America: a Narrative History
A (Mostly) Historical Introduction to the Civilization of the United States.
6 Self-Contained Lectures
• Colonial Times I (1600s-1770): when the British colonies in north am decided to become indep from the kingdom.
• Colonial Times II
• Independence: the war for indep, the am revolution.
• The Young Republic (1790-1830): the first 40 years of the am history, marked the transition to a republic democracy.
• The Antebellum Period (1830-1860): Before the civil war
• The Civil War and Reconstruction (1860-1880) The period: 1600s to 1880
Aristotle: "The beginning is half the whole". "Indians"
When Americas was settled in 1492, America was a desert, a waste land.
• The first settlers had probably crossed the Bering Strait at various times between 15,000 and 60,000 years ago.
• They arrived from Asia who came by sea, and possibly from other parts of the world
• The western hemisphere contained cities, roads, irrigation systems, trade networks, empires (Aztecs in Mexico), kingdoms (Incas in Peru)
• In 1492: The total population estimation 50 to 90 million people (Europe 90 million, China and India 210 million, Africa 40 million). Native (North-) Americans
• The present borders of the USA shows a huge variety native peoples living within the present borders of the US.
• We do not know of any society which had achieved literacy. However many of these nations had developed sophisticated methods of farming, hunting of fishing, political and societal systems and far-reaching networks of trade and communication
• Another major weakness: no sense of a single unified people.
• But common features in religion (single creator, a great being, no clear distinction betw natural phenomenon and supernatural ones); different relation to land and property ( no devotion to the accumulation of wealth and property); gender relations, women society played a more important role in the us society than in Europe.
•
6 Self-Contained Lectures
• Colonial Times I (1600s-1770): when the British colonies in north am decided to become indep from the kingdom.
• Colonial Times II
• Independence: the war for indep, the am revolution.
• The Young Republic (1790-1830): the first 40 years of the am history, marked the transition to a republic democracy.
• The Antebellum Period (1830-1860): Before the civil war
• The Civil War and Reconstruction (1860-1880) The period: 1600s to 1880
Aristotle: "The beginning is half the whole". "Indians"
When Americas was settled in 1492, America was a desert, a waste land.
• The first settlers had probably crossed the Bering Strait at various times between 15,000 and 60,000 years ago.
• They arrived from Asia who came by sea, and possibly from other parts of the world
• The western hemisphere contained cities, roads, irrigation systems, trade networks, empires (Aztecs in Mexico), kingdoms (Incas in Peru)
• In 1492: The total population estimation 50 to 90 million people (Europe 90 million, China and India 210 million, Africa 40 million). Native (North-) Americans
• The present borders of the USA shows a huge variety native peoples living within the present borders of the US.
• We do not know of any society which had achieved literacy. However many of these nations had developed sophisticated methods of farming, hunting of fishing, political and societal systems and far-reaching networks of trade and communication
• Another major weakness: no sense of a single unified people.
• But common features in religion (single creator, a great being, no clear distinction betw natural phenomenon and supernatural ones); different relation to land and property ( no devotion to the accumulation of wealth and property); gender relations, women society played a more important role in the us society than in Europe.
•