Great History of the United States of America - Essay Example

HISTORY OF THE UNITED S OF AMERICA Argument #3: The history of the United s from 1650 to 1850 is a “history of both freedom and domination; of progress toward realizing a broadly democratic policy and of delays and reverses; of abundance and poverty; of wars for freedom and justice and for control of foreign markets . . . Progress has not been automatic, but the product of ongoing struggles.” The United States of America is today renowned as the world superpower. She is the home of many business moguls apart from being the paragon of democracy. However, America’s rise was not a easy thing to come by. As history has it, she went through a period of struggles and hardships before she became a sovereign state which could conduct its business at its own bidding. This paper spans the history of America between 1650 and 1850. This period was marked by United States of America’s worst and best of times. The American Indians, sometimes referred to as the Red Indians, were the indigenous inhabitants of the present United States of America. The term Red Indians comes from their culture of painting their faces red when they were going for war. The Indians were a peaceful people, who cherished their family ties. They were also very prayerful and creative. Their life was led in solitude, like they belonged in their own world. Nature was foremost in their priority since they revered it and saw it as a gift from their gods. In the period between 1539 and 1542, the Spaniards attacked the Indians. There were about 600 Spaniards led by Hernando de Soto. They went about the south eastern part of what is known today as the United States of America, killing, raping and making slaves of the Indians. There were a lot of retaliatory attacks from the Indians who were always suspicious of the Spaniards’ visits. Even the most friendly of visits was viewed with a high level of suspicion and the Indians were always prepared for war. This is per the diary of Hernando de Soto’s secretary’s diary which such an account. The Indians fought so hard and the passion with which they defended their land was evident even with the women and boys as young as four. The result of the battle was devastating to the Spaniards who were then viewed as the Christians. Twenty two of their men died and scores others sustained arrow wounds which were fatal. Not spared in the conflict were their horses which either died or were injured such that they were no longer useful in combat. Some Indians even resorted to hanging themselves instead of falling into the hands of the Spaniards. The coming of the Europeans brought with it a lot of upheavals in the calm Indians’ way of life. The discovery of America opened the Pandora’s Box which led to the invasion of America. This invasion paved way for the forced relocation of the America Indians. The American Indians were a people who were so passionate about their culture and way of life. Therefore, they did not take the European’s actions kindly. Wars were fought and blood was shed in a bid to defend their heritage. Most of them died in these battles as they were attacked with all manner of weapons, even biological. Small pox, measles and other virus were released among them and this increased their death them toll. A number of them eventually sided with the Europeans but others chose to relocate to the West of the country. This was especially driven by Andrew Jackson’s Removal Act of 1830. The American Indians eventually gained the respect and recognition that had for along time been denied to them. Museums have since been constructed to preserve their history and as tribute to a great people who first rebelled against foreign occupation. The American Indian struggle is just the first of many more struggles for freedom that were to follow throughout the American history. America’s walk to freedom was never an easy one right from these old times. The Indians were dominated upon, they were made to suffer before the final freedom was achieved. As if the Spaniards were not enough problem for the Indians, the British also dragged along their share of the American troubles. Britain had acquired so many colonies in her quest for power. She eventually subdued America and made her one of her colonies, mush to the indignation of the then occupiers of America. This led to the struggle to resist the British occupation and at the same time for independence. This struggle spanned the psychological, physical, scholarly and political platforms. The Americans wanted independence and they were ready to go to great extents to find it. Of notable importance were the articles that were written in this time dismissal of the British control of America. One such article that brought the American disgust and dislike of the British occupation to the light was a Samuel Adam’s letter dated 1765. He had written to an English friend to dismiss British’s reasons for introducing the imperial taxes and control. Samuel felt that the tax being levied on the American people was very unnecessary since the colonies’ played no part in accruing Britain’s debts. They were to shoulder their own burdens and not introduce the loathsome internal taxes to the Americans. Of great concern was the fact that there were Englishmen living in America who were also subject to these taxes. The levying of taxes to its own people who had sworn allegiance to the crown was not received well. Sharing the same platform was a political pamphlet called Common Sense, written by Thomas Paine. The pamphlet’s message was quite clear. Paine’s point was that the United State of America’s independent was just about the most application of sense. There is no need for any argument therefore since it is obvious. He satirized the British posing as the Americas’ friend while in real sense they sought to make it their colony. He went ahead to say that the distance between the two countries is enough to state that the British need to stay in their own country and not bother the Americans. He did not understand why Britain, which he viewed as an island, controlled a continent that was the United States of America. Ironically, Paine was an Englishman too despite his disregard for the British. He had grown acquainted to the republican spirit that characterized American politics and was against the monarchy. The 1777-1778 saw America in the middle of serious battle for their independence. In Washington, there were about 10,000 men, 7400 of whom were fit for battle. The army was largely unequipped. The infantry consisted greatly of slaves and servants that had been promised freedom if they participated in the war. The number of skilled soldiers was very few. Apart from this, their supplies were very insufficient. The soldiers went without shoes and uniform. According to a report by George Washington to the State of New Hampshire, the soldiers were malnourished too and about a quarter died of the same coupled with exposure and disease. This war was being fought at the Valley Forge and worse during winter. The situation was very pathetic as there was an urgent need for blankets and other apparel with no clear source where they would come from. Women too were accepted in the army, taking up the simple roles of mending clothes, cooking, taking care of the wounded soldiers and once in a while taking part in active combat. A good number of the soldiers were in hospitals or Farmers Houses without a means of participating in the war. However, the president called for perseverance in this quest and to hold on to the war until the enemy had been completely defeated. Britain responded to this resolve by sending many troops from her colonies to counter the American’s defense. Freedom was finally granted to America as she gained her independence after a long struggle. However, the gaining of independence was not yet complete for the United States of America. She still had wars to fight and had a lot of internal responsibilities to take care of. Her people looked up to the young government and expected it to deliver. The transition from the war to peaceful co-existance was not an easy one. It meant rebuilding most of what had been spoilt in the war, coming up with suitable education structures, infrastructure and providing employment for the populace. The war had ended and the people were no longer needed in large numbers to serve in the army. There was no much development home that would absorb these war veterans hence there had to be alternative means of earning a living. All these needed money and money was one of those things that were very scarce in America during this time. They had incurred a lot of foreign debt whose interest rose by the hour. The war was largely to blame for the huge foreign debt. In William Blount’s documents, he describes the nature of America’s debts as embarrassing. The Union’s debts would reduce them to a laughing stock among their enemies and cause their friends to cut links with them. He advocated for a change in the Constitution that would enable the reducing of these debts that had accumulated so much. William inferred that only about forty thousand dollars had been paid to the foreign countries for the debts in a period of five years. Apart from the financial crises America had an array of other struggles, especially the democratic ones. This error was marked by the men’s complete domination over their wives, something that the women did not find at all pleasant. The women were secondary to their husbands and the gender equality was non-existent. They were charged with homemaking and their participation in the making of making decision was not considered. The gender was begun way before the independence. Around the 1776, the gender wars begun with women seeking to be included in the fight for independence. In her letter to her husband John Adams,who was the representative of Massachusetts to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Abigael Adams urges him not to forget the nation’s women when struggling for independence from the Great Britain. Abigael’s letter was received with much ridicule by John Adams who felt there was no way the men could give up their masculine systems. He felt that Abigael’s requests were extraordinary and worse than all the forms of rebellion that were being witnessed at that time. Abigael promised to never relent on this war. She and other women would fight, though not physically and would throw the men at their feet. Women today are the bosses of huge firms and are majorly considered equal to men. This shows just how far reaching the effects of these wars Abigael promised are. This revolution was a hard one and took a lot of determination to achieve. Slavery was a widely practiced in America at this time. The slaves were mainly from the African countries. The transit from Africa to the Americas was usually in ships that presented them with inhuman conditions. Some of them opted to leap out into the seas instead of They were kidnapped from their homelands and brought to work in plantations in America. The slaves were never to rebel against their masters and were sometimes required to take part in wars they knew nothing about. Some of them bought their freedom but for others, they remained under these conditions till their deaths. The struggle for their release was a long one, marked with opposition of all kind. This is especially evident in the accounts of Olaudah Equiano who claimed to have been kidnapped at the tender age of eleven. The period between 1650 and 1850 in the American history was also marked by a number of religious wars. There were conflicts between Christians of different churches who felts that their denomination was better than the others. Sarah Osborn relates this in her articles that speak of how she was segregated because she had chosen to get converted with the Great Awakening. Her tribulations were not few as she tried to uphold her values. Feelings of guilt frequently marauded her thoughts as she felt that what was happening was God’s punishment for her past mistakes. Everything considered, America’s development has been progressive and involved a lot of wrong turns that were made before settling on a constitution that recognized everyone and a worldly renowned financial dominance. References Adams, Samuel, and Harry Alonzo Cushing. The writings of Samuel Adams,. [Letter-press ed. New York [etc.: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 190408. Print. Biedma, Luys. Narratives of the career of Hernando de Soto in the conquest of Florida. New York: [Bradford Club], 1866. Print. Equiano, Olaudah, and Shelly Eversley. The interesting narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano, or, Gustavus Vassa, the African. Modern Library pbk. ed. New York: Modern Library, 2004. Print. Muhlenberg, Henry Melchior. The notebook of a colonial clergyman, condensed from the Journals of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg.. Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, 1959. Print. Osborn, Sarah. Memoirs of the life of Mrs. Sarah Osborn who died at Newport, Rhodeisland, on the second day of August, 1796. In the eighty third year of her age. By Samuel Hopkins, D.D. Pastor of the First Congregational Church in Newport.. Printed at Worcester, Mass.: By Leonard Worcester, 1799. Print. Paine, Thomas. Common sense addressed to the inhabitants of America. On the following interesting subjects. I. Of the origin and design of government in general, with concise remarks on the English Constitution. II. Of monarchy and hereditary succession. III. Thoughts o. A new ed. with several additions in the body of the work. To which is added an appendix; together with an address to the people called Quakers. The 4th ed. Lancaster [Pa.: Printed by Francis Bailey, in King's Street., 1776. Print. MLA formatting by BibMe.org. Read More