How did the USA become what they are ?

Quelques repères académiques

The colonies that were originally founded by the English and Dutch in the 1600s grew into British colonies of the 18th Century with close ties to the Mother country. The settlers were largely a mixture of puritans, discontents, adventurers, entrepreneurs, and gammas who felt estranged from conventional, structured society. French Huguenots were also part of that mix and were infl uential in early American life, especially those who settled in Charleston after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. For example, E.I. du Pont established the Eleutherian gunpowder mills, which produced material for the American Revolutionary War. Paul Revere was descended from Huguenot refugees, as was Henry Laurens, who signed the Declaration of Independence for South Carolina; Jack Jouett, who made the ride from Cuckoo Tavern to warn Thomas Jefferson and others that the British were on their way to arrest him for crimes against the King; Francis Marion, and a number of other leaders of the American Revolution and later statesmen. The American Revolution (1775-1783) was launched by an initially reluctant but then determined minority resisting British rule. They opposed the taxes the British imposed because of the French and Indian War (1754-1763), but also other unfair treatment by the British. After gaining independence, with critical help from the French and Spanish crowns, the Colonies joined together through the Articles of Confederation (1781). The United States was a loose, decentralized Confederation. Some thought this unworkable and wanted a stronger central government. In excess of their delegated powers, Congress met and secretly changed the form of government to the U.S. Constitution (1787). Still, the U.S. Constitution was a document limiting the powers of government, not its citizens. An additional ten amendments to the Constitution put even more limits on government power. The United States expanded and grew as a decentralized government. The British had left rule of law, respect for private property, a “laissez-faire” free market, and the light hand of government. Most Americans were known not as “Americans” but by the State they lived in. A Central Bank was disfavored. But the War of 1812 and the Quasi-War with France helped knit the country tighter. This decentralization began to change dramatically, though, with the American Civil War (1861-1865), a watershed event for the United States in which the North and the South fought each other bitterly over decentralization. Government power grew greatly both during and after the War, when the South was defeated. Some in the United States refer to this as the war that made white men slaves and black men free. It affects the U.S. even to this day for a number of reasons and is often still fantasized about by Americans in books and fi lms. The Spanish-American War, fanned into existence by tabloid journalism, brought the U.S. an empire. And with that, a greater military and worldwide commitments, and a more centralized government. © culture&sens How did the USA become what they are ? La touche culture&sens • Immigration and expansion greatly changed the demographics of the country. Racism and anti-immigrant sentiment continued to play their part in political and social life. • 1912 and 1913 were key years for the United States. In 1912, Woodrow Wilson was barely elected president. In 1913, both the national income tax and the Federal Reserve Bank were created. Centralization of government power increased with these three events. The First World War saw most Americans determined to stay out of what was seen as a ‘European dispute.” Historians have shown now that, by 1917, the British expertly manipulated the U.S. into the war, with short-term success but disastrous consequences later. During the War, the U.S. became a centralized war-economy. The “Red Scare” years after the War, as well as the passage of the Prohibition Act in 1920, saw a further diminishment in American liberties. Still, the 1920s were prosperous until the Stock Market Crash of 1929, caused in large part by the Federal Reserve’s clumsy and very rapid withdrawal of one-third of the U.S. money supply. The U.S. entered a Great Depression that lasted until the conclusion of the Second World War. • The Second World War saw the U.S. grow into Super Power status, with the World’s most powerful military force and military bases across the Globe. The Cold War and regional hot wars from Korea to Vietnam to Afghanistan saw the Federal government grow in power ad individual liberty diminish. • Now, 220 years later, the centralization of power into the hands of Washington, D.C. is nearly complete. Each president elected over the last 100 years, whether Democrat or Republican, has overseen a growth in centralization of power. Lip service only is paid to the Constitution now. • Yet, as evidenced by the Tea Party and the Ron Paul candidacy for president (and those disappointed with their votes for Obama), many Americans are dissatisfi ed. They view the 2012 elections as pivotal. What will happen? And which direction will the country go? Back to its roots, which made it great, or to just another welfare/warfare State hollowly claiming to be the “Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.” Pour nous contacter et réagir : www.culture-sens.fr Des idées de loisirs Books : E Pluribus Unum, Forrest McDonald. Freedom In Chains, James Bovard. America’s Great Depression, Murray Rothbard. Places to visit : The American Library in Paris, 7th arrondissement. Williamsburg, Virginia. The Smithsonian, Washington, D.C.. Old Boston, Massachusetts. Films : Gone With The Wind, 1939. How The West Was Won, 1964. The Alamo, 2004. The Sand Peebles, 1966. Age of Innocence, 1993. The Patriot, 2000. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, 1939. Gangs of New York, 2002. Glory, 1989. Dances With Wolves, 1990. The Last of the Mohicans, 1992. JFK, 1991. © culture&sens