Early United States History Flashcards, test questions and answers
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What is Early United States History?
Early United States history covers a vast amount of time, from the first inhabitants of the continent to the establishment of the United States as an independent nation. The period can be broken down into three distinct parts: pre-colonial (or Native American) history, colonial history, and post-independence US history.During pre-colonial times, many Native American tribes inhabited large areas of North America. These groups were highly diverse in their cultures and lifestyles and had long histories before European settlers arrived on the continent. The most well-known pre-colonial group is probably the Aztecs who lived in what is now Mexico. Other notable groups included Iroquois and Cherokee peoples in what is now New York State, as well as various Algonquin tribes spread across much of present day Canada and eastern US states. Various wars between tribes were fought throughout this period, but there was also significant cooperation among them including trading networks and complex systems for governing relations between different nations.The arrival of European settlers drastically changed life in North America beginning around 1607 when English colonists established Jamestown in Virginia. As more Europeans came to settle on the continent they established 13 colonies which would eventually become part of the United States after gaining independence from Great Britain following a long war that began in 1775. During this time period slavery became an important part of life for many colonists who relied on enslaved Africans for manual labor on plantations or farms. Religion was also a major factor with various denominations competing for followers among both white colonists and those descended from African slaves brought to America against their will. Although independence was declared by most colonies at some point during 1776 or 1777 there were still numerous struggles facing newly formed country after winning its freedom from Britain such as national debt incurred during war efforts, disputes over land ownership rights with Native American tribes as well as foreign powers such as Spain or France who had claims over parts of North America at that time period. To address these issues a new federal government was created under US Constitution ratified by all thirteen colonies which provided framework for how laws should be made enforced not just within individual states but across entire union. This document then slowly evolved through years thanks amendments passed Congress which expanded voting rights granted citizens expanded freedoms protected by Bill Rights.