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15. The 4t h Of July1—A Day Of Rejoicing
The 4 th of July is the most important holiday in the USA, for it commemorates that famous day in 1776 when the Americans declared their independence . Congress2 made the declaration in Philadelphia, and that night in the city there were joyful celebrations that soon became nationwide. Ever since, the 4 th of July has been marked in the American calendar as Independence Day, and there are parades and festivities of all kinds.
The basic cause of the Americans’ struggle for independence against the mother country, England, was too much interference and intolerance from London and very little understanding of American problems and pride. Most galling to the Americans was the assumption by the English Government and the King that they had a right to tax their subjects overseas without their consent and without giving them anything in return. 3
The British were divided. It was a war inspiring no patriotism.
As for the troops which the Government sent to fight the rebels, they were unenthusiastic and incompetent, especially their leaders.
The Americans had no army. In fact, it is quite possible that but for the extraordinary faith and leadership of George Washington, the revolution might have come to nothing. 4 He built an army that remained loyal to him until the end, despite terrible hardships. He was a true frontiersman. He had seen lands that he knew would make an independent America a mighty nation. He was given valuable support by the two great patriots — Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. 5 It was Franklin who helped persuade the French to come into the war against the British.
In 1781 a British army commanded by an exceptionally incompetent general, Lord Cornwallis, surrendered to the Americans at Yorktown6 , Virginia , and the war was over. Not long afterward, the 13 colonies became States and joined together in a Union.
The effect of the American Revolution was far-reaching. The Declaration of Independence drawn up by Thomas Jefferson is one of the most important documents ever published, and it dropped like a bombshell on the western world. Here are the two sentences which shook the ruling classes of Europe.“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. ”7 The second sen048 tence was even more disturbing to them:“That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. ”
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Ⅰ. Chan ge the following verbs in parentheses into the irnoun forms:
1. Their ________( assume ) that their project under way was something entirely new proved to be untrue .
2. He showed strong ________( lead) during his first term in office.
3. The whole book is produced and edited in the ________( pursue) of excellence .
4. If your neighbors are too noisy then you have cause for ________( complain ) .
Ⅱ. Are these sta tements True or False according to the article ?
1. The 4 th of July is a day for rejoicing because Christopher Columbus discovered the New World on this day.
2. In the British Parliament, there has achieved a consensus on fighting against the American colony.
3. The United States is originally composed of thirteen colonies.
4. It was Jefferson who persuaded the French to stand with themselves to fight against the British together.
