How did the US go from being a small colony of Britain to becoming today, the world's greatest super power?

Question

How did the US go from being a small colony of Britain to becoming today, the world's greatest super power?

Answer 1

because of canada. we did not want to remain loyal to the crown, so we seceded canada and did our own thing.

Answer 2

Melting pot and the brave constitution which I respect.

PS: GOD bless the USA

Answer 3

Schools.

Answer 4

(a) Because of its size, relatively temperate climate and natural resources.

(b) Because it had the advantage of being able to select the best of British tradition and reject the worst.

(c) Because it was until recently remote from other equally advanced countries and not subject to incessant wars.

(d) It was able to attract the best talents from overseas by offering them safety and a better standard of living. These talents were passed on through Academia to native-born youth.

Edit- I, like Dangerman, am a Canadian and would like to explain to my American friends that whereas the rhetoric of the Left Wing in your country is exclusively anti-Republican, the Left Wing rhetoric in my country is exclusively anti-American. That's all it is - anti-American. I'd be no more supportive of their cause, but a lot more respectful if they'd show us sun-bronzed workers marching happily in step under the hammer and sickle. At least we'd know what they are for and not just against.

Answer 5

Two things: luck, and unopposed imperialism.

When the US started out it was nothing more than a few emancipated colonies on the east coast of North America. The entire rest of the continent was controlled by France immediately to the west, Britain (Oregon country) and Spain (california, texas, florida and everything to the south).

At first, expansion was limited to the Ohio river valley, the only state really interested in this was Virginia, which originally claimed territory to the west in kentucky and ohio, but the other states wouldn't have Virginia being that powerful so the newly settled land became their own states.

Then, as luck would have it, the French needed money in an emergency and didn't care about Louisiana anymore, so they sold it to Thomas Jefferson. It wasn't just Louisiana, it was a giant chunk of land stretching all the way to Canada and including the mighty Mississippi river. The US also was able to buy Florida from Spain.

Texas would still  be part of Mexico, if the Mexican army hadn't bungled its insurrection. It became part of the US because most texans at the time spoke english.

Then a few more fortunately timed wars gave the US government control of california and the southwestern states.

As for the unopposed imperialism part, it was rooted in the Monroe Doctrine, which on its surface was just a statement of policy that the US would align with emancipated nations vs colonial powers, but also implied in general, as John F. Kennedy stated it, that the US "would oppose a foreign power extending its power to the Western Hemisphere"(1)

In other words, what is in the Western Hemisphere is not for Europeans to exploit (it's for US to exploit!)

Much of the current base of American power comes from its position of dominance in the America's, which evolved largely from the exercise of the "this is our hemisphere" policy.

  Never mind that Britain is only half as far from the US as Argentina is, somehow America pulled it off.

The final bit of luck was the Second World War, which left all the world's powers severely battered, but the US relatively unscathed and in possession of the atom bomb.

I don't think America is the world's greatest super power anymore, though, the Soviet Union's disintegration robbed it of the position of leadership it had during the cold war, now there are no superpowers at all. Particularly since so many countries have the bomb. America can't even diplomatically outmaneuver a nation like Iran nowadays.

Answer 6

You won't like the answer;

A) Starting wars with 3rd world countries that they could win

B) Not having 2 world wars on their door step

C) Stealing tech from other powers during the wars and not living up to agreements to share the tech with their Allies.

D) Hollywood, as Gobels said during WW II a big enough lie told often enough eventually becomes the truth.

E) Having an untouched large manufacturing base after WW II

I'd go with the other guys point of view rather than mine because I'm looking at it from outside the US and most Americans don't want to see that view.  And BTW the US was never the world's greatest super power it is just a current one.  Only time will tell but I think the Roman Empire was actually the greatest super power because their language is the derivative of most of the European languages in use today.  Not bad for a bunch of guys with sharp pointy sticks.