英美概况 美国篇

一、概况

1.50 States

Its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Caribbean and Pacific.

2.Races and Population

在东部时间2006年10月17日早晨7点46分，美国人口总数突破三亿大关，这是美国人口史上具有里程碑意义的一刻。3.06188亿（2009年，世界国家和地区第3名，次于中国、印度）

3.The Composition of American Population

1)The Majority:the descendants of immigrants from European countries, such

as France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, and Spain;“Pilgrim Fathers”;Potato

famine

2)The Minorities:The African Americans: black slaves from Africa;Indians: the

number of native Americans has been falling, no more than a million;The

Hispanics: immigrants or descendents of immigrants from Latin America,

such as Cuba and Mexico (Mexicans are the most numerous among

them);Asian-Americans, from China, Japan and Korea;More than a million

Chinese-Americans, most of whom live in Hawaii, on the West Coast and in

some big cities;5 million Jews in America, many of whom went there during

the Second World War and achieved great success in America.

3)“The Melting Pot”:It means immigrants from different nations all over the

world have mixed to make up the American nation.“old immigrants”: came

to America before 1860;“new immigrants”, after 1860.The Immigration

Quota Law was passed by the American government in 1924.

二、Early History

1.Columbus：1492 Christopher Columbus arrived at Salvador Island, thus

discovered the “New World”.(Amerigo V espucci: named “America”)

2.The first English permanent settlement:1607 The first group of English colonies

came to America and built their settlement of Charleston which later was expanded into the first English colony known as Virginia.

3.Pilgrim Fathers:1620 Some English immigrants (Puritans) sailed into Plymouth

on a ship called the “Mayflower”.102 Puritans, 60 days.Mayflower Compact, “one man one vote”, “one-man rule”

4.The values of Puritans:hard work; commercial success; the importance of

education

5.Thanksgiving:1621 Thanksgiving Day was first celebrated by the pilgrims of the

Plymouth Colony.

三、American Revolutionary

1.The 13 English colonies in America

1)The New England Colonies: Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode

Island, and Connecticut.

2)The Middle Colonies: New Y ork, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland

3)The Southern Colonies: Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia 2.“Common Sense”

Thomas Paine: “Common Sense” .The pamphlet demanded complete independence from Great Britain and the establishment of a strong federal union.Within a few months reached a total of 120,000 copies.

3.The founding fathers of US

1)George Washington

“Father of the Country”.First, he was the commander of the Continental

Army that won American independence in the Revolutionary War.Second, he

served as president of the convention that wrote the United States

Constitution.Third, he was elected the first President of the United States.In

the European war, he declared that the United States would remain neutral.

2)John Adams(A federalist)

The Alien and Sedition Acts:made it a crime for anyone to publish “false,

scandalous, and malicious writing” about the government and its officials,

and gave the president to deport any foreigners considered dangerous to the

nation’s peace and safety.The real purpose: to silence the

Democratic-Republican and check their growing power.The Acts made the

Federalists very unpopular, who were defeated in the election of 1800 and

disappeared from political scene some 15 years later.

3)Benjamin Franklin

The most famous American of the 18th century and one of the most famous

and influential Americans who have ever lived.A greatest statesman, scientist, philosopher, diplomat.His services as a diplomat in France helped greatly in

winning the Revolutionary War.Franklin was the only person who signed all

the four of the most important documents in American history:The

Declaration of Independence;The Treaty of Alliance with France;The Treaty

of Peace with Great Britain;The Constitution of the United States.

4)Hamilton

Hamilton’s contribution:Established a governmental-supported national

bank;Created a new series of gold, silver, and copper coins;Raised money by

a tax on the manufacture of whiskey.

5)Jefferson

Jeffersonian Presidency:The first Democratic-Republican President,“a born

popular leader”.His inauguration marked the beginning of the peaceful

political transition from one political party to another in America.

Jeffersonian Democracy:Jefferson advocated a nation of small farmers.The

national government should be weak and be an advocate of individual

rights.A truly democratic statesmanHe favored: “absolute acquiescence in

the decisions of the majority” ;He opposed:“every f orm of tyranny over the

mind of man.

6)John Quincy Adams

the Monroe Doctrine's chief author;the sixth President of the United

States;the son of John Adams and Abigail Adams.As a diplomat, Adams was

involved in many international negotiations, and helped formulate the

Monroe Doctrine as Secretary of State. Historians agree he was one of the

greatest diplomats in American history. Encouraged industry.

7)“Virginia Dynasty”(Virginians, Democratic-Republicans)

Thomas Jefferson

James Madison: “the Father of Constitution”.

James Monroe (1817- 1825)

“The Era of Good Feeling”: its relative peace, unity, and optimism about the

future; nationalism.

The Monroe Doctrine:“America for Americans”;“the manifestation of an

unfriendly disposition toward the United States”.

James Monroe first stated the doctrine during his seventh annual State of the

Union Address to Congress. It stated that further efforts by European

countries to colonize land or interfere with states in the Americas would be

viewed by the United States of America as acts of aggression requiring US

intervention.

The Influences of Monroe Doctrine:It became a defining moment in the

foreign policy of the United States and one of its longest-standing tenets,

invoked by U.S. presidents, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, John F.

Kennedy, and others.

4.Independence War

1)The Causes of the War:The sharpening contradictions between Britain and

the colonies;The Unity of the colonies.

2)Before the Independence War:

1630 Boston was founded by a group of Puritans.

1636 Harvard was founded.

1682 Philadelphia was founded.

1701 Detroit was founded by French.Y ale was founded.

1733 Georgia, the last of thirteen English colonies, was founded.Spanish,

French, Dutch and English colonists,only the English established permanent

agricultural colonies(Religious reason;Economic reason).

1765 The Stamp Act was passed.

1766 The Stamp Act was repealed.

1770 The Boston Massacre took place.

1773 There appeared the event of the Boston Tea Party.

1774 The first Continental Congress was held.

3)Progress of the War(Time: 1775-1783):

1775 Minute Men of Lexington and Concord counterattacked the invading

English troops, marking the preclude of Independence War on April.The

second continental congress was called in May.The Battle of Bunker Hill

took place on June 17th(The bloodiest battle of the entire war;During the

second Continental Congress;More than 1000 British soldiers and about 400

Americans were killed or wounded).The delegates decided to resist, by force

if necessary; they asked King George III to prevent further hostile action by

Great Britain, to restore the peaceful relation.

1776 The Declaration of Independence was signed and issued.The Battle of

Trenton took place.

1777 The Battle of Saratoga took place, which marked the turning point of

the war.It stopped the British invasion from Canada, and saved the New

England colonies.It helped convince France that it could safely enter the war

on the American sideAfter the Americans’ victory at Saratoga, France agreed

to enter into an open alliance with the United States.Americans benefited

from the direct assistance of a number of foreign volunteers like the Marquis

de Lafayette.

1778 The Battle of Monmouth took place on June 28th, which was the last

large battle in the North.

1781 General Cornwallis and his 7000 men surrendered at Y orktown on Oct.

19th, which was the real end of the war.

1783 Paris Peace Treaty was signed between America and England on Sep.

3rd.The last of the British left America.

The War in the South：Victory at Y orktown in 1781: ended fighting in the

Revolution and virtually assured success to the American cause.

4)The Articles of Confederation《邦联条例》

Adopted by Congress in 1777, and taken into effect in 1781.The Articles

served as the new nation’s const itution until the first government under the

Constitution of the United States was formed in 1789.The Articles attempted

to balance the need for an effective national government with the traditional

independence of each state.

5)The Treaty of Paris

1782 Parliament voted to end hostilities and begin peace talks.1783 The

Americans and the British signed the Treaty of Paris, officially ending the

Revolutionary War.Britain recognized the independence of its former

colonies and accepted the new nation’s borders.

6)Postwar Problems

Not a truly unified country.According to the Article of the Confederation, the

first thirteen states were determined to have a weak national government.

The federal government

Unable to pay the high national debt

Lacked the means for raising money to provide for national defense

Had no power to regulate the nation’s trade

Revising the Article of the Confederation became an urgent issue.

5.Constitutional Convention 1787

1787 The Constitutional Convention was called.12 States, except for Rhode Island,

55 delegates, Philadelphia’s Independence Hall.Washington, was chosen as

chairman.Benjamin Franklin helped ease some of the difficulties among the other delegates.

1)Debates in Constitutional Convention

Northern states:Strengthen the power of the federal government;Favored

protective tariffs and free labor.

Southern states:Protect the rights of states and demand a weak central

government;Preferred low tariffs and slavery

2)Controversy Over Representatives

Small states:demanded equal representation with large states

Large states:argued for proportional representation reflecting the population

of each state

3)Compromise

House of Representatives:in proportion to the population of the states

Senate:two representatives each from both the large and the small states

4)The new Constitution was born on September 17, 1787, after 16 weeks of

deliberation.

Basic Ideas of the Constitution:

Separation of powers

Checks-and-balances

Federalism

The Bill of Rights

To restrict the central government and assure individual rights, 10

Amendments were added to the document and became law in 1791.

These ten amendments guaranteed individual freedom of speech, religion, the

press, the right to trial by jury, the right to bear arms, the right to security

from unreasonable searches and seizures and the right to avoid

self-determination

四、American Politics

1. The election of American president

The President is elected by an Electoral College.In 1789, the Electoral College unanimously chose George Washington to be the first American president.

2. The First Political Parties

A political division: appeared between those who favored a strong federal

government and those who opposed it.

Federalist Party: Hamilton and his followers, chiefly Northerners

Democratic-Republican Party: Jefferson and his followers, chiefly Southerners 3. Federalists vs Anti-Federalists

Federalist Party:favored a strong federal government and the interests of commerce and manufacturing over agriculture, and the new government on a sound financial basis.The Federalist Party generally backed Britain in The conflicts between France and Britain.

Democratic-Republican Party:A weak central government;Sided with France; The present-day Democratic Party

4. The principles of government

The government derives its power from the consent of the governed.

The power of government must be limited by a fundamental law, the Constitution.

The government should be granted adequate power for achieving its appropriate purpose.

5. Federalism

Federalism in the United States is the evolving relationship between state governments and the federal government of the United States.

The federal government and the state governments are equal before the U.S.

Constitution.

Hamilton vs Jefferson

In 1790, the Federalist political party, lead by Alexander Hamilton, believed in a strong federal government, which is where the name came from.

The Democratic-Republicans, or the Republican political party today, lead by Thomas Jefferson, believed in a weak federal government

6. The power of federal government

The federal government is granted the power to deal with problems which no single state could deal with effectively.

To coin money

To tax imports

To raise an army for national defence

To manage foreign affairs

To take care of the general welfare of the American people

To deal with the problems concerning more than two states

7. Check-and-balance system

To prevent one branch from becoming supreme, and to induce the branches to cooperate, governance systems that employ a separation of powers need a way to balance each of the branches.

8. United States: Government Structure

1)Constitution:three branches of American government and the functions of

them

Executive Branch——President:Cabinet of Advisors;Heads of Major Government Agencies

The Executive（The federal government refers to the branches as "branches of government", while some systems use "government" to describe the executive.）

The President（The President is both the head of state and government, as well as the military commander-in-chief and chief diplomat. The President, according to the Constitution, must "take care that the laws be faithfully executed," and "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution."）

The Vice President（Under the Constitution, the Vice President is President of the Senate.）

The Secretary of State（The Secretary of State is the Chief Executive Officer

of the United States Department of State, the most senior of all federal executive departments.The Secretary serves as the President's chief adviser on U.S. foreign policy.）

Legislative Branch——Congress:House of Representatives;Senate

Judicial Branch——Supreme Court:9members

2)State Governments:The United States was originally made up of 13

English-American colonies.All the 50 states, which each represented by a star on the national flag, are “united”under the Constitution.

The task of the state government

To look after the well-being of the residents and protect their natural rights.

State assembly

Governor

Its own system of law courts

3)Local governments:American local governments are not controlled by the

federal government, but by the state government.

五、Expansion and Progress

1. The Louisiana Purchase(One of Jefferson’s greatest achievements)

Background:

French control of Louisiana as a danger to the United States

For the benefit of American agriculture and commerce by developing the Louisiana Territory

The action doubled the size of the United States.

2. Lewis and Clark Expedition

Time: 1804

Target: the northern part of the Louisiana Purchase

Achievement:

provided valuable information about the Indians, flora and fauna, the geography in the Western territory;

gave the United States claim to the land to the Pacific Ocean.

3. The Unsuccessful Embargo

During Jefferson’s second term, problems from the war between Great Britain and France arose.Congress passed the Embargo Act of 1807, which made it illegal for American goods to be exported to foreign countries.The embargo failed to bring about any change in British or French policy and became a disaster for the American economy.On the other side, it aroused indignation among Americans.

4. The War of 1812(“Second War for Independence” )

The British which had a strong navy continued to interfere with U.S. ships, force American seamen into British service, and violate the nation’s n eutral rights and coastal waters.In 1812 President Madison asked congress to declare war against Britain.

the Treaty of Ghent:The war continued indecisively for nearly three years.Both sides agreed to the Treaty of Ghent (《根特和平条约》) on December 24, 1814, which brought peace and established a commission to settle boundary disputes.

The Effects of the War of 1812

Neither side won the War of 1812, but the war did have important effects on the United States:

it increased national patriotism and helped to unite the United States into one nation;

it practically ended Indian resistance in the Northwest and encouraged rapid settlement of the region.

5. The Westward Movement

1)Two frontiers

The west of early United States, the region between the Appalachian Mountains and Mississippi River. (Texas)

The Great West (Far West), stretching from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean, can be subdivided into two sections: the territory between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains and the region between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific coast.(California)

2)Pioneers

Daniel Boone:the most famous pioneer

Wilderness Road: became a main route to the West for thousands of settlers

Pioneers included Easterners from both the North and South, and Europe.For seeking a better life, or in search of religious freedom

3)Indians(“Trail of Tears”)

As white people moved westward, native Americans east of the Mississippi River suffered a great deal.

4)The Age of Jackson

Andrew Jackson was a dominant figure of the early 19th century.He won fame as an Indian fighter and as a hero in the War of 1812.He was born into a poor family who lived in a log cabin.He gained support from Western farmers, frontiersmen, city laborers and craftmen.

“Jacksonian Democracy”

This term is used to describe the reforms and reform movements of the period from 1828 to 1850.He carried out the policy of equal political power for all, so by the end of the era, the United States was a more democratic nation than it had been before.

The Rise of “Common man”

President Jackson promised to end the “monopoly” of government by the rich and to protect the interests of the “common man”.In order to protect the interests of the “common man”, Jackson launched a major crusade against the Second National Bank of the United States.

The Rise of Middle Class

In Jacksonian era, the majority of common men found opportunities in the relatively fluid society to achieve material success, as in those that preceded and followed it, established “middle class”respectability.

The Start of Spoil System

When Jackson became President, many wealthy Easterners held federal

government offices. Jackson dismissed many of these people from office, replacing them with his supporters.The spoil system is a practice where a political party, after winning an election, gives government jobs to its voters as

a reward for working toward victory, and as an incentive to keep working for

the party—as opposed to a system of awarding offices on the basis of some measure of merit independent of political activity.

Two New Parties :Two new parties took form during the age of Jackson.

Democratic Party: under the leadership of Jackson

National Republicans(the Whigs): those who supported John Qunicy Adams

Indian removal

The most controversial aspect of Jackson's presidency was his policy regarding American Indians, which involved the ethnic cleansing of several Indian tribes.Many tribes and portions of tribes had been removed to Arkansas Territory and further west of the Mississippi River without the suffering and tragedies of what later became known as the Trail of Tears.

六、The American Civil War

1.The North vs the South(Two-party system :Republican Party and Democratic

Party)

The political conflict between the North and the South

Republican Party Founded in northern states in 1854 by anti-slavery activists, modernizers, ex-Whigs and ex-Free Soilers, the Republican Party quickly became the principal opposition to the dominant Democratic Party.It first came to power in 1860 with the election of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency; it presided over the American Civil War and Reconstruction.

The North had more people, more raw materials for producing war supplies, and

a better railway system.

The South had more experienced military leaders and better knowledge of the battlefields because most of the war was fought in the South.

2.Major Events About the Civil War

1852 The novel entitled “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”was published.

1854 The Republican Party was founded.Douglas Bill was introduced.

1859 John Brown led the slaves’treason.

1860 Abraham Lincoln was elected president.(Abraham Lincoln:As one of the greatest man in world history, and the most respected presidents in American history.Lincoln helped keep the American Union together during the Civil War and abolished slavery in the United States.A perfect example of a self-made man: how an honest and hardworking man in America can rise from humble origin to the nation’s highest office.)

1861 The south Confederate Government was set up and the Civil War broke out.

1862 The Homestead Bill was issued in May.(Homestead Bill《宅地法》:The Homestead Act was one of several United States federal laws that gave an applicant freehold title to up to 160 acres (1/4 section, 65 hectares) of

undeveloped federal land outside the original 13 colonies. The original Homestead Act was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862.)

The Emancipation Proclamation was issued up on Sep. 22nd.(The Emancipation Proclamation consists of two executive orders issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War. The first one, issued September 22, 1862, declared the freedom of all slaves in any state of the Confederate States of America that did not return to Union control by January 1, 1863. The second order, issued January 1, 1863, named ten specific states where it would apply.) 1863 The Battle of Gettysburg took place and it was the turning point of the Civil War.(Gettysburg Address:The speech by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and is one of the best-known speeches in United States history. It was delivered by Lincoln during the American Civil War, on the afternoon of Thursday, November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.)

1865 The South surrendered and the Civil War ended.President Lincoln was assassinated.(On the evening of April 14, 1865, Lincoln attended a performance at Ford’s Theater in Washington. A Southern actor named John Wilkes Booth shot the President in the head from the rear of the presidential box.)

3.Negative Effects of the Civil War

1)The four years of bloody fighting between the North and South had

staggering effects on the nation.

2)About 360,000 Union troops and perhaps 260,000 Confederate troops died;

no other war in American history has taken so many American lives.

3)It caused enormous property damage, especially in the South where many

Southern cities, towns, plantations, factories and railroads lay in ruin.

4.人物

1)John Brown:an American abolitionist, who advocated and practiced armed

insurrection as a means to end all slavery. He led the Pottawatomie Massacre

in 1856 in Bleeding Kansas and made his name in the unsuccessful raid at

Harpers Ferry in 1859.Brown has been called "the most controversial of all

19th-century Americans." Brown's actions are often referred to as "patriotic

treason", depicting both sides of the argument

2)General Robert Edward Lee:among the most celebrated generals in

American history He is best known for commanding the Confederate Army

of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War.

3)General Ulysses Grant:the 18th President of the United States (1869–77) as

well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war

Reconstruction periods. Under the command of Grant, the Union Army

4)Andrew Johnson:President Lincoln had announced his plan that was mild and

generous to the South.When Johnson succeeded Lincoln and became

President, he tried to carry out Lincoln’s policy, but the radicals in Congress

rejected his Reconstruction programs.The House of Representatives

impeached Johnson, but the Senate was one vote short of the two-thirds

majority required to remove him from office.

5.Reconstruction(1865-1877)

The period in the United States history that followed the Civil WarThe process through which the South returned to the Union after their defeat.A time of bitter political quarrels and disappointed hopes

1)Economic and Political Reconstruction

Reconstruction failed to solve the economic problem of either the blacks or

the South as a whole.

Politically, Reconstruction made most Southerner whites firm supporters of

the Democratic Party.

No Racial Harmony:Reconstruction failed to bring racial harmony to the

South.White Southerners remained loyal to their old social order and

believed whites were superior to blacks, refused to share important political

power with blacks.

2)Ku Klux Klan (KKK)

Three distinct past and present right-wing US organizations. The current

manifestation is splintered into several chapters and is widely considered a

hate group. The first KKK flourished in the South in the 1860s, then died out

by the early 1870s. The second KKK flourished nationwide in the early and

mid 1920s, and adopted the costumes and paraphernalia of the first Klan. The

third Klan emerged after World War II. Their iconic white costumes

consisted of robes, masks, and conical hats.

3)“the Negro question”

As the North gradually lost interest in Reconstruction and “the Negro

question”, Southern whites regained control of their state governments and

took away many of the rights that blacks had won during Reconstruction.By

the early 20th century, every Southern state had passed laws limiting voting

rights. Such laws effectively prevented most blacks from voting.

4)Confederate States into Union

Congress insisted that the Confederate States agree to follow all federal laws

before being readmitted to the Union.Between 1860 and 1870, all the

Confederate States eventually met various requirements and all returned to

the Union by 1870.

5)Constitutional Amendments

The 13th Amendment (1865) to the Constitution outlawed slavery throughout

the United States.

The 14th Amendment (1868) confirmed the citizenship of blacks.

The 15th Amendment (1870) made it illegal to deny the right to vote on the

basis of race.

6)Public schools

Significant achievement of the Reconstruction government was the

establishment of the first public school systems in the most states of the

South.African Americans and white Republicans joined to build education at

the state level.But most schools attracted white students by educating blacks

and whites seperately.

七、America In the Twentieth Century

1.World War Ⅰ

WWⅠbegan in 1914. The two sides were called the Allies and the Central Powers.Soon after the war began, Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States, declared that his country would be neutral.

U.S In WWI

On April 6, 1917, the United States declared war in Germany.The first American troops, in small numbers, went into action in the autumn of 1917 on the western front.On September 26, 1918 the Allied forces launched the last great offensive of WWⅠ.In January 1919, representatives of the victorious powers gathered in Paris to draw up the peace settlement. The meeting was called the Paris Peace Conference.

2.Great Depression

The period of high unemployment and low business activity during the 1930s ,began in October 1929, when stock prices in the United States began to fall sharply.

3.New Deal

From March 9 to June 16, 1933, Congress passed a series of important laws to provide relief for victims of the depression, to help economic recovery, to reform financial, business, agricultural, and industrial practices.

The Influences of New Deal

1)The New Deal relieved much economic hardship and gave Americans faith in

the democratic system at a time when the other nations hit by the depression

turned to dictators.

2)The adoption of new political philosophy, liberalism, to which many

Americans remained attached for decades to come.

3)The New Deal elevated the social status of minority groups.

4)Roosevelt’s government began to hire more blacks, Catholics, and American

of other ethnic and religious backgrounds.

5)The New Deal caused major political changes. The Democratic Party,

generally a minority party since the Civil War, became the largest political

party.

6)The New Deal created a welfare state, in which the government had a duty to

provide economic security for the people and the economic growth of the

nation.

4.U.S In World War Ⅱ

After World War Ⅱbegan in Europe in 1939, the United States had remained neutral. Y et most Americans hoped for an Allied victory.President Roosevelt persuaded Congress to provide the nations fighting the Axis powers with ships, tanks, planes, and other war materials.

1941-1945

On December 7, 1941, Japanese planes attacked without warning United States

military bases at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

The United States, Canada, and Great Britain declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941.

On June 6, 1944 (known as D-Day), about 2,700 ships carried 176,000 Allied troops crossed the English Channel. They landed on the coast of Normandy in northern France.

On August 6, 1945, an American bomber dropped the first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion killed 70,000 people. 3 days later the United States dropped another atomic bomb on Nagasaki. It killed about 40,000 people.

5.Cold War

The Cold War period lasted from the mid-1940s until the end of the 1980s;the containment of Communism became the major goal of U.S. foreign policy. The new American policy became known as the Truman Doctrine.Aimed at Soviet expansion in Europe, the Truman Doctrine developed into the Containment Policy.

6.Black Civil Rights Movement

In the early 1960s, the black civil rights movement became the main domestic issue in the nation.Martin Luther King, Jr., an African-American Baptist minister, was the main leader of the civil rights movement.

Achievements of Civil Rights Movement

1)The movement won a major victory in 1964, when Congress passed the civil

rights bill that Kennedy and his successor, President Lyndon B. Johnson, had

proposed.

2)The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the strongest civil rights bill in the U.S.

3)Within a few months, Congress approved the V oting Rights Act of 1965. This

Act outlawed literacy tests in many Southern states.

八、American Education

1. Education in American Value

Education is indispensable to democracy and social progress

During the colonial time: the first college in America, Harvard Colle ge, was set up in Massachusetts in 1636.

Function of early schools: spread knowledge; train clergymen

2. Distinctions between America and Britain

American education attaches more importance to democracy than the British.

The proportion of private schools in America is far smaller than that in Britain, although America has more rich people than Britain.

3. The Features of American Education

American education emphasizes cultivating a student’s mind rather than requiring him to memorize mere facts.

Students are encouraged to learn by doing, by expressing themselves and by discussing.

Another feature of American education is that it pays much attention to

cultivating the spirit of self-reliance.

4. Education system

1)Public Education

Primary and secondary education was open to all American children free of

charge.Most schools in America are run on tax money levied by government

or the local community.The federal government does not provide a national

education system.

Elementary Education

Elementary/ primary education begins at the age of five or six, ending at the

age of 11 or 12.Curriculum mainly consists of the “basics”, such as reading,

writing, and arithmetic or mathematics.

The purpose: making children happy and interested instead of giving rigid

instructions.

Secondary Education

Secondary education: senior high schools; junior high school.“prep” schools:

expensive, private boarding schools provide the best of the elementary and

high schools.Schools run by the church

2) 4 kinds high schools

Comprehensive: give both academic and vocational education

Academic: pay more attention to academic study and aim at preparing

students for higher education

V ocational and technical high schools: teach the skills of a variety of

occupations

3)Higher education

Admission to Higher Education :Determined by each college or university;

no national standard.

General standards:

Successful completion of high school

High school grade point average (GPA)

Class rank

Results from standardized tests such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test (S AT)

State universities: The University of California (LA, Berkeley)

Ivy League schools: high tuition fees ($30,000 one academic year), high

scores, high prestige, world-class professors, and extremely fine equipment

Liberal arts colleges: a primary emphasis on undergraduate study in the

liberal arts

“Seven Sisters”

Undergraduate Curriculum

Three parts: the general education, the major, and the supporting courses.The

general education applies to all students regardless of their field of

specialization in their first year and second year.In the third year ad fourth

year, undergraduates specialize in major subjects.

Bachelor’s Degree

A bachelor’s degree requires about 36 courses. A student is given credits for

every course he has successfully completed.When his credits amount to the

required number, he is awarded the bachelor’s degree.

Review

Trust

The “Big Stick”policy

Thomas Edison

NA TO

Nixon’s visit to China

John F. Kennedy

Social movements in 1960s

Social class

Big Apple