英美概况复习大纲(5)

European immigrants are also welcome because they could be assimilated into the American way of life within a comparatively short time.

After 1890 immigration from northern and western Europe fell off sharply because rapid industrial development made labor scarce in these areas. It is now estimated that

about one third of Americans have ancestors from Britain. They are still the most influenlial and wealthiest in the United States. One of the contributing factors is that Ameriean culture is based on Anglo-Saxon culture.

2) Black People

Black Americans, about 35 million in 2000, account for about 12 % of the total US

population. The first group of blacks was brought\colonies were in need of labor, the slave system developed rapidly and

During the 1880s, a lot of Jews fled to the United States from east Europe.

During the Second World War, many Jews went to America to escape the holocaust~ ~mrted by Hitler.

Today there are more than 6 million Jews in America, accounting for more than 2% of the US population.

The Jews have been reputed for being skillful financiers or moneylenders, hence the English expression \one of the many important pressure groups in American society, having a great influence on U.S. polities. Their influence plays a

very important role in prompting the U.S. Government to help Israel whenever there is

the need do so. Politically, most Jewish-Americans tend to give their support to the Democrats. Melting Pot or Mosaic

For many years in history the United States was likened to a \melting pot.\It meant that as immigrants from different regions and cultures came to live in the United States, their old ways of life melt away and they became part of the American culture.The United States was thus compared to a big pot of soup that had bits of flavor from each different culture.

The U. S, population was characterized by multiplicity in terms of composition. J. Hector St. de Creveeoem', a French naturalist, wrote a famous book entitled Letters from an American Farmer, which was composed of his essays on the American way of life. The book introduced the concept of America as a melting pot for the people of many nations.

\then is the American, this new man ? He is either an European, or the descendant of an European, hence the strange mixture of blood, which you will find in no other country, I could point ont to you a family whose grandfather was an Englishman, whose wife was Dutch, whose son married a French woman, and whose present four sons have now four wives of different nations.\

The traditional concept of \

some people compare America to a mosaic because the US population is composed of more than one hundred ethnic groups. It is like a picture of many distinctive colors and these colors do not mix with each other. An ethnic group is made up of people with some common characteristics that make them different from other groups. They are either of the same national origin or share specific racial or physical traits. They are usually bound together by common traditions and values. Members of an ethnic group tend to see themselves as separate from other people. Often groups of people from the same culture live together in distinctive communities, such as Chinatowns in a number of cities and Little Cuba in Florida. There are also areas almost exclusively populated by other ethnic groups, such as Korean immigrants and Mexican immigrants.

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But the mosaic concept does not always hold true either, for the children of immigrants often want to speak English and follow the American way of life. It is estimated that about 48% of European immigrants marry outside their own ethnic groups by the time they reach the third generation. They are no longer called French-Americans or Irish-Americans. They are known as \Americas\because they have been \all Americans bound together by a new kind of glue. Just as George J. Mitchell, a former federal judge, put it,

\Most nations derive from a single tribe or a single race. They practice a single religion. Common racial, ethnic, and religious heritages are the glue of nationhood for many. The United States is different. We have all races, all religion, a limited common heritage. The glue of nationhood for us is the American ideal of individual liberty and equal justice…\

New immigrants from regions other than North and Western Europe sometimes suffer from discrimination because their cultural and religious backgrounds are different from those of the white people. Racial discrimination, in the final analysis, is unequal and unjust treatment. There are many contributing factors to discrimination.

Since the 1960s, the U. $. Government has passed a series of laws to eradicate any racial discrimination. But discrimination has not died out because the law is not omnipotent(全能的，无限的，绝对权力的). A new immigrant in America complained:

\home you are either rich or poor, that is the only discrimination. Here (in the U. S. ) bosses discriminate against workers, whites against blacks, legal immigrants against illegal immigrants. Even within the same race there is discrimination. I think it is because in America there is so much competition. People need any edge they can get to move ahead.\

Her conclusion, though not completely acceptable, points to some facts in

American society. The American law promises equal chance for every citizen, but American philosophy is based on individualism, self-reliance and competition, which may lead to the adoption of social Darwinism that God helps him who helps himself. It would be ridiculous to imagine that America is a ready-made paradise for everyone who goes there. But it is also wrong to say that American society is a stratified(分层次的) society dominated by a small number of people and it does not allow anyone other than the white to make a fortune. As a matter of fact, the United States is more resilient(有弹性的，富有活力的，适应力强的) than many other countries in dealing with difference, in spite of their complaints, few immigrants would leave America for another country. Almost everyone could find his fellow countrymen in the United States. Upper, Middle and Lower Classes

The Upper Class: According to official statistic, about 10% of the total American population controls some 65% of the nation's private wealth, mainly in the form of corporate stock. They make up the most important part of the upper class. Their income taxes can help show their economic status. The top 10% of Armenians paid 51%, or some 150 billion U. S, dollars of the 1984 federal income tax while the top 5% of Americans in the same year paid 38% of the total federal income tax.

There is no denying that they are the main taxpayers, but their take-home (net) income Is still disproportionately high.

Known as millionaires or multi-millinaires, upper-class Americans own many things that are beyond

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the reach of common people, such as spacious cozy villas, private -swimming pools and luxury cars. Some of them are extravagant spenders, who spend a lot of money on pleasures and luxuries without use value. They eontribute money to the campaign funds of politicians and lobby the legislature. In making

policies the government has to take their interests into full account. If the government policy does not offer them the chance to make a profit, they will stop making investments or move their money abroad. This will send the stock market down and lead to a new recession.

The Middle Class: In terms of income, is positioned between the upper class and the lower class. It mainly consists of white-collar workers with income above the national average. Middle-class Americans are mostly professional people who rely on their salaries for a living. There is the opinion that manual workers of low educational levels, such as miners, truck drivers and road builders, should not be included in\ 'high class, even. if their pay ~s .

It is estimated that middle-class Americans comprise more than 40% of the total

American population. They paid about 40%, or some 130- billion dollars, of the 1984 federal, income tax bill, middle-class Americans live in affluence. They have detached houses or villas in the suburbs, although some may live in semidetached houses. They can afford to buy a new car every five years. They have the money to make pleasure trips in summer. Some of them can afford to build private swimming-pools, They send their children to universities so as to prepare them for middle-cl~ jol~.

Middle-class Americans make up the most. important bloc of consumers in America. They make up the majority and have surplus money. All salesmen and manufacturers know the importance of catering to their needs. Many ads are aimed at stimulating their desire for consumption. Their sense of self-esteem often prompts them to buy new things. Middle-class Americans play an important role in American polities.

They are better educated and well informed. Their demand for stability helps to maintain social order. No politician win a popular election without the support of middle-class

Americans because they make up the largest voting bloc. Soon after the Democrats failed to win a majority of seats at the mid-term election of 1994 and lost the Control of the House and the Senate, President Clinton proposed a bill to cut the income tax to please middle-class Americans.

It is commonplace to hear middle-class Americans-complain. They have to work

hard to keep their position and standard of living. They pay a lot of income, taxes but they are not entitled to social welfare benefits which are aimed at helping the poor.

Besides, their children have to pay all the fees for higher education. Their life is affluent, \always faced

Questions for lecture XIV

?What are the US government principles?

?What is the connotation of the Federal System?

?What are the three branches of the Federal/Central Gov., and how each of them checks the other two in preventing abuse of power?

Lecture XIV Government and Politics ?Government Principles:

1.supremacy of people and popular consent----the Government derives its just power from the consent of the governed; the Government has no other powers except those given by the people and written in the Constitution;

2.Federalism and separation of powers (principle of checks and balances) ----the power of the government must be limited and divided by a fundamental law, the Constitution;

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3.the Government should have adequate power for achieving its appropriate purpose.

Constitution/Formation of the Government ?The US Gov. consists of three branches: the Legislative (the Congress); the Executive (Administration); the Judicial (the Supreme Court)

?The Gov. exercises division of power/ balance of power/restriction of power the Legislative

the Executive the Judicial

The Legislative Branch

The legislative branch of the federal government, officially known as the U. S. Congress is composed of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The two houses are granted equal powers and all bills have to pass both the Senate and the House before going to the President for his signature.

The central function of Congress is to make federal laws because \powers\ granted to the federal govemment “shall be vested in a Congress of the United States.\Only Congress has the power to collect taxes and levy duties, to pay the country's debts, to regulate tore~gn commerce, and to rame armies and pay for them.

Another important function of Congress is to make investigations. Congressional investigations are an important tool for federal lawmakers to know the views of American people about a proposed bill. The Congress usually holds hearings over disputed questions. Congress has the power to call any American citizens, including federal officials, to testify--to say what they know on the subject under investigation. Those who refuse to testify or give false testimony will be punished for contempt of Congress or perjury. Congressional investigations aim to prevent corruptions and wrongdoings of high-level officials. The Congress, for example, investigated the Watergate affair and President Clinton's alleged affair with White House intern Lewinsky.

The House of Representatives is a subdivision of the bicameral Congress. Ever since 1910, the House has had a permanent membership of 435, with each Representative standing for more than half a million American now (ref. to P. 56 of our book) ?The House (of Representatives): 1. impeachment

2. initiation of revenue bills Committees:

1. Ways and Means Committee 2. Investigation Committee ?The Senate:

1. Budget Committee

2. Appropriation Committee 3. Foreign Relation Committee Questions for lecture XV

1. What was the area size of original America (when it came into being----when the United States of America was founded)?

2. How much was the United States enlarged after the Purchase of Louisiana?

3. What was the real cause of Mexican War, and what about its results? (ref. to p.304-305)? 4. What was the result of the US-Spanish War?(ref. to last para. of p.335) 5. Why did US impose the equal-trading-right “Open Door” policy on China?

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Lecture XV. US/America?s Expansion ?1.Original US of America ?2.Purchase of Louisiana(1803) ?3.1845-1848(Mexican War) ?4.1867 Purchase of Alaska ?5.1898 US-Spanish War

?6.By the turning-point of 20th century, purchase of the right to dig Panama Canal ?7.1899-1900 “Open Door” Doctrine imposed on China

US Expansion (ref. to p.309&259) 2.Purchase of Louisiana(1803) ?Background:

?Jefferson's success in the presidential eletion of 1800 refleted the growing importance of farmers and tradesmen from Whom Jefferon derived his main support. To serve their interests, Jefferson emphasized development of agriculture and trade. He supported westward expansion for land and the complete control of the Mississippi River as an outlet for American farm products, According to the peace treaty concluded with England after the War of Independence, the Mississippi River was the western boundary of the United States.

?The area to the west of the Mississippi, known as Louisiana, did not belong to America. It was first claimed by Spain and in 1800 it was ceded to France under Napoleon, who was then at war with several nations. Jefferson took advantage of the war and proposed to Napoleon that France sell New Orleans to the United States. Napoleon, who was badly in need of money, decided to make a bargain. He agreed to sell the city as well as Louisiana to America at the price of 15million dollars.

?The U.S. Constitution did not say the federal govermnent could pumhase land from another country, but Jefferson approved the purchase.

?This additional 2.6 million square kiloineters of land, purchased at the price of three-and-a-half cents an acre, at once douhled America's territory and pushed the American frontier west far beyond the Midwest.

?The bargain also put the Mississippi River system under the complete control of the Uniied States. Cheap water transportation greatly stimulated the agricultural and industrial production and a number of big cities such as Chicago and Kansas City sprang up in this region.

3. 1845-1848(Mexican War)

Mexican War and Its Results (1846--'1848)

Texas had been a part of Mexico. In 1820, Moses Austin, a businessman and speculator from Connecticut, planned to found an American settlement in Texas with the approval of Mexican officials. But Austin died before plans for the colony were completed. His son, Stephen Austin, led the first group of settlers to Texas in 1821.

In 1835, Americans living in Texas started their independence war and declared independence on March 1, 1836.

President Jackson and many southerners wanted to acquire Texas, but northerners---especially those who were against slavery were against the annexation.

Because of the disagreement, the US Congress recognized the Republic of Texas instead of annexing it in 1837.

During the debate over whether to annex Texas, the American journalist and politician John Osullivan put forward the Manifest Destiny theory. According to the argument of Manifest Destiny, North America was allotted to American people

\It was the American people?s \

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