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1、Unit 3 1.the first English settlement in North America The first English permanent settlement was organized in 1607 by the London Company with a charter from the English king. The colonists settled in Virginia and survived by imposing strict discipline on themselves and by transplanting tobacco into
2、 the colony of Virginia. In 1619, the settlers elected their delegates and set up the House of Burgesses, and the same time they bought and enslaved black servants. 2.Puritanism Puritans were those who followed the doctrine of John Calvin and wanted to purify the Church of England. They believed tha
3、t human beings were predestined by God before they were born. Some were Gods chosen people while others were damned to hell. No church nor good works could save people. The sign of being Gods elect was the success in his work or the prosperity in his calling. They also argued that everyone must read
4、 the Bible in order to find Gods will and establish a direct contact with God. These beliefs had great impact on American culture. 3. The Declaration of Independence It was mainly drafted by Thomas Jefferson and was adopted by the Congress on July 4, 1776, when the people of 13 English colonies in N
5、orth America were fighting for their freedom and independence from the British colonial rule. The document declared that all men were equal and that they were entitled to have some unalienable rights such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It also explained the philosophy of government:
6、the powers of governments came from the consent of the governed and the purpose of governments were to secure the rights mentioned above. The theory of politics and the guiding principles of the American Revolution mainly came from John Locke. 4. George Washington George Washington was one of the fo
7、unding fathers of the American Republic. He was the Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in the War of Independence against the British colonial rule and the first President of the United States. 5.Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin was one of the founding fathers of the United States of Amer
8、ica. He participated in writing the Declaration of Independence and making the US Constitution.Unit 4 1.The Articles of Confederation After the War of Independence was won, the new nation of the United States was organized under the agreement of the Articles of Confederation with a weak national gov
9、ernment called the Congress. Each state had its own government, made its own laws and handled its internal affairs. The states did not cooperate with the Congress and with each other. The Congress had no power to force any state to contribute money to the national government and the Congress could n
10、ot tax any citizen either. As a result, the Articles of Confederation failed. 2.A federal system A federal system is one in which power is shared between a central authority and its constituent parts, with some rights reserved to each. 3.The making of the US Constitution The Articles of Confederatio
11、n failed. The Congress decided to hold a constitutional convention to revise the Articles of Confederation. The delegates from 12 states (Rhode Island refused to participated) gathered in Philadelphia in 1787 and ended up in writing a new constitution and set a federal system with a strong central g
12、overnment. The Constitution provided that an election of the president would be called, federal laws would be made only by a Congress made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate and a Supreme Court would be set up. This new Constitution was finally approved by the majority of the citizens
13、 in over 9 of the 13 states and was officially put into effect in 1787. 4.The executive The chief executive is the president, who is elected to a four-year term. A president can be elected to only two terms according to an amendment passed in 1951. The president can propose legislation to Congress.
14、He can veto any bill passed by Congress. The veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote in both houses. The president can appoint federal judges as vacancies occur. He is the commander in chief of the armed forces. The president has other broad authorities in running the government departments and
15、handling foreign relations. 5.The Bill of Rights It consists of the first 10 amendments which were added to the Constitution in 1791. It was passed to guarantee freedom and individual rights such as freedom of speech, the right to assemble in public places, the right to own weapons and so on. 6.Home
16、land Security Homeland security is short for the United States Department of Homeland Security(abbreviated as DHS). It is found on March 1, 2003, and is a Cabinet department of the United States federal government with the primary responsibilities of protecting the territory of the US from terrorist attacks and responding to natural disasters. With more than 200, 000 employees, DHS is the third largest Cabinet department, after the
