THE STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE
The history of American form of Government begins with its settlers. Most of the early settlers came from England. They lived in groups called colonies. The king of England was their ruler.
The English settlers founded the Virginia colony at Jamestown in 1607. It was the first permanent English colony. In 1620 other English people came to America. They were known as Pilgrimes. They went to Holland first. In Holland their children began to forget the English ways. And they decided to leave Holland and go to the new world. They started Plymouth colony in Massachusetts. They struggled to build homes and to exist. After a hard winter the Pilgrims who survived held a feast with their friends, the Indians, who had helped them begin their new way of life. They thanked God for their blessings. This was the first American Thanksgiving. They still celebrate Thanksgiving Day each year near the end of November.
More Englishmen, as well as people from other European countries came to live in America. Many, like the Pilgrims, wanted to be free, to worship God in their own way. Others were looking for political freedom. Traders were seeking ways to make money. The poor and the unemployed people wanted jobs to earn a better living. Businessmen who had money to invest saw promise of success in America. They came from such countries as Holland, Sweden and Finland. The Germans, Scotch-Irish and French were among those who came to the new World looking for a better life too.
After many years all the colonists came under British rule. Georgia founded in 1733 was the last colony to be formed.
In 1776 there were 13 British colonies in that part of America that later became the United States. These colonies became the 13 states. They are Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersy, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina and Rhode Island.
The king let the colonists elect representatives to make local laws. But as time passed more and more laws for the colonists were made in Great Britain. Under these laws, the colonists had to pay more taxes.
However, the colonists were not asked to help make these laws. They had no representatives in Great Britain. They began to feel that some of their rights were being taken away from them and they declared they could be taxed only by their own representatives. The King refused to change the tax laws.
The colonists decided to hold a meeting to discuss their problems. All of the colonies except Georgia sent delegates to this meeting. It was held in Philadelphia in 1774. It was the First continental Congress. The colonists asked the King for their rights as Englishmen. The king refused. He called them traitors. The Second Continental Congress met in Independence fall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1775. It decided that the colonists should fight Great Britain. This war was called the Revolutionary, war or the War for Independence.
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George Washington was appointed to lead the soldiers. He became their commander-in-chief. Freedom-loving people from many countries - France, Poland and Germany - came to help the colonists because they knew Washington did not have trained soldiers. In January 1776 Thomas Paine, an English immigrant, wrote the pamphlet "Common Sense". Paine's words excited the people. More and more of them talked of Independence.
The colonists decided to free themselves from Great Britain. They wanted their own Government. A committee was appointed to write a Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and others were members of the Committee. Jefferson wrote most of the Declaration. On July, 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. The colonists declared themselves to be free. They became separate states. This is how the new nation began. Since then the 4th of July is a holiday in the United States known as Independence Day.
После прочтения текста
I. Проверка словарного запаса слов
Выберите верное значение каждого слова:
Words Sentences
1. founded a. The Pilgrims wanted to... God in their
own way.
2. struggled b. The king called the colonists... because
they wanted their rights.
3. declared c. The colonists... to be free.
4. traitors d. Those who... had a big feast.
5. survive e. In the Declaration of Independence the
colonists … themselves to be free from
Britain.
6. worship f. Jamestown was... in 1607.
7. representatives g. The colonists said they could be taxed
only by their own...
II. Проверка понимания
Вставьте подходящее по смыслу слово:
Sentences Words
a. The first English colony was in... 1. Thanksgiving
b. The Pilgrims wanted religions... 2. Indians
c. The Pilgrims went to... first. 3. Virginia
d. At the end of November Americans 4. freedom
celebrate the holiday of...
e. The Pilgrims were helped by the... 5. Holland
f. George Washington became the... 6. declaration
of the American Army.
g. Thomas Jefferson wrote most of the... 7. commander-in-chief
Подумайте
Why it is important for a person to be independent.
Обсуждение
1. How was the American nation formed?
2. In what ways was the life difficult for the settlers?
3. From what countries did men come to help the colonists in their fight for freedom?
A LOOK AT WORK IN AMERICA
The United States of America has 50 states. It is about as big as all of Europe. Forty-eight of its states are bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, Canada, Mexico, and the Gulf of Mexico. Northward on the Pacific Ocean is the state of Alaska, while 2500 miles westward in the Pacific Ocean lie the islands of the state of Hawaii. Together the 50 states of the country contain ever three and a half million square miles of land.
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People work in different jobs. They live in cities, in towns and on farms. They work in the mountains, in the fields, in factories and offices, and on the roads. Many people live near the sea and earn their living from it.
The United States is a great industrial nation. It leads the world in manufacturing, automobiles, machinery, chemicals, steel, and textiles. USA's chief manufacturing regions are in the northeastern and central parts of the United States. Some of the big industrial cities are New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, and Pittsburg.
Farming is an important occupation. Farm products are raised almost everywhere in the U.S. Where the land is dry, water is brought in to irrigate it. Irrigation, watering the land, helps to make things grow. In southern California, for example, we have oranges and grapes growing where there once was a desert.
In the southern states they grow cotton and tobacco. Florida, a southern state, grows oranges. In the northwestern states we grow apples. The state of Washington is well known for its apples. Idaho is well known for its potatoes. Maine, a north-eastern state, is also known for its potatoes. The richest farming region is in the central part of the U.S. This farming area is in the "Great Central Plains". The Mississippi River, longer than any other river in Europe, flows through the central part of our country. This rich farm land grows enough corn and wheat to feed all America as well as many other countries. They owe their high standard of living chiefly to their farms and factories.
The southwestern part of the United States is a cattle-raising region. Most of their meat comes from this area. On many large western ranches and farms horses and sheep are also raised. All through the United States many people earn their living by raising hogs and poultry. Thousands of dairy farms are in the eastern and north-central regions. They depend upon these farms for their dairy products: milk, butter and cheese.
Mining is another important industry. There are large deposits of coal, iron ore, copper, and other metals beneath their soil; Many Americans work in the iron ore, copper, lead, and coal mines. Oil is a resource that comes from the ground. Texas and Oklahoma are famous for their oil wells. Oil refineries prepare the crude oil for use in their homes, factories, and automobiles.
Many workers earn their living in stores, markets, restaurants, laundries, barber shops, repair shops, and beauty parlors. These are known as service trades.
Some people work in offices. Others are in professions such as teaching, nursing, medicine, law, and engineering. Some people work in radio, television, and movies.
There are many opportunities for everyone to work and earn a living.
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Проверка понимания слов
Укажите верное значение слова:
Words Meanings
1. industrial center a) things people make or grow
2. irrigate b) jobs that make other people more
comfortable
3. products c) o bring water to dry land to make things
grow
4. ore d) place that is important because of its
factories
5. refineries e) part of a country
6. region f) place where crude oil is made into gasoline
7. occupation g) mineral taken from the ground and made
into metal
8. service trades h) places where things are made
9. factories i) job