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Test Points for An Introduction to Britain and America
UK
Land and People
1. Full name of UK, P3 --The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
2. Three political areas of Great Britain: England in the South, Scotland in the North, and Wales in the Southwest, P3
3. Development of English Language, P16
Old English, Middle English, Modern English
Politics -- constitutional monarchy
Central Government P24
The English Central Government includes the Monarch, Parliament and the Cabinet.
Parliament is the law-making body. It consists of three elements: the Queen, the House of Lords, and the House of Commons
The executive branch, or officially called Her Majesty’s Government, consists of the Cabinet and various departments. The
1. Roles of The Monarch, P130
Theoretically, the monarch embodies supremacy as head of state. P130
But in reality she is only a figure-head. She only does what the Parliament and the Prime Minister want her to do. Her role in the government is a kind of formality. P131
She reigns, but does not rule. P133
Buckingham Palace P130
Windsor Castle P130
2. House of Lords
Five Titles of nobility: Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscount, and Baron, P135
The president of the Upper House is called the Lord Chancellor who was once the king’s chief advisor and right-hand man. P137
3. House of Commons
It’s made up of 659 Members of Parliament who are directly elected by universal adult suffrage.
The Government Party, P138, the Opposition Party, P139
The Party which wins sufficient seats at a general election to command a majority of supporters in the House of Commons is asked to form the government by the Queen. As a result, the party itself becomes known as the Government Party. The party which wins the second largest number of seats becomes known as the Opposition Party.
Law-making Process, P141
Proposal – first reading – second reading – improvement of wording -- third reading – approval in the Upper House – Royal Assent from the monarch – the Act of Parliament
4. The British Government
The British Government, called Her Majesty’s Government, refers to the various departments and their agencies under the leadership of the Prime Minister. P142
The Cabinet
The nucleus of the Government is known as the Cabinet which is composed of the Prime Minister and heads of the most important departments. P142 The Prime Minister decides which ministers will be included. P143
The Cabinet proposes the most important bills to be laid before Parliament and outlines government’s program in the “Queen’s Opening Speech”. P143
It’s function includes the final determination of policies, the supreme control of Government, and the coordination of Government work of different departments.P24
In all matters the Cabinet acts as a unit. P143
“Go to the Country”, means to ask the people to make the decision. It happens whenever the Government’s important policy fails to pass the House of Commons, the Cabinet has to resign in a body and the Opposition Party will form a new government. But the Prime Minister may also ask the monarch to dissolve the existing Parliament and order a new election.
No. 10 Downing Street
5. Political Parties
Two major political parties: the Conservative Party and the Labour Party, P144
6. Law P27
No written Constitution but a number of separate laws.
Britain’s legal system is composed of four elements: acts of Parliament, common law, equity law, and European Community Legislation.
7. Law Court P28 - 29
Magistrates’ Courts: lowest, for small offences and light penalties
Magistrates or Justice of the Peace: They know little about law and receive no pay for their work. They rely on their common sense to hear cases and give their judgment.
Crown Courts: open to the public and the jury is used during the trial
When a jury is conducted? -- If the accused denied the charge against him.
Who can be a member of a jury? -- By lot out of a list of the local residents who have been ordered to be present at the court to be ready to serve as members of the jury.
How does a jury work? After hearing the presentation and cross-examination by the two sides, the Judge summarizes the court debate and the evidence for the benefit of the jury. Then the jurors go into another room where they are locked in. They are not allowed to leave the room until they agree on a verdict. If a jury finds the accused “not guilty”, he is to be acquitted at once. Otherwise, it’s for the judge to pronounce sentence according to the law. This process reflects the English and American legal principle that no one is to be punished by law without just trial by his fellow citizens.
Courts for Appeals: highest
House of Lords supervises legislative branch.
History
1. Primitive Stage: Origin the English Nation P59
Celts: also called the Britons, regarded as the natives of Great Britain. P59
Anglo-Saxons: 5th – 6th Century P62
Importance: 1) give their name to England and the English people
2) the language of Angles started the beginning of the Old English period in English history
3) establish many kingdoms
4) Teutonic religion was brought to Britain
2. Feudal Period:
Beginning: Norman Conquest P65 - 69
Origin: disputes between William, Duke of Normandy, and Harold, a brother of king Edward’s wife over the crown. After many battles, William was made king and the Norman line of kings began to reign over England and William, known as William the Conqueror, was the first Anglo-Norman king.
Influence: 1) mark the formal establishment of feudalism in England
2) French civilization began to impact on the Anglo-Saxons.
3) Middle English began.
4) Since then no foreign invaders have ever set foot on this island country.
Development: Henry II and his reform, P71
Reforms: 1) reduce the baron’s power
2) reform the king’s courts which brought out a jury system
3) reform the church courts, Murder in the Cathedral
Decline: King John and The Great Charter P74
The Great Charter, or the Magna Carta, has 63 clauses and is a most important document in English history, almost as important to the English as the Declaration of Independence to the Americans. It has been called “the corner stone of English history”.
Wars and Disasters
The Hundred Years’ War P78
The Black Death P79
The Peasant Uprising P81
The Wars of Roses P82
3. Bourgeoisie Stage
Beginning: The Tudor Monarchy
It was also during the Tudor Monarchy that America was discovered and the Renaissance spread into England.
Renaissance P85
What’s Renaissance? – It originally meant the rediscovery of ancient Roman and Greek cultures. But modern scholars use it to mean the great variety of changes which Europe underwent politically, economically and culturally between 1450 and 1600. It was the transitional period between the Middle Ages and modern times. It started in northern Italy and was typified by the genius of Leonado Da Vinci.
Humanists: They are far more interested in awakening human effort than in teaching religious dogmas. They no longer regard life as a mere penance to be endured by good Christians. Men have the right to enjoy the beauty of this life and strive to enrich it.
The Tudor Monarchy supported the development of the Renaissance which produced a variety of glorious works and masters, such as William Shakespeare known for his Elizabeth dramas, Spenser for his Faerie Queen, John Milton for Paradise Lost and Thomas More for Utopia.
Religious Reformation in England and the Church of England P92
Henry VIII started reform in England for three reasons: encouraged by Martin Luther, father of Protestants; the privilege and wealth of the clergy were hated by many people; he would benefit from the reform politically and in terms of money. But the immediate cause of the reform was his struggle for a divorce.
Elizabeth I P93 - 96
She was actually the foundation-layer of the British Empire.
1) Religious reform: a compromise of views. She broke England’s religious ties with Rome and restored her father’s independent Church of England which kept to Catholic doctrines and religious practices but rejected the papal control.
2) Neutral foreign policy aiming at preventing England from getting involved in major European conflicts.
3) Establish the position of England as a major sea power and pave the way for its foreign expansion.
Sea battle with Armada, the Spanish fleet
US
Testing Points
1. Panoramic View
The full name of America is the United States of America, which is shortened to the United States, or just to America. Washington D. C. is the capital of the United States.
The Mississippi River, also known as “old man river”, is the most important and largest river of the country. It’s also called “father of waters”.
The most important lakes in America are the Great Lakes including Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Only Lake Michigan belongs to America completely.
Boston is almost the oldest city in America. It has been called the “Cradle of American Liberty”.
New York City is America’s largest city and seaport.
Philadelphia, known as America’s Athens, has large museums with valuable exhibits.
Washington D.C., the capital of the United States, is a new city specially planned as the national capital after America won its independence. It’s called the District of Columbia, subject to the control of the U.S. Congress directly.
2. Form of Government
Political Parties
There are two major parties in the United States, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The symbol of the Democratic Party is a donkey while the Republican Party an elephant. P341
A party’s main function is to help its candidates win elections. P343
3. The Federal Government
The Federal government is the central or national government of the United States. P347
The US system of government is called federalism and in this system power is divided by a written constitution between the central and state governments. Both governments are supreme within their proper sphere of authority. This arrangement is an embodiment of the American political principle of division of power. P347
Under the principle of the division of power, the Federal government is divided into three branches: the Executive, the Legislative, and the Judicial. P348
4. The Executive - President
His Role: He is head of the Executive and also head of state. Chosen through the general, or presidential election, the President is the most prominent figure in the United States. He is known as the First Citizen and his wife, the First Lady. Of all the Federal officials he is the only one to have an official residence, the White House. P348
Responsibilities: commanded by the Constitution to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States and to take care that the laws be faithfully executed. P348
Powers: 1) issue executive orders like rules, regulations and instructions P348
2) raise, train, supervise, and deploy American armed forces as Commander-in-chief P348
3) appoint the heads of the departments and agencies and other high-officials P349
4) control American foreign policy – Secretary of State P349
5) play an important role in law-making P350
6) check the judicial branch P350
Departments and Agencies: 1) Cabinet – nucleus of leadership under the President P350
2) CIA (the Central Intelligence Agency), P351
under control of National Security Council
3) FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation),
under the control of Department of Justice
4) White House Office P351
They are the eyes, ears, monitors and advisors of the President.
Presidential Election: 1) Primary Election (Feb. to June) P352
Aspirants campaign to have more supporters.
2) National Convention (July to August) P353
Its main function is to choose a presidential candidate from the aspirants. After the Presidential Candidate is chosen, he is allowed to choose his running-mate, a candidate for the Vice-Presidency.
3) General Election (first Tuesday in Nov. to Dec) P345
Stage One: elect Presidential Electors
The total number of the electors for 50 states and Washington D.C. is 538. the number of electors in each state is decided by the population.
Principle: The winner gets all.
Stage Two: elect President – a formation
4) Inauguration (Jan. 20) P346
5. The US Congress – the legislative branch of the Federal Government
A bicameral law-making body of 535 members.
Its two chambers are respectively called the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives is the lower house, with a permanent membership of 435. The Senate is the upper house. Representation in the Senate is based on the principle of state equality. The Senate is comprised of 100 Senators, two from each of the fifty states. Generally speaking, Senators are accorded greater prestige than their colleagues in the House of Representatives.
The Congress is a legislative body, but it relies on its various committees to do preparatory work.
Only after a bill has been passed by both the House and the Senate, can it be handed to the President for his signature. The President, if he does not like the bill, can veto it by refusing to put his name on it. But the President cannot veto the bill that is supported by a two-thirds majority of both the House and the Senate.
6. The Judicial Branch
Consist of a system of law courts: the Supreme Court, 11 Courts of Appeals, and 91 District Courts. The Supreme Court is the highest court. Not all District Courts are located in the mainland of the country. One is in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is only in District Courts that trials are held, juries are used and witnesses are called.
The Department of Justice is a department of the executive branch and it is not a part of the judicial branch.
7. US History
Colonial Period (1492 to 1783)
Columbus is believed to be the discoverer of America. But the new continent was named after a Spanish sailor, America Vespucci. P239
There used to be thirteen English-American colonies. Virginia was the first successful one planted in 1607 and Georgia was the last one. P240-242
After the incident of the Boston Tea Party, relations between England and the colonies continued to deteriorate. P249
The First Continental Congress was held in Philadelphia where colonial delegates from 12 colonies met and drew up a document known as Declaration of Rights and Grievances but it was finally rejected by the English Parliament. P250
The Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in May 10, 1775. George Washington was appointed as commander-in-chief of the American forces. P251
The Declaration of Independence, drafted by Thomas Jefferson, was formally adopted on July 4, 1776, a day which has been celebrated each year as Independence Day or the National Day of the United States. P 253
1) It is remarkable in that it approaches the problem of American independence from the angle of human rights.
2) It’s a masterpiece of the Western political philosophy.
3) Its influence spreads far beyond American boundaries.
4) In reality, real equality is out of the question because it still allows discrimination against the blacks.
The final peach treaty was signed in 1782 and went in effect in 1783. P256
Territorial Expansion
The Bill of Rights P262
The Star-Spangled Banner, written by Francis Scott, was adopted as the national anthem. P269
The Monroe Doctrine P270
The real significance of the Monroe Doctrine was shown by the slogan “America for Americans” which was the basis of American foreign policy with regard to the Western Hemisphere.
The Mexican War finally expanded the territory of the United States to the Pacific Coast. P273
The Westward Movement P274
The Civil War
The first blacks were brought into English-American colonies in 1619. P281
Abraham Lincoln, nominated by the Republican Party, was sworn in as President on March 4, 1861. P287
Emancipation Proclamation provided that all the black slaves in the rebelling states were freed and they were welcome to join the armed forces. P290
Lincoln proposed the three famous principles for an ideal government: “government of the people, by the people, for the people” in his famous Gettysburg Address. |
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发表于 2006-9-20 14:05:51
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