Reading in a single sitting 一口气读完这段历史

The colonial history of the United States covers the history from the start of European settlement and especially the history of the 13 colonies of Britain until they declared independence in 1776. In the late 16th century, England, France, Spain and the Netherlands（荷兰） launched major colonization programs in eastern North America. Many early attempts-notably the English Lost Colony of Roanoke（罗诺克）-ended in failure, and everywhere the death rate of the first arrivals was very high, but key successful colonies were established. European settlers came from a variety of social and religious groups. No aristocrats settled permanently, but a number of adventurers, soldiers, farmers, and tradesmen arrived. Ethnic diversity was an American characteristic as the Dutch（荷兰）of New Netherland, the Swedes（瑞典人）and Finns of New Sweden, the English Quakers（贵格会）of Pennsylvania, the English Puritans of New England, the English settlers of Jamestown, and the "worthy poor" of Georgia, came to the new continent and built colonies with distinctive social, religious, political and economic styles. Occasionally one colony took control of another, but unlike in Nova Scotia（新斯科舍省）they did not expel the previous inhabitants, but instead lived side by side in peace. There were no major civil wars or wars among the 13 colonies, and the two chief armed rebellions (in Virginia and New York) were short-lived failures.

The four distinct regions were: New England, the Middle Colonies, the Chesapeake（切萨皮克）Bay Colonies (Upper South) and the Lower South. Some historians add a fifth region, the frontier, which was never separately organized. By the time European settlers arrived around 1600-1650, the majority of the Native Americans living in the eastern United States had been decimated by new diseases, introduced to them decades before by explorers and sailors.

England made its first successful efforts at the start of the 17th century for several reasons. During this era, English proto-nationalism and national assertiveness blossomed under the threat of Spanish invasion, assisted by a degree of Protestant militarism and the energy of Queen Elizabeth. At this time, however, there was no official attempt by the English government to create a colonial empire. Rather, the motivation behind the founding of colonies was piecemeal and variable. Practical considerations, such as commercial enterprise, over-population and the desire for freedom of religion, played their parts. The main waves of settlement came in the 17th century. After 1700 most immigrants to Colonial America arrived as indentured servants-young unmarried men and women seeking a new life in a much richer environment. In addition the British shipped 50, 000 convicts to its American colonies.

The Thirteen Colonies were British colonies established on the Atlantic coast of North America between 1607 and 1733. They declared their independence in the American Revolution and formed the United States. The colonies were: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts Bay, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island and Providence. Each colony developed its own system of self government. The white Americans were mostly independent farmers, who owned their own land and voted for their local and provincial government. Benjamin Franklin, in 1772, after examining the wretched hovels in Scotland surrounding the opulent mansions of the land owners, said that in New England every man is a property owner, "has a Vote in public Affairs, lives in a tidy, warm House, has plenty of good Food and Fuel, with whole clothes from Head to Foot, the Manufacture perhaps of his own family."

Before independence, the thirteen were part of a larger set of colonies in British America. Those in the British West Indies, Canada, and East and West Florida remained loyal to the crown throughout the war, although there was a degree of sympathy with the Patriot cause in several of them. However, their geographical isolation and the dominance of British naval power precluded any effective participation.

十七世纪初期，移民的大潮流，开始从欧洲流到北美。最后变成美利坚合众国的十三个殖民地是新罕布什尔、马萨诸塞、罗得岛、康涅狄格、纽约、新泽西、宾夕法尼亚、特拉华、马里兰、弗吉尼亚、北卡罗来纳、南卡罗来纳及乔治亚。每个殖民地都有不同的来历。有几个甚至是其他殖民地的分支：罗得岛和康涅狄格是由马萨诸塞的人建立的，而马萨诸塞则是新英格兰各殖民地之母。乔治亚殖民地是詹姆斯·爱德华·奥格尔索普和一些英格兰人为了慈善和现实的理由而建立的。他们的计划是把关在英国监牢里的负债罪犯释放出来，送到美洲建立一个殖民地，作为抵御南方西班牙人的主要堡垒。荷兰人1621年建立的新荷兰殖民地，则于1664年改归英国人统治，易名为纽约。

Key Words in History 历史关键词

1. Mercantilism 重商主义

Mercantilism was the basic policy imposed by Britain on its colonies. Mercantilism meant that the government and the merchants became partners with the goal of increasing political power and private wealth, to the exclusion of other empires. The government protected its merchants-and kept others out-by trade barriers, regulations, and subsidies to domestic industries in order to maximize exports from and minimize imports to the realm. The government had to fight smuggling, which became a favorite American technique in the 18th century to circumvent the restrictions on trading with the French, Spanish or Dutch. The goal of mercantilism was to run trade surpluses, so that gold and silver would pour into London. The government took its share through duties and taxes, with the remainder going to merchants in Britain. The government spent much of its revenue on a superb Royal Navy, which not only protected the British colonies but threatened the colonies of the other empires, and sometimes seized them. Thus the British Navy captured New Amsterdam (New York) in 1664. The colonies were captive markets for British industry, and the goal was to enrich the mother country.

2. Protestantism 新教

Protestantism is one of the three major divisions (Catholicism, Orthodoxy, and Protestantism) within Christianity. It is a movement that began in central Europe in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices.

The doctrines of the various Protestant denominations vary, but most include justification by grace through faith alone, known as Sola Fide, the priesthood of all believers, and the Bible as the ultimate authority in matters of faith and order, known as Sola Scriptura, which is Latin for "by scripture alone".

In the 16th century, the followers of Martin Luther established the evangelical churches of Germany and Scandinavia. Reformed churches in Switzerland and France were established by John Calvin and more radical reformers such as Huldrych Zwingli. Thomas Cranmer reformed the Church of England and later John Knox established a more radical Calvinist communion in the Church of Scotland.

3. New World 新世界

The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania (Australasia). The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle Ages, who had thought of the world as consisting of Europe, Asia, and Africa: collectively now referred to as the Old World.

Background Knowledge 背景知识补充

17世纪初，英国国王开始为在美洲建立殖民地颁布特许状。到18世纪中叶，绝大多数移殖地已经建成了13个英属殖民地。每个殖民地都有一个总督和立法机构，然而它们都受英国政府的控制。

弗吉尼亚和马里兰是最早的英属殖民地。弗吉尼亚开始于詹姆斯敦的移殖。有英国商人组织的伦敦公司，派出移民们来到美洲，期望发现黄金和其他财宝。但是这些移居者在詹姆斯敦并没有发现金银财宝，面临的却是严重的困难。大约在1612年，一些詹姆斯敦移居者开始种植烟草，由伦敦公司销往欧洲。

马里兰由富有的英国天主教徒家族，卡尔弗特父子（Calverts）建立。天主教徒在英国受到迫害，卡尔弗特父子获得特许的一块土地，从而使天主教徒享有信仰自由。1634年在马里兰建立了第一个马里兰移民点。

新英格兰最初由英国商人资助清教徒而建立。清教徒是英国的新教徒，他们由于反对英国的官方教会——英国国教而受到迫害。

1620年，一批分离主义者（从英国国教中分离出来的清教徒）和其他殖民者移民新英格兰。他们建立了普利茅斯殖民地——这是英国人在北美的第二个永久性殖民点。从1628年到1630年间，清教徒在现今的萨勒姆和波士顿建立了马萨诸塞殖民地。1691年，普利茅斯成了马萨诸塞殖民地的一部分。

康涅狄格在1633年迎来第一批移民，并在1636年成为英属殖民地。1636年殖民地居民移居罗得艾兰。1647年罗得艾兰成为英属殖民地。新罕布什尔的第一批移民到来的时间是在1623年，1680年成为英属殖民地。英国人开始移民后不久，荷兰人建立了新尼德兰，这是一个贸易基地和殖民地，它包括现今的纽约州和新泽西北部。1681年，英格兰的威廉·宾得到了一个宪章，使他成为宾夕法尼亚的业主。宾是一位贵格教派教徒——贵格教派是在许多国家受迫害的宗教团体。在宾的力促下，贵格教徒和其他移殖者自由成群地来到宾夕法尼亚殖民。 eQKgihhCfpdStSxX9bRH86skngYf3swnjhKDpy9//4uncP1bcS4QYZk7W/LQCRP4