immigration wave began in the mid 1810s, grew steadily during the 1830s and 40s and reached the highest point in 1845. The second wave covered theperiod between 1860 and 1890. The third wave was the largest of the three. It happeded between 1890 and 1914.
21. Why did the early settlers come to America? Who were the Pilgrims? Who were the Puritans? What were the features in the colonial period which had influence on later American development? —— The early settlers came to America either for the opportunity to realize their dreams and better their lives or for the freedom from religious and governmental persecution. The Pilgrims were persons who suffered religious persecution in England and went to Holland and later moved to America in 1620. The Puritans were the members of a Protestant group in England who wanted to purify the Church of England. Dissatisfied and threatened in England, they saw America as a refuge and migrated to America since 1630. There were a number of features in the colonial period which had influence on later American development. They were: representative form of government, rule of law, respect of individual rights, religious tolerance and a strong spirit of individual enterprise.
22. What were the causes of the War of Independence? —— The economy in the thirteen colonies developed very fast and people wanted more power to detemine their own business. But the policy of the British government was to bring the development under control and to collect more taxes from the colonies. On April 19, 1775, on their way to Concord to seize the military supplies of the militia there, the British soldiers met armed militiamen. The shots were fired, the War of Independence began.
23. What was unusual about the Article of Confederation? What was the struggle at the Constitutional Convention? How was the conflict solved? —— The Article of Confederation was unusual in many ways. First, it provided for no king. The drafters blamed the troubles with Britain on king George III. So they decided not to have a king but to have a republic. This was revolutionary. Second, while the Articles created a central government in the form of a Congress, the emphasis was still on state powers. Third, the Articles of Confederation was a written constitution for the United States. No important country in the world at that time, including Britain, had a written constitution. At the Constitution Convertion the delegates all agreed it was impossible to try to patch up the Articles of Confederation, and decided to ignore them and draw up a new plan of government. Here contradictions emerged between the bigger states and smaller states, between the industrial commercial interests and landed interests, etc. In the end, the conflict was resolved by the “Great Compromise” of July 16, giving each state and equal vote in the Senate but making representation in the House reflect the size of each state’s population.
24. Why did the Civil War break out? How did the war end? —— In the early 1800s, the Northern states turned from farming to manufacturing. Black slavery soon disappeared in the North. But things were different in the South. The South expanded both its agriculture and its slavery. The problem of slavery became a serous political issue. The abolitionists tried to abolish slavery while the South tried to keep it. When Abraham Lincoln was elected President, the Southern states broke away and formed a new nation. Then Lincoln was determined to maintain the Union and the war broke out on April 12, 1861, Lincoln realized that he could win support for the Union at home and abroad by making the war a just war against slavery. So he issued Emancipation Proclamation. Thus England and France stood by the Union’s side. Many black slaves joined the Union Army. After a series of battles, Robert Lee could no longer hold Richmond. He surrendered on April 9, 1865. The Civil War ended.
25. What were the contents of the New Deal? —— The New Deal included the following contents; (1) establishment and strengthening of government regulation and control of banking, credit and currency systems, overcoming the financial crisis and restriction of certain extreme practices of financial capital; (2) federal government management of relief and establishment of social security system such as the formation of the Civilian Conservation Crops and the setting-up of the Tennessee Valley Authority; (3) stimulation of the recover of industry and agriculture; (4) formulation and implementation of federal labour laws to raise the role of labour in the relations of production; (5) improvement of the situation of minorities and members of certain religious groups.
26. What was the impact of the Vietnam War-on American society? —— The Vietnam War had a great impact on American society. (1) The United States was weakened as a result of the long war. (2) American society had never been so divided since the Civil War. (3) There was serious disagreement with in the ruling circle. (4) The image of the United States, especially the image of the American armed forces, was discredited.
27. Who was McCarthy and what was McCarthyism? —— Joseph R. McCarthy was U.S. Senator. He started his campaign by saying on Feb. 9, 1950 that he had the names of over 200 Communists in the State Department. His campaign of accusation and anti-Communist hysteria was called McCarthyism.
28. What is counterculture? What are some of the forms of counterculture? —— Counterculture is a movement of revolt against the moral values, the aesthetic standards, the personal behavior and the social
relations of conventional society. Revolutionaries became models for some people. Many young people experimented with drugs. Music, especially rock music, became the chief vehicle for the counterculture attack on the status quo.
29. What are the functions of the Congress? —— The Congress has many functions, but the most central is the passage of law. One of the most important non-legislative functions of the Congress is the power to investigate. A second important power is to compel testimony from unwilling witness and to cite for contempt of Congress witness who refuse to testify, and for perjury those who give false testimony.
30. What are some of the characteristics of American education? ——(1) Formal education in the United States consists of elementary, secondary and higher education. (2) Public educations is free and compulsory. (3) Diversity is considered to be an outstanding characteristic of American education. (4)Education is a function of the states, not the federal government.
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