AMERICAN HISTORY

American History

American History

Introduction

History studies not just facts and institutions its real subject is the human spirit. (Fustel de Coulange, La Cité antique, 1864) Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges was a french historian, born in Paris. He has worked on American history form colonial period to the emergence of modern America. He was one of those historians who often describe individual decisions to emigrate as a combination of push-pull factors; while some factors "push" people out of their native country, others "pull" or attract them to a new land. From the beginning, one "pull" factor for many individuals who arrived in North America was the great human appeal of a fresh start in the New World. Some were spurred on by a sense of adventure. A few were simply romantics, who imagined they were entering a new and unspoiled Eden. Few, however, intended to establish an egalitarian new social order in North America, absent the hierarchies and inequities of the Old World. Many early colonists were conscripted from the lowest orders of European society and were treated accordingly. Another large group, the Africans, arrived against their will and enslaved. The majority of ordinary settlers who followed the explorers, however, were "pulled" to the New World by a simple desire to improve their lives. Many, called indentured servants, sold their labor for several years in order to pay for the trip.

The investors and colonists involved in early ventures to settle North America were as varied as their motives and their often conflicting goals. Almost every one of them, however, greatly underestimated how much European support, and how much human struggle, would be required before new colonies could flourish in the New World.

In 1776, the 13 colonies were remarkably vigorous. In the quarter century since 1750, the French had been chased from North America, and the Spanish contained beyond the Mississippi. The "new west" had opened for settlement. Since 1750, the non-Indian population had doubled to more than 2.5 million, about 500,000 enslaved. Immigrants had surged into the colonies, most of them headed for vacant lands on the frontiers. New waves of Scotch-Irish and Palatine Germans and Swiss had arrived, as well as at least 30,000 English and 40,000 Scots.

They were joined by many new African slaves, more than 80,000 of whom arrived after 1760 alone. Both coastal and interior travel had become easier; roads and postal services were developing. Economic ties among the colonies had increased. A larger proportion of people owned land than in any other nation of the world—between 50 and 75 percent of white family units (historians have not successfully established a more exact figure). In settled areas, basic education was widely available. While the economic distance between rich and poor was pronounced, the political submission and social deference of ordinary people had declined significantly since the 17th century.

American history of segregation and racism and intimidation

Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges studied on the racial segregation in the United States which meant separation of facilities, services, housing, education, employment ...