历届美国总统简介：富兰克林·皮尔斯

富兰克林·皮尔斯（Franklin Pierce）（1804年11月23日(甲子年) ~ 1869年（己巳年）10月8日），美国总统（1853-1857），这位能力一般、恶习很多的政治神童，在军内供职时间不长即晋升为将军。他无大的战绩，但却有似乎有神庇护。他不仅年轻时有机会青云直上，而且在总统选举中爆了冷门，被人们称为继詹姆斯·诺克斯·波尔克之后的又一黑马，创造了自詹姆斯·门罗以来从未有的绝对优势。由于他对南方的同情不能见容于北部各州，促成了国家的分裂，故任满后便隐退。他是第一位出生于19世纪的美国总统。直到今天为止，他仍是唯一一位来自新罕布什尔州的总统。

Franklin Pierce was born in New Hampshire in 1804. He was the 14th President of the United States. Pierce attended Bowdoin College. After graduation he studied law and then entered politics. At the age of 24 he was elected to the New Hampshire legislature; two years later he became its Speaker. During the 1830's he went to Washington, first as a Representative, then as a Senator.

 

He decided¹ to volunteer to fight in the Mexican-American War and rose to the rank of colonel. He rose through the ranks and became a brigadier, taking command of his own brigade. During the Battle of Contreras he was seriously wounded in the leg when he fell off his horse. Despite the pain, he returned to battle the next day. He proved his skill as a military commander by going on to capture Mexico City.

 

After the Mexican War Pierce ran for the 1852 Presidential nomination². He won with a narrow margin³ of the popular vote. In his Inaugural⁴ speech he proclaimed an era of peace and prosperity at home and a more forceful foreign policy. This included trying to persuade Spain to sell Cuba. He also purchased the area now comprising southern Arizona and part of southern New Mexico for $10,000,000.

 

Pierce upset the delicate north-south balance in 1854 when he passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act. This reopened the question of slavery in the West as it allowed residents of the new territories to decide the slavery question for themselves. The result was a rush by southerners and northerners into Kansas. Shooting broke out, and "bleeding Kansas" became a prelude⁵ to the Civil War. Pierce died in 1869.

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

3 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

4 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。

5 prelude   

n.序言，前兆，序曲

参考例句：

• The prelude to the musical composition is very long.这首乐曲的序曲很长。
• The German invasion of Poland was a prelude to World War II.德国入侵波兰是第二次世界大战的序幕。