THE CONSTITUTION AND THE FIRST ELECTION FOR PRESIDENT

THE BOSTON TEA PARTY

Resentment against the British government was growing strong. That was especially true in Boston, were British soldiers were on duty. One night in March, 1770, there was a strong opposition between some British soldiers on guard duty and a small crowd of people who started yelling at the soldiers and throwing stones and snowballs. Suddenly the soldiers started to shoot, and three people fell dead. Eight others were wounded.

This event caused an uproar and was called the Boston Massacre by colonists. As news of the Boston Massacre spread to other colonies, more Americans began to wonder whether it was right for them to be under British rule. People who were against strict British control called themselves Patriots.

In Boston the Patriots called themselves the Sons and Daugh­ters of Liberty. They decided to do something to show their pro­test against the tax on tea which had to be paid when buying tea from Britain. British ships were kept from unloading. One night, late in 1773, Sons of Liberty dressed up like Indians, went to the harbor and boarded three British ships. Seizing the tea chests, they dumped their contents into the water. That raid became known as the Boston Tea Party.

Many colonists approved: John Adams of Boston said it was a great event in history. No one had been hurt. It was a protest against British taxes showing the colonists were not afraid of the British Government. But other colonists pointed out that destroying prop­erty was breaking the law, and it was the wrong way to protest.

The British government thought it could bring about obedience by being strict and passed some laws to punish Boston. No trade was to be allowed in Boston's port. The port would stay closed until the tea was paid for. Then, Parliament said the Massachusetts assembly would no longer meet, and a British general was made governor of the colony. So Massachusetts lost its right of self-government. More British soldiers were sent to live in the homes of the people of Boston. The other colonies sent food and money to Boston, and their Messages of support.

Resentment - негодование dump – вываливать, сваливать, obedience- послушание

1. What happened in the Boston Massacre?

2. Why did Patriots dump tea into Boston Harbor?

3. How did the king and Parliament punish Boston?

THE WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE

Virginia sent out invitations for a meeting of the colonies. The meeting was held in Philadelphia in the fall of 1774 and it was called the Continental Congress. It decided to stop all trade with Britain, start collecting guns and practice using them and not to obey the laws passed for punishing the colonies.

That meant an open conflict. The Patriots were watching every move of the British. Fighting broke out at Lexington and then at Concord, where the soldiers had arrived to look for the hidden weapons. Shooting started between the British and the colonists, who called themselves minutemen as they could get ready with their guns so fast. The minutemen attacked the retreating soldiers and finally won a victory. The battles of Lexington and of Concord were the start of the war that became known as the American Revolution.

About a third of the colonists were Loyalists (staying loyal to Britain). They said the Patriots were traitors. Any Loyalists caught helping the British were in trouble, they might be covered with tar and feathers and run out of town. Some of them left the colonies, they either went to Britain to live or moved to Canada. Some Loyalist families were broken up: a husband might escape and leave his wife to watch over their home and farm.

The Continental Congress organized the Continental Army. George Washington of Virginia was chosen to be the army's commander.

On July 4, 1776, the members of the Continental Congress agreed to issue the paper that is now called the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration said that "these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states". The Declaration was mostly written by Thomas Jefferson of Virginia. In the Declaration, Jefferson explained why the colonies had decided to fight against British rule. The purpose of the government, he said, was to protect the rights of the people.

Thomas Jefferson wrote a second important belief into the Declaration. "All men are created equal," he wrote. He also wrote to all men had certain rights. Those rights included "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." The Declaration of Independence helped give Americans an even stronger belief in the rightness of their cause. But they still had to win independence.

The American soldiers turned out to be brave and able fighters, but at first they were no match for the trained British soldiers. At that time Britain was the most powerful country in the world. When George Washington became commander of the American forces, he had no real army to lead, as the Americans who fought in the Revolution were citizen-soldiers, volunteers. They joined the army because they wanted to and not because they were ordered to. But the Americans got more experience, and the things improved. Throughout the war, supplies were a serious problem. General Washington pleaded with Congress to find enough food, clothes, and guns for his army. His leadership made it possible for the American army to keep fighting, he encouraged the soldiers not to lose heart in spite of losing some battles in the first years of the war.

Minuteman – солдат народной полиции, ополченец, минитмен; retreat – отходить, отступать; traitor– предатель; tar – смола;; be blamed for– быть виновным;

citizen-soldiers – ополченцы ; lose heart – унывать

1. Where were the first battles of the Revolution fought?

2. What do you know about Paul Revere's ride?

2. Why did some colonists remain loyal to Great Britain?

3. What was the importance of the Declaration of Independence?

4. What problems did George Washington have as commander of the Continental Army?                                   

THE WAR IS WON

The Americans were fighting for the freedom of their country and believed in their cause. Americans remember the name of Nathan Hale for the last words of this patriot before he was hanged by the British for spying: "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.'

After 1779, both free blacks and slaves were allowed to join the army. Blacks also served on American ships. One was James Forten.

Deborah Sampson served as a soldier and messenger in George Washington's army. James Armistead risked his life to get new plans for the Americans. Francis Marion led daring raids on British troops in the Carolinas. He became known as the "Swamp Fox".

Besides its citizen-soldiers, the Continental Army had several other advantages over the British. Many of the British soldiers, thought they had to follow orders, were not happy about fighting the colonists. King George even hired German soldiers to do some of the fighting.

Britain had other troubles - both Spain and France were enemies of Britain at that time. Spain, France, and Holland sent supplies and money to the Americans. Polish soldiers also came to America to fight for the American cause. In 1777 the Patriots won an important victory at Saratoga in New York State.

The Battle of Yorktown marked the end of the fighting. But it was two years before a peace treaty was signed. In the treaty, Great Britain agreed that the thirteen colonies would be independent.

The new nation was called the United States. The treaty also said what land was to be part of the United States. The new nation reached from Canada to Florida and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River.

1) What were the strengths of the American patriots? What advantages did the Continental Army have over the British?

2) When and in what state was the Battle of Saratoga fought?

3) What battle ended the fighting in the Revolutionary War?

THE CONSTITUTION AND THE FIRST ELECTION FOR PRESIDENT

The new nation had problems that needed to be handled by a strong government. For example, if two states argued over a piece of land, who would decide the case?

After the Revolution, George Washington went back to his Virginia plantation. But he was troubled by the weakness of the new government. He wrote letters to his friends. "We cannot exist long as a nation," he warned. "We have strong governments for each state. We must have a government with as much power for the whole nation." Washington's friends, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, also felt something had to be done to find a way to make a stronger national government. It was decided to convene a meeting in Independence Hall, Philadelphia. It was called the Convention of 1787: a total of 55 men met at the Convention through the summer of 1787.

The Convention met almost everyday. George Washington had been elected chairman, and the others had great respect for his opinions. James Madison had studied the governments of different nations and gave expert advice. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), American statesman, diplomat, scientist, philosopher, author and printer, born in Boston, Massachusetts; in the 1740s invented the lighting rod, having proved that lightning is electricity in his famous experiment with a kite) also helped. He was over eighty years old, but he was still wise and witty, and would tell a funnystory for everyone to relax.

Long debates were caused by differences in opinions. Thus, people from the large and the small states had different ideas about the system of representation of members in Congress. If each state had one vote, that would not be fair to the large states; therefore, the large states should have more representativesin Congress. But in this case a few large states would control the nation. The small states would be swallowed up. There would have to be a compromise.

It was suggested that Congress should be divided into two parts. In one part, called theSenate, each state would have two votes. In the second part, called theHouse of Representatives, the number of representatives would be set according to the number of people in each state. After much talk, this plan was accepted, and it was called the Great Compromise.

It was decided also that the new national government would have three equal branches, or parts.Congress would be one of those branches and it would make laws for the nation. The President, and the people who work for the President, would be a second branch of the government, and they would see that the laws were obeyed. The third branch of the government would be the national courts which would judge cases that involved laws of the nation. The highest court was called theSupreme Court. The Constitution took away many of the states' powers and specified the powers held by the states and the people. This division of powers between the states and the national government was calledfederalism.

In each state, meetings were held to vote for or against the new Constitution. There were long arguments in some states. Finally, the new Constitution was accepted. Soon ten amendments were added to give the people a Bill of Rights; among those were freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

The first election for President was held in 1788: George Washington was elected President. The new government began in 1789. The members of the Philadelphia Convention had done their work well. The United States today still uses the same Constitution.

expert advice; lightning rod –громоотвод;

1. Why was the Philadelphia Convention held?

2. What was the problem with the system of representation of membersin Congress, why did it cause disagreement, and how was it settled?

3. How many branches does the national government have? What are those branches?

4. What was the order of approving the Constitution?