<Author>Aaron</Author>
<Topic>A Brief Introduction to My Country's History</Topic>
<Source></Source>
<Nationality>USA</Nationality>
The United States of America is a new country, having been officially founded in 1776. It is still technically in the design stages, and is sometimes referred to as the "American experiment". Regardless, it has a rich history with many important events and accomplishments.
While Native Americans (formerly called Indians) have inhabited what is now America for thousands of years, and Nordic tribesman probably visited the area in medieval times, Christopher Columbus was the first European to arrive (1492 ) and exert influence over the land.
The first Europeans to colonize what was to become America were the Puritans. They were members of an austere English Christian sect who sought religious sanctuary. Other groups, such as the Quakers and Shakers, followed suit.
By the mid-eighteenth century, colonists felt dissatisfied with English rule, considering it oppressive. A revolution followed, of which the colonists won and gained independence for America.
America boasts many accomplishments, such as the invention of the airplane, ventures to the moon, and the development of the world's strongest economy. However, Americans consider their greatest accomplishments to be the ideas of liberty that have been developed or instated in America. Some of these ideas include the forbidding of slavery, freedom of belief, freedom of the press, and the importance of individualism as opposed to collective subordination. Such ideas are the values most cherished by Americans.