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The American people represent a civilization in Civilization VI. They are led by Bull Moose Teddy Roosevelt, under whom their default colors are dark blue and white; Rough Rider Teddy Roosevelt, under whom their default colors are red and white; and Abraham Lincoln, under whom their default colors are reversed.

The Americans' civilization ability is Founding Fathers, which halves the time needed to accumulate government legacy bonuses. In Rise and Fall, it instead converts all of their government's slots for Diplomatic Policy Diplomatic policy cards into Wildcard Slot Wildcard slots, and in Gathering Storm it also grants +1 Diplomatic Favor Diplomatic Favor per turn for each Wildcard policy slot in the current government. Their unique unit is the P-51 Mustang (which replaces the Fighter), and their unique building is the Film Studio (which replaces the Broadcast Center).

Strategy[]

Starting bias:

America is possibly better equipped than any other civilizations towards the late game. However, compared to other late game-oriented civilizations, America can defend themselves against early invasions decently well, together with their innate versatility, making them a formidable foe in all situations.

Founding Fathers[]

Vanilla version[]

Government legacy bonuses are a type of permanent bonuses that last throughout the entire game once you've earned them. America earns them in half the normal time, which effectively means that they double the legacy bonuses of other civilizations.

In order to start earning the bonuses as early as possible, it is advisable to build Monuments as well as seek out other sources of Culture Culture. Spending the extra effort to trigger the applicable Eureka Eurekas may also be worthwhile.

Since the legacy bonuses are much larger for America compared to other nations, the type of legacy bonus may affect your choice of government more than usual. Overall, this ability is not exactly underwhelming, but not powerful either. It has certain degree of versatility, since it grants you a little bit of an extra bonus regardless of which paths you take. Certainly, it is stronger later in the game when the legacy bonus has time to accumulate, but this is not something you would like to build a strategy around.

Rise and Fall & Gathering Storm[]

In Rise and Fall, the Founding Fathers ability was changed. Instead of providing doubled government legacy bonuses, Founding Fathers now converts all diplomatic policy slots to wildcard policy slots, regardless of government type. In Gathering Storm, this ability is further bolstered by providing 1 Diplomatic Favor Diplomatic Favor for every Wildcard Slot Wildcard slot in the current government, on top of innate Diplomatic Favor Diplomatic Favor generated by the government form.

Although America loses its ability to reap more benefits out of government legacy bonuses, America can now enact any desired policy (assuming they have the available policy slots and the right policies) that they want. Founding Fathers now provides more freedom to America when it comes to policy selection and allows them to change the focus of their victory type. Naturally, this means you should choose the government type with the most diplomatic and wildcard slots.

  • For Tier 1 governments, the only obvious "bad" choice here is Oligarchy, since it provides no Diplomatic Policy Diplomatic slot; Abraham Lincoln and a war-inclined Rough Rider Teddy might want to run it while they build the Warlord's Throne to get Oligarchic Legacy, but that should be it. The choice between Autocracy and Classical Republic is a little bit tougher, since both options offer something beneficial that you need. Autocracy is better if you want to build lots of wonders to fuel a Cultural Victory. However, if you want a more peaceful way, especially when you think there is already enough space around you to colonize, Classical Republic is the better option. However, if you are playing as Bull Moose Teddy, it is almost certain that you should go for Classical Republic.
  • For Tier 2 governments, Monarchy and Merchant Republic are both viable options, thanks to their equal number of Wildcard Slot Wildcard slots. While Merchant Republic arrives later, its bonuses towards District construction and Gold purchases are ideal for setting up for a Cultural Victory. Monarchy arrives earlier in comparison, and plays very well with America's Diplomatic tendencies. Under Rough Rider Teddy especially, America under a Monarchy can earn Envoys at an unparalleled rate. Theocracy is the weakest as you lose a Wildcard Slot Wildcard slot, and should only be used by Bull Moose Teddy to save 15% on Naturalist purchases. Even though this can save America quite a bit of Faith Faith in the long run, Theocracy is not a government America will want to be in for very long, and the Culture Culture used on researching Reformed Church is better used on other civics.
  • For Tier 3 governments, Democracy is undoubtedly the most suitable. With this government, you will have 4 Wildcard Slot Wildcard slots, which means you will earn 7 Diplomatic Favor Diplomatic Favor per turn just from this government alone. Even if you want to be aggressive with your P-51 Mustang, the versatility allowed by this government makes sure it can answer your every need.
  • For Tier 4 governments, again, the government that offers the most Wildcard Slot Wildcard slots is the best one, Digital Democracy. At a point this late into the game, Domination Victory is less likely your preferred way to win the game, unless you currently own the majority of Capital Capitals. However, with the incredible flexibility offered by 8 Wildcard Slot Wildcard slots, you can pretty much do whatever you please. They are especially helpful in accommodating late-game Wildcard Policy Wildcard policies and Dark Age Policy Dark Age policies. You can run Disinformation Campaign card, as it synergizes perfectly well with your Film Studio, helping you sprint toward a Diplomatic Victory and a Cultural Victory simultaneously at a blazing speed.

Just noting how early America can start generating their Diplomatic Favor Diplomatic Favor shows how dominant you can be at the World Congress. For comparison, Canada can generate 2 Diplomatic Favor Diplomatic Favor per turn from their ability only when they have 200 Tourism Tourism, most likely in Industrial Era or Modern Era, or even later, when America can do so when they unlock their first government. Most importantly, this diplomatic power does not rely on other players or luck like Canada, you can play in isolation most of the game while casually taking out foes on your home continent then making the world turn a blind eye on you with your diplomatic prowess all game long, and there is little others can do about that. Overall, this is an incredibly powerful civilization ability that has high potential throughout the entire game. A very welcome change to the vanilla America indeed.

For this reason, the Potala Palace is a powerful wonder in the hand of America. It is just as powerful as the Forbidden City, while being a lot less competitive and having a loose placement restriction, and also grants you an invaluable Diplomatic Victory point.

Roosevelt Corollary (Standard Teddy Roosevelt)[]

In early eras, this will only provide a bonus to Strength Combat Strength to all fighting happening on your home continent. The bonus is very significant, as you only need +30 Strength Combat Strength relative to another unit to kill it in one shot. It essentially offsets a Deity AI's +4 Strength Combat Strength bonus, putting you on even ground. It can also be used defensively and offensively, provided the generation of the continents allow for such an opportunity. Continents are not always very intuitive. There is a specific lens in the game that clearly shows the difference between the continents, and should be used when you are scouting. It is quite possible that two adjacent tiles are, in fact, different continents. This bonus can help tremendously with every direction that America wants to go. As a late-game oriented and cultural civilization, America is notoriously hard to invade. While Canada or France can fall in one fell swoop if they do not dedicate enough Production Production towards an army in the Ancient and Classical Era, America can feel safe when building up their infrastructure. That also means America can be much more aggressive in the early game than any other late game civilizations. A Warrior-Archer rush from America, when they adopt Oligarchy and spawn next to a weak neighbor on the same continent, can be devastating. Mistaking America for a civilization that only peaks in Modern Era onward can be game-ending.

Finally, National Parks are improved. They increase the Appeal in the city they are built, which in turn directly increases their Tourism Tourism output, as well as the number of people that can live in each Neighborhood. Unfortunately, this means America will probably have to build several Holy Sites to afford the Naturalists needed to build National Parks, although they have no bonuses towards religion. You can choose to simply not recruit a Great Prophet to avoid dealing with the religious angle of the game, although if you do choose to recruit a Great Prophet, it may be in your best interest to choose Reliquaries as your Founder Belief, as it triples the amount of Faith Faith and Tourism Tourism received from Relic Relics, doubling down on America's cultural focus. Take caution however, spreading your religion to other civilizations with their own religion will cause a breakdown in relations and a loss of tourism between your empires. The extra Appeal when having a National Park in your city applies only once, having a second National Park will not add more Appeal. Tiles with fixed Appeal values like Mountains or natural wonders do benefit from this ability. You can read below for more tips and tricks to raise the Appeal of your lands in the Antiquities and Parks (Bull Moose Teddy) section.

Roosevelt Corollary (Rough Rider Teddy)[]

Rough Rider Teddy retains the Strength Combat Strength when fighting on home continent from standard Teddy, together with the Rough Rider unique unit. However, he will lose the incentive for a Cultural Victory and receive a strong bonus for a Diplomatic Victory instead. Every time he sends an Envoy Envoy to a City-state, that Envoy Envoy will count as 2 if he has a Trade Route Trade Route either to or from that City-state, very similar to how Tamar's leader ability functions. However, since you do not have the full freedom of sending your Traders everywhere like religious units, the efficacy of this ability relies a lot on how many city-states spawn within range. Considering America does not have a coastal starting bias, they most likely will use land-based Trade Route Trade Route, which have a maximum range of 15. Sea-based Trade Route Trade Route can later be used within a range of 30, if America has a city with sea access (a Harbor or coastal) and the destination city also has sea access. Note that in Civilization VI, maximum Trade Route Trade Route range does not get extended with technological research, but with Trading Posts Trading Posts. Trading Posts Trading Posts are automatically constructed in the destination and source city of every finished Trade Route Trade Route; future routes (both land and sea) that pass through these cities will have extended reach - they will effectively reset their range at the Trading Posts Trading Post. At first, what you need to do is to quickly establish Trading Posts Trading Posts in City-states around you, this needs to be done fast so prioritize ones that are closest to you. These City-states will then act as range extenders for your Trade Route Trade Route, helping them reach City-states further away. Remember, this ability will be wasted if you spend your Envoy Envoy recklessly on City-states to whom you have no Trade Route Trade Route, so it is recommended that you wait until you establish a connection before sending over any Envoy Envoy. This will allow you to become the master of diplomacy on your continent in the early game, so that your enemies will refrain from declaring wars on you, for fear of angering your legion of protectorates. This also means you will receive aids whenever you set your eyes on a target and want to quickly take them out. Combining this ability with the Diplomatic Policy Card Containment will make every Envoy count as 3.

It goes without saying that maximizing the Trade Route Trade Route capacity should be of utmost importance. Try to build Commercial Hubs as quickly as possible, but in coastal cities, build Harbors instead. The Harbor, overall, is the stronger district of the two, as it supplies Food Food, Housing Housing and Production Production beside Gold Gold, and it helps you establish sea-based Trade Route Trade Routes so your influence can reach landmasses farther away.

Antiquities and Parks (Bull Moose Teddy)[]

Bull Moose Teddy will no longer have the +5 Strength Combat Strength when fighting on his home continent, as well as the Rough Rider, which is quite a significant blow to his militaristic prowess. Instead, he gains Science Science and Culture Culture for Breathtaking tiles, depending on the features that those Breathtaking tiles are adjacent to. The best aspect of this ability is that you can start generate double or even triple the amount of Science Science and Culture Culture other empires have from the very beginning of the game, without having to do anything beside settling your Capital Capital. Although it is heavily map-generation dependent, even if there is just one Breathtaking tile among the 7 tiles your Capital Capital starts out with, you can get very far ahead of everyone else in terms of technologies and civics. Remember, a tile can gain both the Science Science and the Culture Culture bonus if it simultaneously satisfies both conditions.

There are a couple of ways you can customize the Appeal ratings of your territory. The easiest way, and available from the Ancient and Classical Era, is to build Appeal-boosting District Districts. There are six District Districts that boost the Appeal ratings of adjacent tiles (seven with Vietnam & Kublai Khan Pack): Entertainment Complexes, Holy Sites, Theater Squares, Water Parks, Dams, Canals, and Preserves. Undoubtedly the most important ones for Bull Moose Teddy are Holy Sites, Theater Squares, and Preserves:

  • Even when America has no religious tendencies, Holy Sites are absolutely crucial, as they will be the main Faith Faith source for Teddy to recruit Naturalists, once Conservation is unlocked. Holy Sites help boosting nearby tiles' Appeal, making it easier for the Naturalists to do their job, which will in turn further increase the Appeal of every tile in the city. Of course, Teddy can also earn Faith Faith from the Earth Goddess pantheon, which goes so well with his toolkit that it should be a priority every game, even when the ever tempting Religious Settlements pantheon is also available. As Teddy has no bonuses towards a Religious Victory, your religion should be used to serve Teddy's Cultural goals. Useful beliefs for this include the Divine Inspiration Follower belief to turn wonders into a source of Faith Faith (Reliquaries can also work, as this will triple Faith Faith and Tourism Tourism from Relics, but usually you have to invest Faith Faith in Apostles to get them) and the Cathedral Worship building for the extra slot of Religious Great Works. This is not a religion you will be spreading past your borders, as you will want to save your Faith Faith for Naturalists and Rock Bands. It is much easier to simply have a few Inquisitors waiting around to defend against wayward foreign religious units. Bull Moose Teddy will also have +3 Loyalty from cities following his Religion (universal Loyalty mechanic), which may help this otherwise defenseless civ.
  • Of course, Theater Squares are important because America under Bull Moose Teddy is a Cultural civilization through and through, and you would love to have your Film Studio up and running as other empires transition into the Modern Era anyway. In order to maximize the number of tiles receiving positive Appeal boosts, try not to place Holy Sites and Theater Squares adjacent to one another, although after you unlock Conservation and can fill empty lands with Woods, this will become much less important.
  • The Vietnam & Kublai Khan pack introduces a new District District: the Preserve. This will be your favorite District District in the entire game. Not only does it introduce a new and early method to boost the Appeal of your land, it also brings huge yields to adjacent high-Appeal tiles. For this reason, America under Bull Moose Teddy should beeline for Mysticism, maybe even before they unlock Political Philosophy, and start putting down Preserves in every single city.

You can also boost Appeal by promoting Liang to Parks and Recreation, to gain access to the City Park improvement. However, this is a hefty investment that is very hard to balance with other factors. It requires 4 Governor Governor titles to get to Parks and Recreation, which means if you try to rush it, you will have to forgo Pingala and Magnus, which are two crucial Governors in the development of any empire. Not to mention, after unlocking City Parks, the process will require a lot of micromanagement, including continuously moving Liang around to build City Parks in as many cities as possible, which can be repetitive, especially when you have a large empire. However, if you manage to pull this off, you will effectively unlock the effects of the Eiffel Tower way before Modern Era, but since the cost of this strategy is very high, consider going for the Parks and Recreation title as a replacement after you miss out on the Eiffel Tower, rather than before.

Nevertheless, the Eiffel Tower is the almighty Wonder for Bull Moose Teddy and its construction should be attempted every game no matter your victory type. It is so strong that it is recommended you enter the Modern Era from the bottom of the tech tree, unlike other cultural civs, not the top, even when your unique building is unlocked with Radio, situated on top of the tech tree (read more below). If you have chosen a Religion with Reliquaries as well, consider also building the Mont St. Michel and Cristo Redentor as well, as both of those wonders will enhance your Relics.

Emancipation Proclamation (Abraham Lincoln)[]

Under Abraham Lincoln, America's focus changes from a Cultural/Diplomatic Victory to a Domination Victory with a heavy industry/scientific backup.

His first bonus gives his cities a +3 Loyalty bonus and 2 Amenities Amenities from Industrial Zones but a -2 Loyalty penalty from Plantations. The Loyalty aspect essentially exists only for thematic reasons and has little to no impact on gameplay; Loyalty issues are uncommon unless you're in a Dark Age or close to another civ. When you reach the Medieval Era and unlock the Industrial Zone, Loyalty issues should be a thing of the past anyway, so the extra Amenities Amenities (which existed only in the vanilla ruleset until the August 2023 Update) are what really matter. Effectively, when Abraham Lincoln builds an Industrial Zone, he is also building an Entertainment Complex of sorts. That brings extra yields and/or protection from war weariness for doing something you'll want to do anyway.

The second bonus is the free melee unit he receives after constructing Industrial Zones and their buildings, which doesn't require resources when created or to maintain and receives +5 Strength Combat Strength. This bonus seems comparable to the Byzantine Hippodrome, but comes with its own uniqueness that is worth considering:

  • The Industrial Zone is much more useful than the Entertainment Complex (and, as mentioned, Lincoln gets some of the benefits of the latter from building the former anyway), and every player and strategy can benefit from it.
  • The units Lincoln receives are melee units, which tend to have lower base Strength Combat Strength and maneuverability (Movement Movement and movement restrictions) than the free heavy cavalry units of the same era generated from Hippodromes. The sole exception to this rule is the Industrial Era matchup of the Line Infantry (65 Strength Combat Strength) and the Cuirassier (64 Strength Combat Strength), but heavy cavalry units tend to outperform melee units heavily after this point. In addition, heavy cavalry units are more expensive than melee units of the same era, so Byzantium will always have a better deal in terms of Production Production (coupled with their discounted districts) when it comes to free units.
    • Although Lincoln's units receive 5 Strength Combat Strength to bridge the power gap between melee and heavy cavalry units, that bonus is most effective through the Industrial Era, with every matchup after that being drastically in favor of heavy cavalry units even before taking maneuverability into account.
  • Just like Byzantine free units, Lincoln's free units require no resources to create or maintain, though you still have to pay Gold Gold upkeep as usual.
  • The one advantage Lincoln has over Byzantium is that there are more upgrades of melee units on the tech tree, so unlocking higher-tier melee units is easier than unlocking higher-tier heavy cavalry units. Therefore, keeping up in Science Science is a priority when playing as Lincoln if you want your melee units to remain meaningful in the Modern Era and beyond.

This simple bonus, when timed right, can turn America into a Medieval military machine in the same manner as the Gallic Oppidum rush, and has a big snowball effect. For this reason, Lincoln's America should conduct a rush to Apprenticeship, focusing early on Science Science and Production Production. If they keep their Culture Culture on pace, they can unlock Merchant Republic and add a 15% Production Production bonus when constructing those Industrial Zones. And thanks to Founding Fathers converting the Diplomatic policy slots to Wildcard policy slots, Merchant Republic's inability to slot as many Military policies won't hurt.

If Lincoln doesn't manage to take over the world in the Medieval Era, he has another opportunity to surge ahead after researching Industrialization, which unlocks both Factories and Coal Power Plants. An alternate strategy is to spend the Medieval and Renaissance Eras building Industrial Zones across your empire, nab Military Science, and then finish Factories and Power Plants in your cities, creating a wave of Line Infantry. Or you can rush Replaceable Parts and do the same thing with Infantry; normally you would need a technological diversion to get Oil Oil for these units, but not as Abraham Lincoln.

Film Studio[]

The Film Studio is a unique building that plays to one of America's greatest strengths. Any city that builds it doubles its Tourism Tourism output to civilizations that have reached the Modern Era, allowing the Americans to catapult toward a Culture Victory in the later stages of the game. With the Satellite Broadcasts policy card, a city with a Film Studio and some or all of the wonders that hold Great Work of Music Great Works of Music (the Bolshoi Theatre, Broadway, and the Sydney Opera House) can become a world-class tourist destination.

Whether you're playing the vanilla version of the game or the expansions (i.e., with or without World Eras), the Film Studio doubles your Tourism Tourism output only against civilizations that have discovered at least one Modern Era technology or civic. Therefore, this is a rare unique building that is pointless to rush, since its uniqueness is based on a condition that you don't have to satisfy. Overall, you are much better off entering the Modern Era from the bottom half of the tech tree rather than the top half - more specifically, you should enter the era with Steel. This will maximize your chances of getting the Eiffel Tower, which is an extremely powerful wonder in the hands of Teddy Roosevelt and will also boost Flight (the prerequisite for Radio) when constructed.

P-51 Mustang[]

As the only unique air unit, the P-51 Mustang allows the Americans to rest easy if a civilization with a strong air force tries to pick a fight with them. It receives a combat bonus against other air fighter units, on top of its superior Strength Combat Strength compared to the standard Fighter. It also earns XP 50% faster, allowing it to quickly earn Promotion Promotions that make it sturdier against anti-air units or more powerful against bomber units and land units. In addition, its superior flight range allows it to deploy farther away from cities, effectively extending the maximum Range Range of the unit from the standard 13 tiles to 15 tiles.

The P-51 Mustang, as an air unit, is vulnerable to Battleships and Anti-Air Guns. But thanks to its strength and XP bonuses, it can more easily stand up to enemy units, and even face Brazil's fearsome Minas Geraes if you have enough of them with the right Promotion Promotions.

Air fighter units, including the P-51 Mustang, cannot be deployed to tiles in the fog of war or in enemy territory even when the tile is within the deploy (Movement Movement) range of the unit.

Rough Rider[]

The Rough Rider is an excellent unit for Roosevelt's America to train en masse as soon as it becomes available. Its high Strength Combat Strength and mobility allow it to reach and deal with threats quickly, and the Culture Culture it generates by defeating invaders helps speed up America's civic development. Even when more advanced units become available, keeping a few Armies of Rough Riders on hand to repel attacks by hostile neighbors (or deal the finishing blow to weakened attackers) can be a cost-effective and culturally beneficial way to keep the peace on the continent.

With the bonuses from Roosevelt's leader ability, the Rough Riders are perfect for facing invasions, as they can receive up to 15 extra Strength Combat Strength if fighting on Hills on their home continent. This also means that you can finish conquering everyone else on your continent if you want to. However, you should try not to wipe them out completely, because having more opponents gives you more sources of visiting tourists to expedite your progress toward a Cultural Victory - instead, try to leave your neighbors with only one or two cities (preferably on a different continent from your Capital Capital), and make sure they're large enough to avoid succumbing to foreign Loyalty pressure if you're playing with the expansions.

Victory Types[]

America is, overall, most suited to a Cultural Victory. This is particularly true in vanilla, where sticking with Classical Republic throughout the early ages allows them to build up a substantial bonus to Great Person Great Person generation for the rest of the game and use their National Parks and Film Studios to overrun all other civilizations with their massive Tourism Tourism output. The Film Studio will help any leader in any version of the game, but Abraham Lincoln and Rough Rider Teddy do not gain the National Park bonuses.

In Gathering Storm, with the new ability of generating very early Diplomatic Favor Diplomatic Favor just by adopting Classical Republic or Autocracy (which are the two preferred Tier 1 governments of America anyway), a Diplomatic Victory is definitely within reach. Rough Rider Teddy is strongest at this path, due to his Envoy Envoy generation potential.

A Domination Victory is possible primarily using Abraham Lincoln, who can leverage cheap, enhanced melee units into a mighty rush that stays intimidating from the Medieval to the Industrial Eras. It is also a viable choice for Rough Rider Teddy, whose Strength Combat Strength bonus on his own continent can help him to conquer the civilizations there and whose eponymous Rough Rider units are situationally excellent, but these are usually not enough to make a Domination Victory as simple as other victory types; his military bonuses may be best used as a defensive shield in the peaceful pursuit of Cultural or Diplomatic Victory.

Abraham Lincoln can also pursue a Science Victory due to his incentive towards building up Production Production infrastructure, and this is typically the best backup to a Domination game anyway as you will want Science Science to unlock stronger units. Bull Moose Teddy is also suited to this path with the right surroundings.

America doesn't have any meaningful bonuses to Religious Victory under any leader, and even when Bull Moose Teddy can generate plenty of Faith Faith with the Earth Goddess pantheon he should be saving it for Naturalists.

Counter Strategy[]

Similar to France, the counter strategy against America heavily depends on which leader/persona you are playing against, since each version is significantly different in terms of approach and preferred Victory path. Standard Teddy is perhaps the most versatile, he can go for either a Domination or Cultural Victory and in Gathering Storm has Diplomatic Victory as a solid option too.

Rough Rider Teddy is best at pursuing a Diplomatic Victory with a backup in Domination, Bull Moose Teddy is best at spearheading a Cultural Victory with a Scientific backup given enough Science Science from high Appeal tiles, while Abraham Lincoln is strongest at Domination with a Scientific backup.

Standard Teddy Roosevelt[]

Teddy's Strength Combat Strength bonus on his home continent gives America an edge which helps them defend themselves until their late game bonuses kick in. The early game is still their weak point, but you'll need either technological superiority or a numbers advantage if you want to challenge Teddy on his home turf. Fortunately, you'll have plenty of time to prepare, since this is the only defensive bonus they have until the late Industrial Era.

However, if you spawn on the same continent as Teddy, you may not have as much time as you think, since 5 Strength Combat Strength can be significant enough for them to launch a surprise invasion if you are ill-prepared. You don't need to go overboard with an army if you don't plan on an offense, but pay close attention to Teddy's military strength to change your build orders accordingly.

Teddy's cultural power also comes from establishing a lot of National Parks. Since it is not always possible to deny him land, especially if you spawn on the other side of the map, try to deny him the Eiffel Tower, and to a lesser extent, the Golden Gate Bridge. If you are near Teddy, although it is dangerous to forward-settle close to him due to his Strength Combat Strength bonus, this tactic may be worthwhile in the long run since this is an investment into hampering America's late game prowess.

Rough Rider Teddy[]

Besides the bonus Strength Combat Strength on his home continent, Rough Rider Teddy receives doubled Envoy Envoys whenever he sends one to a city-state he has a Trade Route Trade Route to. This bonus is quite easy to counter, as the larger the Trade Route Trade Route network is, the harder it is to defend every single Trade Route Trade Route within the network. Plundering these Trade Route Trade Routes will set America back, since they will have to waste Production Production over and over again to train Traders, and it will also stop them from gaining a significant diplomatic foothold with the city-states. Also, since you will already be plundering these Trade Route Trade Routes, if it is convenient for you and you are not playing as a civilization that can generate quick Envoy Envoys to compete with Teddy, you can try to conquer the city-states near him. Without these close "buffer" city-states, there is no way for him to send Trade Route Trade Routes to ones farther away, since, remember, the maximum range for a land Trade Route Trade Route is only 15 tiles, and for a civilization without coastal bias or infrastructure to support a coastal empire, land Trade Route Trade Routes are most likely what they have to work with.

Bull Moose Teddy[]

The power of Bull Moose Teddy ranges anywhere from "non-existent" to "overwhelmingly powerful," and this unpredictability limits what you can possibly strategize against him. The key answer is, once again, to try to deny them land, which is not the most satisfying answer, since it cannot always be done easily, especially if you spawn far away from him. Before the introduction of the Preserve, there are limited number of ways that Appeal can be boosted in the early game, so if Teddy is given a bad piece of land, he is basically stuck with no early game bonus (since Bull Moose Teddy does not even have the Strength Combat Strength bonus). However, invading Bull Moose Teddy in the early game is very simple, since he has no defensive capability, and it takes quite a while for him to establish a technology and civic lead. Even if you don't like an aggressive playstyle, forward-settle him to box him in and limit his expansion. This is much easier to do, since this version of Teddy enjoys passive gameplay where he is left to his own devices and generates Culture Culture and Science Science from Breathtaking tiles. It is very simple to recognize the type of land that Bull Moose Teddy likes. Just turn on your Appeal lens and put down a city in an area where most tiles are Charming or Breathtaking. Even if you are a civilization who doesn't care about Appeal, high Appeal plots of land most likely have Natural Wonders, Mountains, rivers or Woods, which can be enjoyed by everyone.

Abraham Lincoln[]

As expected, playing America under Lincoln is almost the same as playing a vanilla civilization with no bonus for the first two eras. With the sole exception of their civilization ability, they don't have any exceptional ability to safeguard their early game, so your job is to play aggressively, especially when it comes to expansion. Lincoln's snowballing ability has a lot to do with how many Industrial Zones he can build at the beginning (i.e., how many cities he can settle). Also, he will most likely dedicate the first two eras to building up his infrastructure since he receives free units later - a weakness you can take advantage of by waging war on him. Even if you can't capture any cities, at least try to derail him from the usual buildup or force him to expend Production Production on a standing army.

Also, the main difference between a Byzantine push and a Lincoln push is that there is a gap between the unlock of the Hippodrome (the condition) and the Tagma (the prime unit for a push), while for Lincoln, both the Industrial Zone and the Man-At-Arms are unlocked simultaneously. Since there's no time for Lincoln to prepare for his army's arrival, his units will arrive at a rate dependent on the Production Production potential of the city instead of all at once. This means that Lincoln doesn't have the same surprise factor as Byzantium and needs more time to amass enough an invasion force, especially considering that the Industrial Zone is twice as expensive as the Hippodrome. If you're Lincoln's neighbor, the moment you see the first Industrial Zone, you should treat it as a warning and start preparing a defense, which is a luxury you often don't have when playing against Basil II.

One weakness common to both Lincoln and Basil II is their thirst for Gold Gold: free units are only free in terms of resources, but still require upkeep. While this isn't a great issue when the snowball starts rolling, it is a huge problem at the beginning. Sending a group of units to Lincoln's territory to plunder Trade Route Trade Routes and pillage Commercial Hubs, Harbors, and improvements can be helpful.

Also like Basil, Lincoln's ability makes for a predictable military composition, which you can respond to with the shape of your army. Specifically, avoid anti-cavalry units where possible - Lincoln's melee-heavy army will eat them up.

Civilopedia entry[]

In terms of civilization, the progress of America from a collection of squabbling colonies to a globe-spanning superpower has been meteoric. Product of waves of immigration, it is currently the world’s fourth largest country and third most populous, spanning the width of the North American continent from Atlantic to Pacific and site of some of humanity’s greatest cities. With the world’s largest GDP (gross domestic product), service sector, media industry, and military GFP (global firepower factor, not including nuclear weaponry), America could be considered the world’s first "hyperpower."

The United States of America can be dated to the founding of thirteen English colonies along the eastern seaboard on the North America continent, colonies composed of landless second sons of British gentry, get-rich-quick adventurers, convicts, debtors, religious zealots, political radicals, and some folks just looking for a better life. Other immigrants – African slaves, European indentured servants and the like – arrived not by choice but due to misfortune. Whatever the circumstance, this rowdy rabble laid the foundation for the “melting pot.”

These newcomers quickly put their superior firepower and technology to use against the indigenous population, launching two centuries of conflict and atrocity. By 1776, the native tribes east of the Mississippi were either obliterated, displaced or subjugated. And, due to the expanding western frontier and their role in the British victory in the French and Indian War in 1763, the “Americans” soon developed an unseemly sense of self-sufficiency and independence. In a few short generations from those initial settlements at Roanoke, Jamestown, Plymouth and other inhospitable places, these Americans dared to agitate against The Crown for treatment equal to that accorded citizens in the homeland.

Led by Virginia gentry and New England intellectuals, the colonists went from celebrating a victory with Britain over the French to engaging in armed conflict against Britain in just 12 years. If the British Parliament had only followed Ben Franklin’s satirical “Rules by Which a Great Empire May Be Reduced to a Small One” (1773), a succinct summation of colonial grievances, England may have given up the Americas as a troublesome investment a lot sooner. Like most family squabbles, the most important factor was money; the colonials chafed under what they considered to be unfair economic restrictions and taxes from Great Britain. Meanwhile, the British (along with a few die-hard loyalists) generally thought that the Americans were an ungrateful rabble who had no idea how much money the Crown was spending on their protection and progress.

By the late 1770s the American colonies were in open revolt, and on July 4, 1776, after intense debate and hand-wringing, their collective representatives declared independence – setting off the Revolutionary War. The fight raged from April 1775 through October 1781. It was the usual confused civil conflict, guerrilla warfare in the South and much marching to-and-fro in the North. The Continentals (as the rebellious colonists were known) were outgunned and outmanned by the highly-trained and battle-tested British Army, particularly since the vaunted British Navy had absolute control of the seas ... until the French and Spanish joined toward the end of the 1770s.

In late 1781 the Continental Army besieged General Cornwallis’s British force at Yorktown. With the French Navy off-shore the British were unable to escape, and Cornwallis surrendered to the American George Washington, hero of the Revolution. Two years later, a peace treaty was finally signed, giving the new republic all lands east of the Mississippi (save Florida which went to Spain), allowing American merchants the right to pursue their avarice across the globe through “free trade,” and formally recognizing the new nation.

With the unpleasantness over, the American “patriots” set about cobbling together a federal republic. The initial attempt, the “Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union,” ratified in 1781 proved stunningly ineffectual, for it granted the government no authority to tax its citizens, no ability to maintain a military force, and had no executive officer to oversee things. The leaders of the new United States Congress quickly noted these and other flaws; they soon convened a secret convention meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 to revise the Articles. Instead, after much pontificating and argument, the conventioneers drafted a new Constitution entire, one adopted by the states in 1789, giving the United States’ government its present shape – more or less. That same year Washington was elected the first president. In 1791 a Bill of Rights was added; since then 17 more amendments have been added and another six proposed to get it right.

With “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” now guaranteed for its citizens, the new nation set about its own happiness – rapid expansion. In 1803, Napoleon Bonaparte, no longer interested in some barbaric outpost on a distant continent, sold the French territory of Louisiana and beyond to the United States in the greatest property transfer in history. Having little knowledge of what he had paid the exorbitant sum of $11.25 million for, President Jefferson dispatched a couple of military officers to explore and report back on the new territory. As it turned out, the upstart country had nearly doubled in size. But it was by no means the end of American land grabs, and only by the end of 1853 had the United States assumed its current continental expanse.

With expansion came conflict, and 1861 saw the ultimate family feud: the Civil War. What followed was four-years of the bitterest type of conflict, leaving some 600,000 Americans dead and 400,000 wounded. The war resulted in the emancipation of enlsaved peoples, and, as a result, the virtual annihilation of the Southern economy (which was founded on that enslaved labor). Echoes of this division are still seen in American politics today.

No longer distracted, and driven by a sense of manifest destiny, hopes for a better life, and the usual hunt for adventure and wealth, homesteaders, prospectors, merchants, preachers and outlaws flooded the lands to the west. In a couple of generations, even remote reaches of America had a semblance of sophistication (after slaughtering the indigenous inhabitants), given the fortunes being made in minerals and livestock and timber, and sensibility, thanks to the God-fearing families settling this “Wild West.” All along the eastern and gulf seaboards, European immigrants – drawn by the “American Dream” – poured into the country. These were the people who died by the thousands to break the sod, build the railroads, mine the mountains, and end the lawlessness.

Despite distractions in distant lands, Americans at the beginning of the 20th Century were optimistic and gripped by a complacent belief in liberalism and progressivism – marked by political reform, scientific progress, urbanization, and imperialism. Meanwhile, authors and composers were crafting a new kind of American literature and music. But while American industrial, cultural, and economic power continued to grow, American military strength did not keep pace.

All this optimism and idealism came to a sudden halt in the first decades of the new century: America’s involvement in the First World War, the 1918-1919 Spanish influenza pandemic, the Stock Market crash and resulting “Great Depression,” the “moral decay” of the Roaring Twenties and the environmental disaster of the Dust Bowl. The good times were over. With the initiation of Prohibition (remember what they say about the best of intentions), the unholy union of Big Business and Big Politics was joined by “Big Crime” (and later, “Big Media”); not-so-organized crime became organized and the “families” that had only nibbled at the edges of the American economy now took large bites while gangsters such as Dillinger and Capone became media and folk heroes not seen since the days of the dime westerns.

The United States was only saved from all this by the outbreak of the “Good War.” On December 7, 1941 – after the conflict in Europe had raged for two years while the United States stayed ostensibly aloof – America was attacked by the Empire of Japan. Within days, Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy declared war on the United States and the Second World War was on. After learning from its mistakes, by late 1942 the country was on the offensive in all theaters and supplying the Allies with the tons of materials they needed to win the war. The war ended in 1945 when America dropped atomic bombs on two Japanese cities.

However, the newly minted superpower quickly found itself embroiled in a different kind of war. Initiated by the Soviets drawing an Iron Curtain across Eastern Europe, the Chinese Communist Revolution and the first successful Russian atomic bomb test, the “Free World” squared off against the “Evil Empire” (as the Soviet Union was labelled by U.S. President Reagan in 1983). The West and the East contended for the “hearts and minds” of Earth’s inhabitants. In every realm (including the space race and scientific progress) and place, the contestants spent vast sums and great efforts building ever more lethal weapons, subverting governments, creating armed alliances, conducting convoluted espionage, suppressing or assassinating political dissidents, engaging in proxy wars, and flooding each other’s airwaves with propaganda. Meanwhile, the citizens of all nations watched the skies for mushroom clouds to blossom. In 1989, the Curtain finally came down as the East European nations threw out the Soviets. By any reasonable calculation, the Cold War was a colossal, expensive blunder for everyone concerned.

The United States enjoyed a new era of peace and self-satisfaction ... for about a decade. On September 11, 2001, a group of terrorists traced to an organization named “al-Qaeda” flew commercial jetliners into the World Trade Towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, DC. The September assault took almost 3000 lives, mostly civilian, and caused an estimated $10 billion in damage. The ongoing “War on Terror” had begun.

In the midst of all this, America moved towards putting into practice the lofty ideals of freedom and equality it had espoused - if not always carried out - since its inception. Since the Second World War several social movements including movements for gender, sexual, and racial equality among others have altered the patterns of American life. Along with that came a vast projection of American soft (and often hard) power abroad. The United States charmed others with its media and culture where it could, and engineered revolutions and coups where it could not.

Cities[]

Citizens[]

Males Females Modern males Modern females
Absalom Abigail Benjamin Abby
Archibald Amber Dennis Alice
Ephraim Charity Forrest Dorothy
Isaiah Eleanor Frank Ginger
Jedidiah Grace Harlan Kelly
Jethro Patience Max Lana
Obadiah Penelope Paul Nancy
Phineas Sarah Ryan Pamela
Rufford Temperance Thomas Tracy
Thaddeus Virginia Wilbur Velma

Trivia[]

Soundtrack[]

Civilization Original Track Era Arranged by Length

Gallery[]

Videos[]

CIVILIZATION_VI_-_First_Look_America

CIVILIZATION VI - First Look America

First Look: America

Related achievements[]

100th Anniversary
100th Anniversary
As America make a National Park of Crater Lake and both tiles of Yosemite in one game.
2016, the year that Civilization VI was released, was the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, which manages national parks in the United States.
Let Teddy Win
Let Teddy Win
Win a regular game as Theodore Roosevelt
A reference to the Presidents Race, in which Teddy Roosevelt had a notorious losing streak, sparking the 'Let Teddy Win' campaign.
Pizza Party!
Pizza Party!
Activate Leonardo da Vinci in New York with Great Works from Michelangelo and Donatello -- and a sewer -- all in that city.
A reference to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, comic superheroes who enjoyed pizza in New York City's sewers and were named after the famous Renaissance Italian artists.
A Man A Plan A Canal Panama
A Man A Plan A Canal Panama
Build the Panama Canal as Teddy Roosevelt
A palindromic phrase used in homage to President Theodore Roosevelt, whose pet project the canal was.
Addressing Gettysburg
Addressing Gettysburg
Win a regular game as Abraham Lincoln.
A reference to the Gettysburg Address, a speech delivered by President Lincoln.

See also[]

Civilization VI Civilizations [edit]
AmericanArabianAustralian1AztecBabylonian1BrazilianByzantine1Canadian GS-OnlyChineseCree R&F-OnlyDutch R&F-OnlyEgyptianEnglishEthiopian1FrenchGallic1Georgian R&F-OnlyGermanGran Colombian1GreekHungarian GS-OnlyIncan GS-OnlyIndianIndonesian1JapaneseKhmer1KongoleseKorean R&F-OnlyMacedonian1Malian GS-OnlyMāori GS-OnlyMapuche R&F-OnlyMayan1Mongolian R&F-OnlyNorwegianNubian1Ottoman GS-OnlyPersian1Phoenician GS-OnlyPolish1Portuguese1RomanRussianScottish R&F-OnlyScythianSpanishSumerianSwedish GS-OnlyVietnamese1Zulu R&F-Only
1 Requires DLC
R&F-Only Added in the Rise and Fall expansion pack.
GS-Only Added in the Gathering Storm expansion pack.
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