Strictly speaking, the US was taken from the Indians by Europeans who later seceded from their mother continent to form a nation of their own. The history of the US is long. Too long to cover in one article, but it is useful to know the main points of the history so that you do not have to delve into details that make the main points confusing. Anyone who knows the most important facts of American history will be able to understand America and its inhabitants better. NB! This article is written from the personal view of the author and may contain information that is not scientifically substantiated and/or in line with the general view.
The town hall in New Amsterdam, which later became New York. / Source: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons (PD)
Contents:
- European beginnings
- Colonial times
- Wars
- Wars of Independence
- The Netherlands is the first to recognize the US
- The origins of the current US
- Small, tropical islands of the US
European beginnings
The US started as a colony. There were Dutch, English, Swedish and French colony parts. New York used to be called New Amsterdam and started as a Dutch colony. The Netherlands attached less value to area control than England. For the Dutch, trade was more important than land ownership. That’s why the whole of the US has become an English colony. The same actually applies to the French. The English got from France and the Netherlands
Manhattan, an island in New York, was formerly called New Amsterdam and was a Dutch colony / Source: Unknown, Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
bought territories instead of fighting over them. Ultimately, the Americans fought the English in wars that ushered in US independence. These are called the Wars of Independence.
Colonial times
America is a young country and was originally inhabited by European colonialists from all countries in Europe. Before the Westerners arrived, North America was populated by Indians. It is suspected that they came from Asia via the Bering Strait, but that is not entirely certain and does not match their own historical accounts. According to the stories of the Indians, we live on a hollow earth and the Indians came from the depths of the earth. People like Sitchin say that the Mayans have stories that show that after a major world disaster, perhaps the demise of Atlantis, they washed up in boats in South and Central America. Columbus discovered the continent of America; first the islands in the Caribbean Sea and Mexico and only later did the Spaniards move north and enter what is now the US via Mexico. The Spaniards were the first colonizers of America. In 1607 the English arrived to claim their share of this newly discovered land. The French, Dutch and Swedes soon followed. In the US, sugar plantations were mainly established. Sugar was an expensive luxury item at that time. Read more about this in the article the history of sugar. Mostly slaves from Africa worked on the plantations.
The Dutch were expelled from Manhattan and received financial compensation and the country of Suriname in return. / Source: Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Wars
The Indians often had to lose out. They were chased from their land by European settlers. The Europeans also fought among themselves. Sometimes they received help from the Indians. France, England and Spain aimed for the largest possible area. France and England in particular have waged a lot of war in North America. The Netherlands was mainly concerned with trade interests. The Netherlands sold the island of Manhattan for next to nothing, but was then able to continue doing business in the US
Wars of Independence
The War of Independence began after the 13 colonies in the US got tired of paying taxes to England. The 13 colonies worked together to thwart England. English soldiers misbehaved by causing a massacre in Boston. In 1773 there was the Boston Tea Party, a protest against the tax on tea. American patriots dressed as Indians threw a shipload of tea overboard. You can’t touch the tea-loving English any deeper. The English then started their armed struggle. The patriots had now established a Continental Congress and appointed George Washington, a farmer from Virginia, as commander-in-chief of the army. Nowadays, taxes are an important part of the campaign in every election. Each party advocates lower taxes to attract voters. Yet taxes are increased again and again.
The United States Constitution or Declaration of Independence as first written. / Source: Constitutional Convention, Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
The Netherlands is the first to recognize the US
In the year 1776, the Declaration of Independence was declared by Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, among others. This declaration was adopted on July 4, 1776. That’s why July 4 is still National Independence Day. Four months later, an American ship sailed to the Dutch Caribbean island of St Eustatius. An 11 gun salute was fired from Fort Oranje. This made the Netherlands the first country to recognize independence from the US. A large number of former Dutch people live in the US and the Dutch diaspora in the US is visible in various areas.
The origins of the current US
Now only the northern half of the US was independent. The south was dominated by the French and Spanish. California and Texas were still part of Mexico. The French have sold their share of Louisiana to the Americans. This had the advantage for them that they knew for sure that it would not end up in English hands. Texas separated from Mexico in 1836 and joined the US at its own request in 1845. This soon culminated in the Mexican-American War in 1846. The US triumphed and at one point even entered Mexico City. During the peace negotiations, the countries agreed that Mexico would give large territories to the US that later became the states of Nevada, California, Arizona and New Mexico.
First meeting of the 13 independent states of America / Source: Daniel Berger after a sketch of Daniel Chodowiecki, Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Small, tropical islands of the US
The country had largely determined its borders in the mid-19th century. A few small islands have been added. Puerto Rico became an American free state in 1917. Puerto Rico is a tax haven and has the most pharmaceutical companies per square kilometer. Almost all medicines are made by American companies in order to avoid taxes that would otherwise have to be paid to the American treasury. Navassa is an American island and is also claimed by Haiti and the American Bill Warren. The US also owns the Virgin Islands, which were purchased from Denmark in 1917. These islands are all in the Caribbean. In the Pacific Ocean the US got… Guam of Spain after the Spanish-American War. Since 1978, the Northern Mariana Islands have been part of the US. American Samoa was given to the Americans in 1899 after negotiations with Germany. Wake Island was annexed by the US in 1899 because they needed this island as an intermediate station for laying an electricity cable.