Lecture 4.
Plan:
Geographical Survey and Political System of the USA.
A Period of Exploration.
A Period of Colonization. War for Independence.
Settling the West.
1. Georgraphical survey and political system of the usa
The United States territory consists of three separate parts, different in size, natural features level of development and population:
the main part, the United States proper with an area of 7,800,000 square kilometres. It borders on Canada in the north and on Mexico in the south. It is washed by the Pacific Ocean in the west the Atlantic Ocean in the east, and the Gulf of Mexico6 in the south-east;
Alaska, which occupies the north-western part of the continent of North America, including a lot of islands;
Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.
The United States of America occupying a large territory, it is natural that a great diversity of climatic conditions can be observed in different parts of the country. Besides, being crossed by mountain ranges from north to south, the country is unprotected from blasts of cold air from the north and warm air from the south. This is the cause of great fluctuations of temperature.
The northern part of the Pacific coast enjoys a moderate climate of temperate zones with a cool summer and a rather warm (for these latitudes) winter without a permanent snow cover and an abundant rainfall on the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains (3000-6000 mm a year).
The southern part of the Pacific coast (California) has a Mediterranean climate: a hot, cloudless and dry summer and a cool and rainy winter with the mean temperatures of 20-25 °C in summer and 5-10 °C in winter. The rainfall is rather small (400-600 mm a year).
The climate on the Atlantic coast is continental -marine with cool summers and rather warm winters with a permanent snow cover in mountainous regions. Further to the south the climate gets warmer, with warmer winters and hotter summers, gradually passing into the monsoon subtropical climate in the extreme south and Florida. The temperatures here are comparable to those on the Pacific coast of California, but the rainfall is heavier and occurs mostly in summer.
The plains of the Appalachian Mountains enjoy a continental climate, with warm summers and cold winters with a permanent snow cover.
The plateaus and tablelands of the Cordilleras have an extreme continental climate with very cold winters and very hot summers. The highest temperature is observed in the Death Valley (sometimes up to 56 °C).
Composition of the country. The territory of the United States is historically divided into eight regions: 1) New England; 2) the Mid-Atlantic region; 3) the South; 4) the Midwest; 5) the Southwest; 6) the Rocky Mountain region; 7) the Pacific Northwest and Alaska; 8) California and Hawaii.
New England. New England is highly industrial, but it also has many fields, woods and small towns. New England is the part of the United States that is most like "old" England. It includes six states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.
The Mid-Atlantic Region. The Mid-Atlantic region is not uniform. Geographically, historically and economically, the Mid-Atlantic States are quite different from one another. For example: the state of New York borders on Canada and has cold winters; Maryland has much in common with the American South. The Mid-Atlantic region plays an important role in the United States. Its cities include Washington D. C, the nation's capital, and New York City, the nation's financial centre. The Mid-Atlantic region is densely populated. It includes six states: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and West Virginia.
The South. Economically, historically and culturally, the South is a distinct region. With its warm climate and rich soil, it developed an economy based on cotton export. Conflicts between the North and the South, especially over slavery, led to the Civil War in 1861. The South preserves its traditions, for example good cooking and a slower, more hospitable way of life. The South includes eleven states: Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.
The Midwest. The Midwest is a large, economically important region. It contains major industrial cities and much farmland. Geographically, the Midwest can be subdivided into three smaller regions: the Great Lakes area with many lakes, hills and forests; the prairie area south of it, which is flat and has good soil for farming; the Great Plains area to the west, much drier than the prairie.
The Midwest includes twelve states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota.
The Southwest. The Southwest is characterised by geographical variety: from humid lands in eastern Texas to drier prairies in Oklahoma and western Texas to mountains and deserts in Arizona and New Mexico. The Southwest area is rich in minerals. Cattle-breeding is also an important part of the Southwest's economy.
The Southwest includes five states: Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada.
The Rocky Mountain region. The Rockies are among the earth's youngest mountains. They have steep slopes and many peaks and picturesque valleys. The region is very sparcely populated. Most of the population is engaged in mining, cattle-breeding and farming.
The Rocky Mountain region includes five states: Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado.
The Pacific Northwest and Alaska. This region is noted for its natural beauty: high steep mountains, forests and greatly indented coastlines. Portland1 and Seattle are important ports for trade with Asia.
This region includes three states: Washington, Oregon and Alaska.
California and Hawaii. These two states are grouped together mainly because they are relatively near each other: California is the state which is situated nearer to Hawaii than any other state. They are not alike: California is one of the largest and most populated states; Hawaii is one of the smallest and least populated ones. Yet there is one thing these two states have in common: lots of sun and sand.
Political system. United States is an indirect democracy - that is, the people rule through the representatives they elect. In the beginning, only white men with property could vote. Over time, the vote has been given to more and more people. Today any citizen who is at least 18 years old can vote. The capital of the country is the City of Washington, situated in the Columbia District - a territory not included in any of the states.
The Constitution. The United States Constitution, written in 1787, established the country's political system and is the basis for its laws. In the 200 years of its history, the United States has greatly grown and changed. Yet the Constitution works as well today as when it was written. One reason is that the Constitution can be amended (for example, the Fifteenth Amendment gave black Americans the right to vote and he Nineteenth Amendment gave women the right to vote). Another reason is that the Constitution is flexible: its basic principles can be applied and interpreted differently at different times.
Federalism. The United States has a federalist system. It means that there are individual states, each with its own government, and there is a federal, or national, government. The US Constitution gives certain powers to the federal government, other powers to the state governments, and yet other powers to both. For example, only the national government can print money; the states establish their own school systems; and both the national and the state governments can collect taxes.
Three Branches of Government. Within the national government, power is divided among three branches: the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial branch.
The legislative branch is represented by Congress, which consists of two parts — the House of Representatives and the Senate. Congress's main function is to make laws. There are 100 senators (two from each state) and 435 representatives (the number from each state depends on the size of the state's population).
The executive branch is headed by the President, who is also head of the country. The executive branch administers the laws (sees to it that the laws are carried out, actually rules the country). In addition to the President and the Vice-President, the executive branch consists of departments and agencies. The President appoints the department heads, or advisers, who together make up the President's Cabinet.
The judicial branch interprets the laws and makes sure that new laws are in keeping with the Constitution. The judicial branch is represented by several levels of federal courts. The Supreme Court is the most important body. It has nine members, who are appointed for life. The Supreme Court building Constitution, which is meant to prevent any of the three branches from having too much power. Each branch has certain controls over the other branches. For example, Congress makes the laws, but the President can veto a law, and the Supreme Court can decide that the law is unconstitutional.