United States History

Congratulations, you've found one of the main selling points of my site.

The history of the United States, though brief, is one full of war, discrimination, and widely controversial beliefs. I dedicate this page to the good of America.

I've tried to keep mostly controversial topics out of this site, but as a warning, there will be some mention of slavery and other forms of pre and post-slavery racism. If you are sensitive to any of the topics, I advise you steer clear of this page, or skip over the parts that mention such topics.

In case you decide that you'd like to go back, here's your chance.. Return to homepage

Though the recorded history of the United States begins in 1607 with the colony of Virginia, I will be outlining some of the main events in American History.

The Revolutionary War

There have been many revolutions in history. Arguably, one of the most notable revolutons was the American Revolution. Over the course of a decade, the British imposed a set of tarrifs on the colonies. These tarrifs, (the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, and the Intolerable Acts) taxed many consumer goods. Consumer goods such as tea, sugar, stamps, paper, newspaper, cards, almanacs, and dice were taxed by the British. The British imposed these taxes as a result of the protection of the colonies during the French-Indian war, which brought increased financial burdens for the British Empire.

Throughout all of this, the colonials had no say in the imposed tarrifs. The British had also become increasingly controversial. In March of 1770, British Soldiers shot between 300-400 citizens who were verbally harassing them. Though not considerate, it did not give the British the right to kill their citizens, including innocents. Taxation was also becoming increasingly worse. Many phrases, such as, "No taxation without representation!" arose throughout the colonies. The people wanted justice, which they would soon receive. In Boston, Massachussets, a group of patriots known as the Sons of Liberty formed. The night of December 16, 1773, the Sons of Liberty disguised themselves as Native Americans and dumped tea off of a British ship.

The Intolerable Acts were then inacted upon the colonists. These acts required the colonists to pay restitution for the tea dumped into Boston Harbor, replaced the elected council with one British appointed military governor, and they forbade town meetings without prior approval. The Intolerable Acts also brought the Quartering Act, requiring the colonists to give British Soldiers accomodations, such as allowing them to stay in unoccupied buildings or houses, and they had to pay for the housing and food expenses.

The first acts of war by the colonists were carried out in Lexington and Concord. The British planned on capturing radial colonial leaders, and they planned on heading to Concord to seize their gunpowder stores. During this period, Paul Revere made his legendary ride to inform the leaders that "The British are coming!". Seventy-seven American militiamen shot at the British force, killing 73, wounding 174, and causing 26 to go missing. Only seven Americans died.

It was the Continental Army versus the Lobsterbacks*. The Continental Army was comprised of 231,771 soldiers, and 164,087 militiamen. A majority of the time, the Continental Army only had 20,000 men at one time. Militas were typically poorly disciplined and had elected officers. They would be summoned to war for no more than three months. As time passed on, so did the time that Continental Soldiers have to serve in the military. Though they only had to serve for 3 years, the strength and manpower of the military dwindled. Not even bounties, or the offer of land were enough to motivate men to come fight.

The British Army had a steady, reliable force of professional soldiers. They were highly disciplined and expertly trained. It numbered about 42,000 pre-war, and during war, heavy recruiting programs were introduced. The newly recruited officers were largely drawn from the gentry and aristocracy, and did not undergo training as harsh as the men who came before the war. British generals mainly went by the book and what they were taught, and lacked imagination and initiative. 30,000 of the British men were also bought from German princes.

Starting in New England, 20,000 British troops were led around the region, attempting to suppress warlike preparations by seizing gunpowder and weapon stores. They believed that 20,000 troops were all that were needed to end the war. This sparked the previously mentioned battle of Lexington and Concord. After the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the American soldiers planned on raiding a British garrison in Boston, Massachussetts. The Continental Congress in Philadelphia, voted for general defensive measures, called out troops, and appointed the young George Washington of Virginia as commander in chief. Before the siege, one of the American Generals were tasked with driving all Americans out of Charlestown, which neighbors Boston.

Starting off, The Americans entrenched themselves on Breed's Hill, which was the lower of two hills overlooking the British position. On June 17, 1775, General Howe of the British led a frontal assault on American fortifications. In the Battle of Bunker Hill, Howe's 2,300 troops encountered heavy fire while storming American entrenchments. The British cleared the hill, but it cost them 40% of the assault force, causing a moral victory for the Americans.

On July 3 1775, Washington assumed command of American forces at Cambridge. He had to contain the British in Boston, while at the same time recruiting a Continental Army. During the winter of 1775-'76, recruitment lagged behind so badly that the army drafted militiamen to maintain the stage. In late winter, the British General Henry Knox arrived in Boston with artillery from Fort Ticonderoga in New York. It was later taken by the Green Mountain Boys of Vermont. The cannons that they seized from Ticonderoga were brought to Dorchester Heights, above Boston. The guns forced British general Howe to evacuate the city. He began moving his troops toward Halifax. Later, up north, the American forces besieged and captured Quebec, from the hands of Benedict Arnold. It was later recaptured by British forces.

The American troops had finally fallen victim to disease. Smallpox spread through the ranks, forcing the troops back to Ticonderoga. Though the Americans quickly recovered, they were stopped by a British fleet, which had just been constructed.

*Lobsterbacks - name given to British soldiers due to the red color of their uniforms.