The History of the USA. Учебное пособие для студентов исторического факультета

3. Translate the text in written form.

AMERICAN REVOLUTION (1775 – 1783).

1775 Preparing to Rebel: After the Boston Tea Party, King George III wanted to make life difficult enough for the colonists that they would behave good - instead he made them angry enough to fight back. He sent his soldiers, called Redcoats because of their red coats, to the colonies. The colonies created an official army of Patriots and named General George Washington its Commander-in-Chief. The American Revolutionary War had begun.

1776 Declaration of Independence. Young Thomas Jefferson, then 33 years old, and Benjamin Franklin were appointed to write a document telling King George and the other European countries why America wanted independence from England. The document gave the principles of a democratic government:

*All men are created equal.

*They have the right to life.

*They have the right to liberty.

*They have the right to search for happiness.

*People create governments to protect their rights, therefore

governments should be the servants of the people.

1781 The Fighting Ends: After six long years of war in America with the Colonists and their ally, the French, the British surrendered. The British, though greater in numbers, had trouble with the sly fighting style of the Americans: The British fought from formations, usually two long rows of Redcoats, each row would take turns firing while they marched ahead BUT the Patriots would shoot from behind trees, rocks, walls.

1783 The Peace of Paris: Diplomats from England and America met in Paris to sign a peace treaty, officially ending the war. The Americans had the difficult task of forming a new government elected by the people.

21

4. Guess the word:

a)people got angry instead of behaving good.

b)the official document, well known all over the world.

c)the European Country helped Americans to fight.

d)the most unusual point of the Declaration of Independence.

5.Choose the most important sentence from each part of the text and prepare a short summary.

6.Test Yourself.

1.Who was the King of England during the Revolution?

2.What were the British soldiers called?

3.Who was the commander for the American army?

4.What document did the Americans write?

5.What were the five main ideas of that document?

7. Translate the Text with the help of a dictionary.

MAKING OF THE CONSTITUTION (1787-1791)

James Madison was the architect of the Constitution. He aimed to transform the confederation of 13 independent states into a unified republic. The Constitution was ratified in 1788. Washington's Vise President was Adam Smith - an experienced diplomat, a Scottish philosopher and the first great modem economist. Today Adam Smith's ideas go by the name of capitalism. This economic system has 2 main features:

1.Most businesses are privately owned and operated.

2.Competition and the free market determine prices and production.

22

George Washington knew little about finance and depended completely on his Treasury Secretary, Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton believed in a strong central government which encouraged business and industry.

8. Read the Text and fill the gaps with the most appropriate words and

combinations.

parties; Declaration of Independence; resistance; war; foreign and domestic problems; Vice President;

TESTING THE REPUBLIC (1789-1815)

The 2-d President of the USA was John Adams, federalist. His _____ was Thomas Jefferson. During this period Americans differed on how to handle both

_____ . Sharp political disagreement gave rise to two political _____. Jefferson's followers were called Republicans (no relations to the modem Republican Party). Hamilton's followers were known as Federalists. During the Adams Administration the country was divided over many issues. President Adams relations with France led to bitter controversy and restrictions of Civil liberties and the Republican Party came into power. Thomas Jefferson became the 3-d President of the United States of America (1801-1809). He was a Democratic - Republican Lawyer, the author of the ______, the governor of Virginia, the Secretary of State and Vice President under Adams. Thomas Jefferson and his followers believed in progress as the exercise of reason and the exercise of reason as a mean to solve the problems of society and the state. They favoured a system of universal education that would introduce all Americans to the scientific rationalism of the Enlightenment. They favoured western and southern interests. Tension led to the _____ between the United States and Britain in 1812. The 2 sides were fighting because of British violation of American sea rights and British aid to American Indians in the West. The war broke down Indian _____ in the Northwest territory and led to the demise of the Federalist Party.

23

9. Four sentences have been removed. Match each gap (1 - 4) with the

sentence (A – E).

A It gave a chance to build railroads and to link the nation together.

B The great merchant capitalists became the most famous people.

C Many towns and cities were born.

E Cotton planting led to heavy westward migration and a stronger slave system.

THE EXPANDING NATION (1815-1860)

During that period the population of the USA was growing more rapidly then of the British Isles or Europe. 1. _____________The people needed more and more land to make their settlements. The Americans wanted to make the United States one of the largest countries in the world. They began to expand their territory in the West and the South-West (Oregon, Texas, California).

The Industrial Revolution changed the economy of the North-eastern United States. Steam power was of great importance. 2. ____________ Business activities underwent great changes too. 3. ___________ They owned their ships, began to organize certain industries, directed the work and sold of the finished product. All of these changes - increasing population, improved transportation and the expansion of business activity - contributed to the most profound economic development in mid nineteenth century - the rise of factory manufacturing. The invention of the cotton gin gave the South a one-crop economy. 4. _____ Westward expansion and economic development led to a conflict between slave and free states.

24

UNIT 4

1. Translate the Text with the help of a dictionary.

THE CIVIL WAR (1861-1865)

In the 1850’s America began to split between two strong opinions: Either that slavery was right and normal or that it was morally wrong. Slavery was almost as old as the colonies themselves. The slaves were first brought from Africa in large boats. Slave-owners used them to pick cotton and tobacco, and as servants in their houses. After 1808 slaves were no longer allowed to be brought to America. People protested against slavery, and Frederick Douglas was a very loud voice in this group.

As the 1850’s came to a close, the Northern states could no longer own slaves, and no longer wanted to. They were also impatient for the south to do the same. Southerners generally believed that slavery was their right, that slaves were more like animals than humans. Northerners felt slavery was wrong, that people should be treated the same – it wasn’t important if their skin was brown or blue. When it came time to choose the next president, in 1860, one issue of the campaign was slavery. Abraham Lincoln was the Republican candidate, and the Republicans were against slavery. Southern politicians said that if a Republican were a president, they would break away from the U. S. and form their own country. They knew that if the next president were a Republican, he would make slavery illegal and would ruin their way of life. Abraham Lincoln, who thought that «if slavery wasn’t wrong, nothing is wrong», won the election in November 1860.

Abraham Lincoln became president in 1861, and the South had already broken away and formed their own country, called the Confederate States of America.

Lincoln didn’t want a war, instead he wanted to keep the union together. The war was bloody and long. Often relatives from the south fought against relatives from the north. The Union (northern) soldiers, called “Yanks” by the Confederates, fought to save their country. The Confederate (southern) soldiers, called “Rebels” by

25

the Union army, fought to save their way of life. The South won many battles until Ulysses S. Grant lead the Union, or northern, armies. When the Union finally won in 1865 Sadly, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated four days after the South surrendered. This great president saved the United States from breaking up and freed all the slaves. Many lives were lost during the war – but the freedom of many former slaves and their descendants, and the unity of the country were won.

The conflict over slavery in territories, economic differences between the North and the South led to the Civil War. The election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 led to the secession of the South. Early in 1861 both sides prepared for the war. The North advantages, included more industry, greater wealth, a larger population. The North also had the advantage of the inspired leadership of Abraham Lincoln. The South's advantages included superior military leadership and the fact that it was righting on its own soil.

The Union’s naval blockaded the South, hurt the ability of Confederacy to fight. The turning point of the war came in July 1863 when Union forces blocked a Confederate offensive in the North and invaded the South. The Confederates surrendered in April 1865.

The war strengthened the authority of the federal government and encouraged industrial growth in the North. It abolished slavery, reunited nation and reconstructed the South. A. Lincoln followed a generous policy of reconciliation with the South.

2. Give synonyms:

-to be impatient

-issue

-to be assassinated

26

-compaign

-to free

-descendant

3. Give antonyms:

-slaves

-illegal

-to ruin

-break away from

-union

-to surrender

-to come to a close

4. Test Yourself.

1.What part of the country generally thought that slavery was wrong?

2.What political party was Abraham Lincoln a member of?

3.What happened when Lincoln was elected?

4.What were Southern soldiers called?

5.What happened four days after the war ended?

5.Read the text again and give all the causes and reasons of the war.

6.Read the Text and make a brief summary of the story.

THE ERECTION OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY

The centennial celebration of the Declaration of Independence (in 1876) in the U.S. gave Edouard de Laboulaye, a French writer on American history and life, an opportunity to propose the erection of a memorial to commemorate the alliance of the two countries during the war and their friendship in the following century.

27

Auguste Bartholdi, a young French sculptor, was selected to plan and execute the memorial. On his first visit to New York he conceived the plan of having the French people erect a colossal statue of Liberty upon one of the islands in the harbor.

Acting on this suggestion, the French began in 1875 to raise funds for the construction of such a statue. The task proved to be greater than had been expected and the statue was not completed at Paris until July 4, 1884. Meanwhile, an American committee was raising funds for the construction of the pedestal. The money was secured in 1886. After the statue had been dismantled in Paris, it was shipped to New York aboard a French ship to be reassembled in New York Haven, where it was unveiled on October 28, 1886.

Incoming and outgoing vessels pass near it — the figure of a woman who has just reached her freedom. Grasping a burning torch in her right hand and in her left holding a book of law inscribed July 4, 1776, she is represented as breaking the shackles lying at her feet.

(From “Climpses of Historical Areas”)

28

UNIT 5. SUPPLEMENTARY READING

I.OUTSTANDING PRESIDENTS GEORGE WASHINGTONG

1732-1799 President 1789-1797

Our first president, George Washington, was a well-known j General and war hero before the Revolutionary War. When the United States declared independence from England, they named I Washington the commander-in-chief of the new American army. After the colonies won their independence, and created a government, they chose Washington to be their first president. His honesty was famous - in his youth he was seen beside a felled cherry tree. When his mother asked him what happened, he said: "Mother, I cannot tell a lie. I chopped down that cherry tree." And so, as an adult, he was the perfect first president: A virtuous, honest, and heroic person, sometimes more like a statue than a person, and he believed very strongly in his country. After eight years as president, Washington stepped down. The capital of the United States, as well as a tall monument there, are named in his honor and memory.

THOMAS JEFFERSON

1743-1826 President 1801-1809

The third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson was well known for his actions during the revolution and formation of the new country. A philosopher, Jefferson wrote much of the Declaration of Independence as well as gave the political philosophy our country lives by. During his presidency he purchased from Spain what would be one-third of the country. He sent the explorers Louis and Clark to explore this new part of America. They explored from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. Thomas Jefferson was also famous as an architect and a scholar. He

29

designed and founded the University of Virginia, one of America's best universities. A memorial to Jefferson sits on the bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.

ANDREW JACKSON

1767-1845 President 1829-1837

The seventh president, Andrew Jackson, was extremely popular and loved. A famous and talented general, he was a very strong leader. During his term as president he kept the union strong during many crises. His strength came from his bond to the "common man." He felt that "any ordinary man can be president." The country loved him for this, because they felt he was less like a king than the neighbor next door. Jackson was the first president elected from the Democratic Party of today.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

1809-1865 President 1861-1865

Perhaps one of America's most famous presidents, Abraham Lincoln was born in the heartland of America. His parents were poor. He spent many hours as a youth reading by firelight in his family's small log-cabin. He became a lawyer with a reputation for honesty, a sharp and witty sense of humor, a quick mind, and his extraordinary skill as an orator. He became the sixteenth president while the issue of slavery was about to split the country in half. He felt that "if slavery wasn't wrong, nothing is wrong." But he didn't want the nation to split over slavery. When he was elected, the southern states left the union and the war soon began. During the war Lincoln passed the Emancipation Proclamation: any slaves in states rebelling against the United States of America would be free if the South lost. The North won but Lincoln had little time to celebrate. Tragically, five days after the South surrendered,

Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.

30