southern California. An active China trade between

New York and Canton made the west coast an important port for ships

on their way to Asia.

The event which really sped up development of the west was the

discovery of gold in 1848 in northern California. This started an

immediate rush of people to who went the west coast to try to make a

quick fortune. People with money came by sea, and port towns all

over the California coast boomed. San Francisco became a boom town

almost overnight. People with less money came over land, increasing

the growth of trails and towns throughout the western frontier.

California gold rush

The Native American Indians

Some Americans were concerned about the condition of the

American Indians (Native Americans), but most were not. America was

24

mostly involved with rapid growth and expansion and another problem

was taking the attention of most people in the country- the problem of

slavery, which led to a civil war. Native Americans were forced

off their lands which the whites wanted, and sent to other places which

were hard places to live--- many died.

The Civil War 1861-1865s

Background

Britain had outlawed slavery in its empire early in the 19th

century, and many Americans in the north also were opposed to it. By

1804 many northern states passed laws freeing slaves who were living

there. Many of the newly freed blacks in northern cities protested

against slavery along with white groups and joined the movement to

end slavery. Those who wanted to abolish slavery all over America were

called “abolitionists.”

The Amistad Case

In June of 1839, the small ship Amistad left Havana, Cuba with

49 African slaves to be sold in America. Three days into the journey the

slaves escaped from their chains and took over the ship. The ship

ended up in New York and was seized by the U.S. federal government.

25

The Africans were then taken to Connecticut and charged with piracy

and murder. The abolitionists got actively involved in the Amistad case.

The legal issues of the case were quite complicated but the symbolic

meaning of the case was simple and clear. If the blacks were sent back

to Africa it would show America’s opposition to slavery, but if the

Africans were returned to Spain it would symbolize a victory for the

pro-slavery people in the South.

The case went all the way up the Supreme Court (March 1841),

and the court said that the Africans were to be freed. The main reason

for this was that the slaves had been taken illegally from Africa where

slavery had already been outlawed. Therefore they could not be the

property of Spain (or anyone else), and, being free men, they had a

right to fight for their freedom. This famous case served to increase

tensions even more in America over the slavery issue. Most

southerners were not happy to hear that these Africans were to be seen

as human beings with equal political rights.

Causes of the Civil War

Behind the argument over slavery in America was another major

issue--- the legal question of states’ rights. Did individual states have

the right or the power to make final decisions about how their citizens

should live? Or was the federal government the ultimate authority

in the United States? The South believed that the final place to decide

important legal and social issues like slavery was in the states, and the

26

federal government had no right to make laws which would take

slavery away from them.

Since the North had more political power in Congress, the

southern states were very nervous that they would be forced to give up

their slaves. Southern politicians thought that the best thing to do to

fight this situation was to make sure that the new states opening up in

the West would have slavery. Since the northern states were opposed to

slavery, the U.S. congress became deadlocked, and the southern

states threatened to leave and start their own nation.

To try to stop the South from leaving a number of

compromises were made. One compromise was to make the new

state of California “a free state” (= no slavery), but allow the white

people in of Utah and New Mexico to decide whether or not to permit

slavery. No one was really satisfied with this compromise, however.

The problem then got worse in 1854, when plans were made for the

first transcontinental railroad to go through the new Kansas and

Nebraska Territory. First proslavery settlers came to Kansas, but then

antislavery farmers came to prevent slavery from being established

there. The two groups ended up setting up different governments in

Kansas! Fighting broke out in Kansas with almost 200 people being

killed.

Lincoln and the Civil War

27

In 1860 Abraham Lincoln was elected president. At first he said

that the South could keep slavery, but he was against slavery being

allowed in any of the new territories or states in the West.

Southerners, however, believed that Lincoln would really try to end

slavery, and so, on December 20, 1860, South Carolina became the first

state to separate from the United States. Six other states from the Deep

South soon left, and together they formed their own nation called the

Confederate States of America. Then the Border States joined

bringing the total to eleven states in the “Confederacy.”

When the southern confederate army attacked the federal Fort

Sumpter in South Carolina, Lincoln had to respond and the war was

begun between the Confederate army of the South and the Union army

of the North.

The War

28

The North was superior to the South in terms of economic

power and even agriculture. The North had three times the population

of the South, most of the railroads, and a large navy. The South had the

advantage of fighting in their own country, trying to defend their own

way of life.

29

Lincoln’s purpose in fighting the war was, at first, not to end

slavery in the South, but rather just to keep the country together. The

southern states could not be allowed to leave. The power of the federal

government over the individual states must be upheld. However, in

1863, as the North was winning some important battles, Lincoln then

stated that all slaves were to be set free, everywhere- this was his

famous “Emancipation Proclamation.” This had the effect of

turning the war into a struggle for freedom.

Black soldiers from the 54th Massachusetts regiment were one

of the first black regiments to fight. When they found out that their

salary was less than white soldiers, the refused to accept any payment.

In 1864 president Lincoln said they should be given the same pay as

whites. The black soldiers fought bravely despite prejudice against

them by white troops.

The war was a terrible one, with almost 600,000 lives lost by the

time it finally ended in 1865. The country was saved, however, from

30

being split into two different countries, and slavery was abolished in

the whole of the United States. Also, the legal principle was upheld

whereby the federal government, not an individual state is the final of

the land.

Chapter IV The Industrial Revolution

31

The period after the Civil War was a period of rapid economic and

social change. New technological inventions developed in England

and America helped this economic growth. The period of technological

innovation and increased factory production is known a the

“Industrial Revolution.” America was becoming the richest and

most powerful nation on earth. The modern corporation was also

born at this time. The corporation was a company which could hold

stock and sell stock to the general public to raise money for

investment. The two biggest industries in America were petroleum

and railroads.

Immigration

America is a nation of immigrants. There were 3 big waves of

immigration. The first was in the colonial period when mostly

British came, but also some Germans, Dutch, Swedish and French

came. In the 1830’s and 1940’s a second wave of immigrants came,

32

mostly from northern Europe: Ireland, England, Germany and

Scandinavia. In the 19th century, large numbers of immigrants

(about 9,000,000) entered the United States, going to live mostly in

cities like New York, Boston, and Chicago. On the west coast many

Chinese and Japanese immigrated to California and Washington

State. This immigration completely changed American society,

culture and politics. The largest wave of immigration began in the

1880’s. Within 20 years about 9,000,000 came. From about 1900 till

about 1924, even more came—about 14,500,000. Most of these new

immigrants were from Italy, Russia and other countries in southern

and eastern Europe. The Italians were the largest group and the

Jews (from Eastern Europe) were the second largest group of this

last big wave of U.S. immigration.

Chinese has come to the United States in large numbers around

the time of the Gold Rush in California (1850’s), but by the 1880’s

there was discrimination against them and laws were passed to limit

their entry into the United States. However, Japanese were allowed to

immigrate, especially to Hawaii and California. Hawaiian Japanese

came to work on the sugar plantations. Most came from Hiroshima

and other rural places in Japan.

Most immigrants tried to maintain their traditional culture in

America, however there was great pressure on the new immigrants to

“Americanize” quickly. In most cases the second generation became

Americanized. There was often conflict between the first generation

immigrants and their children because the children were moving away

from the traditional values of their parents as they tried to fit in to

American life.

Public schools worked hard to help the new immigrants

assimilate into their new country. These immigrants in the last and

largest wave of immigration were usually quite poor, having escaped

bad economic conditions in their home countries. Because they had

little money they usually settled in the port cities where they entered:

New York, Boston, San Francisco. These cities became centers for

Italian, Irish, Jewish and Asian cultures. New York and San Francisco

had little Chinatowns to help new immigrants survive.

33

By the end of the 1860’s the Chinese population in California had

reached 75,000. They worked hard as laborers, or operating laundries.

By 1877 anti-Chinese feelings were strong because White workers were

angry that the Chinese were taking jobs away, and violent riots against

the Chinese started in San Francisco’s Chinatown and spread to other

places in the West. In 1882 Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act

banning Chinese immigration. Japanese, however, were allowed to

enter the U.S. at this time to work on farms in California and sugar

plantations in Hawaii. Anti-Japanese feelings started to rise in

California and, in 1908, the “Gentleman’s agreement” was worked out

between president Roosevelt and the government of Japan. This said

that no more Japanese laborers could come to the U.S. unless they

were joining a family already there. This was the beginning of the

“picture bride” period (yobikose jidai) where Japanese women would

come to the U.S. to marry a Japanese man in America who needed a

wife.

34

Chapter V The 20th Century: Modern

America

The Gilded Age

The period of time during America’s industrial revolution is

sometimes called the Gilded Age. Between the 1870’s and 1900 huge

corporations generated a lot of wealth for America- especially the

railroad industry, steel, and oil. By offering stock to the public, they

could raise money for rapid expansion. Immigrants worked in factories

to help these corporations grow. These companies would often merge

to form monopolies so that they could control the market. Soon a few

huge corporations and individuals controlled most of the nation’s

wealth.

The Progressive Era

From about 1900 till the start of the First World War (1917) some

individuals became interested in working for social reform to make

35

society a better place to live, especially for the large immigrant

population who lived and worked in the crowded cities in dirty and

unhealthy conditions. People actively worked to improve public

sanitation, working conditions, stopping child labor, and women’s

voting rights.

The Roaring Twenties

The 1920’s is sometimes also called the “Jazz Age” because of the

new styles of music emerging in the new urban culture. Henry Ford

manufactured and mass produced and sold a cheap automobile which

many people could afford to buy, and so the American people became

more mobile. Especially young people made the 20’s a time of

exuberance and freedom. This was also a time of relative economic

prosperity for much of the country.

The Roaring 20’s or the Jazz Age

36

The Great Depression 1929- 1941

In American at this time there was a large gap between rich and

poor. Big companies were manufacturing a lot of goods, but most

people’s wages were quite low and they couldn’t afford to buy most

things. Furthermore, European countries which had borrowed money

during the war, were having difficulty paying back their loans. During

the 1920’s there had been a lot of risky investment. People and banks

and companies would borrow lots of money at high interest rates,

thinking that the economy would continue to expand and prosper in

the future. When the future was not good, and people wanted their

loans paid off, many were unable to pay what they had borrowed.

When stocks started to drop in October of ’29 people began to

panic. Loans couldn’t be paid off because people had borrowed so

much money but had no way to pay it off. People ran to the banks but

the banks closed their doors because they didn’t have enough money to

37

cover people’s deposits. Factories closed and businesses went

bankrupt. They had to fire workers, resulting in high

unemployment all over America. High unemployment means that

people spend even less money, so businesses declined even more.

There were huge inventories of goods which could not be sold, so

prices dropped. By the time Franklin Roosevelt was elected in 1932 the

economy was in the midst of the deepest depression in American

history; people were desperate and wanted the government to take

bold and immediate action. They did.

Government Action: The New Deal

During the Great Depression of the 1930’s the role of government

completely changed. For the first time the U.S. federal government

took an active role in managing the economy. The U.S. government

designed program which gave such things as unemployment

insurance for people who lost their jobs, social security for people

over 65 so they could get a pension, welfare for people with no money

and income, and a system of taxation which made the richest in

American society pay a much higher percentage of their income in

taxes. All these new government programs resulted in the federal

government becoming a central part of people’s lives. Today there are

hundreds of federal agencies and departments in Washington, D.C.

which are part of the huge government bureaucracy created by the

New Deal.

38

World War II

When the Japanese attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor,

Hawaii in Dec. of 1941, America entered the war in the Pacific and in

Europe. The whole country mobilized for war which resulted in new

levels of industrial output which helped to pull America out of the war.

When war finally ended in 1945, although Europe and Asian were

totally destroyed, America emerged as the number one superpower,

economically and politically. The New Deal policies helped to make

sure that the new American wealth was distributed more evenly

throughout society, rather than a small number of rich people holding

all the wealth.

The 1950’s and the Cold War

After the war ended against Japan and Germany (and Italy), those

three countries became friends of the United States in the fight a new

war—the fight against communism. China became communist in

1949. (Russia had became communist in 1917).. In June, 1950, North

Korean troops pushed south past the 37th parallel with Chinese

support, starting the Korean War. This increased Cold War tensions

even more. Then, when the Russians launched the Sputnik satellite,

America panicked and government and educational institutions felt an

intense pressure to compete with the Russians in the area of military

technology.

39

The 1960’s and Beyond: The Age of Disillusionment

When President Richard Nixon resigned from the White House in

1974 because of the Watergate scandal, Americans had become

disillusioned with their government and politicians. However,

Watergate was just the end of a long decade of disillusionment. We

might argue that this period of disillusionment began with the

assassination of President John Kennedy in November of 1963.

Kennedy represented a fresh and new vision for America. He

symbolized youth and made many Americans feel good about the

future direction of the country. With a man like Kennedy in the White

House, many thought that America had a bright and splendid future

waiting for them. This was not to be the case. After his assassination,

the myth was shattered. Even the nature of the assassination left many

questions unanswered. Was Kennedy killed by people from the

C.I.A….by the Mafia? It is not often a president gets assassinated, and

in this case a very dark cloud appeared over American society.

The JFK Assassination

On Nov. 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas

Texas. His murder is one of the great mysteries of American history.

Most Americans believe that he was killed as the result of a conspiracy,

not by one crazy man (Lee Harvey Oswald).

Some of the possibilities are as follows:

He was killed by Lee Harvey Oswald, acting alone, shooting an old

Italian army rifle from the sixth floor window of the Texas School

Book Depository.

40

Members of the Mafia who probably hated him and his brother for

trying to break up the organized crime groups killed him.

The CIA or some group within the CIA killed him

Castro’s agents killed him as payback.

A combination of the Mafia, the CIA and maybe also Oswald.

Much of the mystery lies with Oswald. Who was he really???

After Kennedy’s death, the war in Vietnam began to escalate

year by year and was brought home to Americans on the T.V. sets each

night. The Korean War of the 50’s was not so clearly seen by Americans,

but young people were drafted to go to Vietnam and then seen being

killed on television. At the same time, the Black civil rights movement

was becoming a major force, upsetting a lot to conservatives. Martin

Luther King, Jr. and other Black leaders organized nonviolent protests.

Woman also began demanding more equal rights and equal

pay for equal work at this time, challenging traditional stereotypes

and gender roles. Women organized marches and became politically

active to fight discrimination. Native Americas (=Indians), too began

demanding certain rights and fair compensation for past wrongs. In

general it was a time when many of the minority groups were

becoming more and more vocal, making it difficult for anyone to accept

the idea of America as a good and pure country. By exposing the

treatment of Blacks, women, and Native Americans, it helped to

destroy the patriotic idealism that was present during and after the

war.

With the Vietnam War getting worse, the student protest

movement grew more powerful. Simultaneously with this was the rise

of a powerful counterculture—the hippies and other radicals criticized

most of the traditional values and ideologies of American culture. They

had a great distrust for politicians and a government which was lying to

41

the people about Vietnam. Student protests took to the streets and riots

broke in various cities.