While native Americans lived across America for many years, the first English colony to be settled in the "new world" was in Jamestown in 1607. Not long after, the Puritans arrived as they sought to escape religious persecution back home in England. They went to form Plymouth Colony in 1620 in what is today Massachusetts. This was the second English settlement in the Americas. For these early colonists, their faith in God played an important role in how the colonies were established. The Puritans were seeking to establish in the new world an ideal community based upon the laws of God as revealed in the Bible. Because of this tradition, people often speak of the Judeo-Christian (Jewish and Christian) roots of America.

In 1636, a church leader named Roger Williams left the Plymouth Colony to found the new settlement of Rhode Island. He is the one who first stressed that the government should not impose a state church or force citizens to follow a faith. He and other early leaders desired a place where people could be free to worship God and the church could grow apart from government interference. Today's American emphasis on freedom and the lack of a state church go back to these early days.

As individuals continued to settle in the new world, it was not long before there were 13 English colonies. However, conflict arose between the colonies and England, and war broke out in 1775. On 4 July 1776, the Continental Congress met and drafted the Declaration of Independence (read this founding document with terms explained by clicking on the link to the right). Every year on 4 July ("The 4th of July" or "Independence Day") Americans still celebrate independence with large patriotic celebrations.

Freedom came with a cost. The Revolutionary War that began in 1775 cost many lives. It lasted until 1783 when England officially recognized the indpendence of the nation. George Washington, one of the leaders in the war effort, became the first President of the new nation.

Unfortunately, it was not an easy road from this point, or a road of freedom. As the nation grew, so did slavery. The land of the free was far from free for many. The slavery issue proved divisive, and in 1860 a number of the southern states left the USA to form "The Confederate States of America." War broke out, and this bloody conflict is now known as The Civil War. In 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg proved to be the decisive battle with the Union (the northern states that remained part of the USA) defeating the Confederacy (the southern states that left). This led to the end of slavery and also to the unification of the nation.

Much more could be written about the USA since that time. The nation continued to grow, and its world influence also began to increase. A depression has hit the nation. World wars have passed. To read a thorough description of more recent US history, visit the links to the right. These pages will give you a greater grasp of the forces that have shaped America into the nation and people it is today.