[History] How was the United States of America born? The "cunning plan" behind President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation
Although the United States of America has held hegemony over the world since the end of the 19th century, many people only have a vague understanding of its origins and history.
A)
1)
"White House" originates in the "War of America"!
Washington, the United States' first president, declared a neutral position in the French Revolutionary War and continued trade with continental European countries.
After that, Napoleon, who became emperor, issued a continental blockade to harass Britain, but the continental European countries also ran out of daily necessities.
2)
Britain took advantage of this situation, interfering with trade between the United States and continental Europe, and began to strangle continental countries all at once.
However, such trade interference would also cause suffering to the United States, which was not the target, so the angry United States declared war, saying, "It's OK for Britain and France to go to war, but don't involve our neutral country!". This was the beginning of the American-British (American-British) War.
3)
Although the British army invaded and overwhelmed Washington DC, Napoleon fell, the continental blockade was lifted, and trade between Britain and the continent resumed. Then, there would be no reason for the U.S. and U.K. to fight, and the war would naturally end.
In addition, industrialization in the northern part of the United States started after it became impossible to import industrial products from England during the war.
4)
By the way, the official residence of the American president was severely damaged during the war when the invading British army burned it down. The name "White House" became established because the blackened exterior was restored by painting it pure white.
B)
6)
President Jackson embodies the spirit of "Western Expansion."
After this, America continued to expand its territory to the west. The president who embodied Western expansion's spirit was Jackson, born outside the 13 independent states.
At that time, the 13 independent states were undergoing development, and an elite class of lawyers and large landowners had formed. On the other hand, Jackson is a "raised man from the West" who conducts politics from the perspective of the ordinary people.
On the other hand, the "settler" aspect was reflected in the Indian Forced Removal Act, which forced Native Americans to reservations west of the Mississippi River.
7)
As settlers moved westward, they encountered Mexican territory. Americans began to settle in Mexico, and in the Mexican part of Texas, Americans of American descent overwhelmed Mexicans... The American people sought independence from Texas and then sought to join the United States, and the United States annexed the Republic of Texas.
8)
Mexico was also furious. The U.S.-Mexico (U.S.-Mexico) War broke out, but the U.S. defeated them and even captured California. When a gold mine was discovered in California, people dreaming of striking it rich rushed in ( a gold rush ), and the population of the West Coast rapidly increased.
C)
9)
Especially in 1849, when so many people flocked to California, the term "49ers" was coined. This name has also been inherited from the team name of the NFL * team, the San Francisco 49ers.
*American Football League
10)
Also, during this period, trousers were made of durable fabric that could be used for things like horse-drawn hoods and would not tear even during the harsh work of Western development.
This is the origin of today's jeans, and the business was founded by Levi Strauss, the founder of the current Levi's Company. Tjeans are indigo because "it's hard to see if they get mud on them."
D)
11)
Divided into "Northern: Federalist" and "Southern: Anti-Federalist"
On the East Coast, the difference in direction between the North and South has become apparent.
First, in the warm southern region, commercial crops (such as tobacco and cotton) that cannot be grown in Europe can be produced, so they can earn money by exporting them to Europe, such as the U.K.
12)
On the other hand, as a British person, I would like America to buy the world's best industrial products. Our interests align: "Let's trade freely with each other! It's win-win."
13)
On the other hand, the cold northern region cannot grow commercial crops and has few resources... However, industrialization started around the War of 1812, and I had high aspirations, "I wanted to catch up to the level of Britain someday..."
Therefore, the North viewed the United States as one economic zone and tried promoting protectionist trade.
14)
This would cut off British products and sell northern products to the South, allowing northern capitalists to grow in power. But people in the South will object.
They think, "Why should we raise the price of British products, which are the best in the world, with tariffs and buy inferior domestic products instead?"
15)
Next, "federalism" becomes the key. Authorizing the U.S. federal government to impose tariffs would impose tariffs on foreign goods entering every state in the United States. The North asked for this.
16)
However, the idea that "the independence of state governments should be respected and the federal government's authority should be limited" was deeply rooted in the United States.
Hence, the Southerners "determined whether or not to impose tariffs at the state level. It's unfair that we, the people of the South, are forced to buy expensive domestic products of inferior quality due to imposing tariffs on them!"
17)
It is OK as long as you can understand the structure: "The North wants to carry out protectionist trade throughout the United States, so it is federalist," and "The South wants to carry out free trade, so it is anti-federalism (state rights) ."
E)
18)
Conflict over "slavery"…The "Civil War" begins.
Next is the issue of slavery. The need for slavery was greatest on southern plantations where menial manual labour was required.
On the other hand, the North, where the use of enslaved Black people was not established, opposed slavery from a humanitarian perspective.
19)
As a result of this conflict, the Republican Party *, whose predecessor was the Whig Party, was established, and in the 1860 presidential election, Republican Lincoln won the election.
*Jackson supporters formed the Democratic Party in the 1820s.
20)
The South finally seceded from the Union and proclaimed the establishment of the Confederate States of America, but Lincoln disapproved of this. Keeping the South within the United States was necessary to sell Northern products to the South.
21)
Finally, the Civil War broke out, causing the deadliest war in United States history. While the Confederates had the upper hand in the first half, Lincoln thought.
Britain would likely join forces with the South if it were to intervene in the Civil War, which encouraged free trade.
22)
Therefore, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, drawing attention to the slavery issue and creating an image in the international community that "the North is an ally of justice that denies slavery, and the South is an evil force that continues to practice slavery!"
23)
In such a situation, there was no way Britain could support the South, and the tide of the war turned in favour of the North, and they managed to win the fierce battle at Gettysburg.
24)
Despite the post-Civil War situation, discrimination against freed blacks continues ...
The citizenship rights of black people are recognized at the constitutional level, but this is the United States, where the states are independent. State laws are used in various ways to restrict voting rights *.
* Made people pay voting taxes and imposed reading and writing tests.
25)
Black farmers did not have the financial strength to buy land and suffered from high rents paid to landowners, and organizations such as the KKK (Ku Klux Klan) that persecuted black people arose.
[History] How was the United States of America born? The "cunning plan" behind President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation
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