I. The importance of history
- History (or the Science of History) is one of man's first intellectual disciplines, and it has always played an important part in social life, the treasury of human knowledge, and all human activities.
- History refers to the objective development of human society as a whole, as well as each country and nation individually.
- History responds to a natural and ever-increasing human need because everyone needs to know where they were born and how they were in the past.
- To better understand how history has shaped the two Americas and Vietnam today, here are the most typical landmark events in the process of formation and development that created the two Americas and Vietnam today.
II. America history
1. The United States formation
a. American Revolution (1765 - 1783) and American Declaration of Independence (1776)
The United States of America (USA), or United States for short, is a country that takes its name from the fact that it is made up of states that are joined together, or united, by the U.S. Constitution to form one nation. The country began as 13 colonies of England, which were spread out along the central Atlantic Coast of North America. The original 13 colonies were Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Virginia.
To gain freedom, the colonies fought the Revolutionary War against the British.
The American Revolutionary War took place from April 19, 1775 to September 3, 1783. The war was initiated by delegates from thirteen American colonies of British America in Congress against Great Britain over their objection to Parliament's taxation policies and lack of colonial representation.
American Revolutionary War won political independence for 13 of Britain’s North American colonies.
On July 4, 1776, they adopted the Declaration of Independence, and the day is celebrated as the nation's birthday. Congress soon after officially changed the country's name to "The United States of America" from "United Colonies of America". "All men are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness". This immortal statement was made in the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America in 1776.
How did this war shape America ?
The American Revolution secured the independence of the United States from the dominion of Great Britain and separated it from the British Empire.
The American Revolution established a republic, with a government dedicated to the interests of ordinary people rather than the interests of kings and aristocrats.
The American Revolution created American national identity and committed the new nation to ideals of liberty, equality, natural and civil rights, and responsible citizenship.
After the war of independence, the thirteen North American colonies defeat Great Britain to become the United States with President Washington, followed by the civil war that divided the North and the South, which was the most painful wound.
b.American Civil War (1861–1865)
The American Civil War took place from April 12, 1861 to May 9, 1865 was a civil war in the United States fought between northern and Pacific states and southern states that voted to secede and form the Confederate States of America. The central cause of the war was the status of slavery, especially the expansion of slavery into newly acquired land after the Mexican-American War. On the eve of the Civil War in 1860, four million of the 32 million Americans (nearly 13%) were black slaves, mostly in the South.
Source: http://www.thomaslegion.net/causes.html
The country was divided into two: When the war between North and South broke out, America split in two. 11 Southern states seceded with 9 million inhabitants and an additional 4 million black slaves. The federal government of the United States is left with 21 northern states with 20 million inhabitants.
The Abolition of Slavery: After four bloody years of conflict, the United States defeated the Confederate States. In the end, the institution of slavery was abolished nation-wide.
Human damage: The war claimed the lives of more than 600,000 North and South Americans, more than all other American wars combined.
- How did this war shape America ?
The Civil War was the most disastrous catastrophe in American history.
The war, on the other hand, ended slavery in America and established the United States as a single nation.
=> After this war, the North won the battle, unified the country, and liberated the slaves. The United States began its aggressive territorial expansion across North America in the nineteenth century. By the end of the nineteenth century, the United States had expanded its influence over the entire Pacific and has since become the largest economy in the world
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