Historical Background to US politics

Post-revolution

After the revolutionary war and the 13 colonies declared independence many of the settlers liked the system
by which they were governed under British rule. This meant that many aspects of British law were kept and
written into the new constitution. With the expansion West the divide between the North and South grew due
to opinions on slavery.

Civil War

After the union success in the civil war, slavery was abolished and the former slaves became full citizens.
However, in the South, segregation began to grow and lasted up to the 1960s. Remnants of confederate ideas
still remain today with the last of the confederate symbols being removed from state flag of Mississippi this
year.

WW1 and Prohibition

After WW1 was a period of great financial and cultural development in the United States with the creation of
the Hollywood film industry becoming known as the roaring twenties. During this time, prohibition of
alcohol was enacted due to pressure from religious groups. However, the level of organised crime increased
due to the underground supply and consumption of alcohol in “Speakeasies”. Gangsters such as Al Capone
were incredibly effective in supplying bootlegged alcohol to these illegal bars and became influential figures
in their cities.

Cold War

This was a time of great distrust for the Soviet Union which encapsulated the Vietnam and Korean wars as
well as the Space Race. It was also a turning point in how the people of the US thought of their foreign
policies with many in the younger generations believing these wars to be unacceptably costly to human life
and State finances. The Vietnam War is also the first time that the United States was defeated in a war and
was seen as humiliating but necessary for the preservation of US soldiers lives.

60s and 70s

The 1960s featured a large step forward in the Civil Rights Movement with influential figures such as Martin
Luther King Jr campaigning for the equal treatment of the African-American people. Many segregationist
policies were broken down in court rulings. However, the 60s was also a time where people became
increasingly concerned about violent crime with the assassination of JFK and his brother Senator Robert
Kennedy.

In the 70s the US saw large economic downturn as well as the US defeat in the Vietnam War. Nixon’s
presidency ended in disgrace after the Watergate Scandal making him the first US president to be forced to
resign from his position. However, his foreign policy did improve its relations with China due to the
acceptance of Communist China as a true government.

Obama and Modern America

In 2009, Barack Obama became the first black president in US history. This brought hope to many young
black Americans aspiring to become influential figures. However, the financial crash and the wars in
Afghanistan and Iraq tainted his presidency through the continued mistreatment of detainees in Guantanamo
Bay.