The Declaration of Independence of 1776 merely declared the 13 colonies "independent states", they abolished all obligations of allegiance to the British Crown, and all political relations with Great Britain must be severed completely; As independent nations, they have the right to declare war, to conclude treaties, to form alliances, to trade and to take all the actions expected of an independent state.
At the beginning of American independence, the states had their own constitutions and supreme authority. The 13 colonies did not establish a unified **, but formed a loose *** in the form of the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation
There is no right to tax, there is a lack of financial resources, it is impossible to build a strong administrative and military force, and it is impossible to play games with local **. The Confederation had to rely on the states, and there was a lack of coordination between the localities, resulting in inefficiency in the country.
Congress also has no power to intervene in tariffs between states, which often engage in tariff wars for their own interests. In addition, in the absence of a national executive and judicial body, Congress had to rely on the local** of the states to enforce the law.
In the early years of independence, the United States of America faced the dilemma of being a state, lacking authority, and unable to function in the international arena as a unified nation-state.
In this context, the first constitution of the United States was born, which united the power of the states and gave the federal ** sufficient authority. The birth of the Constitution marked the formation of a federal system, replacing the loose confederation system and laying the political foundation for the United States to enter the world stage.
In the early days of the new nation, the United States urgently needed to ensure the security and stability of the country. Although Britain recognized the independence of the United States in 1783, the struggle for sovereignty between the two countries did not end there, and economic, military, and political conflicts continued ever since.
In the 19th century, the United States was attacked by British troops and the burning of its capital, the first large-scale attack since its independence, and the second large-scale attack.
In this war, the British tried to create a neutral Indian buffer state, but ultimately did not succeed. Despite this, the nascent United States maintained peaceful relations with Britain for the next century.
This geographical advantage enabled the United States to avoid disputes among European powers and create a favorable environment for the country's development and rise. In addition, the United States** also recognized the importance of professional soldiers during the war, and West Point began to train professional officers for the military.
At the same time, the Second Anglo-American War also had an impact on the manufacturing industry in the United States, and the British blockade during the war gave birth to the American textile industry, which lit the light for the industrialization process of the United States.
In the 19th century, the United States, despite its rapid population and economic power, was still an agrarian country, relying mainly on the export of raw materials and commodities, and heavily dependent on the British market.
Faced with the problem of imbalance, the United States gradually reversed the situation by investing in the maritime industry, gaining 6$6.3 billion in overseas profits, which laid a solid foundation for the rapid industrialization of the U.S. economy.
At the same time, profits have also stimulated the development of various industries such as banking and finance, industry, and transportation, so that the U.S. economy is gradually moving towards industrialization.
Attracted by the expansion of industrialization and potential business opportunities, a large amount of foreign capital poured into the United States, of which about $300 million to $500 million was invested in areas such as land, ** bonds, banking, industrial production, and railroad construction.
However, as external ties are strengthened, how to maintain *** becomes a major consideration. Although the United States is not surrounded by powerful enemies, its dependence on overseas markets and capital, as well as its own territorial size and overseas business interests, make it impossible to stay out of the conflict.
In this situation, the United States is faced with a life-and-death strategic choice, that is, how to protect its economic interests. Although the U.S. Navy did not have the strength to achieve this goal in the 19th century, the United States** tried to protect its commercial interests through international law.
Diplomats shuttle through countries seeking to conclude commercial treaties that would ensure the inviolability of the United States as a neutral nation. However, the European powers of the time, especially Great Britain, were dismissive of the idea of the United States.
The effectiveness of international law in practice does not give the United States peace of mind. In addition, merchants had proposed a strategy to reduce their dependence on the British and European markets and expand their markets in neutral regions in favor of those in order to avoid getting caught up in disputes with other powers.
However, this strategy could not be realized at all, because the world had already been carved up by the various powers into their respective colonies, semi-colonies, or spheres of influence.
Between 1821 and 1860, the share of U.S. exports to Great Britain and Northern Europe increased from 653% grew to 748%, and imports** from these regions account for 2 3 of all U.S. imports.
The U.S. economy is already inevitably entangled with the European economy. John Quincy Adams once pointed out that one day wars in Europe would cross the Atlantic and spread to the American continent.
In this context, two opposing national development strategies have emerged in the United States. The first is that the United States' high level of external dependence, especially on the United Kingdom, can be sustained.
In the short term, the path of dependency is less costly, and being able to gain the support of the United Kingdom will contribute to the stability of relations between the two countries. At the same time, at that time, the United States was dominated by agriculture, and the main products were agricultural products, and the reduction of tariffs could promote the export of agricultural products and the import of industrial products, which helped to maximize resources and efficiency from an economic point of view.
However, this strategy ignores the decisive role of military factors in the national game. In modern society, the establishment and upgrading of military power depends on industrial power.
Without a strong industrial base, the creation of modern military power is just a pipe dream. Even if a strong military is built through imports, it is based on instability, on the one hand, the lack of sustainability of military growth, and on the other hand, it is vulnerable to sanctions by other countries.
A strong national defense must be based on its own industrial capabilities, and a country dominated by agriculture can only become a vassal of other countries. In addition, dependency development ignores the difference in the added value of industrial and agricultural products.
The prosperity of the U.S. economy will not be easy, and it will require us to make difficult choices. Like the Civil War in the mid-19th century, the South wanted to lower tariffs and rely on the export of low-value-added cotton to make money, while the North wanted to maintain high tariffs and compete internationally by developing high-value-added industrial products.
Protectionism and freedom, abolition and slavery, tariffs and other issues on both sides have sparked heated debates. Although this war has led to the loss of the country's ** and 200,000 lives, it has also taught us the importance of independence and self-determination.
Only by establishing a completely independent industrial system can we lay a solid material foundation for the country's economic development and the struggle for world power.
It is possible that the North will continue to industrialize and gain a strong industrial comparative advantage, but this will most likely allow them to establish a dominant position only in North America, not in the whole world.
At a critical moment, one of the greatest ** in American history, Lincoln, gained the support of the people and became **. He eventually defeated the rebels in the South by force and reunited the United States.
He also gave his life for this, and was assassinated in the theater after the war. However, the war also cleared the obstacles to the progress of the United States, and the victory of the North made the industrial owners the leading force in social development, reaffirmed the independent development path advocated by the United States when it became independent, and implemented protectionist measures conducive to industrial development, which stimulated the industrial revolution.
The United States gradually transformed from an agrarian country to an industrial powerhouse. In addition, the power of the Union was strengthened after the war (14th Amendment to the Constitution), which laid the political foundation for the rise of the United States as a world power.