• The war was described as a surgical operation, severe but ultimately a blessing to the United States.

• From the 17th to early 18th century, there was a constant flow of emigrants from Europe settling in America.

• This massive population transfer involved people of various colors, castes, creeds, customs, and political ideologies.

• The once barren forest land transformed into a new nation through the joint efforts of diverse peoples.

• America evolved from a colony of England to an independent and powerful country.

• Jamestown was established as the first British colony in 1607.

• Spain, France, Portugal, and Holland also established colonies in different parts of America.

• Emigrants differed widely in social life, religious faith, customs, traditions, and history, leading initially to hostility, enmity, jealousy, rivalry, and disputes.

• C.V. Doren said, “America is historically a colony whose mother-country is the world.”

• Americans fought for independence between 1763 and 1793.

• On 4th July 1776, 13 colonies declared independence from Britain.

• The Declaration stated these colonies were free and independent states with no power on earth able to enslave them.

• These colonies were along the Atlantic coast, had their own governments, and enjoyed internal freedom.

• The colonies united into a federation with democratic constitutions for both federation and states.

• The Declaration was not only a political independence statement but a precursor to 19th-century political philosophy and national ideologies in Europe.

• It asserted that all men are born equal with inalienable rights: life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.

• Governments derive power from the approval of the governed.

• When a government violates these rights, people have the authority to change or overthrow it and form a government based on such principles.

• The American Constitution declared all men are born equal, but this applied only to white men, excluding blacks who were still enslaved.

• The issue of black emancipation led to the American Civil War between Northern and Southern states.

• The war lasted four years, known as the war between brothers, North and South, and civil war.

• At the end of the war, Abraham Lincoln made efforts to abolish slavery legally in 1863.

• Lincoln forged a truly United States of America and proclaimed emancipation of slaves, offering new hope to the world.

Internal Condition of the Newly-Independent America

• A treaty signed on 3rd September 1783 at Paris recognized the independence of the American colonies.

• The American Congress was elected in 1789 under the new Constitution.

• George Washington was unanimously declared the first President of America.

• Washington faced many difficulties in building the new nation.

• At the time, America had no money, no residence for the President, and no suitable building for Congress meetings.

• The position of the federal government was precarious.

• The new Union was not supported by all sections of society; a powerful minority in some states opposed the Union.

• North Carolina and Rhode Island had not yet joined the Union.

• The states had mutual rivalry and differed geographically and economically.

• The northern states were rich in natural resources, while the southern states were backward and semi-civilized.

• The South was marked by social inequality and worsened by the problem of slavery, increasing class differences.

• Newly independent America faced economic, social, and political inequalities demanding urgent solutions.

• Despite internal and external problems, America has made unobstructed progress since its inception.

• Except for the War of 1812 with Britain and the Civil War of 1861, no devastating war occurred on American soil.

• The Civil War interrupted America’s progress for four years, causing heavy financial and military losses.