United States of America Formation
The United States of America was founded under the concept of a government that was democratic rather than monarch like the colonizers (Taylor, 2002). Approximately two hundred and thirty-five years ago, the country was declared independent from Britain, yielding the revolutionary war that lasted for close to nine years. However, the independence declaration was the turning point for the country that is known today as the United States of America. This paper, therefore, seeks to assess the general formation and the protocols followed in the creation of the country as we know it today.
American natives occupied the current geographical area a thousand years ago. In the 1600s, the Britons and other Europeans arrived as they went in search of settlements areas. Ultimately, France, Spain, Netherlands, and Great Britain occupied the area colonizing each of their respective territories (Taylor, 2002). The industrial revolution encouraged more settlers in the region, with Great Britain making its way to colonize the area to secure raw material for their industries. Their arrival changed the region’s economy concerning how goods and products were produced.
In 1775, war broke in the thirteen colonies occupied by the Britons, citing their tyrannical policies in handling the natives and settlers. The founding father of the country won the war and wrote the United States independence declaration and sent to Great Britain. The draft renamed the colonies as the United States, formerly united colonies. However, the America war lasted from 1775 to 1783, allowing the independence of the thirteen colonies for the British administration. As a result, George Washington was inaugurated as the first president serving for two terms in the process (Shi & Tindall, 2016). In 1783, the treaty of Paris was signed, with the thirteen initial colonies occupying all of North America up to the Mississippi River. Britons still ruled Canada to the north and returned Florida to the Spanish. The initial colonies formed the original states of the United States.
Eventually, the American Revolution ended, and in 1787, a constitution of the states was promulgated, providing the states with the much needed fundamental law. Initially, each state carried on its functions independently. As time went by, the new nation encountered financial and a variety of other problems — delegates from all the states convened in Philadelphia to revise the constitution. The constitution provided the senate and House of Representatives (Shi & Tindall, 2016). The representation was based on the population to take care of the larger states. The arms of the government comprised of the judiciary, executive, and the legislature. Additionally, the constitution gave the federal government more powers, including tax collection as well as trade regulation.
The constitution underwent ramifications due to the failure to guarantee sufficient individual rights. Bill of rights was incorporated in 1791, addressing the opposition that was directed towards the constitution. The president was initially required to be elected through Electoral College, with a temporary capital at New York, which was later moved to Washington via Philadelphia (Taylor, 2002).
In 1803, President Jefferson purchased 530 million acres from France as per the Louisiana Purchase agreement. War broke in 1812, and upon its conclusion, outstanding tensions that existed between the United States and the Britons resolved. As a result, slavery came to an end while it served to keep the country intact. In 1818, the United States gained more ground as two additional pieces merged under the federal law. Essentially, in 1819, Spanish Florida was ceded to the United States (Shi & Tindall, 2016).