history
October 2012 | www.bridge-online.cz
FOUNDING FATHERS
The Founding Fathers is the nickname given to
a group of men responsible for the successful
war for colonial independence16 from Great
Britain, the liberal ideas in the Declaration
of Independence, and the republican form of
government. These are the most famous ones:
Benjamin Franklin
A man of many talents,
Benjamin Franklin can be
called a statesman, author,
scientist, and diplomat.
During the American
Revolution, he served in
the Second Continental
Congress and helped draft17
the Declaration of Independence. He also
negotiated the Treaty of Paris that ended
the Revolutionary War.
Thomas Jefferson
The Boston Tea Party
Freedom
Fighters
STUDENTS’ GUIDE
to the HISTORY of
the United States
Debt of war
The end French & Indian War
(1756–1763), also called the Seven Years
War in Europe, ended with the English
victory. However, it was the beginning
of open hostilities1 between England
and its American colonies. The cost of
war was so high that the resulting debt
nearly destroyed the English government.
The British parliament was desperate
to tax the colonies to recover money
and introduced2 additional taxes on
a variety of goods.
Death of the innocent
The tension3 slowly grew and escalated
in Boston. A riot began when about
50 citizens attacked a British sentinel4.
The British officer called in additional
soldiers, and these too were attacked, so
the soldiers fired into the mob5, killing
three on the spot and wounding eight
Vocabulary
1 hostilities ["hQ"stIlIti:z] – nepřátelství
2 to introduce ["Intr@"dju;s] – zavést
3 tension ["tenS(@)n] – napětí
4 sentinel ["sentIn(@)l] – hlídka, stráž
5 mob – dav
others, two of whom later died. Some
of the soldiers were tried6 but were
quickly released, which only added to
the dissatisfaction7.
Too cheap tea
The passing of the Tea Act in1773
was the final straw8 for the colonists.
It didn’t impose any new taxes, but
was designed to aid Britain’s East
India Company. The company was
having financial problems and was
stuck with9 18 million pounds of
unsold tea. This tea was to be shipped
directly to the colonies, and sold at
a bargain price10. The colonists saw
this as hurting local merchants so they
prevented the tea from arriving.
Not a great party
The Boston Tea Party occurred when
the governor of Boston finally allowed
three ships carrying tea to enter the harbor.
Radical townspeople stormed the ships
and tossed 342 chests of tea into the water.
Disguised11 as Native Americans,
the offenders12 could not be identified.
Getting united
Delegates from all the colonies, except
Georgia, met in Philadelphia and
formed the First Continental Congress
in 1774. Unfortunately, each colony had
different ideas of what the congress
should accomplish13. Some wanted
a resolution14 with England, others
wanted more rights for the colonies.
6 to try – soudit
7 dissatisfaction [%dI(s)s&tIs"f&kS(@)n] –
nespokojenost
8 final straw – posledni kapka
9 was stuck with ["stVk] – nevěděla, co
si počít s
He is considered to
be the author of
the Declaration of
Independence and was also
the third U.S. president.
During the American
Revolutionary War, Jefferson
served in the Continental
Congress and was governor of Virginia. Later
he became the U.S. minister to France and U.S.
secretary of state, and was vice president under
the country’s second president, John Adams.
George Washington
Commander-in-chief of
the Continental Army during
the American Revolutionary
War, Washington also served
two terms as the first U.S.
president, from 1789 to 1797.
During the American Revolution,
he led the colonial forces to
victory over the British and became a national
hero. In 1787, he was elected president of
the convention that wrote the U.S. Constitution.
Liberty or death
Patrick Henry gave his famous “give me liberty
or give me death” speech and persuaded
the Virginian troops to join the Revolution
army. British troops moved against Boston but
Paul Revere rode through the city, warning
the townspeople of the danger. Colonist
soldiers, called minutemen, and British soldiers
clashed in Lexington and Concord on April 19,
1775. The second Continental Congress met
in May to discuss the increasing violence
from Britain. George Washington was named
commander‑in‑chief15 of the Continental Army.
America was ready to become the United States…
Jacy Meyer (USA)
10 bargain price ["bA;gIn] – výhodná cena 15 commander-in-chief [k@"mA;nd@] –
11 to disguise ["dIs"gaIz] – přestrojit se
vrchní velitel
12 offender [@"fend@] – provinilec
16 independence [IndI"pend(@)ns] –
13 to accomplish [@"kVmplIS] – dokázat
nezávislost
14 resolution ["rez@"lu;S(@)n] – vyřešení
17 to draft [drA;ft] – vypracovat
(vztahů)