Bernard Bailyn has recently reinterpreted the early history of the United States by applying new social research findings on the experiences of European migrants. In his reinterpretation, migration becomes the organizing principle for rewriting the history of pre-industrial North America. His approach rests on four separate propositions.
The first of these asserts that residents of early modern England moved regularly about their countryside.- migrating to the New World was simply a "natural spillover". Although at first the colonies held little positive attraction for the English they would rather have stayed home--by the eighteenth century people increasingly migrated to America because they regarded it as the land of opportunity. Secondly, Bailyn holds that, contrary to the notion that used to flourish in American history textbooks, there was never a typical New World community. For example, the economic and demographic character of early New England towns varied considerably.
Bailyn’s third proposition suggests two general patterns prevailing among the many thousands of migrants: one group came as indentured servants, another came to acquire land. Surprisingly, Bailyn suggests that those who recruited indentured servants were driving forces of transatlantic migration, These colonial entrepreneurs helped determine the social character of people who came to pre-industrial North America. At first, thousands of unskilled laborers were recruited: by the 1730’s, however, American employers demanded skilled workers.
Finally, Bailyn argues that the colonies were a half-civilized hinterland of the European culture system. He is undoubtedly correct to insist that the colonies were part of the Anglo-American empire. But to divide the empire into English core and colonial periphery, as Bailyn does, devalues the achievements of colonial culture. It is true, as Bailyn claims, that high culture in the colonies never matched that in England. But what of seventeenth-century New England, where the settlers created effective laws, built a distinguished university, and published books Bailyn might respond that New England was exceptional. However, the ideas and institutions developed by New England Puritans had powerful effects on North American culture.
Although Bailyn goes on to apply his approach to some thousands of indentured servants who migrated just prior to the revolution, he fails to link their experience with the political development of the United States. Evidence presented in his work suggests how we might make such a connection. These indentured servants were treated as slaves for the period during which they had sold their time to American employers. It is not surprising that as soon as they served their time they gave up good wages in the cities and headed west to ensure their personal independence by acquiring land. Thus, it is in the west that a peculiarly American political culture began, among colonists who were suspicious of authority and intensely anti-aristocratic.
Which of the following best summarizes the author’s evaluation of Bailyn’s fourth proposition()
A. It is totally implausible
B. It is partially correct
C. It is highly admirable
D. It is controversial though persuasive
参考答案:B
解析:
[注释] 作者观点题。本题问:下面哪一点概括了作者对Bailyn第4点建议的评价第4段写道:“Bailyn争辩说,殖民地是欧洲文化体系中的一块半文明的腹地。他无疑正确地认为,殖民地是英美帝国的一部分。但是如Bailyn那样把帝国分为英国核心帝国和殖民地边缘帝国就贬低了殖民地文化所取得的成就。确实,如Bailyn所声称,殖民地的灿烂文化永远也比不上英国的文化。但是17世纪新英格兰的文化怎么样呢在这里,殖民者制定了有效的法律,建立了一所杰出的大学,并出版了书籍。Bailyn也许会回答说,新英格兰是例外。然而,新英格兰清教徒所提倡的思想和体制却对北美文化产生了有力的影响。”本段中,作者一方面认为Bailyn 有正确的一面,但是另一方面又批驳了他不正确的一面。由此可见,在作者看来Bailyn的论点只有部分是正确的。故应选[B]。