Decolonization of America

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Countries in America sorted by independence date. (The US did not reach full territorial expansion until 1867.)

The decolonization of America is the process during which the countries of North America and South America achieved their independence.

United States

Main article: American independence movement

The United States was the first American country to achieve independence. It declared its independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1776 , which was recognized with the Peace of Paris in 1783.

From the 18th century until 1867, the current state of Alaska was a colony of the Russian Empire as Russian America and was sold to the United States in the Alaska Purchase .

Haiti

See also: History of Haiti

In the wake of the French Revolution , many of the ideals were spread in Haiti, where the slaves began to rise in 1791. On January 1, 1804, Jean-Jacques Dessalines declared Haiti a free republic and joined the United States as the second independent nation in the Western Hemisphere . Haiti is the only country in the western hemisphere where a slave rebellion led directly to freedom.

Spanish colonies

The Spanish colonies in South America gained their independence in the first quarter of the 19th century during the South American Wars of Independence . Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín led their independence struggles. Although Bolívar tried to keep the Spanish-speaking parts of the continent politically united, they very quickly became independent and several other wars were waged, such as the Triple Alliance War and the Saltpeter War .

During the Napoleonic Wars on the Iberian Peninsula , several parliaments were convened by the Creoles to rule the country on behalf of Ferdinand VII of Spain. This experience of self-government and the influence of liberalism and the ideas of the French Revolution and the American Independence Movement led to the struggle for independence, led by the " Libertadores ". The colonies liberated themselves, often with the help of the British Empire , which sought political influence and trade without the Spanish monopoly.

A similar process took place in Spain's North and Central American colonies in the 1810s, with the Mexican War of Independence and associated fighting.

In 1898 the United States won the Spanish-American War , occupied Cuba and Puerto Rico , ending Spanish territorial control in America.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Spaniards emigrated to the earlier colonies, especially to Cuba, Mexico and Argentina, for economic and political reasons. After the 1970s, the direction of emigration was reversed.

In the 1990s, Spanish firms such as Repsol YPF and Telefónica invested in South America, often by buying privatized companies.

Portuguese colonies

Main article: Brazilian independence movement

Unlike the Spanish , the Portuguese did not share their colonial territories in America. The captains they created were under a centralized administration in Salvador that reported directly to the crown in Lisbon . Therefore it is not customary to speak of a "Portuguese America" ​​(as one speaks of Spanish America, Dutch America, etc.), but of Brazil - a united colony from its earliest beginnings.

As a result, when Brazil became independent in 1822, it did not split up into separate states, as did its Spanish-speaking neighbors. The adoption of a monarchy as a form of government instead of a federal republic for the first six decades of Brazilian political independence is also due to national togetherness.

In the Portuguese colony, Peter I (later also King of Portugal as Peter IV ) proclaimed the country's independence in 1822 and became Brazil's first emperor. This was, by and large, taken up peacefully by the Portuguese crown. Even so, there were some guerrillas between Portuguese troops and civilians. Portugal recognized the independence of Brazil after receiving compensation.

Canada

On July 1, 1867, Canada became a Dominion within the British Empire . At that time, the " Dominion of Canada" included Upper and Lower Canada (now southern Ontario and Québec ), Nova Scotia and New Brunswick . The British colonies of British Columbia (1871), Prince Edward Island (1873) and Newfoundland (1949, after World War II ) later joined the Canadian Confederation . Great Britain also ceded control of Rupert's Land , Northwest Territory (1870) and the Arctic Islands (1880) to Canada. This degree of independence is achieved entirely through political means through negotiations between the governments of the British North American colonies ( Charlottetown Conference and Québec Conference 1864, London Conference 1866). There were two attempts in Upper and Lower Canada in 1837 and 1838 to achieve Canadian independence by armed forces (see Rebellions of 1837 ), but both were crushed by the British.

Newfoundland was also granted Dominion status on September 26, 1907 and, as described above, joined the Confederation in 1949.

Britain retained control of foreign policy from 1867 to 1931. The Westminster Statute (1931) gave control to Canada. However, some constitutional amendments required formal approval from the British Parliament ( see Constitutional Act of 1867 ). With the adoption of the Canada Act in 1982 , this last formal legislative link with the motherland was severed and Canada was given full independence from the royal government in London.

20th century

A few countries had not achieved independence by the 20th century:

Bahamas
Great Britain granted the islands internal self-government in 1964. In 1973, the Bahamas gained full independence, but remained in the Commonwealth of Nations .
Guyana
independent from Great Britain since 1966
Suriname
independent from the Netherlands since 1975
Trinidad and Tobago
independent from Great Britain since 1962
Belize (previously British Honduras)
independent from Great Britain since 1981

Existing colonies

Some parts of America are still under the control of European powers today.

Aruba separated from the Netherlands Antilles on January 1, 1986 and became an independent, self-governing member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. A movement in favor of full independence in 1996 was stopped in 1990 at Aruba's request.

French Guiana, Guadaloupe and Martinique are not considered colonies of France, but rather "integral parts" of metropolitan France - overseas departments of France.