- •Etymology
- •Symbols The American Flag
- •History of American Flag
- •Betsy Ross
- •The coat of arms of the United States
- •The Great Seal of the United States
- •Anthem of the United States.
- •Anthem History
- •Vocabulary notes
- •History discovery
- •English settlements
- •Colonial era
- •Revolution
- •Devising a constitution
- •New nation
- •Sectional conflict
- •Civil war
- •World War I, Great Depression, and World War II
- •Postwar superpower
- •The highlights (important dates) of American history
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Government
- •Introduction
- •The Constitution
- •The Executive Branch
- •The Legislative Branch
- •The Judicial Branch
- •State Government
- •Local Government
- •Political Parties
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Languages
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Religion
- •Introduction
- •Roots of Religions
- •Present Day Religious Affiliation
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Geography
- •Climate
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Vegetation
- •Vocabulary notes
- •The Nation's Capital Washington, d.C. Facts from history
- •The capital today
- •Washington, d.C. Symbols and Emblems
- •Landmarks
- •Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Institutions
- •The capitol
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Famous cities
- •25 Biggest cities population
- •Anaheim, California
- •Lake Michigan
- •Entertainment and performing arts
- •Detroit, Michigan
- •Houston, Texas
- •Tourist attractions
- •Tourist attractions
- •New York City
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Culture
- •Popular media
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Usa Education
- •Universities in the United States
- •Top 20 Ranked universities.
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Famous American People Presidents
- •Literature
- •Arts and Entertainment
- •The Disney entertainment empire
- •Science and Inventions
- •Isaac singer's sewing machine
- •Henry Ford
- •Ford Motor Company
- •Ford Airplane Company
- •Other famous people
- •Vocabulary notes
- •American Traditions and Holidays
- •Washington's Birthday (Presidents' Day)
- •Independence Day (July 4)
- •New Years Eve and New Years Day
- •Valentine's Day
- •St. Patrick's day
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Cuisine
- •Problems with defining American cuisine
- •Particular American foods
- •The most popular American foods:
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Common Abbreviations
- •The united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland National symbols
- •Vocabulary notes
- •History
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Political system
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Languages
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Religion
- •Vocabulary notes
- •G eography and climate
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Plant and Animal Life
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Largest cities
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Culture
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Educational System
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Universities
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Famous people
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Traditions, customs, holidays
- •Vocabulary notes
- •British cuisine
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Canada National symbols
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Political system
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Languages
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Geography and climate
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Plant and animal life
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Educational system and universities
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Famous People
- •Canadian cuisine
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Speech habits Бытовая сфера
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Профессионально-деловая сфера
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Учебно-социальная сфера
- •Instructor’s Notes
- •Interview with an Expert
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Социально-деловая сфера
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Vocabulary notes
- •Особенности употребления формул вежливости
- •1. Приветствие / Прощание
- •2. Please, thank you, of course
- •3. Sorry, excuse me
- •4. Приказ, вежливая просьба, предложение
- •Business correspondence Деловое письмо
- •Служебная записка Memo
- •Электронное сообщение
- •Конверт Envelope
- •Письмо – запрос Letter of enquiry/request
- •Образец апим
- •Contents
Revolution
On April 19, 1775, 700 British soldiers marched from Boston to forestall a rebellion of the colonists by capturing a colonial arms depot in the nearby town of Concord. At the village of Lexington. they confronted 70 militiamen. Someone—no one knows who—fired a shot, and the American War of Independence began. The British easily captured Lexington and Concord, but as they marched back to Boston they were harassed by hundreds of Massachusetts volunteers. By June, 10,000 American soldiers had besieged Boston, and the British were forced to evacuate the city in March 1776.
In May 1775, a second Continental Congress had met in Philadelphia and began to assume the functions of a national government. It founded a Continental Army and Navy under the command of George Washington, a Virginia planter and veteran of the French and Indian War. It printed paper money and opened diplomatic relations with foreign powers. On July 2. 1776, the Congress finally resolved "That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states." Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, assisted by others, drafted a Declaration of Independence, which the Congress adopted on July 4,1776 which proclaims that "all
men are created equal," and that they possess "certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
The Declaration presented a public defense of the American Revolution. including a lengthy list of grievances against the British king. George III. Most importantly, it explained the philosophy behind the revolution—that men have a natural right to "Life. Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"; that governments can rule only with "the consent of the governed"; that any government may be dissolved when it fails to protect the rights of the people. This theory of politics came from the British philosopher John Locke, and it is central to the Anglo-Saxon political tradition.
At first, the war went badly for the Americans. The British captured New York Citv in September 1776, and Philadelphia was captured a year later. The tide turned in October 1777, when a British army under General John Burgoyne surrendered at Saratoga, in northern New York. Encouraged by that victory. France seized an opportunity to humble Britain, her traditional enemy. A Franco-American alliance was signed in February 1778. With few provisions and little training, American troops generally fought well, but they might have lost the war if they had not received aid from the French treasury and the powerful French Navy.
After 1778, the fighting shifted largely tо the south. In 1781, 8,000 British troops under General George Cornwallis were surrounded at Yorktown, Virginia, by a French fleet and a combined French-American army under George Washington's command. Cornwallis surrendered, and soon afterward the British government asked for peace. The Treaty of Paris, signed in September 1783, recognized the independence of the United States and granted the new nation all the territory north of Florida, south of Canada and east of the Mississippi River.