America in the Colonial Era.doc

America in the Colonial Era1. Pilgrim Fathersv In 1620, Puritansthe Pilgrim Fathers sailed for Virginia aboard the ship Mayflower.v The reason to flee from England is to avoid the religious persecution.v They Landed in what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts. 2. Boston Tea Partyv In 1773, patriots staged the “Boston Tea Party” in response to the tea tax.v They boarded British merchant ships and tossed 342 crates of tea into Boston harbor. v British Parliament then passed The Intolerable Acts: 3. The First Continental CongressThe First Continental Congress held in September, 1774.A meeting of colonial leaders who opposed British oppression was held in Philadelphia. They urged Americans to disobey The Intolerable Acts and to boycott (抵制) British trade. At the same time, the colonists began to defend themselves. The War of Independence1 The Shot of Lexingtonv On April 19, British troops were sent to Lexington and Concord to disarm the American militiamen. v The first shot in the American War of Independence.2 The Second Continental Congress n It was Held in Philadelphia in May 1775 n Assume the functions of a national governmentn Founding Continental Army and Navy under the command of George Washington. n Printing paper money and opening diplomatic relations with foreign powers. George Washington, a wealthy Virginia planter, was respected as a man of ability and integrity. Once a colonel in the French and Indian War; One of the few Americans with considerable military experience; Led the continental army to the victory of the Independence War. 3 Declaration of Independencev The Declaration of Independence was draft by Thomas Jefferson.v On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed.Q.What does the Declaration of Independence tell us?It tells of the theory of politics, which latter is central to the Western political tradition: Men have natural right, they are “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness”; Government can rule only with “the consent of the governed”; Any government may be dissolved when it fails to protect the right of the people.It had two parts: The first part justified the right of people to rebel against a government that denied them their natural rights. The second part was a detailed indictment of King George for cruelties, crimes and illegal political acts against humanity and America.After being printed, the copies were sent out, broadcast and read to crowds everywhere. The document greatly encouraged the struggling people, making them think that they should be independent and have the right to enjoy liberty. They were beginning to show more interests in a common cause. Both a great influence on the course of the war and a far-reaching influence in world history as well. 4 Process of the Warn It dragged on for seven years.n Obstacles for the continental army: No enough supplies. Tired and hungry, while British troops fresh and well-equipped. By the middle of December, 1776, the Revolution seemed lost.n The victory at Saratoga (1777, October)is the turning point of the War.n On October 19, 1781, the British general Cornwallis was forced to surrender, the war came to an end. n The two parts signed the Treaty of Paris in 1783America won its independence.5 The Establishment of the Constitutionn On May 25, 1787, the constitution was drafted. n In June 1789, the constitution came into effect in nine states. n Ten amendmentsThe Bill of Rightswere added to the Constitution in 1791.The Civil War1 Causes of Civil WarQ. What was the essential cause of the Civil War? n Economic reason: two different economic systemsn Two different economic systems existed side by side In the Southslavery was the foundation n The slave economyan obstacle to industrial growth and expansion In the Northcommerce and industry led the economyn Industrial economy required the restriction of slavery and territory for raw materials, markets and labor supply n Economic antagonism led to increased conflicts between North and South. n Political reason The NorthFederal Government as a union The SouthThe Confederate Government: the independence of each state 2 Comparison of Powern The North: twenty-three states, 22 million population abundant facilities to manufacture arms and ammunition, clothing, and other supplies merchant marines and the navy remained in Union hands federal government was better able to raise fund for warn The South: n eleven states, 9 million populationn military advantages: actively preparing for war in possession of many federal forts and arsenals superior military leadership: a third of the regular armys officers were from the South fighting on its own soil3 The Fierce Warn The eastern arenaVirginia.n the western Arenaareas west to the Appalachian Range and the Mississippi River arean Confederate army won many battles on the Eastern Arena while they were defeated again and again on the Western Arena. v On Feb 4,1861, Abraham Lincoln took office. a young man & lawyer in Illinois began his political career by serving four terms in the state legislature and then one term in the House of Representatives He insisted slavery was evil and should be restricted and ultimately abolished Challenges Abraham Lincoln faced: first prioritykeeping the United States one country 11 southern states seceded from Federal Union proclaimed an independent nation freedom for black peoplesecondary objective issued the Emancipation Proclamation (解放宣言), granting freedom to all slaves.n Gettysburgturning point of the warn On April 14, Lincoln was assassinated by actor John Wilkes Booth.4 Influence of the Civil WarQ. What was the significance of the Civil War? 1) abolished the slave system 2) swept the obstacles to the development of US capitalist production.America in the 20th Century1 World War IOutbreak of the First World War Inevitable result of contradiction between two groups of imperialist powers: AlliesBritain, France, and Russia The Central European PowersGermany, Austria-Hungary and Italy The political, economic and colonial rivalries of the great powers.Q. Why did America enter World War I?Germans submarines sank ships going to England injuring American trade.Germany promised the Mexicans a chance “to regain its lost territory by the war against the US”.After two years fighting, both sides grew wearya good chance for America to enter the war. v US entered the war in 1917 More than 4 million Americans went to the battlefieldplaying an important role in turning the tide of the war: broke German defense line helped the British break German submarine blockadev The German Government appealed to President Wilson for peace settlement v An armistice (停火协议) was concluded in November 1918 2 Post WWI to the 1940sv The booming 1920s The 1920s electionthe first for women voted for a presidential candidate. prevailing prosperity, conservative governmental policy private business received substantial encouragementn The Great Depression In 1929 the stock market crashed, wiping out 40 percent of the paper values of common stock. Depression deepened, many lost their life savings By 1933 the value of stock on the New York Stock Exchange shrank by over 4/5n Core of the problemimmense disparity between the productive capacity and the ability of people to consumen Franklin D. Roosevelts New Deal In 1933 Roosevelt rallied the people to the banner of his program, known as the “New Deal”. It helped the country get out of the depression“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Franklin D. Roosevelt3 World War IIn World War II broke out in September, 1939 and ended in August, 1945.n Background of the war The World Spread economic crisis Germany and Italy began their ways of fascism and military expansion. Japan meant to conquer China and Southeast Asia by military expansion.Q. What is Americas foreign policy in the early stage of World War II? A sit-on-the-fence policy do trade with the warring countries, including the aggressors believe in “glorious isolation” Its negative effect: Isolationism encouraged Nazi and Adolph Hitler to believe that they could rely on American neutrality and their victims could not buy munitions in US. Japan believed that pacifist US would not fight for the integrity of China.On the morning of December 7, 1941, Japanese air force attacked the US Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It was the direct cause for Americas entrance into the war. n Conference at Potsdam Heads of the US, British and Soviet Union met at Potsdam, to discuss operations against Japan, the peace settlement in Europe, and a policy for the future of Germany. Agreement at the conference: Need to assist in the reeducation of a German generation reared under Nazism, and to define principles governing the restoration of democratic political life to Germany Agreed to the trial of Nazi leaders accused of crimes against humanityn End of WWII The US airforce dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima On August 6 and on Nagasaki on August 8. On September 2, 1945, Japan surrendered. 4 Post WWII Yearsn The Cold War United Nations in 1945a new and better world would emerge from World War II. The conflict between the two superpowers Russia and the US increased and later led to the Cold War.n Truman Doctrine In the Spring of 1947, President Truman declared the “Truman Doctrine” so as to expand American sphere of influence and establish the US hegemony (霸权). This marked the beginning of the Cold War. n NATO In 1949, the United Statesin company with 11 other powersentered into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).n The Korean War The US aggressed Korea in June 1950 A ceasefire agreement was signed in the summer of 1953marked the US failure and the end of the war.n The Vietnam War A long-time suffering for the US Started under Eisenhower and continued by Kennedy and Johnsonn In 1965 US sent in troops to prevent the South Vietnamese government from collapsing. Ultimately, a failuren In 1975 Vietnam was reunified under Communist control.n Two other diplomatic breakthroughs: Re-establishing US relations with the Peoples Republic of China Negotiating the first Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty with the Soviet UnionWhat contributions did Richard Nixon make in promoting the Sino-US relationship? Table Tennis Foreign Policy Nixonfirst US president visited Beijing. The “Shanghai Communiqu”a new US policy: there was one China; Taiwan was part of China; a peaceful settlement of the dispute by the Chinese themselves was in American interest.n Ronald Regan At sixty nine, Reagan became the oldest person ever elected as US President in 1980. Economic program reductions in income taxes and business taxes deep cuts in federal spending in every area except defense Reagan proposed a wide-ranging program of legislation.v George H. W. Bush Bush concentrated on social and economic problems. Two Wars The Gulf War On August 2, 1990, Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait & seized downtown Kuwait City Desert Storm Bush rallied the United Nations and Congress and sent troops to Iraq. Destruction of Iraqi Army: weeks of air and missile bombardment & 4 days ground attackv Bill Clinton the third youngest person ever elec