Approaching may flower in the United States

I have been to America many times, and then I went to America. In order to attend my friend's daughter's wedding, I made a lot of preparations this time and chewed a brief history of America. Such a trip is meaningful. Only by studying and accumulating can we not blindly panic and worship and find true national self-confidence. Only by truly understanding can we appreciate each other. America's problems are also here. It is too arrogant. Few people really know China!

In their minds, many impressions are preconceived. China is a failed country with dysfunction, tyranny, poverty and hunger. China's changes and changes have come so quickly, so thoroughly, so suddenly, and it is incredible now? Lying, red propaganda, punching in the face, being fat ... Once again, I said in my speech at the wedding reception that I walked through route 66 and 1 in the United States and I did it myself. I asked people who have been to China to raise their hands, and there were only two people?

If you are not from China and have never been to China, why do you have so many prejudices? What you know about China is people with ulterior motives, full of words and colored glasses, because our ideologies are different! Maybe we should listen to those who have been to China. If you are not from China, but you have been to China, where have you been to make you feel so bad? We should not only come to see it, but also walk into China to learn about it, just as we approached the United States! Come to China sometime, don't be afraid! China is the safest place in the world, so don't worry about being robbed when you go out in the middle of the night. ...

I approached the United States to get to know you, not to jump to conclusions blindly, so I started with a brief history of the United States ... the history of the United States from Columbus' discovery of the New World to the history before World War II, and gave a profound and unique description of the historical events, western civilization, scientific and technological inventions and American political life in this period; It also introduces some important historical figures in the colonial period, the War of Independence, the Civil War and the American development period.

Prequel to America. This history of more than one hundred years has left three gene fragments: democratic politics gene, religious gene and federal gene. You'll feel stupid. Look at this. Why do you want to turn to the last one?

The first reason is that America is too important. The importance of the United States is not only because it is still the number one power in the world, but also because we live in a world where the basic framework was designed by the United States after World War II. What you know about America actually determines what you know about the world today.

The second reason is that America is too easy to face. No matter who you talk about America with today, he or she can say a word or two, such as power, hegemony, American democracy and so on. It's like labeling a face, just a few. It is normal to have this impression, because American self-promotion is very funny. A typical example is Uncle Sam, a cartoon character, wearing clothes made of the American Stars and Stripes, which are American symbols drawn by Americans themselves. So for most people, the image of the United States is a rich, powerful and strong uncle Sam.

If you ask why the United States has developed into such a superpower? This answer is usually funnier. Many people think that because the geographical environment of the United States is particularly superior, it has gone smoothly step by step, and it is basically a lucky one. I don't think it should be that simple. There are many deep-seated reasons. This generalization of facebook in the United States is not only incorrect, but also easy to suffer in reality.

The third reason is that Sino-US relations have developed to the present state. I don't need to say more about this, just watch the news and you will understand. I just want to say one thing. In this case, we need to know more about America than ever before. According to Sun Tzu's Art of War, know yourself and know yourself, and fight every battle. The urgency of knowing each other has never been so strong. Similarly, we should positively let them know the real strength and the will of the whole people of China, including China. All people with conscience can't watch two high-speed trains collide, which is irresponsible for the development of human society. ...

Some people will say, why is there the name "Eight laurels of May Flowers"? To understand the United States, we must start from may flower ... Today we look at the United States, and it is obvious that it is the number one power in the world. But historically, the most striking thing about the United States is its democratic politics. This is not only for us in China, but also for the whole western world. American democracy also suddenly appeared. This source, or the political gene of this country, can be traced back to the beginning of the North American colonies and condensed into a document called the Mayflower Convention.

How important is this document? American historians simply call it America's "birth certificate". But if we look at the time, Virginia, the first British colony in the United States, was 13 years earlier than it, and the birth certificate after 13 this year came too late? Then why did it take so many years to call this convention a birth certificate?

This has to restore the scene at that time. After the establishment of Virginia, the first British colony, ships came to North America from Europe with immigrants. But on June 5438+0620,165438+1October 1 1, the "Mayflower" that arrived in North America was very special. From the outside, this ship is just an ordinary, simple little sailboat. And I tell you, the name "Mayflower" is also very common. At that time, at least three ships operated by Britain in the Atlantic Ocean were called "Mayflower". So what's so special about it?

The first feature is that the people on board are different. There is a very special group of passengers on the may flower, called Puritans. I'm going to say a few words here. When you look at American history, you often come across some religious names. Besides Puritanism, there are Protestantism and Catholicism. What's the relationship between these? First, they all belong to Christianity. Christianity once ruled Europe, but in the16th century, the Reformation took place, and a new school of Christianity appeared, that is, Protestantism, and the old school was called Catholicism. Later, some small factions of Protestantism appeared, one of which was Puritanism. They have such a relationship.

Let's talk about the Puritans on the Mayflower. These people are small in number, but their religious beliefs are particularly firm. Their purpose of going to North America was different from that of other colonists. Others mainly want to open up wasteland to get rich and change their destiny. We say this is an economic drive. But these people are driven by politics. Why? They went to the New World of North America to establish an ideal society. This is the first batch of "Mayflowers" that pilgrims took, which landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA today.

The second characteristic is different behavior. You know, at that time, all the people who crossed the ocean to North America were wooden boats, and the conditions were very poor. They stayed at sea for a month, and a group of people were all on board, eating and drinking Lazar, getting seasick and vomiting. It can be said that they are dirty and miserable. So as soon as the ship arrived in North America, the immigrants rushed ashore and didn't want to stay on board for a minute. But Mayflower is not like this. The ship was caught in a storm and walked at sea for 66 days.

After going through all kinds of hardships and coming to North America, a strange phenomenon appeared: what are the people on board doing without rushing ashore? Down-to-earth negotiation of a document on the ship, and finally 4 1 adult male signature. Needless to say, this document is the famous Mayflower Convention. Then why are these people doing this? Even after arriving in this new continent, no one has the power over others, and no one needs to listen to others. In order not to let everyone mess around, let's sit together and conclude a contract on the basis of equality and voluntariness as the next code of conduct. So you see, this is a very different place. It is not that we elect a leader and then he gives orders, but that we form a contract on the basis of equality and then follow it. What is this? This is a simplified democracy that respects procedures and laws.

The third feature is the political nature of the Convention. The Mayflower Convention is very short, the full text is less than 200 words, but the main idea is very clear, that is, we voluntarily form a political group of citizens to formulate and implement a fair and equal legal system. So you see, this contract is not a general behavior agreement, but a political agreement. It should not only standardize the current behavior, but also standardize the construction of the future society. Later, American political ideas and political construction all originated from this.

But this is not the most important thing. Most importantly, through this contract, these people gave themselves political power. You see, the convention says that political organizations should be formed voluntarily to formulate and implement the legal system. Who allowed them to do this? Does the king of England allow it? No, they gave themselves strength. Therefore, this convention actually establishes a principle that people have the right to exercise autonomy and the rule of law on a voluntary basis.

This is incredible. You know, the first colony of Virginia was authorized by the British king, but the new colony established by the Puritans "Mayflower" was not authorized by the British king, and the power came from themselves. If this principle of autonomy is pushed forward, then 100 years later, the people of North America 13 colonies can say: We have the right to decide how we should manage ourselves.

So you see, in fact, the legitimacy of American independence comes from the autonomy principle of the Mayflower Convention. Hearing this, you will certainly understand why Americans hold the Mayflower Convention so high, saying that it is the birth certificate of the United States, not the Virginia colony more than ten years ago. Because this convention is the source of American independence and legitimacy.

So at first, their social form was different from ours. They are more like a free market here, and then they plan certain rules that everyone should abide by, and no one should harm anyone's rights, but no one asks about the rights of people on the primitive continent of North America. Where have all those people gone? If you know it better, you will find it is bloody. ...