The American History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The American History - Essay Example There arose great tension between Great Britain troops and colonial militiamen in Lexington. April 1775 kicked off the armed conflict, and one year later, the rebels were waging the full-scale war for their independence. France joined to support the Continental Army to force the British to give up their power. Finally the British surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia, in1779, and the Americans won their independence, though fighting did not formally end until 1783. These were the founding fathers of America. Just after the revolutionary war, these men came with a political system that was entirely novel for an era in which monarchs ruled most countries around the world. Just after having being freed from the British Empire, the fledgling king would have no king at all. Instead, an elected head referred to as the President of the United States of America would be elected (Michener). The president would be the leader of the federal government, enforcing the laws of the land, and acting as the commander -in- chief of the armed forces. And yet, while the presidency has since become the emblem of the American way of life, the country might have gone in a very different direction before George Washington took the oath of office on April 30, 1789, many Americans envisioned a crown for the wildly popular Virginia planter. Washington refused, and so did the farmers of the Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C., and a big mansion that would be called the White House. After Washington's reign as president then followed a series of others like John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt all the way up to the current president who is actually the first black president of the United States of America. This constitution established America's national government and fundamental laws and guaranteed the basic rights for all of its citizens. The Constitution was signed on September 17th, 1787 by the delegates to the constitutional convention to the United St ates. In 1791, The Bill of Rights that guaranteed basic individual protections such as freedom of speech and religion became part of the Constitution.