American History 英美概况美国历史

American History

➢I. America in the colonial era

➢II. The War of Independence

➢III. The Civil War

➢IV. America during the two World Wars

I. America in the colonial era

➢Who were the very first Americans?

➢Who was the first one discovering the new continent?

➢After whom was the new continent named?

I. America in the colonial era

➢1.The very first Americans were Indians.

●They created their civilization, known as Maya civilization, dominating Mexico and Central America from 4th to the 10th centuries.

●They were the descendants of the Mongoloid (蒙古人种的) people in Asia.

●About 20,000 years ago, they traveled to the North American continent across the Bering Strait (白令海峡).

➢2. Christopher Columbus is believed to have discovered America.

●In 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered America. However, he believed he had reached India and called the natives Indians.

➢In 1500, Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian navigator, also under the Spanish flag, drew the conclusion that what he found was a new continent.

3. The establishment of colonies

➢Since the America was found, the Spanish established many colonies: Florida, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

➢In 1588, the Spanish Armada was defeated by the English navy，which put England in a better position to provide support for its New World colonies.

3. The establishment of colonies

➢Between 1607 and 1733 the British established 13 colonies along the east coast of North America.

➢These 13 colonies were established in different patterns:

●crown colonies ( 直辖殖民地),

●proprietary colonies ( 业主殖民地),

●charter colonies ( 特许公司殖民地),

●self-governing or compact colonies ( 自治殖民地或契约殖民地).

➢1) The first successful English colony in North America was founded at Jamestown, Virginia , in 1607.

➢2) In 1620, a group of Pilgrims sailed to the New World in a ship called Mayflower. They arrived at Plymouth, and built the New Plymouth colony in New England. These Pilgrims drew up the epoch-making Mayflower Compact (五月花契约), which was signed by all adult males on the ship.

3. The establishment of colonies

➢3) From 1630 to 1643, some 200 ships transported over 20,000 Englishmen to the Massachusetts Bay colony. ➢Plymouth remained a separate colony until 1691 when it was combined with Massachusetts Bay colony. Puritans

➢People who criticized or wished to "purify" the Church of England.

➢"Puritan" refers to two distinct groups:

➢"separating" Puritans, radical Protestants, such as the Plymouth colonists, the pilgrims, who believed that the Church of England was corrupt and that true Christians must separate themselves from it; and

➢“non-separating” Puritans, such as the colonists who settled the Massachusetts Bay Colony, who believed in