American History Beginnings To 1877 Myworld Interactive -

Britain and France (plus Native allies) fought over control of the Ohio River Valley. Britain won but was deeply in debt. To raise money, Parliament began taxing the colonists directly.

The first permanent English settlement was Jamestown (Virginia, 1607), founded by a joint-stock company. It barely survived due to disease, hunger, and conflict with the Powhatan people. John Smith’s leadership and John Rolfe’s introduction of tobacco as a cash crop finally made Jamestown profitable. Part 2: The 13 Colonies & Colonial Life (1630–1754) Key Vocabulary: Puritan, Pilgrim, Mayflower Compact, Great Awakening, Mercantilism, Triangular Trade, Middle Passage american history beginnings to 1877 myworld interactive

Written mainly by Thomas Jefferson , the Declaration listed grievances against King George III and asserted natural rights—“Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” It was adopted by the Second Continental Congress . Britain and France (plus Native allies) fought over

The United States was born from a fight for independence and the ideal that “all men are created equal.” Yet from the start, the nation was divided over slavery, Native American lands, and the power of government. The Revolution created the nation; the Constitution created a government; the Civil War tested whether that nation could survive; and Reconstruction attempted—but ultimately failed—to secure true freedom for all. By 1877, the U.S. remained a country still struggling to fulfill its founding promises. Part 2: The 13 Colonies & Colonial Life

President Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory (1803) from France for $15 million, doubling U.S. size. He sent Lewis and Clark to explore it to the Pacific.

Before Europeans arrived, diverse Indigenous cultures thrived across North America. The Ancestral Puebloans (Southwest) built cliff dwellings, the Mississippians (Southeast) built huge mounds like Cahokia, and the Iroquois (Northeast) formed a powerful political league (the Iroquois Confederacy). Most tribes relied on hunting, fishing, and farming—especially maize (corn), which allowed populations to grow.