REDY said:
Thank you, I read all. Well offers to books are little hard because I dont speak English. (Or I speak English, but very badly and hardly), and Czech versions are rarely. I also have to read many another books because I am on the university so I havent time and mood. But what I read is adequate for me.
I have another questions about American history:
1)What is Alamo? I read its fort or something, but I still misunderstand...because it looks it has great influence in American history.
The Alamo is more for Texas history than America as a whole (although it is important, since it led to war with Mexico). Basically, it was one of those "heroic last stands" that inspired other Texans (sort of like the Battle of Thermopolye for Greece). At this time, Texas was part of Mexico, but the Mexican government encouraged Americans to go there. They had certain rights guaranteed and didn't have to pay as many taxes (it might have been taxes in general, I can't remember). They weren't supposed to have slaves, but they brought them anyway.
The Mexican government decided to control Texas a little better, which annoyed the Americans living there, who probably wanted to join the United States anyway. To make the story short, they made a stand at a place called the Alamo, where they were wiped out. But this inspired other Texans who succeeded in defeating the Mexican army and gaining independence (the United States was afraid of war at this point, so they didn't accept Texas as a state. Later, they did accept Texas and a war broke out with Mexico, which the United States won and took more territory).
2)How were boarders enlarging for USA when Spanish or British arent there. I mean; United states (or British colonies) has amount of land which discovered, or they estalbished state (for example Florida) and after they discovered another amount of land, they founded new state? What was influental for estalbish new state?
In the early years, part of a colony felt that they weren't having their interests represented and would be better off with a local government instead. When William Penn founded Pennsylvania colony, the settlers in the south wanted their own government, which eventually became the independent state of Delaware. In New England, that happened all the time, as colonists would leave Massachussetts and declare themselves seperate (then they would probably apply for a charter from the King of England). Some were kicked out (Rhode Island was founded by people who were banished from Massachussetts Bay colony for saying bad things).
In the far west part of Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia, governments were slow to give representation. So it was decided, after the nation was formed, to make them seperate states (Kentucky, Tennesee, Mississippi, Alabama).
After that, things were a bit different. Basically, areas of land was sold by the Federal government in areas outside of the original states. If these areas got a certain number of people, they could become a state. Before that, they were just territories. Technically, places like Puerto Rico are still territories today, although they don't seem like they are in any hurry to become a state. Back then, much of the middle of America were territories for a long time (Texas started with enough people and places like California got big enough quickly to become a state, it was in the middle, like Colorado or Montana that grew slowly). Territories usually had their borders drawn by congress, which is why there are large, square shaped states in the middle of the United States.
That's about it. I think I rambled too much
