视听文本

According to the royal proclamation of 1763
根据1763年的这份皇室宣言
colonists were forbidden to settle in Florida or
殖民者被禁止移民到佛罗里达或者
any lands between the Allegany Mountains and
任何阿勒格尼山脉和密西西比河
the Mississippi River. Supposedly this was to
之间的地区，这个规定看似是为了
give the Indians a fair shot at making their own lives,
孤立印第安人，放任他们自生自灭

in practice it had to do with the British wanting
实际上却是英国企图夺回他们在
to maintain control. But the colonies were growing
北美中部的控制权，但随着这些殖民地
and thriving and so were their populations.
不断发展壮大，其中的人口也在膨胀
The colonies needed more territory;
因此他们需要进行土地扩张
this would become a common theme in
这也是后来美国历史上很长时间内
American history. The royal proclamation of 1763
一个重要的发展主题，因此1763年的
was largely ignored because the British
皇家宣言基本上没有得到任何重视
just couldn't afford to enforce it.
因为英国也无力将它付诸行动
Taxation without representation; history teaches us
无代表纳税，历史不断告诫我们
that maintaining an empire is expensive.
维持一个帝国运转的成本是高昂的
In the long run it's usually too expensive.
从长期看来，他更是昂贵得过分
The British wanted their colonies to be
因此英国希望他们的殖民地能够
self supporting and to pay for their own defense.
自给自足，完全对自己的防御机制买单
One result was a sugar act of 1764 which
其中一个措施就是1764年的《食糖法》
levied moderate taxes on imports of sugar.
它规定将对食糖的进口收取一定关税
To the colonists though it was the first instance
对殖民者来说，这是通往无代表纳税的
of taxation without representation and
第一个事件，也是引发后来的
it was a first step toward revolution.
大革命的第一步
Another economy measure was Great Britain's
另一个经济措施是英国于1765年
quartering act of 1765 which required
颁布的《驻军法》 ，该法案要求
the colonists to provide professional British soldiers
殖民者为所有英国部队提供免费的
with free room and board. Worst was the stamp act
住宿和膳食，但最糟糕的还是1765年的
of 1765; this forced the purchase of revenue stamps
《印花税法》 ；它强制要求殖民地境内
to be placed on all types of publications and
所有的出版物和法律文件都要加盖
legal documents. Joining various secret organizations
印花税票，忍无可忍的殖民地居民纷纷加入
like the sons of Liberty, colonials broke in to
以自由之子为代表的各种秘密组织并且
customs houses and destroyed all the hated stamps
突袭了海关，销毁了所有他们能找到的
they could find. A stamp act congress attended
罪恶的印花，同年夏天国会通过表决
that summer by representatives from 9 colonies
来自9个殖民地的代表一致宣布
declared the stamp act and other stamp like
该《印花税法》和其他类似法案都是
activities unconstitutional. The British did indeed
违反宪法的，后来的一段时间之内
back off for a while and then they turned up
英国的确开始有所收敛，但1767年
the pressure in 1767, the Townsend Act placed
他们又卷土重来，颁布了《汤森法案》
duties on many British goods imported by colonists.
对殖民地居民从英国进口的很多商品征税
The colonists were not impressed by British
但殖民地居民完全不为所动
excuses for hitting them in the wallet.
他们不能容忍英国人这样压榨他们的财产
England had enjoyed parliamentary democracy
英格兰在此之前5个世纪都享有着
for 5 centuries by this point but Englishmen
议会制民主的好处，但那些生活在
that happened to live in the Americas were
美洲的英国人此刻却不得不成为
getting the shaft. If the colonials were to be
受到不公正的待遇，美洲移民认为
taxed like Englishmen they wanted to be
如果他们要向英国人那样上税
represented like Englishmen by sending
那他们也应当有自己的代表
their own members to the House of Commons
他们当中也应该有人在伦敦的下议院
in London. The British argued that
占有席位，英国人对此反驳说
the House of Commons and parliament as a whole
下议院和议会作为一个整体能够
represented the British homeland and
无差别地代表英国本土和他们的
the colonies alike. The declaratory act of 1766
殖民地 1766年的《宣誓法案》
stated that parliament represented the entire
也公开表明了议会有权代表整个
British world, the American colonists again
大英帝国，但美洲殖民者又一次
disagreed. To enforce the Townsend Act
提出了异议，为了施行《汤森法案》
Britain next stationed 2 regiments of
英国又派出了两个团的长驻军
regular soldiers in Boston. On March 5th, 1770
驻扎在波士顿 1770年3月5日
a simple snowball fight ended with the deaths
一场雪仗最终演化成了一场导致
of 3 people in the so called Boston Massacre.
3人死亡的所谓波士顿惨案
In 1773 Britain granted the East India company
1773年英国又赋予了东印度公司
a monopoly on tea sales to North America,
在北美洲垄断茶叶销售的权力
this cut colonial businessmen out of
这相当于阻断了移民商人在
the most lucrative trade in the British Empire;
大英帝国最赚钱的领域的生意
opium hadn't been discovered yet.
因为那个时候鸦片还没有问世
The colonial business community was thus
因此殖民地的商业组织纷纷
driven solidly into the camp of wild eyed
坚定不移地投奔向自由之子
revolutionaries like the Sons of Liberty and
这样的革命分子阵营，或者是
radicals like Samuel Adams. On December 16th,
塞缪尔亚当斯这样的激进分子 1773年
1773 Adams and his cohorts turned
12月16日，亚当斯和他的同盟
Boston harbor into one big tea pot.
向波士顿港倾倒了一大桶茶叶

视频及简介

课程介绍:
本课程对罗马帝国和前苏联的兴衰进行回顾，探讨它们历史变迁的内在规律，并将现代的超级大国——美国与它们进行比较，从而作出对未来可能的一些预测。

原声视频：