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across the ocean to unoccupied lands of America and establish some English settlements there. In 1585, a group of settlers landed on North Carolina’s Roanoke Island. The land was called Virginia in honor of Queen Elizabeth I who was not married, and “Virgin” is Latin for “maiden”.
In 1606, King James I of England gave a joint-stock company (the Virginia Company) a charter for settlement in the New World, and in spring, 1607, a fort called Jamestown was built in Virginia. The colony was governed by a president and a council. John Smith was one of the councils. John Smith turned out to be the right man to govern the settlers. Without the good sense, boldness, and restless energy of their leader, the people of the half-starved colony would have lost their courage. The Indians would not sell food to the English., they would like to drive them from their country. But Smith, a very shrewd man, showed the Indians little mirrors, shiny blue beads and other trifles which enchanted the Indians, and they changed them for an enormous amount of corn. Had it not been for Smith, Jamestown would have been a failure. That is why he is often called the Hero and the Father of Virginia. Smith is also remembered as a man who explored the Atlantic coast of America and made a detailed map of the region he called New England.
John Rolf was another savior of the Virginia colony. He started the tobacco industry there, and tobacco rush began in Jamestown. Planted even in the streets of the town, tobacco set the basis of Virginia’s prosperity. It demanded new hands to cultivate it, so in 1619, the first black Africans were brought to Virginia as slaves. However King James of England grew increasingly hostile to Virginia. He detested tobacco. But the main reason for his resentment was the fact that the settlers were given the right to vote and elect their own governor . In fact it was the beginning of self-government in the future United States. King decided to make Virginia a royal colony directly controlled by the Crown.
Questions
1. Who was the first to reach North American continent? 2.Why Columbus’s discovery is “History’s most glorious mistake”? 3. What did Columbus call people he found in the New World? 4. Why were Columbus’s expeditions considered to be a failure? 5. How did America got its name? 6. How does US capital honor Columbus? 7. Were Spanish the first to organize a celebration of the discovery of America? 8. What US
President proclaimed October 12 “Columbus Day”? 9. When is the holiday officially celebrated? 10. What impact has Columbus’ discovery on the Old and New Worlds?
11. What happened after gold had been found in the New World? 12. How did the Indians learn to hate the Spanish? 13. Which lands in South or North America are Spain’s possessions today? 14. What land did John Cabot reach and what country did
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he claim the land for? 15. Did the English get interested in the land discovered? 16. Who made money on slave trade? 17. Why did Britain need new lands? 18. What happened in 1585? 19. How and when was Jamestown built? How was it governed? 20. John Smith was the right man to govern the colonists, wasn’t he? 21. When were the first African slaves brought to America? 22. What caused King James ’s resentment?
Consider the Issue
Columbus’s discovery began a clash of cultures that proved disastrous for the aboriginal peoples of the Americas. European colonization was not an unalloyed triumph. While Columbus is often venerated in our history books, why is he is no hero to most tribal peoples?
IN SEARCH OF FREEDOM: THE PILGRIMS
In Virginia, the first Southern colony, the colonists took firm roots. Now, some have argued the first established colonies were Roanoke and Jamestown. But it is not these colonies that determined the history of American democracy. Both settlements lacked the key ingredient necessary for the successful colonization of America: religious fanaticism. Plymouth succeeded because its inhabitants did not come to the New World searching for glory, gold, adventure, or hot man-on-Indian action. Rather, the Pilgrims- as they are usually known -had come to escape religious persecution, to create a society where they could worship as they pleased and one day, God willing, even do some persecuting of their own.
So… 1620 In sixteen hundred and two zero
The Pilgrims landed dressed real queero
In November, 1620, a ship named the Mayflower brought 102 English men, woman and children who had survived the voyage, to the rocky coast of what is now Massachusetts. The ship’s passengers were Puritans- members of a Protestant religious sect which was unpopular in Britain because its members wanted to reform the Church of England and establish simpler rituals and structures. A group of Puritans had moved from England to Holland, where people were free to go to any church they liked. These emigrants became known as the Pilgrims, which means strangers, or wanderers. Having spent 12 years in Holland, they decided to leave for the New Land where they could practice their religion without interference.
The Pilgrim Fathers called the colony they found Plymouth and established government by majority will. The winter was cold, and nearly half the colonists died of exposure and disease. In the spring, with advice and help from Indians, with whom
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they lived in peace, the Pilgrims planted corn (known also as maize). By the next fall, the Pilgrims had a plentiful crop of corn and a growing trade based on furs and lumber. In October 1621, to celebrate the plentiful harvest, they held a feast where they invited the local Indians. The Indians brought deer to roast with wild turkey. The Indians had taught the colonists how to cook cranberries, different types of corn and squash dishes. To this first Thanksgiving, the Indians even brought popcorn.
Today on Thanksgiving Day – fourth Tuesday of Novemberfamilies gather for a reunion which offers a chance to strengthen blood ties. While many are hosted in private homes - usually at the house of an older relative, others are held in parks, resorts, churches, sometimes in a restaurant, for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner- the big meal of the day –with turkey and the most important side dish –bread stuffing, which is called dressing. The other sides are mashed potatoes, giblet gravy, green bean casserole, corn (blanched and frozen the summer before) and an old cranberry concoction of mashed cranberries, orange rind, walnuts and jello. This almost always includes some of the foods served at the first Thanksgiving plus sweet potatoes and pumpkin or pecan pie (or both). Before the feast, families usually pause to give thanks for all their blessings - including the joy of being together on this day, since
Thanksgiving is an intimate family affair. It’s not just about good food and good family and being thankful for both. One should not take good food and good family for granted, one should appreciate such blessings. Many things change and pass on. But, Thanksgiving is still the holiday for which many are always most homesick when afar from home and family. And many families like to share the day with others, inviting to their dinner foreign students, military people stationed far from home, and people who have no families. Watching football games - in person or on TV - is also very popular. The day is one on which Americans also show increased concern for the poor. Charitable organizations and churches provide food or serve dinners for the needy.
THE PROTESTANT HERITAGE
God helps those that help themselves
Benjamin Franklin
Thanksgiving Day has a special significance for many Americans because it is traced back to that group of people who were among the first to come to the New World in search of freedom. The belief in the freedom of the individual is probably the most basic and most strongly held of all American beliefs and values. The word “freedom” is one of the most respected words in the U.S.A. today. It means the desire and the ability of all individuals to control their own destiny without outside interference from the
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government, a ruling noble class, church, or any other organized authority. The price to be paid for this individual freedom is selfreliance: the Americans’ belief that they should take care of themselves, solve their own problems, and “stand on their own two feet.” These ideas and beliefs were brought to America and firmly established by European Protestants. The Protestant heritage has been a powerful force in shaping the values and beliefs of Americans. One of the most important values associated with Protestant heritage of America is the value of self-improvement. Acts of wickedness can not be forgiven; Protestantism encourages a strong and restless desire for selfimprovement through hard work, self-discipline and helping others. Individuals, in other words, make themselves into better persons by contributing some of their time or money to charitable, educational, or religious foundations and causes which are designed to help others. This philosophy is sometimes called “humanitarianism.” John D. Rockefeller, a famous American businessman, once when explaining why he gave a large sum from his private fortune to establish a university, said: “The good Lord gave me my money, so, how could I withhold it from the University of Chicago?” So, many Americans do the same in order to be acceptable in the Eyes of God and in the eyes of other Americans. Volunteering is done free of charge for the community. Americans serve on different committees, clean parks, lakes, etc. It goes from the philosophy of humanitarianism and empathy. There are thousands of voluntary organizations, foundations throughout the USA. Each year 80 million adults give nearly 20 billion hours of service in both formal and non-formal volunteering.
A NATIONAL RELIGION
Long may our land be bright with freedom’s holy light; From every mountain side, let’s freedom ring!
Protect us by Thy might, Great God our King!
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrims’ pride!
From the song “America” by Samuel Francis Smith
There are two main branches of the Christian faith in the USA. – Roman Catholic and Protestant. The latter has many different branches - denominations. They have completely separate organizations, there are significant differences in their teachings and beliefs. Perhaps, the major cause of this religious diversity is the Protestant belief that the individual, not the organized church, should be the center of religious life. The desire for religious freedom was one of the strongest reasons why so many colonial settlers came to America. Generally speaking, the lack of any established national religion appealed strongly to European Protestants. American Protestants made certain that no organized national church would exist in their country. Although many Prote-
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stant denominations exist in the USA today, all of them share a common Protestant heritage. Americans, however, have developed a number of informal practices which combine national patriotism with religion. These practices are referred to as the
“national religion” of the USA. The main function of this national religion is to prove support for the dominant values of the nation. It does it in an informal, less organized way mixing patriotism with religious ideas in songs and in ceremonies to proclaim
God’s blessing on America and its basic values. It may be observed on national holidays, at large political and religious gatherings, especially, at sport events. Patriotic songs such as “God Bless America,” “America the Beautiful,” “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” are as well known to most of Americans as is their national anthem “The Star-
Spangled Banner.” These songs are sung frequently on public occasions. Such songs express the idea that the United States and its basic values have received God’s special blessing.
Sometimes, though, these practices can help create a climate in which disagreement with current national practices is discouraged or not tolerated. In the 1950’, persons who disagreed with government policies were accused of being “an American,” which meant unpatriotic or disloyal. Many were investigated and Americans’ freedom of speech was endangered. In the 1960s, young people who protested against the war in Vietnam, were considered to be un-American by some.
“America – love it or leave it” was an expression of this excessive patriotism. To an extend, the “national religion” can have a harmful effect. However, it usually serves a different function: to express the belief of most Americans that it is important to be a nation of people who believe in God and are loved and protected by God. The Coat of Arms of the USA shows a bald eagle with a ribbon in its mouth bearing the device: “E plurubus unum” (one of the two US mottos, the other being “In God We Trust”), 13 arrows and an olive branch in its talons.
The earliest Protestant settlers believed that by coming to America they were carrying out God’s plan. That belief gave them confidence that they would succeed. Modern
Americans still need to believe that their nation will continue to succeed. The national religion helps to answer the need by reminding them of their religious heritage to maintain their national self-confidence.
Questions for Discussion
1. Who were Puritans? Why did they become known as the Pilgrims? 2. What made them start for America? 3. Where did they settle down? 3. How did they name their settlement? 4. Why did the half of the colonists die? 4. The colonists would have survived but for the Indians, wouldn’t they? 5. What is Thanksgiving? 6. Why does