Chapter 7 The United States and Cuba have similar histories when it comes to how the areas were controlled in their early phases. In both countries European settlers came and inhabited the land and brought over slaves from Africa to work on large plantations. Over time, the two countries started coming more unique from one another, this can be seen very clearly in the past century as the two countries took very different political stands. These differentiating views on politics made the countries develop very unlike one another as Cuba became very isolated and the United States has become a ?Melting Pot? of different religions, cultures, and races.