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The History of the United States spans thousands of years of Indigenous societies, followed by British colonization in 1607 and the nation's formal birth with the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

Indigenous Life and Colonization
    • Indigenous peoples: Native American tribes lived across the land for tens of thousands of years before Europeans arrived.
    • Jamestown (1607): English settlers founded Jamestown, Virginia, as the first permanent English settlement.
    • Thirteen colonies: By the mid-1700s, Great Britain controlled 13 distinct colonies along the Atlantic coast.

Revolution and Independence
    • American Revolution (1775–1783): Colonists fought British rule over high taxes and a lack of self-governance.
    • Declaration of Independence (1776): Leaders signed the document on July 4, 1776, stating the colonies were free states.
    • The Constitution (1787): Founders wrote the U.S. Constitution to create a new federal government, and George Washington became the first president in 1789.

Expansion and Civil War
    • Louisiana Purchase (1803): President Thomas Jefferson bought a massive territory west of the Mississippi River from France, doubling the nation's size.
    • Civil War (1861–1865): Deep arguments over slavery and states' rights caused a war between the Northern and Southern states.
    • Reconstruction: The Union won the war, kept the country together, and legally ended slavery.

Rise as a Global Power
    • World Wars (1914–1945): The U.S. built a powerful industrial economy and helped the Allies win World War I and World War II.
    • Civil Rights Movement: In the 1950s and 1960s, citizens led peaceful protests to secure equal civil rights for Black Americans and end segregation.
    • Modern nation: Today, the United States is a federal republic with 50 states and a population of over 340 million people.

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