The United States of America
The United States of America is one of the richest and most powerful countries in the world. An abundant amount of natural resources and the energetic, inventive people have created a society that has become a model for much of the rest of the world. The United States is a country of contrasts. It has some of the coldest, hottest, driest, wettest, and windiest places on the Earth.
The History of the United States of America
The earliest known inhabitants of North America were the American Indians whom came from Asia by traveling over a land bridge known as the Bering Strait some 25,000 years ago. After the explorer Christopher Columbus came upon the New World in 1492, Spanish, French, and British explorers and colonists arrived. In 1565, the Spaniards established the city of St. Augustine which became the oldest permanent settlement in the United States.
In 1585, the British settled a colony on Roanoke Island off the coast of North Carolina. The colony was later known as the "Lost Colony" due to the mysterious disappearance of the settlers. The first British settlement was established at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. In 1620, the pilgrims of England landed at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts in a boat known as the Mayflower.
By 1775, thirteen British colonies had been established. On April 19,1775, the Revolutionary War began in Massachusetts. The colonist were unhappy with the British government and it's taxation. On July 4, 1776, the thirteen colonies declared themselves independent by issuing the Declaration of Independence. The colonists defeated the British Army in 1781 under the leadership of General George Washington. A constitution was ratified by the newly formed Congress in 1788. In 1789, Washington was elected America's first president. The Bill of Rights which contained the first ten...