Transcript What is an American?

Unit 3 American Beginnings
Objectives
At the end of this session you should know
What it means being an American
The two immigration movements to America
How the modern development in Europe influenced
the settlement in North American colonies
The four colonial patterns in North America
The American war of independence, the Declaration of
Independence, and its authors
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USA: A General Impression
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Qs:
How many stars and stripes respectively are there on
the national flag?
What does that mean?
What is its national anthem called?
The Star-Spangled Banner
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The capital of US :
Washington D.C.
On the Potomac River
between Virginia and
Maryland and coextensive
with the District of
Columbia. It was designed
by Pierre L’Enfant and
became the capital in 1800.
In the War of 1812 the
British captured and
sacked (1814) Washington,
burning most of the public
buildings, including the
Capitol and the White
House.
“华盛顿哥伦比亚特区”是为及你那
美国开国元勋乔治 华盛顿和发现美
洲新大陆的哥伦布而命名的。
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US national emblem
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Nickname for America:
Uncle Sam
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What is an American?
This question was first asked by a Frenchman called J.
Hector St. John de Crevecoeur.
In his book Letters from an American Farmer
published in 1782, he asked “What then is the
American, this new man?”
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His answer is : He is either a European, or
the descendant of a European, hence that
strange mixture of blood, which you will find
in no other country.
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Melting Pot
America has traditionally been referred to as
a “melting pot”, welcoming people from
many different countries, races, and
religions, all hoping to find freedom, new
opportunities, and a better way of life.
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Melting pot
American history began
with waves of
immigrants, bringing
their own cultures and
traditions to a vast new
country. No other place
in the world has such a
diverse population. It is
this diversity that makes
America what it is and,
at the same time,
creates the challenges it
faces.
Strictly speaking, the
only indigenous
Americans are the
American Indians who
were living here long
before the first waves of
settlers came over form
Europe. When
Christopher Columbus
discovered America in
1492, he called these
natives “Indians”
because he thought he
had discovered a
western route to India.
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Melting pot
Today the trend is toward multiculturalism, not
assimilation. The old “melting pot” metaphor is giving
away to new metaphors such as “salad bowl” and
“mosaic”, mixtures of various ingredients that keep
their individual characteristics. Immigrant
populations within the US are not being blended
together in one “pot”, but rather they are
transforming American Society into a truly
multicultural mosaic.
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A New Land
Two long-continuing immigration
movements:
The first from Asia
The second from Europe and Africa
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Who discovered the New World, and in
which year?
In 1492, Christopher Columbus
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Europe in the 16th and 17th
Century
The English settlements in North
America began in the 17th century
when Western Europe was undergoing
great changes.
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Background
During the Middle Ages (between A.D. 500 and A.D.
1500), Europe was under the single spiritual
authority of the Roman Catholic Church; the feudal
system of serfdom prevailed; art and learning were
controlled by the church….
By the 16th century, some new and powerful social
forces began to emerge which led to the awakening of
Europe and the discovery of America.
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Social forces
Social forces leading to the awakening of Europe and
the discovery of America.
1. The development of capitalism: with the fast
development of commerce and trade, the bourgeoisie
became increasingly powerful in politics as well as in
economy.
2. The Renaissance: the God-centered world was
challenged by the great progress in natural and social
science.
3. The Religious Reformation
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The Religious Reformation
1517, Martin Luther (Why “Protestant
Reformation”?)
John Calvin
King Henry VIII, because of the political
disputes with the Roman Catholic Church
and because of his personal marital
problems, broke away from the Roman
Catholic Church and set up the Church of
England.
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Henry VIII and his six wives
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Similarities of these reforms
They all changed the authority of the Pope
and the Catholic Church which controlled
people’s religious beliefs and interfered in
political affairs of the nation states.
The individual Christian believers who
supported the Reformation believed that
human beings could be saved only by faith,
by establishing a direct contact with God, not
through the church or its priests.
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Nature of these reforms
These reforms reflected the rise of
nationalism in Europe, represented
the demand of bourgeois class for free
development and expressed the desire
of ordinary working people, esp. the
serfs, for the liberation from the
feudal control.
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Results of these reforms
The Protestant Reformation was
welcomed by leaders, middle class and
working people in Europe, especially in
Western European countries. As a
result, the Protestants and their
denominations spread far and wide.
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4 patterns
1 Virginia
2 New England
3 Maryland
4 Pennsylvania
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1 The Settlement in Virginia
The first English permanent
settlement was founded in 1607,
Jamestown, Virginia.
It was organized by the London
Company.
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Two events took place in Virginia in 1619 influenced
the shaping of American culture.
1)On July 30, 1619, in Jamestown church, the delegates
elected from various communities in Virginia met as
the House of Burgesses to discuss, along with the
governor and his council members, the enactment of
laws for the colony. This was the first example for the
future US.
2)A Dutch ship brought in over 20 Negroes. Thus a start
had been made toward the enslavement of Africans
within what was to be the American republic.
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2 Puritan New England
The second enduring English
settlement was established in
Massachusetts Bay in 1620.
It was founded by English puritans
who separated themselves from the
Church of England.
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Why “Puritans”?
A group of people thought that the
Church of England was too catholic
and wanted to “purify” the church,
hence the name “puritans”.
What are the different religious beliefs
between Protestants and the Catholic
church?
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1) Protestants – believing that God was
imcomprehensible and the power of God was allknowing, yet hidden and unknown to man;
Catholics –believing that God could be reached
through his representatives on the earth, the Pope.
2) Salvation was different. Puritans were convinced that
human beings were predestined by God before they
were born. Catholics argued that a person could
confess his or her sin, do good works and give
money to the church and buy back his or her soul.
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Puritans believed that everyone had a
calling, which was given by God. The success
of one’s work was the sign of being God’s
elect. Therefore everyone must work hard,
spend little and invest more business.
Working hard and living a moral life were
their ethics. They concluded that Bible was
the authority of their doctrine. So every
Puritan must read the Bible in order to find
God’s will and search for one’s individual
contact with God. To be able to read the
Bible and understand God’s will, education
was essential for Puritans.
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New England
New England today includes
Massachusetts, Connecticut, New
Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and
Rhode Island in the Northeast of the
United States.
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Mayflower
In 1620, 35 puritans
and 67 non-Puritans
took the ship Mayflower
and left Holland for
North America. Before
they reached their
destination, one of the
Pilgrim Fathers drew up
an agreement which
was called the
Mayflower Compact.
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Mayflower Compact
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IN THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN. We, whose names are
underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread
Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God, of
Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of
the Faith, &c. Having undertaken for the Glory of God,
and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the
Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the
first Colony in the northern Parts of Virginia;
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Do by these Presents, solemnly and mutually, in the Presence of
God and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together
into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and
Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid: And by
Virtue hereof do enact, constitute, and frame, such just and
equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions, and Officers, from
time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for
the general Good of the Colony;
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unto which we promise all due Submission and Obedience. IN
WITNESS whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at
Cape-Cod the eleventh of November, in the Reign of our
Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France, and Ireland, the
eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth, Anno Domini; 1620.
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五月花号公约
以上帝的名义，阿门。
我们，下面的签名人，作为伟大的詹姆斯一世的忠顺臣民，为了
给上帝增光，发扬基督教的信仰和我们祖国和君主的荣誉，特着手在
弗吉尼亚北部这片新开拓的海岸建立第一个殖民地。我们在上帝的面
前，彼此以庄严的面貌出现，现约定将我们全体组成政治社会，以使
我们能更好地生存下, 来并在我们之间创造良好的秩序。为了殖民地
的公众利益，我们将根据这项契约颁布我们应当忠实遵守的公正平等
的法律、法令和命令，并视需要而任命我们应当服从的行政官员。 ”
据此于耶稣公元1620元10月11日，吾王英格兰、法兰西、爱
尔兰第十八世暨苏格兰第五十四世君主陛下在位之年，在科德角签署
姓名如下，以资证明。”
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What are the American Values?
The American values such as
individualism, hard work, respect of
education owe very much to the
Puritan beliefs.
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What are the legacies of Puritans?
1)The Puritans hoped to build “a city upon hill” – an
ideal community. Since that time, Americans have
viewed their country as a great experiment, a worthy
model for other nations.
2) A strain of often intolerant morality
3) Rich cultural heritage to future Americans.
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3 Catholic Maryland
The colonial pattern of Maryland was
founded by the Catholics. The founder
was the second Lord BALTIMORE.
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Lord Baltimore’s feudal plan
 His plan was that each gentleman who brought 5
servants with him settled in his land was allowed to
establish a manor(领地) of 2000 acres. … also
declared that each freeholder was given 100 acres of
land plus another 100 acres for his wife…
Results:
impossible to have this feudal plan executed, it was
dropped; like other colonies, the colony followed a
capitalist development road.
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4 Quaker Pennsylvania
This pattern was set by William Penn.
What does the “Quaker” mean?
… the Quakers were so faithful to God
that when they speak of God, they
trembled.
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William Penn
In 1682 William
Penn started the
colony
Pennsylvania
which means
“Penn’s Woods”.
His settlement
was called
Philadelphia.
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Their beliefs:
People could communicate directly
with God.
They believed in God through their
faith without the help of church and
priests. So., they did not build any
church and not train any priests.
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William Penn’s
“Holy Experiment”
All those who settled in his land would
enjoy religious freedom.
Another great appeal to Europeans,
esp. to those peasants hungry for land,
was that he offered very easy terms
for land. Anyone who would settle in
his colony could get some land almost
for nothing.
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His religious belief was man was not
born sinful and everyone was born
equal, encouraged the spirit of liberty
and equality. He set no restrictions on
immigrations. So many Americans
believed that the idea of melting-pot
was first practiced here.
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Thecolonial
colonial patterns
The
patterns
Summary
summary
The pattern of early American culture
in Virginia;
The pattern of early American culture
in New England;
The pattern in the colony of Maryland
founded by the Catholics;
The fourth colonial pattern was set by
William Penn.
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The American Revolution
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1
The original 13 English colonies in North America: By
the early 1760s, ready to separate themselves from
the Old World.
2 In 1756, England and France began to fight the Seven
Years’ War, known in America as the French an Indian
War.
3 In 1773, a group of patriots responded to the tea tax
by staging the ”Boston Tea Party”
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4 In Sep. 1774, the First Continental Congress, a
meeting of colonial leaders who opposed British
oppression in the colonies, met in Philadelphia. –
disobey the Intolerable Acts and to boycott British
trade.
5. On April 19, 1775, the first shot was fired when 700
British soldiers went to capture a colonial arms’ depot
in a small town of Concord near Boston. Thus the
American War of Independence began.
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6 In May 1775, a second Continental Congress met in
Philadelphia and began to assume the functions of a
national government.
7 The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the
Congress on July 4, 1776. It officially proclaimed the
independence of 13North American colonies.
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8 The War of Independence came to an end in 1781 with
the victory of North Americans. The Treat of Paris was
signed in 1783 and Britain had to recognized the
independence of United States. A new American
nation was born.
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George Washington
the first President of the United States
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Benjamin Franklin
John Adams
Thomas Jefferson
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John
John Locke
Locke
“This theory of politics and a guiding
principle of the American Revolution
came from John Locke, an English
philosopher in the 17th century.”
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