Indigenous peoples British colonization Thirteen Colonies Eastern United States British Crown political representation American Revolution Revolutionary War declared independence nation-state Enlightenment unalienable natural rights consent of the governed liberal democracy expanding across slavery Confederate States of America Union American Civil War abolished nationally great power Japan attack on Pearl Harbor World War II side of the Allies aftermath of the war Soviet Union superpowers Cold War Space Race Apollo 11 Moon Soviet Union's collapse subsequent end of the Cold War in 1991 Americas North America states
Indigenous peoples have inhabited the Americas for thousands of years. Beginning in 1607, British colonization led to the establishment of the Thirteen Colonies in what is now the Eastern United States. Their quarrel with the British Crown over taxation and political representation led to the American Revolution and the ensuing Revolutionary War. The United States declared independence on July 4, 1776, becoming the first nation-state founded on Enlightenment principles of unalienable natural rights, consent of the governed, and liberal democracy. The country began expanding across North America, spanning the continent by 1848. Sectional division over slavery led to the secession of the Confederate States of America, which fought the remaining states of the Union during the American Civil War (1861–1865). With the Union's victory and preservation, slavery was abolished nationally. By 1900, the United States established itself as a great power, becoming the world's largest economy. After Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the U.S. entered World War II on the side of the Allies. The aftermath of the war left the United States and the Soviet Union as the world's two superpowers and led to the Cold War. During the Cold War, both countries engaged in a struggle for ideological dominance but avoided direct military conflict. They also competed in the Space Race, which culminated in the 1969 landing of Apollo 11, making the U.S. the only nation to land humans on the Moon. With the Soviet Union's collapse and the subsequent end of the Cold War in 1991, the United States emerged as the world's sole superpower.
