Physical features of the US, climate, lakes and rivers, minerals

The physical features of the US are also greatly diverse. The majestic Rocky M-ns stretch all the way from Mexico to the Arctic. They divide the country into 2 parts – the east and the west. The East is occupied by the Appalachian M-ns, the Atlantic Plain, the vast Central Plain and the Plateau of Prairies of the Great Plain. The west is under the influence of the powerful Cordillera mountain system and the Rockies are part of this system.

The mount-n ranges afford no protection against the cold northerly winds. The Appalach m-ns run along the Atlantic coast of the US. Nearly all the western part of the US is occupied by the Cordillera Moun-n system. The Cor Moun-s extend from Mexico to Canada and Alaska

Climate The US has practically all the climate zones. The main landmass of the US is in the temperate zone. The clim conditions are determined by the great mounn-s and the wind. The western parts are favored by the prevailing winds. The Cascade M-ns and the Sieraa Nevada M-ns catch the largest amount of the rain from the Pacific ocean. That’s why there is too little rain for almost the whole western half of US. There is a 50-centimetre rainfall line in the US.

Rivers and lakesThe rivers of the US belong to the Atlantic and the Pacific basins. Mississipi river – 2/3 of the US water, one of the world’s longest water way. Missouri river is the principal western branch of the Mississippi. Other import tributaries of the Mississipi are Ohio river, the Arkansas river, Red river. The 2 greatest rivers of the Pacific are the Colorado and the Columbia. Thousand of lakes. The Great lakes make up the largest group of the lakes in the US. The total area is 245 th sq km.+ Lakes - Michigan, Superior, Huron, Ontario. Great lakes are connected with the Atlantic ocean. For ex, in the Grant Salt lake there is 6 th ml tons of salt.

Minerals. 1^st place in the wofld: coal, natural gas, molibden, lead; 2-nd:copper, zink. The US is rich in oil, iron. The total recouces of coal – 1,5 trillion tons, of oil – 5 th ml tons. Coal – Appalachian, zink – West of Mississipi, uranium – New Mexico.

3. Native Americans

Today the people once called American Indians, prefer to be called Native Americans. This name reminds us that they were the first people to live in America. We remember from our story about Thanksgiving day that the Red Indians or Native Americans did so much to help the Pilgrim Fathers and other white settlers to get used to life on the new continent.

The 1^st and most famous Indian friend of the white settlers was a young princess named Pocahontas. According to the story she threw her arms around captain John Smith to prevent her father from killing him. Pocahontas visited the English colony and brought food and other gifts to the colonists who needed much help. Once she was kidnapped by the settlers who used her as a hostage to guarantee the good behavior of the Indian tribe, to which she belonged. She married one of the white colonist. She died of smallpox.

Indians gave settlers food, taught them planting (corn, potatoes, tomato banana, pineapple: cacao, tobacco: drugs-cocaine),hunting and fishing, introduce them cloths, methods of transportation. Aslo-the influence of Indian culture: mount-s, lakes, rivers, cities have Indian names(Chicago, Ohio, Montana)

But the whites did not respect Indian culture. They did not care about Indian rights. As the result of this the Native Americans and white settlers became bitter enemies. The colonization of North America became a history of bloodshed and cruelty towards the Indians.

The US government began setting aside special territories (called reservations)for the Indians. They were pushed into these lands which was the worst lands. There reser-s were mostly in the Southwest and the Northwest of the US. 19^th- they were kept in the reser-s and forbidden to leave them without permission. Today-270 reser-s for the Native Indians. By 1890, as the result of white cruelty, poverty and poor living conditions the Indian population in the US had decreased to about 240^th

The Indians began to protest against such treatment receiving more and more support from the American public. As the result, American treatment of I-ns began to improve. Today, there are about 2.5 mln Native Am-ns living in the US. The majority live in or near the federal reservation, but they are free to leave. Most of them-Southwest(Arizona, California). On the reserve-s traditional Indian customs, languages have survived. But nevertheless they are unhappy. To improve the quality of life for Indians, the US government established the Bureau of Indian Affairs – better life of Indians…(free schools, hospitals). But in comparison with most other Americans, the Indians on the reservations live a poor life.

Examine the beginning of the colonization of North America by the first settlers from Europe. What considerations influenced many people to move to America? Who were the Pilgrim Fathers? Why are they held so high by the Americans? The May flower Compact.

The USA was opened to European colonization by the first voyage of C.Colum. in 1492. The first Europ. to arrive in North Am. were the Vikings travelling west from Greenland where they had founded a settlement in 985. After Columbus there were many expeditions organized by the Spanish, English, French & Dutch.

The English were the dominant ethnic group among early settlers of what became the USA, and English became the prevalent Amer. language. Settlers came not only from Gr.Br., but also from Spain, Portug., France, Holland, Germ. and Sweden.

Betw.1840 and 1860, the USA received its first great wave of immigrants. In Europe as a whole, famine, poor harvests, rising populations and political unrest caused an estimated 5 mln people to leave their homelands each year. The failure of the Germ. Confederation’s Revolut. of 1848-49 led many of its people to emigrate. Today 22% of Americans have german ancestry.

First the immigrants had to pass the inspection. If they had tubercul. or head lice, they had to go back. If they were under16 and were without parents-they were sent back. If they were ex-convicts-they were sent back. One more reason-if they hadn’t 25$ with them.+inspectors changed immigr.’s names.

An important event in the colonization of North Am. took place in 1620 when a group of colonists known as the Pilgrim Fathers came to North Am. on the famous ship the Mayflower and settled at Plymouth. They were separatists in England, or members of the Puritan movement wishing to purify the Church of England by making religious services simpler and discipline stricter. That is why they were called Puritans(lat.”purus”-to make pure). They hoped to build “a city upon a hill” – an ideal society and were very intolerant to those who disagreed.

The Pilgrim leaders knew that in order to organize their lives in the new land they had to establish rules of behavior. So 41 men aboard the Mayflower signed a special document known as the Mayfl. Comp. to abide by “just and equal laws” drafted by leaders of their own choosing, which was the 1^st agreement for self-government in America. They also chose their first governor. That winter more than half of them died of cold and disease, but neighboring Indians provided information that would sustain them: how to grow crops. The next summer they raised good crops, and in the fall a ship brought new settlers. Their resolution never faltered and the colony continued to expand. Then in rapid succession other English colonies emerged.

5. Discuss the reasons, development and consequences of the War of Independence (1775-1783).

The Brit.Governm., fearing that settlers migrating into the new lands would provoke wars with the Indians, issued a royal proclamation denying the colonists the right to settle west of the Appalachian Mountains. This angered the colonists. Heavy taxes were introduced on sugar, cofe, textiles and other imported goods. Britain was worried by Amer.’s growing economy and possible competition. So she did everything to harass this development. The Quartering Act forced the colonies to house and feed British soldiers. The last of the measures of the new financial system was the Stamp Act of 1765 which provoked the greatest organized resistance in the colonies. It provided that special stamps were to be attached to all newspapers or other legal documents. It aroused the hostility o most of the Amer. population. Representatives from 9 colonies met and convened the “Stamp Act Congress”. Opposition was so widespread that the Brit. Governm. was forced to repeal the Stamp Act.At the same time Brit. soldiers were sent to Boston where tension was high. The colonists demanded that taxes only be introduced with the consent of colonial assemblies. To defuse the situation the Br.Govern. abolished many of the new taxes except that on tea. This led to new confrontation which served to drive the colonies into war against the Mother Country.

16.12.1773-a band of men disguised as Mohawk Indians boarded 3 brit. ships lying at anchor in Boston harbor and dumped 342 crates of tea into the waters of the port. It was a form of protest.=>brit. parliam. closed the port to all the shipping.

--.09.1774-th 1^st Continental Congress was convened(Philadelphia).=>quiet soon the growing confrontation broke into open fire.

19.04.1775-the commander of the English garrison in Boston sent a unit of soldiers to Concord to seize arms by the colonists. The brit.troops reached Lexington on their way and encountered a band of 70 minutemen(they were supposed to be ready to fight in a minite).Someone fired a shot, and a major exchange of fire took place leaving 8 dead and 10 wounded-“the shot heard round the world”=>the Americ.War of Independ.(1775-83)

The English took Lexington and Concord. But when they reached Boston they suffered more than 250 killed and wounded. The Americans lost 93 men.

May.1775-a 2^nd Continent. Congr.met (Philad.) and assumed the powers of a national government. It formed continental Army and Navy under the Command of Colonel G.Washington. The Congress printed its own paper money and sought to establish diplomatic relations with foreign countries.

02.07.1776-the Congress finally decided that united colonies of right ought to be free and independent.

04/07/1776-the Congress adopted a Declaration of Independence, which was drafted by T.Jefferson (democrat, Virginia). The Declaration not only announced the birth of a new nation, but also set forth the principles of human freedom. But these rights did not apply to mlns of Negro slaves and the institution of slavery continued to exist till 1860-s.

It was one thing to proclaim independence, but another to win independence in the course of resolute struggle. At 1^st, the war didn’t go well for the poorly equipped and badly trained Americ. army. At times it seemed that the Brit. Army of Redcoats would win, but little by little the situation changed when the Americ. army was joined by 1000-s of volunteers.

October.1777-the Brit.Army under General J.Burgoyne suffered heavy defeat at Saratoga in northern N.Y. After this victory France seized the opportunity to humble Britain.

February.1778-a Franco-American alliance was signed. The Americans began to receive financial and military help from France, and the French navy supported the Americans at sea.

1781-the brit.army was surrounded by a French fleet from the sea and a combined French-American army under G.Washington. Soon the Brit.governm. asked for peace.

September.1783-britain finally recognized the independence of the USA by signing the Treaty of Paris.

The 13 colonies were free. The events of the war are termed as the American Revolution because with the formation of the USA a republic was established as a result of the struggle of the American colonists who overthrow a monarchy based on colonial exploitation and denial of civil and political rights. The Americ. people cherish the democratic gains of the American Revolution.+the Am.Revol.had a great impact on the development of events in Europe(helping to trigger the French Revolution of 1789.).

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 942