The Linguistic Culture-6 (Fight for Independence) (1157933)
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Lecture 7War for Independence. American RevolutionBy the middle of the 18Pth century North America was no longer aserious of isolated imperial outposts inhabited by Englishmen. By 1750 therewere thirteen British colonies, competing with the French ones. In 1749 theFrench sent an expedition down the Ohio River to claim the land in theMississippi basin for Luis XV. The British government responded byorganizing an elaborate offensive against the French. The Seven Years’ Warended in the expulsion of France from North America and stirred a wave ofpatriotism among the English population in America.
Colonials cheered whenthe Treaty of Paris (1763) gave England control over all of North America eastof the Mississippi.After the French war Great Britain rose to the heights of national powerand prestige. At the same time the costly seven-year struggle severely strainedBritain’s treasury and pointed up glaring differences of interests betweenEngland and Americans who felt much less dependent on the mother country.The colonies had become quite different and no longer wanted to be seen asextensions of England. The controversy between England and the colonies after1763 revolved around the laws affecting the settlement of the West, colonialtrade, currency, taxes, courts of justice and legislative assembly.The British Prime Minister George Granville was determined to makethe American colonies realize their obligations to the Empire.
He introduced aseries of new administrative and financial programs for America: the QuarteringAct (1765) demanded colonials to furnish shelter and provisions for the Englishtroops. The Currency Act of 1764 extended an earlier edict against makingcolonial money legal. A New Sugar and Molasses Act in 1764 put a duty on thegoods shipped to the colonies. Besides sugar taxes were put upon silk and wine.In 1765 Stamp Act laid taxes on all printed items such as paper, licenses,newspapers, playing cards and even college diplomas.
To show that the tax hadbeen paid, a stamp seller put a stamp on the paper.The answer in colonies was boycott against the importation of Britishgoods. The first political action - the Congress toward Stamp Act took place inNew York. After more than two weeks of debate at the Congress therepresentatives of nine colonies issued a declaration of rights and grievancesthat stated that colonies could be taxed constitutionally only by their ownlegislatures.
In 1766 an Organization “Sons of Liberty” was created in NewYork, and together with other organizations it broadened the base of theresistance movement. They urged citizens not to buy imported goods. EvenAmerican women, who had traditionally remained outside of politics, joinedthe resistance movement. In towns throughout America young women callingthemselves Daughters of Liberation sat publicly at their spinning wheels allday boycotting English cloth, eating only American food and drinkingAmerican herbal tea.In March 1770 British redcoats who had been sent to enforce certain BritishActs clashed with colonial civilians.
Five men were killed and six wounded.The incident was later known as “The Boston massacre When the uproar inAmerica reached Britain, the British Parliament repealed all the duties exceptthe tea tax, but most basic sources of discontent remained.. The Americans feltangry upon the presence of unnecessary troops, the English courts and customsofficers.The East India Company, finding itself in critical financial state,appealed to the British government and was given a monopoly on all tea exportedto North America. When three ships loaded with tea came into the port of Bostonin December 16, 1773 American colonists refused to pay the tax and unload thetea.
Instead at night a group of 60 men disguised as Indians boarded the ships anddumped the cargo of three hundred forty two chests into the water of the harborThis event came into American history under the name “The Boston Tea Party”.British King George and Parliament condemned the “Tea Party” as an act ofvandalism and advocated legal measures to bring the insurgent colonists into line.Punitive measures were taken.
The newly adopted British laws-called by thecolonists “Coercive Acts’- closed the port of Boston until the cost of the lost teawas paid for. New British officials were appointed in American colonies, andmany more British troops were stationed there.But the resistance of the colonists continued to grow. In 1774 Americansestablished so-called Committees of Correspondence, which sent delegates to theFirst Continental Congress in Philadelphia. Delegates from 12 colonies exceptGeorgia wrote to King George asking to reopen Boston Harbor.
American lawyersThomas Jefferson and James Wilson worked out the rights of Americans and theirown legislation. King George did not answer the letter and sent more warships toAmerica. American patriots called on Americans to take up arms to defend theirrights. In April 1775 the British regulars at Lexington and Concord (near Boston)were met by armed American volunteers (so-called militia). Their first skirmishedproclaimed the beginning of American War for Independence.The Second Continental Congress, which also convened in Philadelphia,authorized an American army and appointed a young Virginian planter GeorgeWashington as its .commander-in-chief. On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congressadopted the Declaration of Independence from the British rule.
This famousdocument drafted by Thomas Jefferson maintained that all men were created equaland proclaimed their rights for life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. TheDeclaration of Independence was signed in so-called Independence on the wall ofwhich there is still the famous Liberty Bell, which told the people outside about thehistorical decisions. Independence was inevitable. Many Americans were ready todie for colonial rights, singing the words from John Dickinson’s “Liberty Song”:“Come, join hand in hand, brave Americans, all, and rouse your hearts”.The war for Independence lasted for six years and was hard to win.
In GreatBritain at that time there lived 9 million people, in the American colonies – lessthan 3 million, 20 percent of which were slaves. Britain had the world’s greatestnavy and a strong army. The rag-tag groups of irregulars seemed no match forEngland’s military might. Americans had only an ill trained militia and no navy.Yet they had one great advantage – they were fighting at home and for freedom.The colonial militia’s successes around Boston in the spring 1775 had contributedto the American myth that British regulars were less effective than the colonials’volunteers.
At the same time the British government and its generals made the fatalmistake of underestimating Washington’ ragged army seriously. As the warprogressed, discipline and experience appeared and though the colonists lost manybattles, they learned that they could be beaten but they could not be subdued .Theoverwhelming triumph of the Americans at Saratoga in October 1777 decided theRevolution. Besides France seeking the revenge to Britain had secretly providedassistance to the rebellious colonies, dispensing goods and finances through atrading company headed by French author Pierre Caron de Beaumarchais.After the decisive victory of the colonial army at Yorktown in 1781 the Britishfinally laid down their arms. In 1783 the ultimate peace treaty was signed in Paris.Britain recognized American independence and agreed to withdraw all its troopsfrom the American soil.
An American flag was raised. The 13 states joinedtogether into a confederation. The citizens of the new country began to callthemselves “Americans” and a new nation was born Congress also worked out asystem of adding new states to the original ones.One of the first tasks facing Americans was the creation of new politicalinstitutions to exercise the governmental authority seized from Great Britain. In1787 a nation-wide meeting (named Convention) in Philadelphia adopted a newConstitution. It established a legislature of two Houses, the House ofRepresentatives in which the places were assigned according to the population andfilled by popular vote, and the Senate where every state was to send two membersappointed by state legislature.
Centralized executive power was to be effected byFederal Government headed by a President with wide jurisdiction over home andforeign affairs. During January and February 1789 elections took place in the statesand soon the new congressmen gathered in New York, the temporary capital.George Washington was unanimously elected the first President of the UnitedStates of America.In 1791 ten amendments were added to the Constitution, known as the “Bill ofRights”, according to which the Federal government guarantees freedom of speech,press, or religion. Yet it is necessary to note that the American Constitution, thefirst in the world to recognize the rights of white citizens, at the same timeconfirmed the black people’s slavery.
The brutality of the slavery obviouslyconflicted with the proclaimed ideals of American democracy.1. Answer the questions.1. What was the main reason of British – French war?2. What consequences had the victory of Britain on the relations betweenAmerican colonies and their mother country?3. What series of British actions led to the American war for independence?4. What role did “The Boston Massacre” and the Boston “Tea Party” play in therevolutionary movement?5. What was the main idea of the “Declaration of Independence” drafted byThomas Jefferson?6. How did the revolutionary events develop after the “Declaration ofIndependence” had been adopted?7. Which great advantage did American militia have over British soldiers?8.
What were the very first steps of Philadelphia Convention after the decisivevictory of the American colonial army?9. When was the very first president of the USA elected?2. Find English equivalent to the Russian ones:Основные события; начало войны; одержать победу; подавить восстание;облагать налогами; приостановить деятельность законодательного органа;отменить пошлины; осуществить план; провести карательные меры;созвать конгресс; провести в жизнь закон; прекратить наступательныеоперации; предоставить безоговорочную независимость.3. Render the texts in English:А) Разрыв колоний с метрополией был предопределен с самого начала,так как ориентация на автономность возникла очень быстро…Еще задолго до революции в Северной Америке сложилась особаядуховная атмосфера, поражавшая прибывших за океан европейцев.
Этоощущение свободы и больших возможностей для самореализацииличности стало важнейшей основой для складывания американской нации.Американская революция, устранившая слабые ростки феодализма вколониях и порвавшая с диктатом метрополий, открыла в конце 18 в. путьдля быстрого наращивания потенциала модернизации. Почему жепроизошло американское чудо? Некоторые исследователи склонныобъяснять это тем, что первыми поселенцами были по преимуществупуритане-носителикапиталистическогодуха.Действительно,преследуемые на родине, английские кальвинисты переселялись вАмерику целыми общинами и на первых порах сыграли роль своего родастержня в экономической, политической и культурной жизни колоний.
Ноне менее важными были и другие факторы: колонисты принесли с собойдемократические традиции, которые веками вырабатывала английскаяпарламентская система.(Хачатурян В.М.”История мировых цивилизаций”)Б) К концу 18 в. в Американских колониях сложилась очень напряженнаяи противоречивая обстановка. К этому времени англичане попыталисьустановить более строгий режим в своих колониях. Этовызвалорешительный протест американцев. Введение закона о Гербовом сборевызвала к жизни новые формы демократического движения. В конце 1765-начале 1766 гг. возникла революционная организация «Сыновья свободы».Они организовали бойкот английских товаров, что привело к провалу законао Гербовом сборе. Это был новый этап политической борьбы. В мае 1773 г.английский парламент принял так называемый «Чайный закон».
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