USA - History

During Napoleonic wars British ships were controlling most of the Atlantic ocean and prevented American ports from exporting and importing goods. As a response 1812 USA declared war to the Britain. They were quite successful in Canada but British naval blockade of East Coast hit hardly American trade. Peace was signed in 1814 and reestablished pre-war status quo.

1819 Florida was bought from Spain. Three years later President James Monroe announced the Monroe Doctrine. No colonies or European intervention in The New World were tolerated. There were two major political parties. The Whigs, who wanted strong government, social policy and central institutions and the Democrats, who were based on liberal principles.

1846 Oregon territory joined USA and war with Mexico broke out. Main issue was Texas. USA were victorious. Peace was signed 1848 and southern border of the USA moved to the river Rio Grande.

The main problem became slavery. Originally slave and non-slave countries were equal in number, but newly joined countries could easily destroy these balance. The Missouri Compromise which split the North America in two halves was just temporary solution. While the North became industrial area and supplied south with manufactured products, the South planted essential tobacco and cotton. After successful war with Mexico there was danger that slavers would gain dominant position in central government. In response new Republican party was created. They were for abolition of slavery and had support of northern countries. Against them stood Democrats with southern support.

When Republican president candidate Abraham Lincoln won election it 1860, South Carolina and one year later 10 another southern countries secede from the USA and created independent Confederate States of America. As their president was elected Davis Jefferson, and they formed new government in Montgomery. Confederation started war and had successes at first but soon was unable to withstand industrial power of Union. 1862 President Lincoln announced emancipation of slaves. 1865 Confederation General Lee surrendered to the Union Genaral U. S. Grant and that was the end of Confederation.

Then the reconstruction of the South started . In the following era, industrial corporations were gaining more and more powers and nearly ruled the USA. Alaska was bought from Russia in 1867. Hawaiian Islands were annexed. USA gained economical rulership in Latin America. Construction of Panama Canal also began. In the war with Spain 1989 USA gained independence for Cuba and Philippines. 1901 Theodore Roosevelt was elected as a new president. Unlike his foregoers he showed to be a quite strong figure and achieved to establish same kind of cooperation between big businesses and government. 1909 elected Woodrow Wilson continued in Roosevelt’s policy.

In the times of World War I, Woodrow Wilson tried to protect American trade interests and played as international negotiator. For almost 3 years, he kept the United States out of the war. But after Germany sank several American ships, it was no longer possible just to profit from selling goods to the fighting countries. On April 2, 1917, Congress declared war on the Central Powers. American soldiers in France helped the Allies win the war and so America took part as a victorious country in the negotiations in Versailles. President Wilson was the one to design the Fourteen Points which guided the conference in Paris. They included principles of public-checked diplomacy, freedom of the seas, reductions in armaments and decolonization of empires. Other points concern self determination of the European nations, and also a suggestion to found a League of Nations. In Paris all of the points were accepted, however in the United States, the Senate rejected the treaty (mainly due to the aversion to membership in the League of Nations) on the grounds of traditional American unilateralism, which already started with George Washington.