55. Charleston history

From VOA Learning English, welcome to This is America.  I'm Steve Ember.  Today, Shirley Griffith and I take¹ you to one of the most beautiful² and historic cities in the United States – Charleston, South Carolina.  The Civil War began³ at its waterfront⁴. Come along with us!⁵

Charleston sits on a piece of land⁶ in the southeastern United States that points like a finger⁷ to the Atlantic Ocean.  Rivers flow⁸ by either side⁹ of the city.  They are the Ashley and the Cooper Rivers.

The people of Charleston will smile¹⁰ and tell you the Ashley and the Cooper join¹¹ to form the Atlantic Ocean.  They know this is not true¹², but they like to tell the story anyway¹³.  It shows how proud¹⁴ the people of Charleston are of their city.

                             

Charleston has a very rich history.  It is the only¹⁶ city in the United States that can claim¹⁷ to have defended itself from American Indians, fierce pirates¹⁸, Spanish ships, French soldiers, and British forces.  It was first in many things. Charleston had the first continual train service in the United States.

                                                                  

It built¹⁹ the first museum and the first public flower garden²⁰ in America.  And the first battle²¹ of the American Civil War took place²² on a very small but important island²³ in its port.                   

Charleston has some of the most beautiful and unusual²⁴ homes in America.  One travel writer²⁵ has called Charleston the most friendly city²⁶ in the United States.  Charleston is all of these things and much more.

                     

The Pink House, oldest stone²⁷ building²⁸ in Charleston. The Pink House, oldest stone building in Charleston

Plan²⁹ your visit to Charleston for early spring³⁰, late autumn³¹ or the winter³² months.  The citizens³³ of Charleston will tell you their lovely³⁴ city is not fun³⁵ in the summer³⁶.  It is extremely hot.  The summer heat³⁷ is important to the history of Charleston.

Early settlers³⁸ owned huge farms³⁹ called plantations.  In the 1700s, these farms produced a plant called indigo which is used to make cloth⁴⁰ the color blue.                    

Many plantation owners forced slaves⁴¹ to do the work needed to grow⁴² indigo in the extreme heat.  Slavery⁴³ became⁴⁴ important to the economy of Charleston. 

The plantations, indigo and slavery are part of the history of the city.

                                                                  

At least⁴⁵ three Indian tribes were living in the area that became Charleston when Spanish explorers arrived in 1521.  The Spanish explorers, and later, French explorers tried to establish⁴⁶ settlements⁴⁷ near that area but none lasted⁴⁸. English settlers first came to the area in 1670.  They established a town⁴⁹.  They called it Charles Town in honor of⁵⁰ the English King, Charles II.  The people of the city changed its name to Charleston in 1783.

                            

Many people came to live in Charleston because it produced indigo and had a good port⁵¹.  The people who settled the area were hard working⁵² and independent.  They considered themselves citizens of England.                                                     

Still⁵³, they did not like some of the laws⁵⁴ declared by the English government.  The colonists successfully defended⁵⁵ their city many times⁵⁶ in the early 1700s.  They defended it against⁵⁷ both⁵⁸ French and Spanish forces, and against raids⁵⁹ by Yamasee Indians and by pirates.

                                                   

In 1719, the citizens of Charleston rebelled against the group of English men who controlled their colony.  They wanted more self-government⁶⁰.  Britain's King George agreed. This change gave the people of Charleston a feeling⁶¹ of independence. Charleston is still proud of its part in the war for independence.  The city provided⁶² several⁶³ political and military leaders during⁶⁴ the American Revolution.

                                     

British forces attacked it two times, but were defeated⁶⁵ by the people of Charleston.  The third time, the British captured the city and held⁶⁶ it for more than a year. Charleston continued to grow after the American colonists had won⁶⁷ their independence from England.  The new federal government knew⁶⁸ that the city was important. 

VOCABULARY

1. take = levar
2. one of the most beautiful = uma das mais lindas
3. began = começou
4. waterfront = beira-mar
5. Come along with us!= venha conosco!
6. sits on a piece of land = situa-se em um pedaço de terra
7. points like a finger = aponta como um dedo
8. flow = fluir, correr
9. either side = cada lado
10. smile = sorrir
11. join = juntam-se
12. this is not true = isto não é verdade
13. anyway = de qualquer maneira
14. proud = orgulhoso
15.  
16. only = unico(a)
17. claim = reivindicar
18. fierce pirates = piratas ferozes
19. built = construiu
20. garden = jardim
21. battle = batalha
22. took place = aconteceu
23. island = ilha
24. unusual= incomum
25. writer = escritor
26. the most friendly city = a cidade mais simpática
27. stone = pedra
28. building = prédio
29. Plan = planejar
30. early spring = inicio da primavera
31. late autumn = final de outono
32. winter = inverno
33. citizens = cidadãos
34. lovely = adorável
35. fun = divertido(a)
36. summer = verão
37. heat = calor
38. settlers = colonizadores
39. owned huge farms = possuiam imensas fazendas
40. cloth = tecido
41. slaves = escravos
42. grow = cultivar, plantar
43. Slavery = escravidão
44. became = tornou-se
45. At least = pelo menos
46. establish = estabelecer
47. settlements = assentamentos
48. none lasted = nenhum durou
49. town = pequena cidade
50. in honor of = em homenagem a
51. port = porto
52. hard working = que trabalham pesado
53. Still= ainda assim
54. laws = leis
55. successfully defended = defenderam com sucesso
56. many times = muitas vezes
57. against = contra
58. both = tanto, ambos
59. raids = ataques
60. self-government = governo autonomo
61. feeling = sensação, sentimento
62. provided = forneceu
63. several = diversos
64. during = durante
65. were defeated = foram derrotados
66. held = mantiveram
67. had won = tinham conquistado
68. knew = sabia