Historical Reflections & Language Development in the United States

🌟 Guangzhou American Center Presents

Commemorating the Past While Celebrating the Future: Historical Reflections & Language Development in the United States

📅 Saturday, November 29, 2025
🕙 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
📍 U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou, American Center

Explore the vibrant, complex, and evolving story of the continuing American experiment. These engaging seminars will offer a comprehensive platform to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of two and a half centuries of U.S. history, from its foundational ideals to its ongoing challenges. We will reflect on the enduring principles of liberty and self-governance while confronting the difficult tests that continually test the nation's promise. Simultaneously, these workshops will serve a dual educational purpose: They are specifically designed to enhance your English language proficiency across reading, writing, listening, and speaking, as well as critical thinking, preparing all involved to be a more informed and active participant in our burgeoning global society.

🕥 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Impetus for Change

Doors open at 9:30 a.m.

A central catalyst for the American independence was the British government's attempts to impose taxes on the American colonies without granting them direct representation. "No Taxation Without Representation" became a rallying cry, symbolizing the colonists' belief that their fundamental rights were being violated. In this session, we will discuss the different acts which highlighted the colonists' concerns as well as other restrictions on trade, all of which sparked the lead-up to a conflict.

In this session participants will read excerpts, listen to audio, hear from the presenter, and most importantly, share their own ideas and thoughts on the materials provided, reflecting on and examining this important part of U.S. history.

🍴 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. | Lunch Break

🗽 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. | Lexicon of Liberty: Exploring the Words That Shaped the American Spirit

Doors open: 1:30 p.m.

Join us for a linguistic journey through the lexicon of a young republic. This seminar will reveal how specific terms and phrases became the cornerstones of freedom, innovation, and the enduring American spirit. We'll explore the vocabulary that built a nation, while taking a look at how words continue to matter.

About the speaker:

Matthew Jellick holds a Master’s Degree in Teaching from the University of Southern California (USC) and has been teaching internationally since 2009. A former English Language Fellow (Ethiopia: 2014 – 2016) and English Language Specialist (Djibouti: 2022, 2023), Mr. Jellick likewise has extensive experience in China and has taught at the university level here for over eight years, in both Shenzhen and Beijing, where, in both locations, he has been named, “Teacher of the Year”. Working inside as well as outside the classroom, Matthew has presented at conferences in Asia, Africa, and America, with a focus on teacher development and how we can transmit good practice so that it continually benefits students. Matthew works under the motto that “Learning is Lifelong and Worldwide”.

本次活动将用英文进行。请注意，本次活动席位有限，先到先得，满员后则不再允许入场，成功报名活动不代表一定保证可以入场，感谢您的理解。This event will be conducted in English. Please note that seating is limited, attendance will be on a first- come, first- served basis. The event will close once it reaches full capacity. A reservation does not guarantee entry. Thank you for your understanding.

特别说明 Additional Special Notices

进入领事馆时，请携带身份证或护照原件。相机和手提电脑禁止带入领事馆，请勿携带至活动现场。现场不提供这些物品的保管服务。 Attendees must present a physical ID or passport to be admitted into the Consulate. Cameras and laptops are not permitted inside the Consulate and must not be brought to the event. No safekeeping services will be provided for these items.

残障人士如需合理便利安排，请提前或尽快发电子邮件至GuangzhouAMCenter@state.gov提交请求。 Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities who wish to attend this event are available upon request. Please submit your request in advance or as soon as possible via email to GuangzhouAMCenter@state.gov.

如有身体不适症状者，请勿出席。我们将采取一切可能的措施来维护公共活动的安全环境。If you have any symptoms of physical discomfort, please do not attend. We will take all possible measures to maintain a safe environment for public events.

请留意，美国领事馆可能会在活动期间拍摄照片和视频。虽然照片和视频可能会用于网络和印刷品，但未经明确同意，我们会尽力避免包含活动参与者的可识别图像。所有内容（图片、音频或观点）不会用于商业目的。感谢您的合作。 Please note that the U.S. Consulate may record photographs and video during the event. While photos and videos may be used in future online and printed publications, all efforts will be made to exclude recognizable images of event attendees without explicit consent. Content (images, audio, or ideas) will not be used for commercial purposes. Thank you for your cooperation.