Paste your essay in here…A nation-state is a sovereign state whose citizens or subjects are relatively homogenous in factors such as language or common descent. The nation-state is one where the great majority are conscious of a common identity and share the same culture. The nation-state is an area where the cultural boundaries match up with the political boundaries, where the state incorporates people of a single ethnic stock and cultural traditions. It is a system of organization that has a dramatic influence on the way we live our lives and how we identify ourselves. Nation-state plays a huge role in what rules we follow, what language is spoken and the holidays and traditions we celebrate. The state is a body of government, that involves all the rules and laws, government officials and physical boundaries. The state makes a country run from a political practical standpoint. The nation is the people, and is created by the shared belief that the people inside a country are connected to each other, which can also be known as nationalism. It’s a sense of pride and a belonging to a certain country and national culture.
To become a nation state, the people must share a national culture. This can be achieved through a common language, history, holidays and education. In the United States, the colonists decided to create a national culture which led to them declaring war against England and creating their own government and state. On July 4th, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, announcing the independence of the United States from Great Britain and its king. Americans first started to oppose British policy in 1765 after the Parliament passed the Stamp Act, “a taxation measure designed to raise revenues for a standing British army in America.” Most colonists called for a boycott of British goods and organized attacks on homes of tax collectors. After months of protest, the Parliament voted to repeal the Stamp Act, which calmed down colonists until the Tea Act (1773). The Tea Act gave a monopoly on tea sales to the East India Company in order to help their failing business. American colonists saw this as another means of “taxation without representation”. This response was the start to the “Boston Tea Party”, which was the dumping of £18,000 of British tea into the Boston Harbor. The Parliament was so outraged by the blatant acts of destruction of British property, that they created the Coercive Acts. The Coercive Acts were sought to punish Massachusetts as a warning to other colonies, by establishing formal British military rule, closing Boston to merchant shipping, making British officials immune to criminal prosecution in America and by requiring colonists to quarter British troops. Although these efforts were meant to reverse the trend of colonial resistance, many colonists viewed the acts as a violation of their rights.
Massachusetts led the resistance to British rule, motivating other colonies to follow in their footsteps and creating a shadow revolutionary government. The British governor of Massachusetts, Thomas Gage, ordered troops to march to Concord in an effort to stop the uprising. The first shots of the American Revolution were fired when the British encountered a group of American militiamen at Lexington. It was a colonial rebellion to many of the British, but to Americans, it was a fight for their rights as British citizens. Parliament was unwilling to negotiate any deals or treaties with the rebels and hired German mercenaries to help them end the rebellion. The Continental Congress began to pass measures abolishing British authority in the colonies. In 1776, support for independence spread throughout the colonies, and the Continental Congress called for the states to form their own governments and a five-man committee was assigned to draft a declaration, known as the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson advocated for American Independence by referencing the political philosophy of John Locke, advocate of natural rights, and other works of English theorists. The famous line, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” became the trademark of the declaration. On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress voted to approve a Virginia motion calling for separation from Britain rule. Two days later, the declaration was formally adopted by the colonies after minor revision, and July 4th became nationally celebrated as Independence Day. Yet to come were the Patriot triumphs at Saratoga, the bitter winter at Valley Forge, the intervention of the French and the final victory at Yorktown in 1781. The United States formally became a free and independent nation in 1783, with the signing of the Treaty of Paris in Britain.
As a result of the Treaty of Paris, the new nation was able to control all of North America. At the end of the American Revolution, the new nation was still a loose confederation of states. American leaders got together and wrote the Constitution of the United States, which became the country’s basic law and brought the country together in a solid political unit. Early America faced many financial problems, but were able to find sound economic footing through the spirit and hard work of the people. The United States quickly set up a system of government as they declared their independence, where each state had their own constitution granting the people the power of freedom of speech, religion and press. This led to the setup of a federal government under laws called the Articles of Confederation in 1781. Under the Articles, the federal government was given the power to declare war and manage foreign affairs, but they could not collect taxes, regulate trade or otherwise direct the activities of the states. After the American Revolution, the country was in a huge national debt, and had no way of fixing it under the Articles, leading to the development of an entirely new Constitution.
The delegates debated over the contents of the the new Constitution, regarding whether the federal government should be granted more power, or to protect the rights of the states. The Constitution provided for a two-house legislature – a House of Representatives and a Senate. Representation in the House was based on population in order to satisfy the large states. Whereas, all states received equal representation in the Senate, which satisfied the small states. The Constitution gave more power to the federal government, including the right to collect taxes and regulate trade, while also reserving certain powers for the states. It provided three branches of government: the executive, headed by the president; the legislature, made up of the two houses of Congress; and the judiciary, the federal court system. Each branch received certain powers/duties to ensure that no single branch would have too much power. The Constitution provided that the president be elected by a group of people chosen by the states, known as the Electoral College. However, many believed that the Constitution did not guarantee enough individual rights, so in response, 10 amendments known as the Bill of Rights were added to the document. Among other things, it guaranteed freedom of speech, religion, press, and the rights to trial by jury and peaceful assembly.
The new government soon became plagued with financial problems that resulted from the American Revolution. Americans were divided over how to deal with this crisis, some believed the federal government should take action and others opposed government participation in economic affairs. Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, suggested that the federal government increase tariffs and tax certain products made in the United States, and then use the tax money to pay off its debts and the debts of the states. Hamilton also proposed a government-supported national bank to control government finances. Thomas Jefferson, and many of his followers, agreed to support Hamilton’s proposals, with the agreement that Hamilton would support a shift of the national capital to the South. Congress approved Hamilton’s financial plan and relocated the capital to Washington, DC.
The new government had also been faced with problems in foreign affairs. In 1793, France went to war against Britain and Spain, expecting assistance from the United states after the French helped Americans during the Revolution. President George Washington insisted that the United States remain neutral in the European war. He rejected France’s demands for support, while sending diplomats to clear up any problems in Britain and Spain. Chief Justice John Jay, who was working under Washington, negotiated the Jay Treaty with Britain in 1794. The treaty’s purpose was to create a trade agreement with Britain (which ended American Trade with France), and to get the removal of British troops that were still stationed on American territory. In 1795, Thomas Pinckney negotiated the Pinckney treaty in order to settle the dispute over the Florida border, and grant the United States with free use of the Mississippi River. In 1797, John Adams became the second president of the United States, just in time for French warships to begin attacking American merchant vessels. Adams hoped that using diplomacy would work in solving these foreign problems. However, the diplomats were offended by the dishonourable proposals given by the agents X, Y and Z. The XYZ Affair created an outbreak of public anger, and many people demanded war against France, but Adams was determined to keep the peace. In 1799, he sent diplomats to France again, and they finally reached a peaceful settlement.
The dispute over government policies led to the establishment of two political parties in the United States: the Federalist party and the Democratic-Republican party. The Federalist party, formed by Hamilton and his followers, favored the idea of a strong federal government. Whereas, the Democratic-Republican party, formed by Jefferson and his followers, believed in a weak central government. After the XYZ Affair, the Federalists denounced the Democratic-Republicans for their support of France, and set out to silence their critics. In 1798, the Federalist Congress approved the Alien and Sedition Acts, which made it a crime for anyone to “criticize the president or Congress, and subjected foreigners to unequal treatment.” This created a nationwide outcry against these attacks on freedom, leading to the most offensive parts of the Acts being repealed or expired. Thomas Jefferson easily won the election as president in the 1800, and again in 1804, because of the public’s reaction to the Alien and Sedition Acts. His philosophy became known as Jeffersonian democracy, where he envisioned the United States being run by the people more than the government – where they had more independence in their own affairs. The Louisiana Purchase, became the first major action of Jefferson’s presidency. After realizing that the powerful and aggressive french had control over Louisiana, Jefferson arranged the purchase of the area and added 2,144,476 square kilometres of U.S. territory. Towards the end of Jefferson’s term, Britain and France went to war and began interfering with American trade.
James Madison succeeded Jefferson as president in 1809, when France soon promised to end its interference with American shipping, but Britain did not. Many people believed that the British were encouraging Indians to attack American pioneers, and many Americans demanded war against Britain. On June 18, 1812, at Madison’s request, Congress declared war on Great Britain. On August 24, 1814, British troops took over the capital and burned many government buildings. Many American volunteers rushed into service in order to help stop British offensive. The Treaty of Ghent in 1814, officially ended the war with no winner and little gain.
The War of 1812 gave the United States a strong sense of nationalism. Citizens became unified and confident in their country, the nation was able to concentrate on its own affairs and the political disputes eased with the breakup of the Federalist party. In the meantime, the nation expanded westward allowing new states to enter the union and the economy to prosper. Nationalist politicians proposed economic measures that came to be called the American System. They proposed that the government raise tariffs in order to protect American manufacturers and farmers from foreign competition. In doing this, industry would then grow and employment rates would go up leading to a greater consumption of farm products. This will also allow the government to make needed internal improvements.