US History: Independence, Constitution, Expansion & Imperialism
U.S. Independence
Colonial population: people driven from England settled and established plantations to feed themselves.
Commercial freedom given by England was more a lack of interest in wanting to benefit. In the 18th century, England realized that the colonial pact was a good way to exploit resources, and even with the Enlightenment in Europe, they followed mercantilist policies in the U.S. The South produced cotton, while the North focused on manufacturing.
England, facing economic hardship, imposed high taxes on the American colonies. They applied the Intolerable Acts, stopped manufacturing, and forbade the U.S. from negotiating with other countries. The colonists revolted and declared independence, which led to guerrilla warfare between the colonies and England. Realizing that the U.S. would not give up, Britain relented and recognized American independence.
U.S. Constitution
The U.S. Constitution established a republic with a presidential system. Initially, voting was restricted to men of property, and slavery was maintained in the South.
Independence of Spanish America
Causes: Enlightenment ideals, the U.S. example, Napoleon Bonaparte’s weakening of Spain, and local elites’ discontent with the colonial pact.
Process: Conflict between chapetones (Spaniards) and criollos (American-born whites).
Independent America
Political fragmentation and economic divergence occurred. Local elites failed to unite, leading to the division of the territory into several small, weak countries dependent on external markets and primarily agricultural.
Expansion of the USA
- Negotiation: Acquiring land areas like Florida and Texas.
- Purchase: Buying land, such as Alaska and Hawaii.
- Conquest: Winning lands through wars against Mexico (California and Texas) and against Native Americans for areas with gold.
Civil War
The Civil War was fought between the North and South. The North advocated for abolition and industrial protectionism, while the South defended slavery, agriculture, and liberal trade policies. The North won the war.
Imperialism
Definition: A consequence of the Industrial Revolution, based on the dominance imposed by a powerful nation over weaker countries.
Ideological Justification: Europeans claimed to bring progress to backward areas but primarily sought to exploit resources.
Objectives: To explore and acquire new sources of wealth.
Causes: Industrial Revolution, demand for raw materials, cheap labor, consumer markets, and Social Darwinism (white hegemony).
Consequences: Destruction of existing crops, new areas of industrial expansion, new scientific ideas, conflicts between imperialist nations, and ultimately, the First World War.
Sharing of Africa
The Conference of Berlin (1884) divided Africa among European powers, disregarding the cultures and conflicts of African peoples.
Imperialism in Africa
The British installed the East India Company, which sold Indian products like cotton and tea. They built railroads and highways, but there was significant exploitation of the poorer classes.
Indian soldiers in the British Army, upon discovering that the grease used in gun cartridges was made from cow fat (sacred to them), rebelled. They had to bite the cartridge to expose the gunpowder, ingesting cow fat. The rebellion was harshly suppressed by the British.
Opium Wars
Realizing the increasing consumption and harmful effects of opium, the Chinese government banned its sale. However, smuggling continued, with the British extracting and selling opium from India to China. The British easily defeated China and gained further commercial advantages.