The-Origins-of-the-USA_The-Origins-of-the-USA_.ppt .ppt

History

1. The Origins of the USA
Some early thoughts on how US
society developed before 1850.

2. The new world
•From 1492, the new world was fought over
by the emerging European powers; Spain,
France, Holland, Portugal and Britain.
•Britain and France vied for control of North
America.
•Spain conquered much of South America.
•By the mid 1700s, Britain was the
established power in North America.

3. The Pilgrim Fathers
•Left England for North America in 1620.
•They were nonconformist followers of a
sect of Christianity called Puritanism.
•They left and left in the ship Mayflower
and arrived in Massacheusetts (now
Northern part of the USA).

7. Virginia and the South
•Developed a plantation economy, based
around Virginia and expanding. Products;
cotton, sugar, tobacco.
•A part of the triangular trade, with Europe
and Africa.
•Relied on African slave labour.
•Sold raw products to Europe, particularly
Great Britain.

9. The Declaration of Independence
1776
•The birthday of the
United States of
America—
Independence Day—
is celebrated on July
4, the day the wording
of the Declaration
was approved by
Congress.

10. A famous extract
•“We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal, that they
are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
•What can we tell about the author of this
statement?

11. Brief analysis
•This sentence has been called "one of the best-known
sentences in the English language" and "the most potent
and consequential words in American history". The
passage has often been used to promote the rights of
marginalized groups, and came to represent for many
people a moral standard for which the United States
should strive. This view was greatly influenced by
Abraham Lincoln, who considered the Declaration to be
the foundation of his political philosophy, and promoted
the idea that the Declaration is a statement of principles
through which the United States Constitution should be
interpreted.

12. Thomas Jefferson
•One of the architects
of the US Declaration
of Independence.
•Came from Virginia
•Owned over 600
negro slaves.

13. Benjamin Franklin
•Was an inventor,
statesman and writer.
•He was influenced by
French writers, like
Voltaire and British
intellectuals-he visited
Edinburgh, at the time of
it’s greatest intellectual
flowering; see Adam
Smith, Hume etc.
•He espoused puritan
values.

14. Drawing a conclusion
•From this basic background, I can conclude;
–USA was a nation which developed from the eastern seaboard.
–The mother country was Great Britain. US broke from Britain in
1776; its established people were however WASPs.
–The country is large and climate varies, so developed differently.
•The north; Puritan, agricultural with developing industry
•The South; relied on slavery, plantations and triangular trade.
–The nation was established with a bold statement of the equality
of all men, however slavery was acceptable.
–From it’s very beginnings, there were inherent conflicts and
tensions in the USA.
–These tensions would return to impact the future development
and prosperity of the USA.