vigorous executive. In order to avert the danger of concentrating too much power in one person, It is necessary to build checks and balance into the constitutional arrangement of institutions. 3) A Supreme national court. The written Constitution would be treated as the high law of the land, and would be enforced by the Supreme Court. 4) The fourth principle is checks and balances. A vigorous executive was needed, but the abuses of these powers had to be prevented. So a sharing of functions between the executive and legislative branches is very necessary. 5) So the framers were deeply committed to the idea that the central government was to be a limited government. It was to legislate for the nation, but was to respect the primacy of the private sector and the liberty of the people. 6) The framers intended to create a mixed government. They were convinced that pure democracy was an unstable political arrangement that inevitably degenerated into tyranny. Within the Executive Branch, there are a number of executive departments. Currently, there are the Departments of State, Treasury, Defense, Judiciary. , Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, Health and Human Resources. Housing and Urban Development., Transportation, Energy, Education and Land Security.
Generally speaking, American are much more interested in local politics than those at the federal level, because many of the most important decisions, such as those concerning education, housing and taxes, are made close to home, in the state or county. The two major parties in America are the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The symbol of the Democratic Party is a donkey, and an elephant represents the Republic Party. The Democratic Party is historically the party of labor, minorities and progressive reformers. It has a liberal ideology . They favor civil rights laws, emphasize full employment and a strong social security system, etc. While the Republican Party is conservative. They favor an economic system which gives enterprises a greater freedom, and oppose complete governmental social programs and favor s strong military posture and assertive stand in international relations. The Republican Party came into being in 1854. President can be from one party and the majority of those in the House of Representatives or Senate from another party. The President remains President, even though his party may not have majority in either house. Whatever the case, any policies proposed by the President must be approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate before they become law. The general election, held on the Tuesday following the First Monday of November each year. However, American voters‘ confidence in the political leadership has been greatly shaken over the past three decades, through the political scandals as ―Watergate‖, ―Irangate‖, and ―Zippergate‖.
The United States remained a largely agriculturally nation until late 19th. The late 19th and 20th centuries brought substantial industrial growth. Many American left farms and small towns to work in factories, which were organized for mass production and characterized by a reliance on relatively unskilled low-paid labour. In this environment, labour unions gradually developed clout. Eventually they won substantial improvement in working conditions. Organized labour continues to be an important political and economic force today. More and more workers hold white-collar office jobs rather than unskilled, blue-collar factory jobs. Since organized labour has been primarily rooted in industries such as steel and heavy machinery, it has had trouble responding to these changes. Politicians, once reluctant to buck union power, have passed legislation that cut further into the union‘s base. Meanwhile, many younger, skilled workers have come to see unions as something out-of-date that would bring them only few benefits, but significantly restricted their independence. A number of factors seem to have worked together against labour unions and the labor movement. Women, young people, temporary and part-time workers hold a large proportion
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of jobs in the service sector and most of them are not very receptive to union membership. However, despite the diminished power of unions, the labour union in the United States has exerted great influence on such matters as jobs security, wages, procedures for handling grievance and monitoring other working conditions. Accordingly, unions have always performed valuable social and psychological functions, serving as fraternal organizations , and perhaps more importantly, providing a source of pride and a sense of dignity to workers. Exercises:
Tell whether the following are true or false: 1) America was named after Amerigo Vespucci, who arrived on the continent after Columbus. + 2）The Civil War not only put an end to slavery, but also decided that America was a single, individual nation. (+)
3) Many American people approved of the Vietnam War. (-)
4) During Clinton‘s term, the economy developed steadily, resulting in a lower rate of unemployment. (+)
5) The American government regarded Iraqi a nation among the ―Axis of evil‖. (+)
6) The policy of the United States was neutrality at the beginning of the two world wars. (+)
Choose the best answer for the following :
1) The first successful English colony in North America was founded at___, in ____.
A. Jamestown, Louisiana B. Boston, Massachusetts
C. Jamestown, Virginia（+） D. Plymouth, Georgia
2） Pilgrim Fathers are a group of ____ who came to America to avoid persecution in England. A Protestants B. Puritans(+) C. Catholics D. Christians 3) The Severn Years‘ War occurred between the ______.
A . French and American Indians B . French and Spaniard C. French and British (+) D . British and American Indians 4) Abraham Lincoln issued ___ to grant freedom to all slaves.
A. Declaration of Independence B. Constitution
C. Emancipation Proclamation (+) D Bill of Rights
5) President ____ applied New Deal to deal with the problem of the Great Depression. A. Wilson B. Truman C. Roosevelt (+) D Kennedy
Lecture Eight The Legal System, Religion and Education .
Questions for discussion: 1）How is American choose its applicants?
2) How does America carry out multicultural education?
1. The legal system (P 188 ) plays a central role both in public and private life in American society, to a rather extend, a remote abstract concept. Additionally, they are closely intertwined with the nation‘s political, social and economic life.
In the Judiciary Act of 1789, the First Congress divided the nation into districts., including district courts, courts of appeals, and one Supreme Court. District judgeships are filled by the President with the consent of the Senate. All district judges hold office for life. At the top of the
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hierarchy is the Supreme Court, whose jurisdiction is both original and appellate（上诉的）. As a general rule, the national/federal courts are involved only in matters outside the individual stae‘ jurisdiction and in cases arising under the U.S. Constitution. The only national court that can review a state court decision is the Supreme Court. At the national level, government prosecution is the responsibility of the Department of Justices, which Is directed by the Attorney General(检查总长). and aided by the Solicitor General(副检察长). Assisted by the FBI, which is housed within the Justice Department, these attorneys handle criminal and civil proceedings for the government in district courts.
The U.S legal system is based on Common Law. Each decision creates a precedent, and for any particular case, a court must, as far as practical, follow a precedent set by a higher court‘s previous decision. Civil law involves claims for compensation. Domestic relations, automobile accidents and personal injury cases are the largest civil matters. Civil law has a service role and tries to secure social harmony by setting disputes between individuals and organizations. Criminal law involves the punishment of persons who have committed crimes against society, such as theft or murder. , protecting society by punishing those who have broken the social codes.
2. Religion (P 206 ) American theologian Paul Tillich insisted that religion was the soul of culture, and culture was the form of religion. To begin with, the Catholic faith was first brought to the North American continent by the Spanish in the 1500s. the European settlers began establishing colonies along the east coast , and majority of them were Protestants. As the nation was formed, it was thee Protestant branch of the Christian faith that had the strongest effect on the development of the religious climate in the United States. Then, starting in 1836 and continuing to the second world war , the greatest waves of Jewish immigrants made the United States a major center of Judaism. Compared to ― a city upon a hill‖, America was expected to provide a model roe the rest of the world. As the later descendants of the early Pilgrims, the Puritans presented themselves as God‘s Chosen people, searching for the Promised Land in the wilderness of the New World. Because of its long-standing , pervasive and penetrating influence on the psyche of the nation, it has bequeathed to American culture a sense of the importance .American never stopped talking about the importance of religious values for their national identity.
since religion has been part or parcel of American social and cultural life from the very beginning, it has obviously played a significant role in shaping the national character of the United States. According to Constitution, church and state are separate in their roles and functions. Religion, in other words, is a private matter, and every individual has the right to choose to believe, or choose not to believe. Though the intensity of religion quite high among Americans , religious life has become increasingly secularized. This has been brought about by a host of factors, such as industrialization, urbanization, materialism, hedonism, money worship, mass communications and popular culture. One of the most striking phenomena in recent American social and cultural history has been the continuing vitality of Evangelical Christianity(圣经福音). Electronic Evangelists have been able to sent their spiritual and moral messages to every corner of the country, successfully adapting Evangelicalism to modern mainstream American life.
Education(197) Americans hold that the belief that everyone deserves a fair and equal opportunity to get a good education and that part of the responsibility of government is to make sure that such an opportunity is not denied to any of them. Although there is a federal Department of Education at the cabinet level, its function is mainly to gather information, to advise, and to help finance
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certain educational program. So, all educational matters are left to individual states. , setting whatever basic minimal requirements for teaching and teachers . Generally, the clauses defines the state‘s role in education. Most children attend mixed schools, with boys and girls together at the age of 5. In the united States, public schools are free and open.. However, some choose to attend private school. Some number of private schools are associated with particular churches and receive financial support from them. The primary purpose of these schools is usually to give religious instruction to children, which cannot be done in public school.
3. Education There are more than 3,500 colleges and universities in the United States. American higher education system can be basically divided into : public colleges/universities, private colleges/universities, religiously affiliated colleges and proprietary colleges. Public colleges are funded by the state and the local government of the area. Private schools usually have fees much higher than those of the public schools. Their funding is primarily from the tuition they charged and private contribution. As for `religiously affiliated colleges and universities, they are all privately owned and operated. These institutions offer general coursework, but they also offer and sometimes require participation in religious course. Finally , there are proprietary schools, which are usually operated by an individual or a corporate owner. These school are generally concentrate on specific academic program such as computer programming, specialized fields such as aviation and fashion design. As the industrial revolution changes the complexity of life and citizenship, education grew in importance and its goals and purposes became more diverse and comprehensive. In one sentence: The objective of American education is to facilitate the development of each individual to the maximum extent of his capability or his own benefit and that of society. For one thing, a high general level of education has always been seen as a necessity in a democratic society. For another, education serves to bring students together and that ―Americanization‖ can bring together hundreds of various cultural and linguistic groups with differing social and political backgrounds.
No country in the world has more daily newspaper than the U.S. The quality of some American papers is extremely high and their views are quoted all over the world. The New York Times was established in 1851m consistently ranking No. one for editorial quality and news coverage. The Washington Post, established in 1877, is the second largest newspaper in the U.S. Its main readers are governmental employees and it is closely linked to the American Congress. in1972， its reporter Bob Woolward , Carl Berstein first exposed the Watergate Scandal.
In the United States, there is no government-owned television network. The major radio and TV networks are the Columbia Broadcasting System(CBS) , the National Broadcasting System(NBS) and the American Broadcasting System(ABS). Exercises:
Tell whether the following are true or not:
1) The form of American government is based on three principles: federalism, the separation of powers , and the respect for the Constitution and the rule of law. (+) 2) Like Britain, the United States has a two-policy system. (+) 3) The Democratic Party is conservative in terms of its ideology. (-) 4) The U.S Constitution came into effect in 1789. (+)
5) The Constitution of the United States tries to give each branch enough power to balance the
others. (+)
6) According to the Constitution, a candidate for President must be at least 35 years and born in
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America and must be a 14 years‘ resident of the United States. (+)
7) The President is directly voted into office by electors elected by the voters. (+)
8) Auto production is one of the important sectors in American manufacturing industry. (+) 9) America is the world‘s largest industrial nation. (+)
10) Formal education in the United States consists of ____, secondary and higher education. (+) Choose the best answers:
1) Higher education in the United States began with the founding of ___ A. Yale University B. Harvard University (+)
C. Princeton University D. New York University
2) ____ is sold especially to the upper or upper-middle class and it has a reputation for its serious attitude and great bulk.
A. The Washington Post B The New York Times (+) C. Los Angels Times D. New York Daily News
3) ____ is not among the three major radio and TV networks in America.
A. the National Broadcasting System(NBS) B. the Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS)(+) C. the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) D. the American Broadcasting System (ABS) 4) The National Day of the United States falls on ____.
A. June 4th B. July 4th C. June 14th D. July 14th
Lecture Nine Culture, Literature of America
Question for discussion: What is the Lost generation？
1． Geranization； Thanksgiving is celebrated in the U.S. on the fourth Thursday in November. For many Americans it is the most important holiday apart from Christmas. Independent Day is the National Day , which falls on the 4th of July. It was on this day in 1776 when the Continental Congress representing the 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence. Its birthplace is Philadelphia.
The United States of America has a comparatively short history, and accordingly what we generally call American history id confined to this short period. The ear from the founding of the first settlement at Jamestown to the outbreak of the American Revolution is often called the Colonial Period. The major topic of writings dealt with American Puritanism, which stresses predestination(宿命论), original sin and depravity of human being. Jonathin Edwards and Benjamin Franklin are epitome of this age. They respectively represent the dual nature of American Puritanism and American character: religious idealism and levelheaded（头脑冷静型） common sense. While the latter was a completely worldly whose fame as a political leader, ambassador, scientist, and essayist spread far and wide. ―A penny saved is a penny earned‖ and ―Early to bed , and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy , and wise‖ come from his ―Poor Richard‘s Almanac‖ . His ―Autobiography‖ is a record of his spiritual growth in addition to self-examination and self-improvement.
The Romantic period is one of the most important periods in the history of American literature, also called ―the American Renaissance‖. Fiction was regarded as ―the father of American literature‖, Washington Irving was the first American to achieve an international literary reputation. His most famous stories are Rip Van Wrinkle and The Legend of Sleeping Hollow helped him earn
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