Pre-Reconstruction+America+QL

= PRE-RECONSTRUCTION AMERICA = HOME | The Colonial Experience | Development of the U.S. government | Growth & Division of U.S. | UNIT 1

A Nation is Born
The history of the United States of America begins with the decision of the 13 English colonies to declare their freedom, first with words and later with actions. We still idolize those that participated in the birth of this great nation. In fact the founding fathers are probably the most cherished of all the American heroes and history has pardoned them of any faults. But why are the founding fathers put on a pedastal? Perhaps it is because this "great experiment" of a nation shortly bloomed and became the most powerful, innovative country in the world, where anyone who wants a fair shake at life instinctively flocks to the shores of this great nation for a shot at the American Dream.

Growing Pains
However great our country is now, it did not come without setbacks and even sometimes shameful history. The desire for wealth and land possessed the people of this land and became a justification for the maltreatment of our fellow human beings and neighbors. Slavery became a source of wealth and the culture in the south, Native Americans were continually taken advantage of, and our neighbors to the SouthWest were robbed of a huge chunk of their land. Good, bad or ugly, it is our history and was a part of the birth of this nation.