Emily Bisso
February 27th, 2015
Washington & Lee University
The United States: From Colonies to Superpower
The United States has grown in its over two centuries of history. Located in the western hemisphere on
the continent of North America, it began as a small group of British colonies and has grown now into a
world superpower. Canada borders the US on the north, and Mexico borders the United States on the
south, and the United States is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Pacific on the west. The
capital of the United States is Washington, D.C. It is located in the northeast of the country and is where the
government is located. Although the United States has a wide variety of languages spoken among its citizens,
the national language is English; however, people speak Spanish, French, and other languages particularly in
other regions of the country. The United States is also the fourth largest country in the world in both size and
population.
The United States as a country has a relatively short history compared to the rest of the world. The
United States was originally the Thirteen Colonies of Great Britain from around the early 1600s until 1776,
when the colonies declared independence during the American Revolution in a fight for natural rights and
democracy. Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and other "founding fathers" wrote the nation's
Constitution in 1789 and since then, the United States has grown in size from thirteen states to fifty states.
However, before it was a set of British colonies, Native American Indians immigrated to the land that is now
the United States as early as the last Ice Age.Paleo-Indians such as the Mississippian people inhabited the
area that is now the United States, and by the time Europeans arrived to the land in the 1500s, many tribes
inhabited the land and encountered the explorers. However, according to the Encyclopedia Brittanica, the
arrival of Europeans
brought "chaos and devastation" to Native Americans, who "succumbed to disease
and
warfare." Their life patterns changed entirely and most of them were driven west to make room for
European settlers.
In terms of location, the United States has many desirable traits that have made it a valuable area for
colonization, trade, and settlement. Its land area is "dominated by mountains" such as the Rocky Mountains,
Cascades, and Appalachians. There are also large areas of lowlands, such as the Great Basin and Great
Plains in the middle of the country. Most of the continental US is located in a temperate zone with warm
summers and cold winters and average rainfall. The southeast is much warmer and rainier than the rest of the
country, and the southwest is largely desert with drier climates. Besides the major oceans, the United States
has several major rivers that provide resources and transportation, such as the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers;
it also has a few major lakes such as the Great Salt Lake in Utah and the Great Lakes in Michigan,
Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. The United States is home to several of the world's major cities, such as the
port cities of New York, New Orleans, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, which are all
located on major waterways. The location of these major cities has led the United States to have a high
immigrant population as well as a vibrant manufacturing and shipping economy.
The USA has a rich economy that is based on agriculture, manufacturing and industry, and services.
Agriculture is the biggest money-maker in the more rural regions, such as the Great Plains of the Midwest,
while manufacturing and services are more lucrative near the port cities like New York and San Francisco.
Natural resources that are important to the United States include oil in Texas and Alaska, corn and cotton in
Midwest, and fishing near the Gulf Coast. Shipping and manufacturing are important to larger cities on
waterways. Most people in the United States are employed with jobs in the manufacturing industries,
however, in rural areas like the Appalachians and the Midwest, many are occupied with farming jobs. The
currency of the United States is the dollar.
Overall, the United States has a rich cultural history and has grown into a large world power. It has
grown from many Native American settlements with traditional economies to a large democracy with many
job opportunities for others. The varied geography and ample resources have made the United States a rich
landscape for jobs in both manufacturing and agriculture. In particular, the major waterways of the United
States have led it to be a shipping center in the Western Hemisphere. The many languages, people, and
cultures within the United States as a result of its many jobs and opportunities have created a unique mixed
culture all its own.
