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Index

Cover p.1 Index p.2 History of USA p.3-4 Culture of USA p.5 States of USA p.6 Economy of USA p.7 Natural sources of USA p.8 Topography of USA p.9 Personal conclusion p.10 Reference sources p.11-12

History of USA
The history of the United States as covered in American schools and universities typically begins with either Christopher Columbus's 1492 voyage to the Americas or with the prehistory of the Native peoples, with the latter approach having become increasingly common in recent decades. Indigenous populations lived in what is now the United States before European colonists began to arrive, mostly from England, after 1600. By the 1770s, thirteen British colonies contained two and a half million people. They were prosperous and growing rapidly, and had developed their own autonomous political and legal systems. The British Parliament asserted its authority over these colonies by imposing new taxes, which the Americans insisted were unconstitutional because they were not represented in Parliament. Growing conflicts turned into full-fledged war beginning in April 1775. On July 4, 1776, the colonies declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain and became the United States of America. With major military and financial support from France and military leadership by General George Washington, the Patriots won the Revolutionary War and peace came in 1783. During and after the war, the 13 states were united under a weak federal government established by the Articles of Confederation. When these proved unworkable, a new Constitution was adopted in 1789; it remains the basis of the United States federal government, and later included a Bill of Rights. With Washington as the nation's first president and Alexander Hamilton his chief advisor, a strong national government was created. When Thomas Jefferson became president he purchased the Louisiana Territory from France, doubling the size of American territorial holdings. A second and last war with Britain was fought in 1812. The main result of that war was the end of European support for Indian attacks on western settlers. U.S. territory expanded westward across the continent, bringing conflict with Native Americans and Mexico. Slavery of Africans was abolished in all the Northern states at the turn of the 19th century, but it flourished in the Southern states because of heavy European demand for cotton. Conflicts over the issue of slavery in the first half of the 19th century culminated in the American Civil War, as eleven slave states seceded to found the Confederacy in 1861. With Republican president Abraham Lincoln as the leader of the Union, the South was eventually defeated and, in the Reconstruction era (1863-77), the United States ended slavery and extended legal and voting rights to the Freedmen (African Americans who had been slaves). Reconstruction ended in 1877 and from the 1890s to the 1960s the system of Jim Crow (segregation) kept blacks in political, social and economic inferiority. The entire South remained poor until the late 20th century, while the North and West grew rapidly and prospered.

The United States became the leading industrial power at the turn of the 20th century due to an outburst of entrepreneurship in the North and the arrival of millions of immigrant workers and farmers from Europe. Dissatisfaction with corruption and traditional politics stimulated the Progressive movement from the 1890s to 1920s, which pushed for reforms and allowed for women's suffrage and the prohibition of alcohol (the latter repealed in 1933). Initially neutral in World War I, the U.S. declared war on Germany in 1917, and funded the Allied victory the following year. After a prosperous decade in the 1920s, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 marked the onset of the decade-long world-wide Great Depression. Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt became president and implemented his New Deal programs for relief, recovery, and reform, defining modern American liberalism. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States entered World War II alongside the Allies and helped defeat Nazi Germany in Europe and, with the detonation of newly-invented atomic bombs, Japan in the Far East. The United States and the Soviet Union emerged as opposing superpowers after World War II and began the Cold War, confronting one another indirectly in the arms race and Space Race. U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War was built around the containment of Communism, and the country participated in the wars in Korea and Vietnam to achieve this goal. Liberalism won numerous victories in the days of the New Deal and again in the mid1960s, especially in the success of the civil rights movement, but conservatism made its comeback in the 1980s under Ronald Reagan. The Cold War ended when the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, leaving the United States the only superpower. As the 21st century began, international conflict centered on the Middle East and heightened significantly following the September 11 attacks and the controversial War on Terrorism that was subsequently declared. The United States experienced its worst economic recession since World War II in the late 2000s, which has been followed by slower than usual rates of economic growth during the 2010s.

Culture of USA
Culture of USA has been a blend of varied influences of the different tribes and races that have inhabited the place from historical times. America has been the witness and home to different European settlers. At present however, the country, a multi cultural one, has grown a culture of its own. Apple pie, baseball, and the American flag form the integral part of Culture of USA. Resulting from its strong ties with Britain, the Culture of USA is primarily British. It was because of British influence that English language, legal system was introduced to the country. At present, English language is the official language of the country. There were noted influences from other parts of Europe too as there were a large number of immigrants from different parts of Ireland, Germany, Poland, and Italy. The Culture of USA is also influenced by the Native American peoples who mostly came from the western Part of Africa. There were people from host of Countries in Europe, France, Germany, Portugal, and Spain among others. The cultural practices and the food of the Americans reflect a perfect blend of all these cultural trends. However the strongest influence was that of the Britain, Ireland and Germany. Due to the wide extent of the American culture, there has been a division inside the country into different subcultures. These are vividly seen in the cultural practices of the people in different parts of the country. American has often been referred to as the melting point of this existing culture. Present day America has been the home to a lot of Asians too. People from all Asian countries have flocked to this country. The Asians have introduced Asian culture, religions, dress and food to USA. Like today the Americans are fond of Chinese food like Chowmein as well delicacies from other Asian countries. The immigration and settlement of the Asians and their subsequent establishments of Asian shops in USA have popularized Asian food in the country. Asian dresses have become popular with the Americans too. A young American is often spotted flaunting in Asian Dress.

States of USA There are 50 states in the USA:

Economy of USA
GDP Inflation Unemployment Major industries US $14.527 trillion (2010) 3% (approx.) Industrial supplies, consumer goods, agricultural products Petroleum, Steel, Aerospace, Communications, Chemicals

The economy of the United States is the largest among all the nations of the world. At 14.52 trillion USD, the GDP generated by this colossal economy is the highest. Its Gross National Income (GNI) per capita is also among the highest, and is estimated at US $47,240. The major sectors comprising the economy of Untied States are Retailing, Energy, Agriculture, Manufacturing, and Finance. The country remains the second-largest consumer of energy in the world, and most of the energy needs are fulfilled through petroleum. Even though manufacturing is not the leading sector of the economy, it is enough to remain number one in the whole of the world. Airplane manufacturing is a major activity in this sector. The country is also the largest trading nation of the world, with most of the trade happening with Japan, China, and European Union. One particular concern for the US economy is the rising debt, which as of 2009 was at US $50.7 trillion. This is more than 3.5 times the GDP, and is owed by various businesses and governments. The recession in 2008 hit the economy very hard, and the recovery is still being affected. This was popularly known as the sub-prime mortgage crisis. Experts are divided on the economic prospects of the country, as was reflected in the credit rating agency Moody's "negative" outlook on the economy of the United States.

Natural sources of USA

These are some natural sources of the USA: Coal Copper Lead Molybdenum Phosphates Rare earth elements Uranium Bauxite Gold Iron Mercury Nickel Potash Silver Tungsten Zinc Petroleum Natural gas Timber

Topography of USA

Personal conclusion
My personal conclusion is that the USA is a very important and I think that its the most known country of the world. It has many things that characterize it as been multicultural or the main language English. Thats why I like the USA!

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Reference sources http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_United_ States

http://travel.mapsofworld.com/usa/culture-ofusa.html

http://www.50states.com/

http://www.indexmundi.com/united_states/natural_r esources.html

http://www.mapsofworld.com/usa/economy-inusa.html

http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Americas/Unit ed-States-TOPOGRAPHY.html

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