Searching For American History Online
You can search online for resources on American history, from primary sources to the modern era. Several print and online databases provide comprehensive coverage of American history and culture. The American History and Life guide is written for Oxford University students, but is suitable for anyone with an interest in American politics and culture. It also includes bibliographical references, databases of primary sources, and other relevant online collections. However, before you start searching, you may want to consult the website of your local library.
One popular definition of America is that it is an “exceptional” society. This is an oversimplified description that many historians reject. Sociologists were intrigued by the United States’ lack of socialism compared to Europe, so they hypothesized that its economic and ethnic differences may explain the American exceptionalism. Today, many scholars consider this notion to be largely “in disrepute,” based on linguistic confusion. Moreover, “exceptional” can refer to anything from an unusually good person to a society immune to general laws of history.
Before Columbus’s arrival in 1492, people started arriving in the Americas. These people developed indigenous cultures that evolved from prehistoric times to the present day. After the Spanish discovery of the Americas, European colonization began. After 1600, most colonies in the area that would become the United States were settled. By the early seventeenth century, thirteen colonies of the British Empire contained over 2.5 million people, mainly in the eastern U.S.
After Europeans colonized the New World, slavery became an important part of economic development. The slaves were used to harvest crops, including cotton, tobacco, and sugar cane. These commodities became an important source of export for the United States, as well as the Caribbean. But the slavery culture was not without its downsides. One of the most controversial aspects of the history of America is slavery. While the slave trade is now illegal, it still exists to this day.
The American Revolutionary War began in 1776, and ended in the Siege of Yorktown. As the United States expanded across the continent, it gradually garnered the attention of other European powers. At first, the colonies were left alone. But eventually, the British decided to give up on their territorial claims in the Pacific Northwest and South America. By 1800, the United States had become the largest nation in the world. Thereafter, the French Revolution also changed the map of the world.
The Great Depression lasted for a decade after the Wall Street Crash. In response to this economic crisis, President Franklin D. Roosevelt instituted the New Deal, a program that provided relief for the unemployed, supported farmers, and introduced the minimum wage. These programs shaped the modern American liberal movement. The U.S. entered World War II following Pearl Harbor. It financed the Allied war effort and defeated Nazi Germany in the European theater. It also launched community salvage drives in many cities during World War II.
After the war, the United States emerged as a rival superpower. During the Cold War, the United States faced off against the Soviet Union in an arms race and a Space Race. It also faced off against propaganda campaigns and localized wars against communist expansion. During the 1960s, the civil rights movement helped push social reforms, including voting rights for African Americans and the freedom of movement for other racial minorities. In addition, the United States achieved its apogee of power when it won the Cold War.