2006年VOA标准英语-Americans Celebrate Black History Month wi

By Chris Simkins
Washington, DC
23 February 2006
 
watch Frederick Douglass report

 
Frederick Douglass 
  
February is African-American History Month in the United States. It's a time people recall and celebrate the positive accomplishments¹ and contributions made by people of African descent. This month, tributes have been paid to former slave, author, abolitionist and statesman Frederick Douglass. VOA's Chris Simkins reports on the man who dedicated² his life to abolishing slavery in America. 

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Frederick Douglass was one of America's most outspoken³ black leaders in the 19th century. He was born a slave in the eastern U.S. State of Maryland in 1818.

Margaret Hutto, Exhibits Manager at the Reginald Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History in Baltimore, says Douglass was one of the state's most famous people.

 
Margaret Hutto
  
"Mr. Douglass is a perfect example of an individual who has had a long history with the State of Maryland, from being a slave at the Wye Plantation⁴ as well as escaping from his plantation, working in the shipping⁵ yards in Baltimore and Annapolis. He then also eventually went on to get his own freedom papers at a later point after buying his freedom."

As a freed black man Douglass traveled to New York and taught himself to read and write. In 1841, he began lecturing against slavery and campaigning for the rights of freed blacks. He traveled around the country delivering his anti-slavery message. In 1845, fearing he might lose his freedom he left the U.S.  He traveled to Britain and Scotland where he spent two years giving speeches to enthusiastic crowds.

Greg Carr, a professor of African-American Studies at Howard University in Washington, D.C., says Douglass dedicated his life to fighting racial injustice⁶. 

Greg Carr, Professor of African-American Studies at Howard University  
  
"I think Frederick Douglass helped strengthen the fabric⁷ of the U.S. nation primarily by fighting for the idea that all human beings should have equal rights regardless of where they are in the world. He saw the United States as a great experiment for that proposition.

Greg Carr says Douglass gained worldwide attention after writing three autobiographies⁸, which detailed⁹ the realities of slavery. In 1847 he also began publishing a weekly newspaper called The North Star in which he wrote scathing¹⁰ editorials on a variety of topics including the evils of slavery.

"It is important to understand he was one of only a hand full of black folks who were writing with any regularity¹¹, so as a consequence he really became the representative voice of the black community, which is a heavy burden."

 
A young Frederick Douglass 
  
By the early 1860s Douglass' leadership role was having an impact. After the Civil War began Douglass began to promote black participation¹² in the war. He believed the conflict was a battle to abolish slavery and that blacks must be allowed to join in the fight for their freedom.

He met with President Abraham Lincoln to press his call for the establishment of black regiments¹³ in the Union army.  He later got his wish and during the last two years of the war some 200,000 blacks were serving in Army units. Frederick Douglass went on to become an advisor¹⁴ to three other U.S. presidents and served as the U.S. ambassador to Haiti. 

 
The Frederick Douglass home in Washington, DC is now a National Park site 
  
Now on the 188th anniversary of his birth, Frederick Douglass is remembered in musical tributes and speeches at the site of his former home in Washington, DC. Douglass and his family lived here from 1877 to his death in 1895. Now visitors, especially young people, can tour his home and get an idea of how he lived.

On a tour, the guide explained, "Mr. Douglass' oldest daughter Rosetta played the piano and Mr. Douglass was a self-taught violinist and if you or I were visiting the home and we did not play an instrument they would give us a tambourine¹⁵."

The National Park Service is just one organization committed to keeping the legacy¹⁶ of Frederick Douglass alive. Other groups are also making sure this leader, who fought so hard against racial injustice, will hold a prominent place in American history.

1 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

2 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

3 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

4 plantation   

n.种植园，大农场

参考例句：

• His father-in-law is a plantation manager.他岳父是个种植园经营者。
• The plantation owner has possessed himself of a vast piece of land.这个种植园主把大片土地占为己有。

5 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

6 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

7 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

8 autobiographies   

n.自传( autobiography的名词复数 )；自传文学

参考例句：

• The series was based on the autobiographies of the author. 这部连续剧是根据那位作家的自传拍摄的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There are some songs and, recently, a few autobiographies about peasant experience. 有些歌曲描述了农民的经验，最近还出了几本自传。 来自互联网

9 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

10 scathing   

adj.（言词、文章）严厉的，尖刻的；不留情的adv.严厉地，尖刻地v.伤害，损害（尤指使之枯萎）( scathe的现在分词)

参考例句：

• a scathing attack on the new management 针对新的管理层的猛烈抨击
• Her speech was a scathing indictment of the government's record on crime. 她的演讲强烈指责了政府在犯罪问题上的表现。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 regularity   

n.规律性，规则性；匀称，整齐

参考例句：

• The idea is to maintain the regularity of the heartbeat.问题就是要维持心跳的规律性。
• He exercised with a regularity that amazed us.他锻炼的规律程度令我们非常惊讶。

12 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

13 regiments   

（军队的）团( regiment的名词复数 )； 大量的人或物

参考例句：

• The three regiments are all under the command of you. 这三个团全归你节制。
• The town was garrisoned with two regiments. 该镇有两团士兵驻守。

14 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

15 tambourine   

n.铃鼓，手鼓

参考例句：

• A stew without an onion is like a dance without a tambourine.烧菜没有洋葱就像跳舞没有手鼓。
• He is really good at playing tambourine.他很擅长演奏铃鼓。

16 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。