Part 13
THE historiography of the United States of America was predicated on what was the establishment of the first 13 sovereign states and republics. Originally known as British American Colonies e.g. Delaware, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania etc. There was a French and Indian War (1754-63), a proxy war of dominion between parent countries France against Britain with 100,000-150,000 lives lost, for the “new world” of North America, and other territories in the world. In a ‘Treaty of Paris (1763), France lost claims to Canada, Louisiana went to Spain, while Britain gained Upper Canada and French lands abroad. Due to various heavy British taxations to fund said war versus France, fluid frontier policies, and other concerns per colony e.g. Massachusetts religious persecution; New Hampshire trade & fishing; Maryland a colony for Catholics etc. discontent led to the birth of a colonial identity, with drawbacks relying on the English for their common defense, the awakening to organize a homegrown militia, a compendium of events, leading to the American Revolution. The British Colonies decided to become free states in e.g. Delaware (Dec. 7, 1787), Massachusetts (1780), Pennsylvania (Dec. 12, 1787), Connecticut & New Hampshire (1776) etc. A US Declaration of Independence 1776 sealed this. Initially a loose ‘Act of Confederation’ was formed among newly minted states. Weaknesses in the system greatly affected the confederation 1) Economic – congress did not have power to tax; regulate interstate commerce etc. 2) Leadership – no Executive Branch to enforce acts passed by Congress; no national court system 3) Military – no national army except for various state militias. Eventually the leaders of the confederation came together to propose and approve a US Constitution, adopting a Federal Form of government, the 1787 preamble reads, “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union…”
