Becoming American
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BECOMING AMERICAN After terms of peace were finally signed in 1783, economic upheaval and disunity caused a dismayed George Washington to remark, "I see one head changing into thirteen." England fortified posts in the Northwest and Canada in anticipation of U.S. failure, as the Spanish watched from their settlements in the Southwest. Yet gradually a national identity was formed and "American"
came to stand for resourcefulness and ingenuity. Industry, business
and trade opportunities blossomed, both in the East and in the West,
as the nation expanded to its new western boundary at the Mississippi
River. However, the promise of equality for all men was not realized.
Two continuing issues - slavery of African Americans and the treatment
of Native Americans - would create dramatic chapters in U.S. history
over the next century. |
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LAND GRANT and INDENTURE FOR SALE OF PROPERTY (far left) in
the Miami River Valley of Ohio granted to Daniel Hoover, great-great-great
uncle of Herbert Hoover and the son of Andrew, a war veteran
who died in 1794. The sale of this land was signed in 1808
by President Thomas Jefferson and Secretary of State James
Madison.
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