美概大纲.docx

美概大纲.docx

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美概大纲

Overview

Symbols

•NationalFlag:

TheStarsandStripes

•Nickname:

OldGlory

Design

•13stripes:

white,red,horizontal–13colonies;firststates

•Starredbluecanton（union）:

50white5-pointedstars–50states

NationalAnthem:

TheStar-SpangledBanner

NationalBird:

BaldEagle

NationalMottos

•"EPluribusUnum"

"Outofmany,one"or"Onefrommanyparts"

asinglefederalstatefromagroupofindividualpoliticalunits

Thereplacementmotto:

"InGodWeTrust"

OtherSymbols

•NationalFloralEmblem-TheRose

•UncleSam

Geography

ØLocation:

inNorthAmerica,borderingboththeNorthAtlanticOceanandtheNorthPacificOcean,betweenCanadaandMexico;sharingamarineborderwithRussiainthewest

Area

ØUS

Øtotal:

9,826,630sqkm,

land:

9,161,923sqkm,

water:

664,707sqkm.（source:

CIAWorldFactbook2008）

Ø（1994）:

9,372,610sqkm,land:

9,166,600sqkm

Terrain

ØGeographicdiversity

vastcentralplain,mountainsinwest,hillsandlowmountainsineast;ruggedmountainsandbroadrivervalleysinAlaska;volcanicislandsinHawaii

ØMajorlandforms:

TheAppalachians

TheRockyMountains

GreatPlains

Climate

ØMostlytemperate,buttropicalinHawaiiandsub-tropicinFlorida,arctic/tundrainAlaska,semiaridinthegreatplainswestoftheMississippiRiver,andaridintheGreatBasinofthesouthwest;largepartsofthecountryhaveacontinentalclimateandsomepartshaveaMediterraneanclimate.

NaturalHazards

ØhurricanesalongtheAtlanticandGulfofMexicocoasts;tornadoesinthemid-westandsoutheast;mudslidesinCalifornia;tsunamis,volcanoes,andearthquakeactivityaroundPacificBasin;forestfiresinthewest.

RegionalBreakdown

NewEngland

ØmadeupofMaine,NewHampshire,Vermont,Massachusetts,Connecticut,andRhodeIsland

History

ØCapt.JohnSmith

ØresemblancetotheEnglishcoast;areminderofthepast;anextensionofOldEngland

ØEuropeaninfluence:

townnames,architecture,accent

ClimateandGeography

ØtheAppalachianMt.andtheAtlanticOcean

Ølongrollinghills;rockycoastlinesandmanyshort,swiftrivers;

ØUnpredictableclimate:

cold,longwinterwithheavysnowstorms（blizzard）;warmsummers;wetandcloudysprings;brightandcolorfulfoliageinfall

Economy

ØExcellentharbors

Shipbuilding,fishingandoverseascommerce/trade

ØManufacturing（textile,shoe）

ØModernindustries:

electronics,bio-technologyandfinance,insuranceindustry;tourism

RegionalCharacter

Øaverydistinctregion,best-definedwithmoreuniformity;

ØadominantroleinAmericanhistory

Øleadingliteraryandeducationalcenter

Øreputationforhardwork,shrewdness,thrift,andingenuity

ScenicSpots

ØCapeCod（hook-shapedpeninsula）andMartha'sVineyardinMA

ØAcadiaNationalParkinMaine:

knownforitsbeautyandforlobster

ØSkiresortsinVermont,NH

ØSalem

TheMiddleAtlanticStates

Øcomprising

NewYork

NewJersey

Pennsylvania

andusually

Delaware,andMaryland

ClimateandGeography

ØMidwayandabridgebetweenNewEnglandandtheSouth.

ØHotandhumidinsummer,thunderstorms;wintershorterthanNE,butalotofsnow;pleasantspringandfall

RegionalCharacter

ØCentersofheavyindustry（PA,NY）

ØFinance,communications,andpharmaceuticals

ØEthnicdiversity（meltingpot）

ØNewYorkCity（HudsonRiver）;Philadelphia（DelawareRiver）;

D.C.（PotomacRiver）

ØNiagaraFall

BosWash/Megalopolis

ØagroupofmetropolitanareasinthenortheasternUnitedStates,extendingfromBoston,MAtoWashington,D.C.

ØEssentialservices,Mainstreet,downtownsection

ØAmtrak'sfastesttrain,theAcelaExpress,runsontheNortheastCorridor.Interstate95

TheMidwest

ØNorthandcentralUS,aroundtheGreatLakes,theGreatPlainsandtheupperMississippiValley

Definition

ØGreatLakesstates:

OldNorthwest;Ohio,Indiana,Michigan,Illinois,WisconsinandMinnesota;（NewYork,Pennsylvania）

ØGreatPlainsstates:

theLouisianaPurchasestates;smalltownsandpastoralagriculturalcommunities（corn/soybean;wheat;cattle）

Rustbelt

ØmainlyinPennsylvania,WestVirginia,andtheindustrialMidwest

Øaconcentrationofindustriesthatmanufactureproductsusingironandsteel

Øindustrialdeclineintheonce-dominantU.S.heavymanufacturingandsteelindustries

RegionalCharacters

Ø“breadbasket”--manufacturingbase

Øfreepioneerheritage

Øviewedasopen,friendly,straightforward

Øpoliticaltrends

Ø"standard"AmericanEnglish

TheSouth

Øembracingthesoutheasternandsouth-centralpartsofthecountry

RegionalCharacter

ØOldSouth:

mostweremembersoftheConfederateStatesofAmerica;Slave-owningarea

ØAgrariansouth:

tobaccoandcotton

ØEconomicallybackward--manufacturingandtourism

Ørelaxedattitudesandtraditionalways,knownfortheirhospitality.

Sunbelt

ØNewSouth

Øpopulationgrowth

Ørapideconomicgrowth

Øpoliticalstrength

Southwest

ØGenerallyflatanddry,andtheweatherisveryhot.Theregionhasmanydeserts.

ØRemotelocationanddessertclimate--sparselypopulated

ØTheleastinfluencedbyEuropeanimmigrantswithsignificantSpanishAmerican,MexicanAmerican,andAmericanIndianpopulations

Ø

TheWest

ØTheMountainStates,Colorado,Idaho,Montana,Nevada,NewMexico,Utah,andWyoming

ØThePacificCoast,comprisingCalifornia,partofColoradoandIdaho,Oregon,Washington.

ØLastfrontier

ØAregionofscenicbeauty

ØThemostvariedmixtureofimmigrants

ØTheleasttraditionalofAmericans,andthemosttolerantofchangeanddifferences

AmericanBeginnings

Pre-ColonialAmerica

♦NativeAmericans/aboriginal

peoplemigratingfromAsiaviatheBeringlandbridge

50,000and11,000yearsago

♦Aztecs,Incas,Mayas

EarlyEuropeanExploration

♦ChristopherColumbusin1492

onbehalfoftheKingandQueenofSpain

♦JohnCabot,1497,Englishking

♦Dutch,Spanish,English,French,Swedish,andPortuguesesettlementswereestablished

The16thCenturyEurope

Agreatcenturyofchangeonmanyfronts:

♦Thedevelopmentofcapitalism

♦Renaissance--secularhumanism

♦TheProtestantReformation

♦Thegreatageofexploration–newlandandwealth

Jamestown

ColonialAmerica

▪FirstEnglishsettlement

▪1607

▪104Englishmen

▪organizedbytheVirginiaCompanyofLondon

▪acharterfromKingJamesIgrantingpermissiontocolonizeVirginia. 

Motivesforcolonization

▪economicmotives

investors’hopetoprofitfromtheventure

supportforEnglishnationalgoalsforoverseasexpansion

Location

▪deepwateranchorageandagooddefensiveposition

▪warmclimateandfertilesoil

▪inthemidstofachiefdomofIndians

EarlySetbacks

▪Inexperience,unwillingnesstowork,lackofwildernesssurvivalskillsandcooperationspirit

▪PoorIndianrelations

▪Initialabsenceofthefamilyunit

CaptainJohnSmith

⏹“nowork,nofood”policy

⏹tradewiththeIndians

Crucialevents

RepresentativeLegislature

▪twoburgessesfromeachsettlementbeelectedtorepresenttheresidentsof4boroughsand7plantations

▪the22-memberassemblyatachurchinJamestown

▪precedentforself-governance;Americanheritageofrepresentativegovernment

▪Limitations:

therighttovote;vetopowerofthecolony'sgovernor

SlaveLaborWorkforce

▪onaDutchslaveshipfromAngolatoMexico

▪onthetobaccoharvestasindenturedservants

▪Thepopularconceptionofarace-basedslavesystemdidnotfullydevelopuntilthe1680's.

PuritanNewEngland

♦1620

♦Plymouth

♦goodanchorageandanexcellentharbor

♦coldclimateandthin,rockysoillimitedfarmsize

♦Motives

♦Freedomfromreligiouspersecution

♦ThePilgrimsweredissentersfromtheChurchofEnglandandestablishedthePuritanorCongregationalChurch.

♦motivatedbynewsoftheEnglishColonyinVirginiatoleaveHollandandsettleintheNewWorld.

♦PuritanIdeology

♦

♦Predestine--allofmankindisassignedtoeitherHeavenorHellatbirth

♦TheBiblewasthedirectwordofGod;aninfallibleguidetoalllife

♦Theconceptofthe"calling."

♦

♦ProtestantWorkEthicandAmericaneconomicsuccess

♦MaxWeber1904TheProtestantEthicandtheSpiritofCapitalismworkhard,savewhatyouhavemade,andreinvestanyprofitinordertoincreasewealth

♦

♦EmphasisonEducation

♦IntolerantMoralism

♦RogerWilliams

♦ThecolonyofRhodeIsland

♦Thanksgiving

♦white-Indiancooperation

♦theautumnof1621

♦firstsuccessfulharvest

♦NationalholidayobservedonthefourthTuesdayinNovember

♦

♦CatholicMaryland

♦TheFirstLordBaltimore

♦TheSecondLordBaltimore

♦Feudalexperimentalplan

♦”

♦QuakerPennsylvania

♦SocietyofFriends:

foundedbyGeorgeFoxinthemid-17thcenturyinEngland

♦characteristicofQuakerism

♦"innerlight"--abilityofeverypersontodirectlyperceivethegloryandloveofGod.

♦plainspeechanddress

♦Pacifism

♦philanthropy,especiallyaidtorefugeesandfaminevictims

♦

♦

♦AmericanRevolution

♦1775-1783

♦

♦Causes

♦Potentialsourceofconflict:

increasingdifferences

♦Directconflicts:

♦TheFrenchandIndianWar:

newtaxesimposed

♦“Taxationwithoutrepresentationistyranny."

♦

♦

MajorEvents

●1756-1763TheFrenchandIndianWars

●1764-BritishImposedNewTaxes

●SugarTax

●StampTax

●TownshendActs

●QuarteringAct

●TeaAct

●1773-BostonTeaParty

●1774-TheFirstContinentalCongress

●1775-"Theshotheard'roundtheWorld"ofLexingtonandConcord

●1776-TheSecondContinentalCongress

●1783-TheTreatyofParis

ThomasPaine's“CommonSense”

DeclarationofIndependence

●Contents:

1）Preamble;2）AlistofgrievancesagainstKingGeorgeIII;3）Aformaldeclarationofwar

●Apropagandatool

●Natur