USA travel guide

Indigenous history
It is only 25 years since National Museum of the American Indian Act (NMAIA) opened a new era in Native American–museum relations by highlighting the spiritual and ethical concerns of tribes. So consequently, if you want to get to grips with the history, issues, heritage and culture, you can now visit the impressive National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC and also New York City, part of the Smithsonian Institution. Just to whet your appetite, Congress only gave indigenous people right to citizenship in 1924.

Slavery
The geographical spread of colonists continued along the east coast throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, with more permanent English settlers arriving in Jamestown, Virginia in 1607, followed by the Pilgrim Fathers, English Puritans, who landed in Plymouth, Cape Cod, in 1620. Thus the name, New England. With colonisation and the creation of plantations, came one of the darkest times of world history, however, with hundreds of thousands of slaves being brought into the USA to work the land. The National Museum of American History states that “Slavery was deeply woven into the fabric of the United States and challenged the meaning of democracy. Enslaved people’s work formed an economic engine producing half of all U.S. exports and providing much of the financial capital and raw materials to spark industrialization. Bought and sold as property, enslaved people were valued at an estimated $2.7 billion in 1860.” And although slavery continued for two hundred years, there is still no National Museum of Slavery in the USA, despite the efforts of various lobbying groups. There was hope for one to be built a few years ago in Fredericksburg, Virginia, considered to be the second largest slave trading station (after New Orleans) in U.S. history, but funding issues brought that idea to a halt.

The American Revolution
The next big thing to try and get your head around as a visitor to the USA, is the American Revolution. The Continental Army was established in 1775 by the thirteen colonies that then became the first United States of America, and who revolted against British rule. The British had already won over the French during the Seven Years’ War, which culminated in 1763, the British gaining control of the South, where the French had control to that point. Indeed, the French influences are still strong today in this region of the South.
The Continental Army was led by General George Washington who succeeded in gaining independence. Which leads us to the famous 4 July, 1776 when Thomas Jefferson's American Declaration of Independence was endorsed by Congress and the USA’s new chapter in history began, and is still celebrated annually, with fervour, fun and a lot of fireworks. Britain didn’t finally concede all of its colonies, however, until 1783 upon the signing of the Treaty of Paris. The new Constitution for the USA came into effect in 1788, and in 1789 George Washington was elected the first president.

American Civil War
It wasn’t until 1854 that the American apple cart was well and truly toppled again, when the opponents of slavery, or abolitionists, set up the Republican Party, leading to Republican Abraham Lincoln being elected president in 1860. Civil War reigned from 1861 – 1865 as the Abolitionist North battled with the generally pro-slavery southern states, the latter forming the Confederate States of America, having broken away from the Union. After four years of vicious combat, the death of 600,000 Union and Confederate soldiers and the destruction of much of the South's infrastructure, the Confederacy collapsed and slavery was abolished, although the guaranteeing of freed slaves’ civil rights became a complex issue in itself.

From Hawaii to Hiroshima
There are many other significant events in American history, of course, but getting to grips with some of these key events will help you enjoy your own journey of discovery across America. In 1898, for example, the US gained Puerto Rico, Guam, the Philippines and Cuba following the Spanish-American war. They also annexed Hawaii in this year, the location of Pearl Harbour, of course, which was attacked by the Japanese in 1941, leading to the US declaring war on Japan. Germany declared war on the USA as a result, leading to mass intervention by the USA in World War II, and the eventual defeat of Germany. In 1945, the US dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to the surrender of Japan.

Cold War and Civil Rights
The 1950’s, although relatively peaceful, was a turbulent time emotionally in the USA. The seminal civil rights movement for Americans of African descent began, racial segregation in schools became unconstitutional although the Civil Rights Act wasn’t actually signed into law until 1964, outlawing segregation in all public places including those of work. The Voting Rights Act in 1965 gave all black people the right to vote, a time of change and celebration which was shattered by the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King in 1968. Indeed, the civil rights movement is still strong today in the USA, with many people of colour still living under extremely disadvantaged conditions and fighting for equal rights and non-discrimination.

International interventions and invasions
The sixties saw turbulence abroad again, this time with American involvement in both Cuba and Vietnam. International interventions in areas of conflict have been a feature of American politics and economics since this period but, as with all conflicts, they are not without controversy. Such as invading Grenada in 1983, leading military campaigns in Libya in 1986, Panama in 1989, Iraq in 1991, and former Yugoslavia in 1999. And then, of course, the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan following the attacks of 9/11, 2001 in the USA.

The present
In November, 2008, Democratic Senator Barack Obama became the first black president of the United States. He was reelected in 2012 but, due to US law, will be unable to run again in the next elections in 2016. The rest, as they say, is living history and seems to change on a daily basis. So, the next time an American tries to dismiss their ‘history’, or their role in influencing world history, you can ask them to think again.