关于美国的历史.docx

关于美国的历史.docx

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关于美国的历史

关于美国的历史 

Thecontinent'sfirstinhabitantswalkedintoNorthAmericaacrosswhatisnowtheBeringStraitfromAsia.Forthenext20,000yearsthesepioneeringsettlerswereessentiallyleftalonetodevelopdistinctanddynamiccultures.InthemodernUS,theirdescendantsincludethePueblopeopleinwhatisnowNewMexico;ApacheinTexas;NavajoinArizona,ColoradoandUtah;HopiinArizona;CrowinMontana;CherokeeinNorthCarolina;andMohawkandIroquoisinNewYorkState. 

TheNorwegianexplorerLeifErikssonwasthefirstEuropeantoreachNorthAmerica,some500yearsbeforeadisorientedColumbusaccidentallydiscovered'Indians'inHispaniola（nowtheDominicanRepublicandHaiti）in1492.Bythemid-1550s,muchoftheAmericashadbeenpokedandproddedbyaparadeofexplorersfromSpain,Portugal,EnglandandFrance. 

Thefirstcoloniesattractedimmigrantslookingtogetrichquicklyandreturnhome,buttheyweresoonfollowedbymigrantswhoseprimarygoalwastocolonize.TheSpanishfoundedthefirstpermanentEuropeansettlementinStAugustine,Florida,in1565;theFrenchmovedinonMainein1602,andJamestown,Virginia,becamethefirstBritishsettlementin1607.ThefirstAfricansarrivedas'indenturedlaborers'withtheBritsayearpriortoEnglishPuritanpilgrims'escapeofreligiouspersecution.ThepilgrimsfoundedacolonyatPlymouthRock,Massachusetts,in1620andsignedthefamousMayflowerCompact-adeclarationofself-governmentthatwouldlaterbeechoedintheDeclarationofIndependenceandtheUSConstitution.Britishattemptstoassertauthorityinits13NorthAmericancoloniesledtotheFrenchandIndianWar（1757-63）.TheBritishwerevictoriousbutwereleftwithanastywardebt,whichtheytriedtorecoupbyimposingnewtaxes.Therallyingcry'notaxationwithoutrepresentation'unitedthecolonies,whoceremoniouslydumpedcaffeinatedcargooverboardduringtheBostonTeaParty.BesiegedBritishgeneralCornwallissurrenderedtoAmericancommanderGeorgeWashingtonfiveyearslateratYorktown,Virginia,in1781.Inthe19thcentury,America'smantrawas'ManifestDestiny.'Acombinationoflandpurchases,diplomacyandoutrightwarsofconquesthadby1850giventheUSroughlyitspresentshape.In1803,NapoleondumpedtheentireGreatPlainsforapittance,andSpainchippedinwithFloridain1819.TheBattleoftheAlamoduringthe1835TexanRevolutionpavedthewayforTexanindependencefromMexico,andthewarwithMexico（1846-48）securedmostofthesouthwest,includingCalifornia. 

ThesystematicannihilationofthebuffalohuntedbythePlainsIndians,encroachmentontheirlands,andtreatiesnotworththepapertheywerewrittenonledtoNativeAmericansbeingherdedintoreservations,deprivedofboththeirlivelihoodsandtheirspiritualconnectiontotheirland.Nineteenth-centuryimmigrationdrasticallyalteredtheculturallandscapeassettlersofpredominantlyBritishstockwerejoinedbyCentralEuropeansandChinese,manyattractedbythe1849goldrushinCalifornia.TheSouthremainedfirmlycommittedtoanagrarianlifeheavilyreliantonAfricanAmericanslavelabor.TensionswereontherisewhenabolitionistAbrahamLincolnwaselectedpresidentin1860.TheSouthsecededfromtheUnion,andtheCivilWar,byfarthebloodiestwarinAmerica'shistory,beganthefollowingyear.TheNorthprevailedin1865,freedtheslavesandintroduceduniversaladultmalesuffrage.Lincoln'svisionforreconstruction,however,diedwithhisassassination.America'strouncingoftheSpaniardsin1898markedtheUSA'sascendancyasasuperpowerandwokethecountryoutofitsisolationistslumber. 

TheUSstilldiditsbestnottogetitsfeetdirtyinWWI'strenches,butfinallycapitulatedin1917,sendingoveramilliontroopstohelpsortoutthepeskyGermans.PostwarcelebrationswerecutshortbyProhibitionin1920,whichbannedalcoholinthecountry.The1929stock-marketcrashsignaledthestartoftheGreatDepressionandeventuallybroughtaboutFranklinRoosevelt'sNewDeal,whichsoughttoliftthecountrybacktoprosperity.AftertheJapanesedroppedinuninvitedonPearlHarborin1941,theUSplayedamajorroleindefeatingtheAxispowers.AtomicbombsdroppedonHiroshimaandNagasakiin1945notonlyendedthewarwithJapan,butusheredinthenuclearage.TheendofWWIIseguedintotheColdWar-aperiodofgreatdomesticprosperityandasurfaceuniformitybeliedbyparanoiaandbetrayal.PoliticianslikeSenatorJoeMcCarthytookadvantageoftheclimatetofananticommunistflames,whiletheUSSRandUSAstockpilednuclearweaponsandfoughtwarsbyproxyinKorea,AfricaandSoutheastAsia.Tensionsbetweenthetwocountriesreachedtheirpeakin1962duringtheCubanMissileCrisis. 

The1960swasadecadeofprofoundsocialchange,thankslargelytotheCivilRightsmovement,VietnamWarprotestsandthediscoveryofsex,drugsandrock&roll.TheCivilRightsmovementgainedmomentumin1955withabusboycottinMontgomery,Alabama.Asanonviolentmassprotestmovement,itaimedatbreakingdownsegregationandregainingthevotefordisfranchisedSouthernblacks.Themovementpeakedin1963withMartinLutherKingJr's'Ihaveadreamspeech'inWashington,DC,andthepassageofthelandmark1964CivilRightsActand1965VotingRightsAct.Meanwhile,America'syouthwererejectingtheconformityofthepreviousdecade,growingtheirhairlongandsmokinglotsofdope.'Tunein,turnon,dropout'wasthemantraofagenerationwhoprotestedheavily（andnotdisinterestedly）againstthewarinVietnam.Assassinationsofprominentpoliticalleaders-JohnandRobertKennedy,MalcolmXandMartinLutherKingJr-tookalittleglossofftheparty,andtheAmericantroopsmiredinVietnamtookofftherest.NASA'smoonlandingin1969didlittletorestorenationalpride.In1974RichardNixonbecamethefirstUSpresidenttoresignfromoffice,duetohisinvolvementinthecover-upoftheWatergateburglaries,bringingAmericanpatriotismtoanewlow. 

The1970sand'80swereaperiodoftechnologicaladvancementanddecliningindustrialism.SelfimagetookabatteringatthehandsofIranianAyatollahKhomeni.Aconservativebacklash,symbolizedbytheelectionandpopulartwo-termpresidencyofactorRonaldReagan,soughttoputsomebackboneinthecountry.TheUSthenconcentratedonbullyingitspoorneighborsinCentralAmericaandtheCaribbean,meddlingintheaffairsofElSalvador,Nicaragua,PanamaandGrenada.ThecollapseoftheSovietBloc's'EvilEmpire'in1991lefttheUSastheworld'ssolesuperpower,andtheGulfWarin1992gaveGeorgeBushtheopportunitytoleadacoalitionsupposedlyrepresentinga'newworldorder'intobattleagainstIraq.Domesticmatters,suchashealthreform,gunownership,drugs,racialtension,gayrights,balancingthebudget,thetenaciousWhitewaterscandalandtheMonicaLewinsky'Fornigate'affairtendedtoovershadowinternationalconcernsduringtheClintonadministration.Inabidtokickstartitsthen-ailingeconomy,theUSAsignedNAFTA,afree-tradeagreementwithCanadaandMexico,in1993,invadedHaitiinitsroleofupholderofdemocracyin1994,committedthousandsoftroopstopeacekeepingoperationsinBosniain1995,hostedtheOlympicsin1996andenjoyed,overthepastfewyears,thefruitsofabullmarketonWallSt.The2000presidentialelectionmadehistorybybeingthemosthighlycontestedraceinthenation'shistory. 

TheDemocraticcandidate,AlGore,securedthemajorityofthepopularvotebutlosttheelectionwhenallofFlorida'selectoralcollegevoteswenttoGeorgeWBush,whowasaheadofGoreinthatstatebyonly500votes.Demandsforrecounts,arulingbytheFloridaSupremeCourtinfavorofpartialrecounts,andahandfuloflawsuitsgeneratedbybothpartieswerebroughttoahaltwhentheUSSupremeCourtsplitalongpartylinesandruledthatallrecountsshouldcease.Afterfivetumultuousweeks,Bushwasdeclaredthewinner.TheearlypartofBush'spresidencysawtheUSfaceinternationaltension,withrenewedviolenceintheMiddleEast,aspy-planestandoffwithChinaandnearlyglobaldisapprovalofUSforeignpolicywithregardtotheenvironment.Onthedomesticfront,aconsiderablyweakenedeconomyprovidedchallengesfornationalpolicymakers.WhethertheUScancontinuetoholdontoitsdominantpositionontheworldstageandrejuvenateitseconomyremainstobeseen.

TheAmericanRevolution

TheWarofRevolutionbetweenAmericaandBritainbeganinApril1775in*Lexington,Massachusetts,whensoldiersfromeachsidemetandsomebodyfiredashot.Itwascalledthe'shotheardroundtheworld'becausethewarthatfollowedchangedthefutureofthe*BritishEmpireandAmerica.ButtheAmericanRevolution,themovementtomakeanindependentnation,beganmanyyearsearlier.

Thecausesofrevolution

ThedesireofAmericanstobeindependentfromBritainaroseoutofalongseriesofdisagreementsaboutmoneyandpoliticalcontrol.Britainhadhadcolonies（=placestakenoverbypeoplefromaforeigncountry）inNorthAmericasince1607andkeptsoldierstheretodefendthemfromattackbytheFrenchandSpanish,andby*NativeAmericans.Inordertoraisemoneyforthis,theBritish*Parliamenttriedtomakethecolonists（=peoplewhohadgonetosettleinAmerica）paytaxes.

From1651,BritainpassedaseriesoflawscalledNavigationActs,whichsaidthatthecolonistsshouldtradeonlywithBritain.Theselawswerefrequentlybrokenandwereacontinuingsourceoftension.Taxesimposedinthe18thcenturyincreasedillfeelingtowardsBritain.In1764theSugarActmadecolonistspaytaxonsugar,andin1765the*StampActputataxonnew