Discovery and Spanish Settlement
In 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas. During the next century, Spanish conquistadors explored, claimed, and settled vast regions of North and South America. Gold and silver from the Americas made Spain the richest and most powerful nation in Europe during the 16th Century (1500's).

English Settlement 1600's
Inspired by Spain's success, a group of wealthy English businessmen made plans to finance an English colony in North America. They formed a joint stock company, and secured a charter from the king. By doing this, they were able to establish a permanent colony at Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. Life in the swampy wilderness of Jamestown was very difficult, but Englishmen were willing to settle there because, under the Virginia Charter, they were guaranteed the same rights they would have enjoyed if they had remained in England. In 1607, the Pilgrims established a second English colony at Plymouth Massachusetts.

As time passed, a total of thirteen colonies were established or acquired by England. Eventually, the freedoms guaranteed in the Virginia Charter were granted to all of the colonists. In order to protect these freedoms the colonists established local governments, held town meetings, and sent representatives to colonial legislatures.

Colonial Rights Threatened
The actions of the colonial legislatures were subject to approval by the king. However, it took several months for messages to travel across the Atlantic Ocean. Consequently, the colonists were largely self-governing. Often, the colonists used the "power of the purse" to encourage local British officials to approve legislation.

Because of this, in the 1760's, after the French and Indian War, the king and his officials became convinced that many colonists were subverting the mercantile system. In an effort to end colonial smuggling and increase revenues, George III and Parliament began to pass restrictive trade laws and impose new taxes on the colonists.

A Violation of Rights
According to English law, citizens may not be required to pay a direct tax, unless they are represented in the British Parliament. The American colonists claimed that the new laws imposed direct taxes, and therefore, were a violation of their rights as Englishmen. At first, the colonists protested these new laws through civil disobedience and petitions to the king. In their petitions, the colonists pointed out that they were not represented in the British Parliament, and direct taxes would be a violation of the protections guaranteed to them by the Virginia Charter, The English Bill of Rights, Magna Carta, and English Common Law.

Civil Disobedience
In an effort to protect their rights, colonists boycotted and refused to obey the new laws. Sam Adams organized Committees of Correspondence to exchange information and plan protests.

King George reacted by sending British troops to enforce his policies. When private citizens were forced to quarter foreign soldiers in their homes, the colonist’s became very angry. In 1770, a clash between citizens and soldiers resulted in the Boston Massacre.

The Boston Tea Party
Three years later, tensions increased. Britain invoked monopolistic trade policies. The colonists demonstrated against this ruling by dumping tons of British tea into Boston Harbor. An angry Parliament responded to the “Boston Tea Party” by passing the Intolerable Acts.

The Colonies Petition the King
In an effort to stop the violence and avoid armed confrontation, colonial legislatures called for the First Continental Congress to meet at Philadelphia in 1774. The Convention delegates sent a petition to the King asking him to repeal the Intolerable Acts. King George ignored their petition.

The War Begins
On April 19, 1775, British soldiers killed eight people in Lexington. Then they marched to Concord, where they were forced to retreat by American patriots who fired the opening shots of the Revolutionary War, " The shot heard 'round the world."

Colonist Declare Independence
Three weeks later, the Second Continental Congress met at Philadelphia and began to prepare for war. The delegates assigned a committee of five men to write a declaration of separation from England. With the advice and approval of the committee, Thomas Jefferson authored the Declaration of Independence. The document explains the American colonists’ belief in a social contract and their reasons for separating from England.

The Declaration of Independence
In the first part of the document, Jefferson explains the fundamental principle of American democracy, "All men are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." In the second part, he explains that the United States is compelled to separate from Britain because, King George violated the rule of law by taking away the colonists’ rights. Some of the examples Jefferson lists are:

The third part is a formal declaration of independence which concludes with a solemn oath, “We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor,” to support and defend America’s independence. On July 4, 1776 fifty-five delegates signed the Declaration of Independence. With this action, the 13 colonies were officially at war with Britain. During the war, the Continental Congress acted as a national government.

War for Independence
The Congress selected George Washington to lead the “rag-tag” volunteer Continental Army. These patriots were brave, but they were poorly prepared to fight a war with the most powerful nation in the world, Great Britain.

In order to win the war, Washington based his military strategy on three Americans advantages. First, his troops were familiar with the rugged frontier terrain. Second, he was able to use guerrilla warfare tactics. And third, his men were fighting for a personal cause. However, these factors alone were not enough to insure victory. In order to win, Washington had to hold his army together and he needed financial support.

Support From France
Fortunately, Britain’s long time rival, France, sympathized with the Americans.

Franklin Gains Support
America’s Ambassador to France, Benjamin Franklin, convinced the French king to secretly provided arms, uniforms, and supplies to the Americans. A French nobleman, Lafayette, openly supported the Americans. However, the French king was hesitant to offer his full support, because he was not sure the Americans could be successful in their bid for independence.

The turning point in the war occurred in 1777, when American patriots defeated the British at the Battle of Saratoga. As a result of this victory, Benjamin Franklin was able to convince the French King to sign an alliance with the Americans. Under the alliance, the French provided troops, naval support, and loans to buy supplies. Finally in 1781, with French naval and military support, the American Continental Army triumphed at the Battle of Yorktown. After Yorktown, the British agreed to sign the Treaty of Paris. In this treaty, the British officially recognized the United States as a free and independent nation. In addition to this, the British forfeited all claims to the Northwest Territory.

A New Nation and a New Government
When the war ended, the Second Continental Congress adjourned and the thirteen states agreed to adopt The Articles of Confederation as the national plan of government.

Government Under the Articles
The Articles established a national confederacy that guaranteed each state equal status. The nation’s business was conducted by a unicameral congress. All decisions required unanimous approval of the states, and each state, regardless of its size, had one vote. The propose of the new government was to provide a means to appoint foreign ambassadors, administer land sales in the Northwest Territory, develop a legal plan for admitting new states, and provide for the common defense.

Anti-Federalist and Federalists
Citizens in small towns and large cities discussed and debated the merits of the newly proposed Constitution. Most people thought of themselves as citizens of a state rather than citizens of a nation. They believed the best way to remain free was for each state to retain, "its sovereignty, freedom, and independence." Many of these people opposed ratification and became outspoken Anti-Federalist.

The Anti-Federalists' primary arguments were based on two points

The Federalists' Arguments
On the other hand, the Federalist argued that a strong national government would unify the states and provide better security. The leading Federalists: Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison wrote the Federalists Papers, a series of newspaper essays. In Federalist Paper 10, Madison explains the purpose and function of a federal government. Other essays countered Anti-Federalist's arguments and pointed out the benefits of dividing governing powers between the states and a national government.

The Debate Intensifies
Ratification conventions were called in the various states. Qualified voters elected delegates to the state conventions. Delegates hotly debated the merits and weakness of the proposed Constitution. By June 1788, nine states had ratified the Constitution.

However, New York, Virginia, North Carolina, and Rhode Island all refused to ratify the Constitution. Support from New York and Virginia, both large states, was critical to the success of the new government.

Jefferson Calls for a Bill of Rights
In Virginia, Thomas Jefferson expressed grave concerns over the lack of a Bill of Rights. Jefferson had been serving as Ambassador to France and was not present at the Constitutional Convention. Jefferson withdrew from the debate when fellow Virginians, George Washington and James Madison pledged their support for a Bill of Rights. With this promise, Virginia delegates ratified the Constitution. Eventually, the Federalists Papers, Virginia's approval, and the promise of a Bill of Rights helped to convince the New York delegates to vote for ratification.

The Final Assembly
In September 1788, the Congress of the Confederation met for the last time and designated New York City as the first temporary national capital. Before their final adjournment the Congress made provisions for the election.

The Electoral College elected George Washington to serve as the nation’s first President.
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