名词解释+问题.docx

1、名词解释+问题ExplanationsChapter 1New England: the northeastern corner of the United States including the present states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.Great Lakes: the five lakes between Canada and the US. They are Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, L

2、ake Erie and Lake Ontario.Chapter 3Mayflower Compact: the first governing document of Plymouth Colony, drafted by the “Pilgrims” who crossed the Atlantic aboard the Mayflower, seeking religious freedom. It was signed on November 11, 1620. In this Compact they agreed to stick together, to abide by ma

3、jority role, and to have a right to choose their own leader.Thanksgiving Day: It is an annual one-day holiday to give thanks at the conclusion of the harvest season. The United States celebrates Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November.Chapter 4Boston Tea Party: on the evening of , 1773, in B

4、oston, when ships of tea reached Boston and the governor was determined to see that tea was legally protected in its distribution, a group of angry colonists, known as the Boston Tea Party, dressed themselves up as Indians and boarded the three company ships, ripped open 342 chests of tea valued at

5、17000, and dumped all the tea into the harbor.The First Continental Congress: In 1774, the First Continental Congress was held in Philadelphia, which encouraged Americans to refuse to buy British goods, and organized colonial militia units.Chapter 5Confederation: a confederation is a government in w

6、hich the constituent governments, called states in the US, create a central government by constitutional compact but do not give it power to regulate the conduct of individuals.The Bill of Rights: In 1789, James Madison introduced in the House of Representatives a series of amendments which later we

7、re drafted into twelve proposed amendments and sent to the states for ratification. Ten of them were ratified in 1791 and the first ten amendments to the constitution were called the Bills of Rights because they were to insure individual liberties.Chapter 6Missouri Compromise: in 1820, the North and

8、 South reached a solution, “Missouri Compromise”. Missouri was admitted as a slave state, but the balance of political power maintained by admission of Maine as a free state; in addition, slavery was to be prohibited in the rest of Louisiana Territory north of the line 3630 parallel of latitude.Gett

9、ysburg Address: It refers to the short speech President Lincoln made when he dedicated the national cemetery at Gettysburg. He ended the speech with “the government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth”.Chapter 7Open Door Policy: in Sin-America relations, The

10、odore Roosevelt pushed the so-called “Open Door Policy” which demanded that all the imperialist powers should enjoy equal chance in China as freely as other aggressors.The Ku Klux Klan: the KKK was the first organized in 1866 and then reformed in 1867. The KKK terrorized and attacked not only blacks

11、, but also progressives, labor union organizers communist or socialist party members.Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction: it was passed in 1866. It divided all the former Confederate states, except Tennessee, into five military districts and each was put under the control of a Northern army o

12、fficer. The officer had the power to keep order and to enforce martial law if necessary.Chapter 8Roaring Twenties: the ten years between 1919 and 1929 usually called the “Roaring Twenties” or the “Jazz Age”: a time of carefree prosperity, isolation from the worlds problems, bewildering social change

13、s and feverish pursuit of pleasure.The Social Security Act: in 1935, it was signed by Roosevelt which provided a system of pensions for the retired, unemployment insurance, and care for the dependent and disabled.Chapter 9The Cold War: a. In the post war period the different between Russia and the U

14、S increased and led to a new kind of war, a war, without fighting, which was called the Cold War. b. The Cold War was marked by international tension and hostility arousing from various military, diplomatic, social, propagandistic, and economic pressures employed by one side against the order to gai

15、n advantage economically in terms of security, or in terms world opinion. c. The Cold War was ended with the dissolution of the USSR in 1991.Truman Doctrine: On , 1949, President Truman put forward the Truman Doctrine in his speech to the joint session of Congress. The Doctrine meant to support any

16、country which said it was fighting communism.The Marshall Plan: It was announced by George Marshall on , 1947, and was the economic aid plan for Western Europe. It was also used to prevent the loss of Western Europe into the Soviet sphere.Chapter 10Pocket veto: A pocket veto is a legislative maneuve

17、r in lawmaking that allows a president or other official with veto power effectively to exercise that power over a bill by taking no action.Federalism: The division of powers by a constitution between the central government is called federalism. Federalism operates on two levels, the national and th

18、e state. Units of governments within a state enjoy no independent existence. Separation of powers: Constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.Chapter 11Selective veto: Judicial review: John Marshall, the most famous chief justice in American history, ca

19、lled the power of the interpretation of the Constitution judicial review.Chapter 12Election Day: Tuesday after the first Monday in November, each leap year.Winner-take-all: the candidate with the most votes in a state wins all of that states electoral votes.QuestionChapter 3Q: Why did so many Englis

20、h people move to the New World in the 17th centuryA: a. The New World was a great and rich land. In the New World there were all those resources necessary for agricultural and industrial development.b. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth(1588-1603), the English in growing numbers realized make their

21、 fortunes, and to worship and live according to their beliefs. c. Some of them might move to America to leave oppressive political institutions, to escape burdensome church duties, to acquire large landholdings or merely to change their general pattern of living. Of course, material gain was a commo

22、n factor.Q: What was the social structure of the 13 coloniesA: Society in the 13 colonies was like a pyramid. a. The top was made up of merchants and landlords. b. The base was made up of refugees from Europe, black slaves from Africa, and the native Indians.Chapter 4Q: What were the main the conten

23、ts of the Declaration of IndependenceA: The Declaration includes these five parts:a. the Preamble, which explains why the Declaration was issued; b. a statement of principles of government to which the American people were committed; c. a list of injustices suffered by the colonies; d. a summary of

24、efforts the colonies had made to avoid a break with the mother country; and e. The proclamation that the “Colonies are Free and Independent States.”Chapter 5Q: What were the chief causes of the War of 1812 A: a. The British were not reconciled to the loss of their thirteen colonies. Using Canada as

25、the base, they always challenged to battle with the young Republic. b. This anger reached its peak in 1807 when one British warship attached and board the American ship, killing and wounding 21 men and impressing four sailors. Q: What powers do the national and the individual have under the Articles

26、 of ConfederationA: Under the Articles of Confederation the national government consisted of only a legislature; it had no separate executive and judicial divisions. The state government had sole right to legislate matters concerning debts, contracts, family affairs and it could tax their citizens.C

27、hapter 6Q: What was the Monroe DoctrineA: The foreign policy of James Monroe, the 5th . President. It was announced in 1823. The essence of the Doctrine was “America for Americans”, which later became a cornerstone of the US foreign policy.Q: What were the basic causes of the Civil WarA: In 1825, Ha

28、rriet Beecher Stowe published her famous book Uncle Toms Cabin. This novel has been described as one of the significant events leading up to the Civil War. Two different social-economic systems existed side by side in the US. In the South slavery was the foundation of the economic system while in th

29、e North industry and commerce were the main character of its economy. The swiftly growing industries in the North required the restriction of slavery as well as an expanding territory in order to provide capitalist production with raw materials, markets and abundant labor supply. The slave economy i

30、n the South was an obstacle to industrial growth and expansion. This economic antagonism led to increased conflicts between the North and the South. Chapter 7Q: Do you think Chicago is a city with glorious revolutionary tradition WhyA: Yes. In Chicago, four strikers died at the hands of police. On t

31、he night of the 4th, 1886, workers gathered at Haymarket Square of Chicago to mourn for the dead. Unfortunately eight leaders of the workers organization were arrested by the police. News spread out. Workers of the whole country and of some other countries expressed their support. Paying tribute to

32、American martyrs, the Second International meeting was held at Paris in 1889. The meeting adopted a resolution designating May 1 as International Labor Day to be observed by the workers of all countries. The US working class movement had a new upsurge at the turn of the century. On March 8, 1909, women workers in Chicago launched a big struggle for freedom and equal rights with men. Their efforts won the recognition of the Second International Congress of Women Socialists which decided in 1910 that March 8 each year was to be observ