美國歷史文化讀本

前言

　　當(dāng)人們時常談?wù)撁绹谡巍⒔?jīng)濟(jì)、科技、軍事等方面對世界局勢產(chǎn)生持續(xù)深遠(yuǎn)的影響時，不免心懷種種疑問：一個建立在英國殖民地基礎(chǔ)之上的國家，為什么能夠發(fā)展成為今天世界上在經(jīng)濟(jì)、文化、外交、軍事等領(lǐng)域最有影響的國家之一？一個建國僅僅兩百多年的國家，為什么能夠產(chǎn)生最早的成文憲法、最早而又未曾間斷過的聯(lián)邦制度和最長的自治實踐？一個舉世聞名的“大熔爐”，為什么能在包容并蓄各種文化特征的過程中形成自身獨特的文化精神？　　美國是全球最年輕的國家之一，也是當(dāng)今世界唯一的超級強(qiáng)國。人們常常把美國的成功歸因于這個國家得天獨厚的自然地理條件，以及它在政治、經(jīng)濟(jì)、科技、軍事等方面的迅速發(fā)展。然而，一個真正強(qiáng)大的國家必須有發(fā)達(dá)的文化加以支撐。就世界各種文化特征來看，美國文化無疑是一支十分獨特的新生力量。一百多年來，它給世界各國文化帶來的影響和沖擊非常深遠(yuǎn)。今天，無論你身在世界何處，你都會驚訝地發(fā)現(xiàn)，到處都有人在閱讀美國小說，看美國電影，聽美國流行音樂，吃美國快餐，觀賞美國NBA籃球比賽等等，不一而足。這些現(xiàn)象反映出一個事實，即美國文化無處不在?！　∶绹幕闹饕獌?nèi)容是強(qiáng)調(diào)個人價值，追求民主自由，崇尚開拓和競爭，講求理性和實用，其核心是個人中心主義：強(qiáng)調(diào)通過個人奮斗、個人自我設(shè)計，追求個人價值的最終實現(xiàn)。許多生活在美國的人，無論是土生土長的美國人，還是漂洋過海來到美國的外國移民，都有一個夢，即通過自己的努力，改變自己的社會地位，實現(xiàn)自己的人生夢想。這就是人們常常津津樂道的“美國夢”。美國公眾注重成就，仰慕英雄，有深厚的成就崇拜和英雄崇拜的心理積淀。個人成就是所有美國人價值觀中評價最高的價值之一。成功是所有關(guān)國人的追求，是誘人的前景、前進(jìn)的動力。他們堅信，一個人的價值就等于他在事業(yè)上的成就。一些事業(yè)有成的企業(yè)家、科學(xué)家、藝術(shù)家和各類明星，成了新時代的英雄。他們個人奮斗的過程和結(jié)果，成了社會文化價值取向的參照系、父母教育子女的活教材。

內(nèi)容概要

本書由10個教學(xué)單元組成，每個單元對應(yīng)美國歷史演進(jìn)的不同階段；編者在每個歷史階段中精心挑選出2—4個文化關(guān)鍵詞并——給予較為詳細(xì)的闡釋；同時，每個文化關(guān)鍵詞闡釋后輔以3～5篇相關(guān)文章或選段；這些文章形式多樣，有歷史文獻(xiàn)、名人演講、歌曲、名家小說，以及著名學(xué)術(shù)論著和評論選段等；其內(nèi)容覆蓋領(lǐng)域廣泛，所表達(dá)的內(nèi)容和思想有相當(dāng)?shù)纳疃龋芎芎玫貛椭鷮W(xué)生透過歷史的表象了解各時段的文化核心，拓寬學(xué)生的文化視野，促進(jìn)學(xué)生對芙國歷史文化發(fā)展脈絡(luò)理解的深入。此外，本書每篇文章后還設(shè)計了數(shù)個有一定難度的問題供學(xué)生在課堂上討論；這些問題不僅可以幫助教師檢驗學(xué)生對文章內(nèi)容的理解，而且還可鍛煉學(xué)生的思辨、陳述的表達(dá)能力。        本書編寫新穎，將歷史與文化知識相融合并用時代關(guān)鍵詞的形式加以梳理，讀者可通過每單元前的關(guān)鍵詞把握該單元的主題。

書籍目錄

Unit One　 Colonial Period  Key Words    Text One  The Mayflower Compact  Text Two　Leah and Rachel, Or, the Two Fruitful Sisters: Virginia and Mary-land  Text Three What Is an American?  Text Four  Poor Richard's AlmanacUnit Two　 Revolutionary Period    Key Words  Text One　The Declaration of Independence　Text Two　The Crisis　Text Three The Spirit of Liberty  Unit Three The Westward Expansion　Key Words　Text One　Who Is There to Mourn for Logan?　Text Two　The Significance of the Frontier on the National Character　Text Three  Self-reliance  　Text Four  Where I Lived and What I Lived for　Text Five　Woman in the Nineteenth CenturyUnit Four　The Civil War　Key Words　Text One　The Life of Olaudah Equiano　Text Two　Negro Slavery　Text Three Abraham Lincoln's First Inaugural AddressUnit Five　 Reconstruction and the Rise of Industrialization  　Key Words　Text One　The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today　Text Two　The American  Unit Six　  World War I　Key Words　Text One　The New Nationalism　Text Two　Sister Carrie  Unit Seven  Post-World War I and the Great Depression  Key Words　Text One　The Great Gatsby　Text Two　A Farewell to Arms　Text Three Brother, Can You Spare Me a Dime?Unit Eight　World War II　Key Words　Text One　Quarantine Speech　Text Two　The Indispensable OppositionUnit Nine　 Post-World War II  　Key Words　Text One　Howl  　Text Two　Opinion in the Case of Brown vs. Board of Education of, Topeka  　Text Three Where Do We Go from Here? 　Text Four  The Feminine Mystique  Unit Ten　  Contemporary  　Key Words　Text One　Addresses before the Congress Following the Moon Landing　Text Two　September 11: Before and AfterBibliographyAppendix

章節(jié)摘錄

　　There is， for example， the whispering campaign， the circulation of anonymous rumors by men whocannot be compelled to prove what they say. They put the utmost strain on our tolerance， and there are fewwho do not rejoice when the anonymous slanderer is caught， exposed， and punished. At a higher levelthere is the moving picture， a most powerful medium for conveying ideas， but a medium which does notpermit debate. A moving picture cannot be answered effectively by another moving picture； in all freecountries there is some censorship of the movies，and there would be more if the producers did notrecognize their limitations by avoiding political controversy.There is then the radio.Here debate isdifficult： it is not easy to make sure that the speaker is being answered in the presence of the sameaudience. Inevitably， there is some regulation of the radio.　　When we reach the newspaper press， the opportunity for debate is so considerable that discontentcannot grow to the point where under normal conditions there is any disposition to regulate the press. Butwhen newspapers abuse their power by injuring people who have no means of replying， a disposition toregulate the press appears.When we arrive at Congress we find that， because the membership of theHouse is so large， full debate is impracticable. So there are restrictive rules. On the other hand， in theSenate， where the conditions of full debate exist， there is almost absolute freedom of speech.　　This shows us that the preservation and development of freedom of opinion are not only a matter ofadhering to abstract legal rights，but also，and very urgently，a matter of organizing and arrangingsufficient debate. Once we have a firm hold on the central principle， there are many practical conclusionsto be drawn. We then realize that the defense of freedom of opinion consists primarily in perfecting theopportunity for an adequate give-and-take of opinion； it consists also in regulating the freedom of thoserevolutionists who cannot or will not permit or maintain debate when it does not suit their purposes.　　We must insist that free oratory is only the beginning of free speech； it is not the end， but a means toan end. The end is to find the truth. The practical justification of civil liberty is not that self-expression isone of the rights of man.It is that the examination of opinion is one of the necessities of man.Forexperience tells us that it is only when freedom of opinion becomes the compulsion to debate that the seedwhich our fathers planted has produced its fruit. When that is understood， freedom will be cherished notbecause it is a vent for our opinions but because it is the surest method of correcting them.　　……

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