新国新梦：美国

A New Nation and a New Dream: The United States

新国新梦：美国

The vast continent of North America has been home to the Indians for many generations until in the 15th century when the Europeans discovered the New World. Since then immigrants from Europe flocked to North America, setting up one colony after another. By the end of the 18th century, Britain has established 13 colonies in succession around the Atlantic Coast in North America.

北美这片广袤辽阔的陆地一直是印第安人世代生活的家园。直到15世纪，欧洲人发现了这片新大陆。从此，欧洲各国的移民蜂拥而至，一个个殖民地相继出现。到18世纪末，英国在北美大西洋沿岸，陆续建立起13个殖民地。

In the year 1776, thirteen British colonies in North America announced the establishment of the United States of America and in 1787 formulated the written constitution which had a far-reaching influence on America. With the most advanced technology brought by the European immigrants, America took the relay baton from Europe and finished the Industrial Revolution quickly. Since then America developed rapidly, yet the slavery system finally brought about the American Civil War in 1860.Led by President Lincoln, the North won this war and maintained national unity and the central government grew stronger and stronger since then.

1776年，北美13个英属殖民地宣布成立美利坚合众国，并在1787年制定了对美国发展影响深远的成文宪法。大量移民带来了欧洲最先进的技术成果，拿过欧洲接力棒的美国，迅速完成了第一次工业革命。美国快速发展，但奴隶制问题最终在1860年导致了南北战争的发生。林肯总统带领北方打赢了这场维护国家统一的战争，中央政府也由此逐渐壮大。

Thanks to Edison, America was the first to enter the electrical era. Institutional guarantee for invention and creation became the driving force for America’s development. In 1894, America became the number one economic power in the world and free competition facilitated America to embrace the golden age from the end of 19th century to early 20th century. Yet problem quickly emerged: monopoly led to business insolvency of small-and-medium-sized companies; there was growing income disparity in society and contradiction between labor and capital intensified. The Americans began to reflect on this mode of economic and social development. President Theodore Roosevelt who took office in 1901 began government intervention into economy for the first time in American history through antitrust law and protecting workers’ interests and rights through legislation.

爱迪生将美国率先带入电气时代，对发明和创新的制度性保障成为这个国家源源不断的发展动力。1894年，美国成为世界第一大经济强国。自由竞争使得美国迎来了19世纪末20世纪初的黄金年代。但问题很快显露：垄断导致中小企业倒闭；社会严重两极分化，劳资矛盾激化。美国人开始反思这种经济社会发展的模式。1901年上任的西奥多·罗斯福总统通过反垄断法和立法保障工人权益等方式，开始了美国历史上第一次政府干预经济的行动。

The year 1929 witnessed the beginning of the Great Depression which affected all the capitalist countries and especially America suffered a lot. The then American President Franklin Roosevelt strengthened government governance on the economy and introduced a series of New Deal measures which helped America to get out of the trouble and also initiated the mixed economy mode with both the visible hand(the government) and invisible hand(the market) acting on the economy.

1929年，波及全球资本主义国家的经济危机来临，美国损失惨重。富兰克林·罗斯福总统加大了政府管理经济的力度，通过一系列新政措施，使美国逐步走出困境，也由此开创了看得见的手（政府）和看不见的手（市场）共同作用于经济的混合经济模式。

The Second World War became a new turning point in America’s history and America became the number one in the world in terms of politics, economy, science and technology and military and began to lead the world since then. 　

第二次世界大战成为美国历史新的转折点，美国在政治、经济、科技、军事等方面都成为世界第一强国，并由此开始主导世界。

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