VOA慢速英语2010年-THE MAKING OF A NATION - American Hist

BARBARA KLEIN:

Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION – American history in VOA Special English.

In the years just after the Civil War, America was led by Andrew Johnson. The Democrat¹ rose from vice² president to president when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated³ in April of eighteen sixty-five.

Andrew Johnson soon found himself in a bitter struggle with Congress. In eighteen sixty-eight, radical⁴ members of the Republican Party held a trial in the Senate. They tried to remove the president from office. But they could not prove their charges, and their effort failed by one vote.

When the trial was over, Johnson had less than a year left in office. He retired⁵ to his home in Tennessee. By then Americans had elected a new president.

This week in our series, Larry West and Shep O’Neal tell the story of the election of eighteen sixty-eight.

LARRY WEST:

A Republican campaign banner from 1868 for Ulysses S. Grant and Schuyler Colfax

There was no question about the Republican choice for president. Party leaders wanted General Ulysses Grant.

Grant had been head of the Union army during the last part of the Civil War. Under his leadership, the Union had won. And now, he was the best-liked man in the country.

Wherever Grant went, former soldiers waited to shake the hand of the man who had led them to victory against the Confederacy.

The Democratic Party had a much more difficult time choosing a candidate for president in eighteen sixty-eight. Forty-seven men wanted the nomination⁶. After several votes during its convention, the party failed to choose one above the others.

Finally, party leaders looked for a compromise candidate. They chose Horatio Seymour, a former governor of New York state. He won the nomination on the twenty-second ballot⁷.

Seymour, at first, said he could not accept the honor. He said he did not want to be president. But finally, after much urging from other party leaders, he agreed to run against Grant.

SHEP O’NEAL:

The Democratic Party banner for Horatio Seymour and Francis Blair

The presidential campaign was a strange one. Neither Grant nor Seymour campaigned very hard. Grant told his advisers⁹ he would take no part in the election campaign. Seymour spent much of the time working on his farm.

The real campaigning was done by party supporters. Republicans urged Union men to "vote as you shot" for Ulysses Grant -- the man who won the Civil War. They warned that Horatio Seymour and the Democrats¹⁰ were all secret rebels in their hearts.

Seymour's supporters spent most of their time answering Republican charges. They struck back by accusing Grant of being a liar¹¹. They said he was controlled by extremists. They said he would rule from the White House like a dictator.

LARRY WEST:

The Democratic attacks failed. Grant got more popular votes and electoral votes than Seymour. He won the election. It was a great victory for the military hero. Yet it also was the start of an administration that would suffer many problems. Ulysses Grant would prove to be much less successful in politics than in war.

As Andrew Johnson prepared to leave the White House a few months after Grant's election, he would look back on some successes during his time as president. True, he had lost the political fight to control the re-building, or reconstruction¹², of the defeated southern states. But he had won the equally important fight to keep the presidency¹³ independent from Congress.

Johnson also could look back on some successes in foreign relations. During his administration, he got Napoleon the third of France to withdraw French forces from Mexico. And he got more territory for the United States.

SHEP O’NEAL:

In the spring of eighteen sixty-seven, the Russian minister in Washington made a surprise offer. He said his country was willing to sell some of its territory in North America. Secretary of State William Seward quickly prepared a treaty accepting the offer.

Russia wanted ten million dollars for the land. Seward said the United States would pay only seven million dollars. Russia accepted, and the treaty was signed. The United States flag was raised over Alaska.

Many Americans protested the purchase of Alaska. They thought seven million dollars was too much to pay for a worthless piece of frozen land. They said the deal was foolish. They called it "Seward's Folly¹⁴."

In time, of course, these critics were proved wrong. Alaska's wealth in oil, natural gas, trees, fish and animal skins makes its purchase one of the greatest deals any country ever made for territory.

LARRY WEST:

Ulysses S. Grant

On March fourth, eighteen sixty-nine, Ulysses Grant traveled to Washington for his inauguration¹⁵ as the eighteenth president of the United States. Out-going president Andrew Johnson refused to take part in the ceremony. Before Grant arrived, Johnson left the White House. As he walked out, he told a friend, "I think I can already smell the fresh mountain air of my home in Tennessee."

Americans had high hopes for their new president. They saw Grant as a strong and silent soldier -- a great leader who had won a long and bitter war. But there was another side to Grant which most people did not see. During the Civil War, the general had been a great hero. For many years before that, however, he had been considered a failure.

SHEP O’NEAL:

As a young man, Grant entered West Point, the nation's school for army officers. He did poorly in his studies. He did not like responsibility. Somehow he completed his studies and became an army officer. He fought in America's war against Mexico.

After the war, Grant got into trouble. He drank too much whiskey, too often. The army forced him to resign. For the next eight years, he tried one thing after another. He failed at each one. He tried farming, for example, and failed. He tried selling land, and failed at that, too.

At last, Grant appealed to his father for a job in a store. He held this low-paying job until the Civil War started. Then he finally got back into the army. He got his chance to succeed.

LARRY WEST:

Still, the years of poverty and failure affected¹⁶ Ulysses Grant. They made him lack trust in his own judgment¹⁷ and abilities. This feeling showed itself when Grant reached the White House.

The new president had little knowledge of politics or government. And he refused to ask for advice from experts. To do so, he felt, would show a lack of intelligence. For advice, he depended on close friends. These were the men with whom he had served during the Civil War.

Grant had never been able to make much money. He liked and had great respect for men who had. He became friends with some of these wealthy men. He accepted gifts from them. This weakness for money and power became clear when he announced his choices for his cabinet.

SHEP O’NEAL:

Grant named a rich businessman to be treasury¹⁸ secretary. The Senate rejected him. Grant named another rich businessman for Navy Secretary. This nomination was approved, even though the man had never been on a ship.

Grant named several other rich people and old military friends to the cabinet. Many lacked political experience. Some critics attacked the appointments. One critic said: "Never was an administration begun with more hope and less ability."

LARRY WEST:

John Rawlins

The best adviser⁸ Grant named was John Rawlins as Secretary of War. Rawlins was a good judge of men. And he was wiser than most of Grant's other friends. He alone, of all those around the president, would argue with Grant when he believed him to be wrong.

Rawlins, however, was in poor health. His condition grew worse during the summer of eighteen sixty-nine. Early in autumn, he died.

Rawlins' death hurt President Grant deeply. But the lack of honest, wise advice in the White House would hurt the country even more. That will be our story next week, in the next program of THE MAKING OF A NATION.

(MUSIC)

BARBARA KLEIN:

Our program was written by David Jarmul and Frank Beardsley. The narrators were Larry West and Shep O’Neal. You can find transcripts¹⁹, MP3s and podcasts of our programs, along with historical images, at voaspecialenglish.com. And you can follow us at VOA Learning English on Twitter. Join us again next week for THE MAKING OF A NATION -- an American history series in VOA Special English.
___

This is program #123 of THE MAKING OF A NATION

 

1 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 assassinated   

v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏

参考例句：

• The prime minister was assassinated by extremists. 首相遭极端分子暗杀。
• Then, just two days later, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. 跟着在两天以后，肯尼迪总统在达拉斯被人暗杀。 来自辞典例句

4 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

5 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

6 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。

7 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

8 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

9 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

10 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 liar   

n.说谎的人

参考例句：

• I know you for a thief and a liar!我算认识你了，一个又偷又骗的家伙！
• She was wrongly labelled a liar.她被错误地扣上说谎者的帽子。

12 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

13 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

14 folly   

n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话

参考例句：

• Learn wisdom by the folly of others.从别人的愚蠢行动中学到智慧。
• Events proved the folly of such calculations.事情的进展证明了这种估计是愚蠢的。

15 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

16 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

17 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

18 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

19 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句