Transcript Europe, and not England, is the parent country of America.

Chapter 8 A Brief Introduction to
America
by Bi Jiqin
2015 -04
Main Points
 1.
 2.
 3.
 4.
What is an American?
General introductions
In search of history
Flag descriptions
1. What is an American?
 Englishman – “a person who does things because they have
been done before”
 American – “ a person who does things because they haven’t
been done before”
 pioneering spirit / spirit of adventure
1. What is an American?
 "a society of immigrants, each of whom had
begun life anew, on an equal footing. This
is the secret of America: a nation of people
with the fresh memory of old traditions
who dare to explore new frontiers...."
 “Every American who ever lived … was
either an immigrant himself or a
descendant of immigrants.”
-- President John F. Kennedy
1. What is an American?
 "Europe, and not
England, is the parent
country of America."
-Thomas Paine
2. General introductions
 Location:
North America,
bordering both the
North
Atlantic Ocean and
the North Pacific
Ocean,
between Canada and
Mexico
 The United States is
the world’s third
largest country in
population and the
fourth largest country
in area.
2. General introductions
 Area:
total area:
9,372,610 sq km
land area:
9,166,600 sq km
comparative area:
about half the size of
Russia; about three-tenths
the size of Africa; about
one-half the size of
South America (or slightly
larger than Brazil);
 slightly smaller than
China; about two and
one-half
times the size of
Western Europe . It
consists of 50 states and a
federal district, the
District of Columbia, in
which the capital city of
Washington is located on
the Potomac River.
2. General introductions
 population
 83% white / 12% black / 5% Asian
 12% Hispanic
2. General introductions
 Climate:
mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and
Florida and arctic
in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the
Mississippi
River and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest;
low winter
temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated
occasionally in
January and February by warm winds from the
eastern
slopes of the Rocky Mountains
2. General introductions
 natural hazards:
tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquake
activity around Pacific Basin;
hurricanes along the Atlantic coast;
tornadoes in the midwest;
mudslides in California; forest fires in the
west; flooding;
permafrost in northern Alaska is a major
impediment to development
The background in Europe
 the rising of bourgeoisie (capitalism)
 Renaissance
 Religious Reformation
3. In search of history
The two long-continuing immigration movements
The first was from Asia, probably 25,000 years ago.
The second was from Europe and Africa
Columbus, of course, never saw the mainland
United States, but the first explorations of the
continental United States were launched from
the Spanish possessions that he helped establish.
3. In search of history
The early 1600s saw the beginning of a
great tide of emigration from Europe
to North America. Spanning more
than three centuries, this movement
grew from a trickle of a few hundred
English colonists to a flood of
millions of newcomers.
The four colonial patterns
 A. the settlement in Virginia
 1607. Jamestown.
 financed by London Company. For gold and
wealth
 Among 144, only 38 survived.
 The two important events in 1619: the
house of Burgess(self –governing, the
Independent War); the enslavement of
Africans(the Civil War).
The four colonial patterns
 B. Puritan in New England
 1620, Massachusetts Bay
 be persecuted for the religious ethics
 rich cultural heritage: individualism, hard
work, respect of education
The four colonial patterns
 C. Catholic Maryland
 1623. the second Lord Baltimore.
 Feudal system, but soon was dropped
 D. Quaker Pennsylvania
 William Penn.
 Be persecuted for religious belief: inner
light.
 The beginning of melting-pot
The Revolution
 the war of independence: 1774 to 1781
George Washington
(1732~1799)
Founding Father of the United
States;
Delivered his inaugural Address
in New York City
On April 30,1789
On September 17,1796
Peacefully turned over the
Power of the presidency to
John Adams
Benjamin Franklin
(1706-1790)
Distinguished member of the
Continental Congress that
drafted the Declaration of
Independence
He and John Jay and John
Adams negotiated the
Treaty of Paris (1783),
which ended the War for
Independence.
4. Flag description
4. Flag description
 The flag of the United States of America consists of
13 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom)
alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the
canton bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars
arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top
and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars. The
creator of the U.S. Flag is popularly considered to be
Betsy Ross. The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50
U.S. states and the 13 stripes represent the original
Thirteen Colonies that rebelled against the British
crown and became the first states in the
Union.Nicknames for the flag include the Stars and
Stripes, Old Glory, and the Star-Spangled Banner
The end