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美国独立战争中的民兵

Militias, a form of citizen-based defense that shaped early American history and created an American tradition of citizen soldiery. Early American colonies faced dangers from Native American and European foes. Colonial governments quickly established universal military obligation for white males. At its simplest, men were armed or ordered to arm themselves, organized into units, and trained. In practice, the compulsory militia system worked poorly.

The American Revolution gave new life to the militia. As unrest grew, revolutionary governments formed that subverted the militia away from royal governors. The militia formed a major portion of patriot forces, achieving fame at Lexington and Bunker Hill in 1775, and playing important roles in American victories throughout the war, such as Saratoga (1777) and Cowpens (1781). Just as often, however, militias proved unreliable, breaking in battle or leaving before a battle could even be fought. George Washington penned a famous lament about the militia in 1776: "They come in you cannot tell how, go you cannot tell when, and act you cannot tell where, consume your provisions, exhaust your stores, and leave you at last at a critical moment." Yet Washington himself had a shrewd understanding of how to use militias as auxiliary and partisan forces in his campaigns. In addition to strictly military concerns, the militia played an important role in securing the countryside and subduing Loyalist sentiment.

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将下面的这段话译成汉语。

Dan Scott, barely a week ago I heard you railed for two hours about independence. Mr. Hardwick, how many times have I heard you speak of freedom at my father's table? Half the men in this church, including you, Father, and you, Reverend, are as ardent patriots as I. Will you know, when you are needed most, stop at only words? Is that the sort of men you are? I ask only that you act upon the beliefs of which you have so strongly spoken and in which you so strongly believe.

The Patriot《爱国者》（精讲之三）考考你 参考答案

1． 我没有心情和你去看电影。
I'm in no mood to see a film with you.

2． 威廉将军把敌人彻底击溃了。
General William finished off the enemy.

3． 你们最好把钱交给我们。
You're better off giving us the money.

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(英语点津Annabel编辑)

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