The United States of America is one of the youngest political and economic leaders among the nations of the world. The country gained independence after long wars and today has the status of one of the most prosperous places to live, grow and achieve any goals. America is geographically divided into 50 states and the federal district of Columbia, where the capital is Washington.
The history of the development of American lands
For a long time, until the ships of the Old World reached the shores of America, its population consisted exclusively of Indians. The first people settled here more than 15 thousand years ago, having fallen to the West along the isthmus that once connected the mainland with Eurasia. The undivided reign of the civilization of the Indians lasted until the 15th century, until Christopher Columbus discovered new lands, before this event the Europeans did not realize the existence of another continent. The colonization of American lands by England, France, Spain, Holland and other maritime powers began in the 16th century.
US colonization
Today, the ethnic composition of America consists mainly of former Europeans - the British, Irish, Germans, Spaniards, Dutch and others. The vast open territories caused incredible excitement in Europe, where bloody wars raged for centuries over every patch of land. In search of a better life, tens of thousands of residents massively went to the New World, driven by promises by statesmen in sponsoring enterprises to develop new territories.
The colonialists built their cities, laid railways. The largest cities in the United States were founded by Europeans. The city of New York, for example, was built by the Dutch and for some time was called New Amsterdam. America was rich in minerals, gold, furs, and therefore a real war was unfolding over the fertile territory. The local population, trying to defend their usual way of life, was brutally exterminated. Over a million Indians were killed over a century, genocide continued until the Europeans were able to completely crush the resistance. By that time, the number of Native Americans was reduced to several thousand people.
The struggle for independence and civil war
By the 18th century, the American colonies began to flourish and bring significant income to the UK. England, in turn, levied these lands a high tax, which caused new unrest in society. The territory of America was so huge that the British could not exercise full control, while local authorities began to actively promote the idea of declaring the country's independence.
In 1774, Benjamin Franklin adopted a declaration of independence of human rights and began a general mobilization, the purpose of which was the war against England. The independence of the United States of America was proclaimed on July 4, 1776. This day is still the main national holiday. In 1783, the Treaty of Versailles was signed , which officially confirmed the country's independence from the British, at the same time George Washington, thanks to which the liberation army achieved victory, was elected the first president. The country then consisted of 13 states. The question arose: which city will have the status of "US capital" - New York or Washington. The decision was made in favor of Washington. In 1800, it became the official capital of an independent country.
The process of adopting a constitution was long because of disagreements prevailing in society: in the north of the country the black population was mostly free, while the southerners categorically did not want to abolish slavery. As a result, the confrontation resulted in a civil war, which ended only in 1865 with the victory of the north - the black inhabitants of the country were equal in rights to the rest of the population.
States of America and their capitals
At the time of independence, the United States consisted of only 13 states: the territory expanded gradually, land was bought from other colonialists (from the French, Spaniards) or conquered. The wars were fought mainly in the south - Mexican lands were captured, the state of California was annexed. The last to join the United States Hawaiian Islands in 1959.
Each state has its own capital. As a rule, this happened historically, only in some states the main thing is the largest and most developed city. For example, in the state of New York, the capital is the city of Albany, whose population is 80 times less than in the city of New York. A separate place in this system is the US capital. New York or Washington at different times were the capitals of the country. Currently, the first city is considered the center of economic life, the second - political. What capital of the United States plays a more significant role in society today is impossible to answer: responsibilities are dispersed and closely related.
New York - World Economic Center
New York is the former capital of America. It was founded in 1629 by the colonialists from the Netherlands. In place of modern Manhattan, Indians lived, who in exchange for goods worth only $ 24 agreed to leave their ancestral lands. Soon, British troops invaded the territory of the settlement, which gave New Amsterdam a different name - in honor of the Earl of York.
Today, New York City is the largest city in the United States, with 19 million people living in its metropolitan area. The city has an extremely diverse ethnic composition: about 40% of the population are white, the same number are Hispanics and African Americans. The remaining percentage is distributed among Asians, Hawaiians, Eskimos, Indians and other races. In the city you can hear more than 160 different languages, although English is traditional, followed by Spanish.
Washington is the capital of the USA
The name for the new capital was given by the first US President George Washington. The city was proclaimed the capital of the country in 1800, and was founded only ten years earlier. Initially, the city was located in the states of Maryland and Virginia, but later it was decided to separate the territory of the city into a separate autonomous region - this is how the independent District of Columbia appeared.
The center of Washington is the Capitol building - since 1800, the country's congress has been sitting here. In 1812, this symbol of independence was set on fire by British troops, the building was almost completely destroyed. Today, the city is home to about 600 thousand people, mainly employed in the field of management. The Library of Congress is located in the city , where unique documents and books are collected that capture the country's short history.
US Capital: New York or Washington
Before the construction of Washington, the capital of the United States was New York. It was there that George Washington accepted the status of the first president in the history of the country. The city was built specifically so that it became the political center of the country, independent and detached from any of the then existing states. In addition to the construction of the city, an autonomous district of Columbia was created, to which the US capital was to belong. New York or Washington, today both of these cities are centers of cultural and social life of the country.
Why New York is called the capital
New York is the largest, most developed and most famous city in the United States. Unsurprisingly, the question often arises of which US capital is more significant. Many believe that it is New York that is the main city of the country. It concentrates the entire financial power of the state - the famous Wall Street is the center of exchange trading, the economies of the largest world powers depend on it today. The largest shopping centers have been built in Manhattan, hundreds of thousands of people are working on world projects.
However, America does not just have the status of the most free and liberal country. Its capital, Washington, does not belong to any of the 50 states, and therefore it is believed that management will be completely objective and fair.