Vocabulary. 1. the Apaches [ə'pætiz] - апачи

Lecture 1

1. the Apaches [ə'pætiz] - апачи

2. the Hopi ['houpi] - хопи

3. the Navaho ['nævəhou] - навахо

4. Eiric the Red ['airik] - Эйрик Рыжий

5. Leif Eiriksson ['li:f 'airiks(ə)n] - Лейф Эйриксон (Лейф Счастливый)

6. Mayflower - название корабля

7. maize [meiz] - кукуруза, маис

8. Plymouth ['pliməθ] - Плимут

9. Yankee ['jæŋki] - американец

10. The Iroquois ['irkwoiz] - ирокезы

11. The Algonquins [æl'goŋkwinz] – алго́нки

12. The Hurons ['hjuərənz] – гуро̀ны

13. the Dartmouth - название корабля

14. George Washington, commander-in-chief - Джордж Вашингтон, главнокомандующий

15. Thomas Jefferson - Томас Джефферсон

16. Independence Hall in Philadelphia

17. General Grant - генерал Грант

FROM THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICA

Plan

1. The beginnings of America.

2. Exploring and settling the new world.

3. The beginnings of New England.

4. The Seven Years war.

5. First steps to independence.

6. The Civil War between the States.

THE BEGINNINGS OF AMERICA

America as a continent is comparatively old. The first people appeared in New World about. 25,000 years ago. The scientists have discovered about 750 prehistoric instruments at several places of Northern Alaska and along the Arctic coast of Canada. ' -.")

Scientists have found that there were about 276 Indian tribes in North America and by 1500 the Indian population was 4,2000,000. The first people in America in their lives depended on the animals and plants. That is why they were hunters, fishermen, made canoes, used animal skins for clothing and meat of animals for food. They ate fruit, roots, berries, they even knew how to make a fire. They made stone instruments, baskets and things from gold, silver and other metals. y'

Each Indian tribe spoke their^own language. Among American ^ndians we can mention such tribes as the Apaches [-Vpastjiz] - апачи, the Hopi ["houpi] - xonifrthe Navaho ['naev^hou] - навахо and others.

As to the languages there are about 200 Indian languages in North America, each with its own grammar and vocabulary. That's why there are some Indian names on the map of the USA.

So we see that America, being rather old, was not discovered by Europeans till the 15^th century. There are some reasons of that. One of them, as it is written in the books, is mainly the people's fear of the open sea. They believed that it was bounded by a rushing (стремительный) torrent that encircled the lands of the earth. Moreover the western sea was believed to be infested by monsters with jaws so big, that they could crush the largest ship like an eggshell.

But up along the coast of Norway lived a people who depended on the sea very much for their food. These were inhabitants of Scandinavia who crossed and recrossed the Western Ocean countless times. The careless courage with which they seized either sword or or^ and waged war with the stormy waters had earned them the name of "Vikings" or creek men (the name derived from the viks or creeks in the coast in which they harboured with their ships).

The Vj)<ings went far into the Atlantic Ocean. They traded with the
natives, made settlements in Iceland and Greenland as far back as the 10^,h
century.

s Icelandic sagas tell of a Norseman, Eiric ['airik] the Red, and his son Xeif Eiriksson [Mi:f 'airiks(A)n], about the voyages they made. They landed by chance on the coast of North America. First they settled in Iceland but they had trouble and had to leave the island. Then Eiriksson sailed west until he reached another land. It looked very cold. Icebergs drifted in the waters around it. But Eiriksson saw some green along the coast, so he named it Greenland. He returned to Iceland for his family. He also invited some friends to move to the new land.

Once on a voyage from Greenland to Norway, Eiriksson lost his way. His ship was now sailing in a new direction. After a short time he reached a land whose low coast was covered with trees. The summer air was sweet with smell of flowers. Vines grew wild everywhere in the forest. Eiriksson called the country Vinland or "The Land of the Vine" (страна вина). In fact that land was North America. Eiriksson built a house and lived comfortably until winter came. He never quarrelled with the native tribe until one of the vikings killed a native. This turned the whole tribe against them, and the Vjkings had to leave Vinland.

As time went on people forgot about the western lands of the New World the Norsemen had visited. Many hundred years passed before white men came there again.

The United States Congress has declared Leif Eiriksson to be the discoverer of the New World, and since 1966, annually Americans celebrate Leif Eiriksson"s Day on October 9.

EXPLORING AND SETTLING THE NEW WORLD

In the 1400s, Spanishjand Portuguesejxilers began to give money for voyages of exploration. In search of gold, silk and spices, Portuguese explorers sailed around Africa and Asia.

The discovery and exploration of America, in fact, was the work of Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) and the Europeans who followed him to the New World. Columbus was an Italian seaman. He asked many governments for money to make a westward voyage to India. At last the government of Spain agreed to help him, and on August 3, 1492, Columbus set sail from Spain. With three small ships he sailed for three months and on October 12, 1492 he ancf Kis men landed on an island in the Bahamas [b "ha:rruz] not far from the coast of North America.

Columbus made four voyages to Central America between 1492 and 1504. Until the end of his life he thought that those islands and the mainland were part of India. That's why they were called West Indies and the redskin men were given the name "Indians' ". (■><< /

Soon after Columbus's discovery, Spaniards began to settle in South America. This explains why the main language of these lands is Spanish.

For a while after the first voyage of Columbus in 1492, America was called the "'New World". Later, however, it was decided by mapmakers in Europe to name the New World after a man najT)ed_Amerigo_Vespucci (his Christian name was "Americus" in Latin) (1454-1512). He was an Italian merchant and adventurer who made three trips to the New World from 1499 to 1504. Amerigo was the first who voiced the supposition that the land was a new part of the world. Columbus became the first explorer to reach the i mainland of South America in 1498, but Amerigo Vespucci soon wrote a book in which he claimed to have gone there in 1497. This was not true, but people did not know for many years that Amerigo was lying. The book made Amerigo very popular, so the proposal to name the new land after him was accepted with general approval.

Spain, France and England were in the discovery of America so they sent many seamen to the New World. They came there to look for gold, silver and other metals. They began a trade in animal skins with the Indians. They came to live and to work there. These lands were rich in fish, animals and forests. The people settled mainly in North America where the United Slaicb of America and Canada now are. The news of the riches found in America brought explorers from the Old World. Some of them came for Still others came because they hoped to find more freedom on the new land. Many people came because they hoped to have a chance to build better homes. Some were brought like slaves.

The first English colonists landed in the south of what is now the United States in the late sixteenth century.

THE BEGINNINGS OF NEW ENGLAND

In England it was the time of Kingjames I. English people did not
like the king and they called him "The Foolish King of England". Many of
them even left England and went to live in other countries.

Thus a group of families, the people who belonged to the Pilgrim's
church iii_Leyden and_were called Pilgrims, who could not stay any more In
"England because of their religion left the Port of Plymouth on September 6,
1620 to cross the Atlantic and make a home m the New World^There were
about one hundred passengers on board the ship called the Mayflower, but
even for this hundred the ship was too small. After the two-mBnt^"voyage the
people reached the shore of Cape Cod in Massachusetts in November 1620.
;. Some of the men left the ship and went ashore to see what the new

Jand was like. In the evening they came back to the ship and brought some Haz\zQ with them. They found the maize on the coast where the Indians had left it. Nobody in Europe had seen maize then, but when the people on board the Mayflower tried it they liked it very much.

Next day was Sunday and everybody on the ship had a rest. On Monday some men went ashore again and this time they took some women with them. The women went to wash the clothes. Since that time Monday has been the wash-day in America.

During the next five weeks the men from the Mayflower left the ship
every day. They were looking for a good place to live. Finally, in December
1620, the exploring party of men had found a suitable place. There was a
good harbour for ships there, some fields and forests near it and even a small
river. The place was called New Plymouth...........................

It was winter. The weather was very cold; there was snow on the ground. The people were tired and cold. They did not have enough to eat. More and more of them fell ill. This first winter was very difficult, especially for the women and children. Almost half of the colonists did not live to see the spring. Those who were well enough worked to help the ill. But nobody thought of going back to England.

In March, as the winter approached its end, an Indian came to the village. He could speak English a little. He had learned the language from the sailors of a ship, which had come to this part of America a few years before. Later the Indian came to the village with some other Indians. They came as friends and helped the white settlers as much as they could. They brought them Indian corn (маис, кукуруза), as the settlers called it, to make bread. The Indians showed the white people how to plant the corn, how to catch turkey in the forest and many other useful things. The Indians called all Englishmen "YafTkee" because they could not say the word "Englishman". Since that time "Yankee" has been the name of a white man in America.

Things went well with the colonists now. They had settled in a very rich land. There was fish in the ocean and in the rivers; there was excellent hunting in the forest. In autumn the colonists gathered a fine harvest. So they were ready to meet their second winter in good houses with all the food they needed. They celebrated the good harvest in October, 1621, and held a feast, which featured among many other foods wild turkey, which is native to North America. The holiday was called "Thanksgiving Day". Since that time Thanksgiving Day has been a national holiday in the United States of America. And it is now observed on the fourth Thursday of November.

Other ships came with more settlers. The settlement grew and colonies were founded in other parts of New England.

The brave men and women who, more than three hundred years ago,
landed from the Mayflower to begin a new life, became the founders of the
United States of America.;.? ■'

THE SEVEN YEARS WAR

French and British colonists in North America quarrelled on and off over territory for years. In 1754 fighting broke out between them in a war that was at first called the French arid, Indian War (1754-1763). Both sides recruited native^Americans. The Iroquois ['irl^wpiz] fought for the British, while the Algonquins [ Eel'gorjkwinz] and Hurons ['hju^ranz] helped the French. The British won the crucial Battle ofJ^Krebec. Defeated, the French lost control of North America.

In 1756 the conflict became part of a larger European war known as the Seven Years War. It was fought between France and Britain for control of North America. The British won an outright victory, taking control of all the Eastern North America.

The early English settlements in America were founded by small groups of people, like the Mayflower emigrants. These colonies grew larger and became important factors in Britain's struggle for greater role in the world. They gave Britain different materials and much money.

From the mid-1700s relations between Britain and the 13 British coJ^ijes_on_the east coastof North America began to break down. After the British defeated France in the Seven Years War in 1763, they tried to ex?rt more power over the colonies. The colonies had no right to trade with other nations than England. They also had to pay duty on everything imported by England to the colonies from other countries.

At the same time the American colonies themselves were becoming stronger and were establishing their own industry, agriculture and trade. They ignored many rules introduced by the English Parliament which did not let them trade with other nations.

The colonies did not want to pay the duties on products brought from Britain and her other colonies. They were especially against the duty on all tea imported into colonies, and duties on some other less important products like paper.

So late in 1773, when the colonists learned that seven British ships
carrying tea were on their way to New York^Boston and other ports, they
decided that the tea duty was not going to be paid and that the tea was not
going to be landed.

When the first ship, the Dartmouth, reached Boston, a meeting was called to discuss the problem and decide what to do.

At the meeting the Americans decided not to take this tea and made a
plan. Fifty Boston men dressed as Indians and after dark climbed up the sides
of the Dartmouth and two other ships which had already reached Boston and
threw the boxes of tea into water. This incident was named the Boston Tea
Party.. -----................. -.....

What had happened at Boston was greeted by other colonies. All of them were beginning to understand that they could develop better without a mother country. Many people began to think that they would have to fight for their rights. These people were called Patriots.

The next year the leaders of the colonies called a meeting to discuss relations with Britain. It was held in Philadelphia, in September, 1774. At this meeting, which was called the continental Congress, the colonies' problems were discussed for many days.

In the end the Congress decided to send a letter to London asking the Government to respect the rights of the colonies in America; but there was no change for the better. So the patriots understood that the Congress hadn't helped them much and they would have to fight for their rights.

Preparations for the war, which cost Britain its American empire, began. It was the war for the independence of American colonies from British rule.

z THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE

The War of Independence started in 1775 and ended in 1783. It lasted for 8 years. It was a war betweenBritain and its colonies in North America which wanted to be free. George "Washington was commander-in-chief of the North American army and he did very much for the victory of the colonists.

In 1776 the Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas efferson and some other people and adopted on July 4. Thirteen English colonies declared themselves free and independent of England, and each of them was called a state. That is why July 4 is a national holiday in the United States, it is Independence Day and birthday of^Jhe American nation. The Declaration was signed in a building (Independence Hall) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On that building we can see the famous Liberty Bell which told the happy people outside that a new nation had been born.

After the Declaration of Independence the first national flag was; taken on June 14, 1777. The flag had thirteen red and white stripes and i thirteen stars on a blue filed in the left-hand corner. There was a star and a \ stripe for each one of the former thirteen colonies.

Fighting between the Continental Army and the British army,
continued. In 1778 the French offered to help the Americans and sent a fleet I
of ships. Later, in July 1780, an army from France arrived to help American
armies. In 1781 a combined force of American and French won the battle of
YorJctojwm_in Virginia. Then two years of peace talks followed. At last in.
1783 Britain recognized American independence and the Peace Treaty of.
Paris was signed. i

When peace had been formally made with Britain in 1783, the people _; of the United States had to decide how they wanted to run their new country. In 1787 the Constitution was adopted. It stated that the United States was to be a republic (a country, governed by the people). The Americans chose George Washington as their first President.

THE CIVIL WAR BETWEEN THE STATES

In the 18" and 19" centuries the United States was divided into the North where labour was free, and the South where slaves worked.

From early times there had been no Negro slaves in the South of the United States. Negro men. women and children were taken from Africa by force or by some trick and brought to America. Here in the South they worked as slaves on tobacco and cotton plantations.

The life of the slaves was very hard. They worked from morning till night and were beaten and starved. Sometimes their owners sold them, separating husbands and wives, mothers and children. By 1860 there were about 4 million slaves.

There were many revolts of the slaves and sometimes white men and women helped them in their struggle but the revolts came in nothing. it f The Negro slaves were freed by^President Lincoln in 1863.

The war broke out soon after Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860. It was the war between the industrial North, where slavery was outlawed, and the agricultural South, where slave labour was much used.

Lincoln, a progressive man, was against slavery. He wanted very much to free the Negro slaves. His ideas about freedom for the black slaves were good for the rich people of the industrial North. The planters of the South who exploited those slaves were against them. So the slave owners in the South were displeased that Lincoln was elected and very soon after that the Southern States left the Union and formed their own Confederation. Lincoln was ready to use force to keep the Union together. Then the war broke out between the North and the South.

The population of the North was 22 million, and that of the South was 9 million, but the army of the South was well organized and ready for war. This could not be said of the army of the North. So in the first months of the war the South won several victories. Only when General Grant became commander-in-chief of the Northern Army, the North began to win the war and in April 1865 it ended.

The victory of the Union forces ended slavery in the South and ensured that the United States remained one nation.

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