10 Interesting Facts about American history
wikilatief--The United States of America, abbreviated as the US (United States of America / U.S.A. / United States / US)a, or commonly known as America is a federal constitutional republic consisting of fifty states and a federal district. (Facts about American history)
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| USA map |
The country is located in central North America, home to forty-eight adjoining states, as well as the capital district of Washington, D.C.
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The United States is flanked by the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean to the west and east, bordering Canada to the north, and Mexico to the south.
The other two states, Hawaii and Alaska, are located separately from the mainland of the United States.
The state of Alaska is located on the northwestern tip of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and Russia to the west, which is separated by the Bering Strait.
Meanwhile, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago located in the Pacific Ocean. The United States also has several territories in the central Pacific and Caribbean.
With an area of 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km2) and a population of 329.256 million in 2018, the United States is the third or fourth largest country in this world, and the third largest by population.
The United States of America is one of the most multiethnic and most multicultural countries in the world.
This emerged as a result of massive immigration from all over the world. The American continent has a lot of natural wealth and beautiful scenery in every inch of its place.
The United States as a country keeps many stories about its people. American culture and regional development have a story to tell.
Here are Interesting Facts about American history
1. America was not planned to be discovered
Unlike other continents, the Americas were not planned to be discovered.
In fact, the American continent was accidentally discovered by Christopher Columbus. Columbus originally had the goal of sailing to Asia and more precisely to India.
When Columbus arrived at a vast plain Columbus did not realize that the area was a new continent that had not been mapped by any country.
Columbus met the local indigenous people we know today as Indian tribes.
It was Columbus who named them Indian because Columbus thought he had arrived in India. In fact, Columbus was only lucky to have discovered this continent.
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2. America is the name of an Italian person
Although discovered by Columbus, this continent was not named after Columbus.
The reason is as already explained if Columbus did not know that the continent was a new continent.
It was a mapmaker from Italy who managed to conclude that the land that was discovered by Columbus was not India but a new continent.
The name of this Italian maker is Amerigo Vespucci. In accordance with the name of the person who mapped the continent, the new continent was named America.
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| Amerigo Vespucci |
In that century a mapmaker was indeed the one who could claim a new plain or continent.
3. America is a mainland for many immigrants
The people in America as we know the majority are white. If you know that the indigenous people in America are not white people but are Indians.
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| Indian tribe in america |
In 1608 the white people came and established the colony as a place to live and work. These people were either escapes from England or they could be convicts.
The people who came to America avoided the tyranny of the authoritarian British monarch and tried to find new hope in new places.
People from Spain also came to the plains of America to explore as well as find new colonies.
In its development the people who came to America were of various ethnic groups or races.
4. The First British Colonies in America were looking for gold
Even though the natural resources of America were not gold as a superior, most of the peoples of the first colonies in America were people who liked to seek gold. Livestock and farming were not the main choices of the first colony people.
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| British colonies in America |
Jamestown or the first British colony in America only realized that livestock and agriculture were valuable both in terms of trade and necessities of life after interactions with indigenous or Indian communities.
The Indian tribe taught the first British colony to live by raising and farming. Most of the colonies that came after Jamestown's formation applied agriculture and livestock to a livelihood and to meet the needs of the colony.
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5. The center of colony life is the church
If you go to America, the church has its own library and archive room. No wonder scientists and historians come to the church to see the church's archives and books.
This is because most of the early life of the colony was centered on the church.
The church became a place of education, socialization, and decision making in the early days of the colony, so that much of the data in the form of archives and books about the early life of the colony were in the churches.
Of course this is also proof that most of the people who came as the first British colonies in America were Christians.
6.War was sparked by the "tea party"
What is unique and often misunderstood by many people is the trigger for the American revolutionary war.
Most think that the American revolution was motivated by the tea party. In fact, many people were asking "Why did war happen? Isn't England invited ”.
The answer is that the British are actually invited, but the party uses British tea, that's because the British are angry.
The term "Boston Tea Party" is basically a reaction arising from the British policy of collecting taxes on American soil.
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| Boston Tea Party |
Of course, most of the colonies in America rejected this policy because for the colony there was no tax without representative, which meant that as long as there was no representative of the American territory in the British Empire, America did not want to pay taxes.
The British continued to insist on this policy so that the people of the colony were angry. In 1773 some white men wore Indian clothes and slipped aboard the British. They threw away the chests containing the produce, namely tea.
Thecrates were dumped overboard and eventually sparked tensions between the colonial community and the British government. This incident became known as the "Boston Tea Party".
The moral message from this incident is that if you want to collect taxes there must be clarity on where the taxes are used, the government must be transparent.
7. The United States became independent in a state of war
If you think that America after declaring independence on July 4, 1776 can live freely, congratulations, you are wrong.
The proclamation of independence is a proclamation of independence made in a state of war. America continued to fight against Britain until 1816.
The reason for the proclamation of independence was to warn that every colony in American territory had agreed to form a country with a democratic ideology and for that they had to destroy British tyranny on American territory.
The American Revolutionary War is very exciting to discuss. Many lessons can be taken and increase our sense of patriotism.
One of them was a pearl of wisdom that aroused the spirit of all the youth of the colony, namely a quote from a debate conducted by Patrick Henry with his friends about revolution.
Patrick Henry at that time said to his friends who did not want to participate in the American revolution "Give me freedom or give me death!".
These words emphasize that Patrick Henry is serious about fighting for independence and at the same time emphasizes that independence is a thing that affects the lives of many people.
Those words came out of Patrick Henry at the Virginia meeting in 1775.
8. American Revolution but not just about the American and British wars
The title is indeed the war of the American revolution, but actually what followed that war was not only America versus Britain. America got help from France in the revolutionary war.
The reason for France to help America is to avenge the defeat of the 7 years war between Britain and France in the past. Of course France also has a mission to get allies with strategic areas like America.
In 1780 the French came with 6,000 troops and the French navy also helped break the economic blockade to Virginia territory.
This troop mobilization was commanded by the Comte Jean de Rochambeau. The year 1781 was a fruit of cooperation between England and France.
Lord Cornwallis surrendered to America and France at the battle in Yorktown, Virginia.
The war was an important victory for the turning point in the domination of the American attack on Britain.
The attack was commanded by George Washington. George Washington himself in the war joined the attack against British troops and ended in victory.
In addition to wars that are assisted by other countries. Many people also ask "how to make ends meet in the event of a revolutionary war?" the answer is loan.
In America there is an island outside the mainland called Rodhe Island. There are many black markets for illegal goods and slaves.
Most of the people who controlled the economy there were the Dutch. The Dutch send arms loans and food supplies to the Americans.
The person negotiating the procurement of these items was George Washington.
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9. Thanksgiving Traditions
America has a meal together which is usually held on November 22nd. This event has the meaning to praise God for the food given.
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| Thanksgiving |
This family meal activity is known as Thanksgiving day. The history of the creation of this Thanksgiving day is actually very different from the Thanksgiving day we know today.
Historically, the Thanksgiving event was held not like the family meal we know today.
The first Thanksgiving event was even bigger and could even be said to be a party together.
The party was held by people in Massachusetts by inviting the Wampanoag tribe who are Indians.
White people from Massachusetts are friends with the Wampanoag tribe because they help the Massachusetts colonists with everything from growing food crops to livestock.
So actually the Thanksgiving event is a thanksgiving from the Massachusetts people to the Indian tribes for helping the Massachusetts people to farm and raise livestock so that at harvest time they celebrate it with Thanksgiving.
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10. Slaves as a superior commodity
America is known for its abundant natural resources, especially along the Mississippi River.
It is not surprising that commodities such as tobacco, coffee and tea, which are commonly called "green gold", are becoming superior commodities.
But indeed America only survives by selling goods such as "green gold" only? The answer is no. Another item that became a superior commodity was slaves.
At first glance you may be surprised that a country as big as America which currently has the principle of democracy and as a country that strengthens human rights in its amendments has ever carried out human trafficking.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries the slave trade was very profitable and even had the name Triangular Trade because of the location of the triangular trade flow.
Slaves were transported off the coast of Africa. The trade traded rum for African slaves.
After acquiring slaves, white Americans came to the West Indies and obtained sugarcane juice by selling slaves they had acquired off the coast of Africa.
After finishing the transaction, they went home with the basic ingredients for making rum, namely sugarcane juice. Sugarcane juice is then processed and re-traded off the coast of Africa.
The triangular trade was at least very profitable not only for the abundant medium of exchange for rum in America, Slaves were also brought to America to work on plantations.
One of the plantations that required a lot of slaves was cotton plantations. If plantation slaves had children, the child belonged to the plantation manager and was obliged to work for the plantation.