Introduction
The history of a country consists of numerous events that play a significant role in the future of the following generations. The leaders’ ideas and decisions, inevitable results of wars, and the attempts to build a strong state combine in twisted turns of history and constitute the present. However, the controversial moments and figures that influenced the United States over the centuries leave a lot of questions to be answered and alternatives to be analyzed. This paper addresses some key figures and events in the history of the United States of America with an attempt to analyze the processes and ideas that formed the future of the country.
The Outcomes of the French and Indian War for Great Britain
The French and Indian War that lasted between the years 1754-1763 became a moment in the history of at least three countries including Great Britain, France, and the future USA in a decisive way. The long-lasting struggle between the two empires on the territory of North America was finished with the victory of the British Empire. Since Great Britain won the war as a result of great struggle and severe losses, there remains a question of the triumph was worthwhile.
The British Empire encountered several difficulties upon the war’s completion that greatly affected its role on the conquered lands. France was defeated due to the unequal resources in comparison with Great Britain (Nester 65). Despite this prevalence, Britain suffered significant losses, and by the end of the war, there was little in stock to guide the obtained territory and organize the life of the settlers.
Besides, the local Native Americans did not accept any control of invaders on their land. That is why Great Britain faced an enemy that was a severe threat to the power of the empire’s influence. The Ohio Valley tribes lead by Chief Pontiac attacked the British and caused a lot of warfare and human losses (Fowler 282-283). Therefore, the victory in the French and Indian War led to some adverse outcomes and remains a controversial achievement.
The British army spent all its efforts on winning the war not taking care of the aftermath. The resources after the ending of the struggle with France were insufficient to provide proper life on the newly acquired territories. Also, the exhaustion of the army forces was not ready for the organized attacks of the local Indian tribes that fought for their freedom from the invaders. Such threatening outcomes of the war decreased the power of British influence on the territory of North America and imposed more complications than achievements.
The Comparison of Hamilton’s and Jefferson’s Ideas and Their Influence on American History from 1800 to 1865
The opposing ideas of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson about the possible ways of American development as a country influenced its history in the first half of the 19th century. The visions of America of these two politicians had more differences than common features which became a reason for a long-term rivalry between them which ultimately enforced the regional growth of the country and the federal course of its advancement in the following years.
As the first secretary of the treasury of Washington’s administration, Hamilton supported the rapid economic growth of the United States by industrial development. He also initiated the creation of the National Bank that increased the value of the currency and stabilized the overall economic situation in the country (Faber and Faber 37). Thomas Jefferson had an opposite view on economic development, justifying the state-oriented approach that would favor local farmers and not allow an active intrusion of federal powers (Faber and Faber 48).
Such an attitude to state power impacted Jefferson’s vision of the political form which he thought of as a set of states with separate local powers governing the affairs with minimal participation of federal powers. However, Hamilton supported an opposite idea, stating that the development of a stable and robust country can only be achieved by the federal government unifying the states (Faber and Faber 37). Such radically opposite approaches became the basis for a long-lasting rivalry between the political actors.
Therefore, Hamilton’s economic ideas ensured the foreign countries the financial stability of the USA. His federal approach to government formation improved the unity of the country and raised it to the level of the growing economy. In the first decades of the 19th century, Hamilton’s contribution to the USA development was confronted by the presidency of Thomas Jefferson who continued to promote his state-oriented approach to country development. The controversy between the views of the leaders brought America to an unstable political environment that complicated the movement toward a clearly defined goal.
Andrew Jackson’s Impact on Democracy
The reputation of the United States as a democratic state became a dominant idea since the presidency of Andrew Jackson who provided a policy of equality for every citizen of the USA. According to the political vision of the seventh US President, power and influence, as well as freedom should be given to all men. Such a progressive approach of the president embarked on a new era for the United States making it a free democratic country.
Jackson developed systematic guidance of how he viewed the governmental and societal structure of the state. In his opinion, the powers should be provided “in all places where the power was desirable” (Benson 18). Promoting “equal opportunities for all” and elimination of the views that separate influential individuals had more economic benefits than others Jackson developed a course of democracy as the only possible path for the USA (Benson 18-19). The America of the 1830s obtained a democratic movement that addressed equal voting rights, opportunities for the citizens of all the parts of the country, as well as the removal of a privileged aristocratic class (Benson 25). These ideas marked the beginning of the 19th century with a positive shift toward democracy but did not last as long as expected.
In spite of the fact this era lasted until the introduction of slavery, it succeeded in showing the opportunities of democracy for the future of the country. Jackson developed a system of democratic rights and freedoms for all citizens with promising prospects for both people and the state. Therefore, the president advanced the evolution of democracy in the USA first introducing it as a significant and powerful approach in governing.
The Comparison of the Causes of the Civil War and the Goals of Reconstruction
The course of US history reached a critical point when the Southern and Northern states faced opposite views on the country’s development. According to the historians’ views, the Civil War was an inevitable event since the different vectors of their advancements headed in different directions and at some point had to be resolved (Edwards 176-177). The Reconstruction as an outcome of the Civil War was also an inevitable step that restored the powers of the country and marked its new beginning.
The causes of the Civil War included the differences in the rights between the southern and northern states. The growing influence of slavery in the South became a trigger for abolitionists to stop slavery and provide rights for all on the territory of the USA (Edwards 70-71). Abraham Lincoln as one of the supporters of the abolitionist movement became a leader in the times of the Civil War and fought for the rights of the slaves.
Another significant difference between the South and the North that became a reason for the war lied in the opposite courses of the states’ economy some of which were industrial and the others were agricultural. Such opposition in views of the two parts of the country imposed a struggle that paralyzed the USA in the 1860s. The Reconstruction era as an aftermath of the conflict set its goals addressing the causes of the Civil War.
In the course of Reconstruction, the Fourteenth Amendment was approved, and the African-Americans were given more rights and freedoms recognized as free people (Edwards 107). With the Fifteenth Amendment, the US government gave the African American people the right to vote which positively contributed to the future of the country (Edwards 111). It was a difficult task to restore the state after the war, but the governors thoroughly addressed the causes of the war and implemented them in the goals of Reconstruction which ultimately became a positive page in US history.
Conclusion
Different American leaders contributed to history with their progressive visions of the system of government and economic growth. Indeed, the opposing views of Jefferson and Hamilton brought the US economy to a higher level but ultimately confused the course of the country’s development. It leads to Civil War and imposed significant complications for the coming generations. The everlasting competition between the representatives of different parties did not allow an idea of democracy introduced by Jackson to reach its goal. Therefore, history imposes more questions than answers about the vital issues that form the present of the USA.
Works Cited
Benson, Lee. The Concept of Jacksonian Democracy: New York as a Test Case. Princeton University Press, 2015.
Edwards, Laura F. A Legal History of the Civil War and Reconstruction. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
Faber, Charles F. and Richard B. Faber. The American Presidents Ranked by Performance, 1789–2012. 2nd ed., McFarland, 2014.
Fowler, William M. Empires at War: The French and Indian War and the Struggle for North America, 1754-1763, Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 2009.
Nester, William R. The French and Indian War and the Conquest of New France. University of Oklahoma Press, 2014.