Introduction to U.S. History

An Introduction to U.S. History:Pre-Colonial America – Civil War : 

An Introduction to U.S. History:Pre-Colonial America – Civil War John Motz

Main Sections : 

Pre-Colonial Period Main Sections Colonial Period (Main Slide) American Revolution Expansion of the U.S. War of 1812 Federal Banking System Abolition Movement Civil War (Main slide) About the Author Resources

Pre-Colonial Period : 

Pre-Colonial Period Christopher Columbus sailed to America in 1492 “New World” divided between Spain and Portugal by Pope Alexander VI Great Britain and France didn’t agree, and they colonized in America too Back to Main Quit

Why colonize America? : 

Why colonize America? Improve their economies by having territories all over the world and increasing trade with other nations Spread Christianity throughout the world Back to Main Quit Click here for a brief video on Pre-Colonial America!

Colonial Period : 

Colonial Period Many European countries tried to colonize in the New World and failed The Colony of Roanoke was an English colony set up in 1587, but the colonists mysteriously disappeared after 3 years without receiving supplies from England Back to Main Quit

Colonial Period (cont.) : 

Colonial Period (cont.) Great Britain later formed 13 colonies along the east coast of the modern United States; Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, North Carolina, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Virginia, and New York Spain, France, The Netherlands, and Russia also had colonies throughout North America Back to Main Quit

American Revolution : 

American Revolution In 1775, the British colonies rebelled, and the Revolutionary War began, and in 1776, the colonies set up a government and signed the Declaration of Independence The Revolutionary War lasted from 1775-1783 It ended with the Treaty of Paris, in which Great Britain agreed to the independence of the thirteen colonies, and the United States was officially formed Back to Main Quit

Expansion of the United States : 

Expansion of the United States With the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, America bought 828,800 square miles of land from France, doubling the size of the United States Back to Main Quit

War of 1812 : 

Back to Main War of 1812 America declared war on Britain in 1812 because of Britain’s ongoing war with France, and because Britain tried to restrict American trade with France Mostly a naval war, and Britain’s navy was the largest and most powerful in the world By 1814, Britain and America were both tired of fighting a seemingly pointless war, and signed the Treaty of Ghent in 1815 Quit

Federal Banking System : 

Federal Banking System Existing federal bank was unsatisfactory to much of the population In 1833, President Andrew Jackson declared that no more money would be added to the federal bank, and once all the money already in it was spent, it would no longer exist Back to Main Quit

Abolition Movement : 

Abolition Movement Abolition was the movement to end slavery, and it was supported by African-American slaves and free citizens, as well as whites Some wanted to send slaves back to Africa, while others wanted to simply free all the slaves Back to Main Quit

Civil War : 

Civil War Southern states began to secede from the United States in 1860, following Abraham Lincoln’s election Main cause = slavery Back to Main Quit

Civil War (2 of 4) : 

Civil War (2 of 4) In 1861, Confederate troops attacked Fort Sumter, a U.S. military base in South Carolina Lincoln called for volunteer armies from every state, and because of this, 4 more states left the Union In 1862, Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation named the abolition of slavery as the main goal of the war Back to Main Quit

Civil War (3 of 4) : 

Civil War (3 of 4) Robert E. Lee, the leader of the Confederate army was successful in the east, but was stopped by the Union army at the Battle of Gettysburg At the Battle of Vicksburg, the Union won control of the Mississippi River, and split the Confederacy in two Quit Back to Main

Civil War (4 of 4) : 

Civil War (4 of 4) In 1864, general William Sherman of the Union army captured Atlanta, and General Ulysses S. Grant was engaged in prolonged battles with Lee The Union’s vast amount of troops and supplies was a large factor that lead to their victory In 1865, Lee surrendered to Grant at the Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia, and the Civil War ended Back to Main Quit

About the Author : 

About the Author My name is John Motz, and I’m a junior at Grand Valley State University. I’m majoring in History, with an emphasis on 20th century Europe, and minoring in German. I hope to teach either or both of these subjects at the high school level. I enjoy traveling, watching and playing sports, especially soccer, playing video games, and reading. Any Questions? E-mail me! Back to Main Quit

Resources : 

Resources Professor Samantha Warber, HST 205 Lecture Notes (2008) www.wikipedia.org Quit Back to Main