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VOA标准英语2011--Richmond Re-examines its Confederate Pas

时间:2011-08-24 06:34来源:互联网 提供网友:nan   字体: [ ]
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Richmond Re-examines its Confederate Past

As the United States marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, many Americans are re-examining the conflict, especially in Richmond, Virginia, former capital of the Confederacy.
During the Civil War, which lasted four years, the nation was divided. Eleven states in the southern portion of the country seceded1 to form a new nation, the Confederate States of America. Determined2 to preserve the union, President Abraham Lincoln went to war against the rebel states and, ultimately, abolished slavery.
Before the war, Richmond was the capital of Virginia and one of the biggest cities in the south. It was the obvious choice for the capital of the new government, according to S. Waite Rawls III, president of the Museum of the Confederacy.
“Virginia was the most important state in the Confederacy, biggest population, most culture, and also the most industrial of the states in the south.”
Reminders3 of the past in a modern city
Today, Richmond is still Virginia’s capital. It has a population of more than 200,000 and is home to six Fortune 500 companies. Among the modern office buildings, there are plenty of reminders of its past.
The home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis has been restored as it was when he and his family lived here during the war. He and other leaders of the Confederacy are memorialized in monuments that dominate one of Richmond’s main boulevards.
At the Museum of the Confederacy, founded 25 years after the war to preserve the legacy4 of the failed nation, visitation is up about 50 percent due to the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.
A lot of the people who come, says Rawls, are surprised at what they find. “A lot of people expect us to tell quote unquote ‘the Confederate side of the story.’ We try our best to present history in all of its nuance5 and complication here.”
A permanent exhibit is devoted6 to the Confederate military, with uniforms and weapons that belonged to generals like Robert E. Lee and J.E.B. Stuart. But changing displays explore other themes including, right now, life on the home front.
“During the war, 95 percent of all white men of military age went off into the army," says Rawls. "Who fed the country? How did the economy work? Most of that was on the backs of African-Americans both slave and free.”
Fifty years ago, you would not have seen such an exhibit here. For more than a century, in the South, the Civil War was referred to as the “lost cause.”
“In many ways, the defeat of the Confederacy was dressed up like victory," says Edward Ayers, president of the University of Richmond and a historian who has written extensively on the war. "Giant statues put up everywhere, schools named for the heroes of the lost cause, and a lot of admiration7 for the way they had fought.”
What was usually omitted from the discussion was the real cause and result of the war.
"There is no doubt the South created a new nation, the Confederacy, in order to create a nation where slavery would be safe," Ayers says. "And, when that was ended, when emancipation8 came and the United States was unified9, world history was changed.”
It changed, he says, because before emancipation, slavery played a vital role in the U.S. and world economy.
“Slavery was worth more than all of the railroads and factories and banks of the north combined, and slavery produced more than 60 percent of all American exports.”
According to Ayers, the north relied on the income that came from producing those exports, mainly cotton. France, England and other European nations were also dependent on the product of that slave labor10.
Hidden history revealed
Before the war, Richmond was one of the largest slave trading centers in the United States. But that history was largely unknown by residents of the city today.
“I was very much astonished at the fact that right here in the Richmond area that all of this happened, this very historic and rich history, and we knew nothing about it,” says Virginia State Del. Delores McQuinn, whose great-grandfather was enslaved.
McQuinn led the campaign to bring that hidden history to light. Thanks to her efforts, Richmond now has a Slave Trail, with 17 historic markers to tell the story.
Dedicated11 this April, it winds through the city from the banks of the James River, which carried slaves farther south, and past old buildings where slaves were auctioned12. There are stops at the foundation of a jail where slaves were imprisoned13 and a cemetery14 where both enslaved and free African-Americans were interred15.
McQuinn believes it is especially important for African-Americans, who make up about 50 percent of the city’s population, to know that history. For years, she says, they dreaded16 Civil War anniversaries in Richmond.
“There was one side of the story told. With the whole journey of us developing and unearthing17 the slave trail, now African-Americans feel like we were a part of this history, too.”
Ayers, who was a driving force to make the 150th commemoration of the war this year more inclusive, says Richmond is on the right track.
“It has taken us a long time to acknowledge the full humanity of this struggle, to recognize the role of women as well as men, and African Americans as well as of whites, but we are beginning to do so.”
Rawls agrees. “I think when we can announce a victory, is when - and we are getting to that point today - is when the story of Confederates and slaves can be told together at the same time, because their story is completely intertwined from a history point of view.”
Fifty years ago, he notes, the man who held his position as president of the Museum of the Confederacy would never have made such a statement. Richmond’s perspective on the Civil War has changed indeed.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 seceded 1624ae4cad0ece80c313df9c7f11bfc6     
v.脱离,退出( secede的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The Republic of Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903. 巴拿马共和国于1903年脱离哥伦比亚。
  • One of the states has seceded from the federation. 有一个州已从联邦中退出。 来自辞典例句
2 determined duszmP     
adj.坚定的;有决心的
参考例句:
  • I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
  • He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。
3 reminders aaaf99d0fb822f809193c02b8cf69fba     
n.令人回忆起…的东西( reminder的名词复数 );提醒…的东西;(告知该做某事的)通知单;提示信
参考例句:
  • The film evokes chilling reminders of the war. 这部电影使人们回忆起战争的可怕场景。
  • The strike has delayed the mailing of tax reminders. 罢工耽搁了催税单的投寄。
4 legacy 59YzD     
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。
5 nuance Xvtyh     
n.(意义、意见、颜色)细微差别
参考例句:
  • These users will easily learn each nuance of the applications they use.这些用户会很快了解他们所使用程序的每一细微差别。
  • I wish I hadn't become so conscious of every little nuance.我希望我不要变得这样去思索一切琐碎之事。
6 devoted xu9zka     
adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的
参考例句:
  • He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
  • We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
7 admiration afpyA     
n.钦佩,赞美,羡慕
参考例句:
  • He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
  • We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。
8 emancipation Sjlzb     
n.(从束缚、支配下)解放
参考例句:
  • We must arouse them to fight for their own emancipation. 我们必须唤起他们为其自身的解放而斗争。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • They rejoiced over their own emancipation. 他们为自己的解放感到欢欣鼓舞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 unified 40b03ccf3c2da88cc503272d1de3441c     
(unify 的过去式和过去分词); 统一的; 统一标准的; 一元化的
参考例句:
  • The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
  • The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。
10 labor P9Tzs     
n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦
参考例句:
  • We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
  • He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后,他已经疲惫不堪了。
11 dedicated duHzy2     
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。
12 auctioned 1a9ab53832945db108ff2919e21fccc6     
v.拍卖( auction的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • It was sad to see all grandmother's lovely things being auctioned off. 眼看着祖母那些可爱的东西全都被拍卖掉,心里真不好受。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • TV franchises will be auctioned to the highest bidder. 电视特许经营权将拍卖给出价最高的投标人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 imprisoned bc7d0bcdd0951055b819cfd008ef0d8d     
下狱,监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁,合并执行。
  • They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。
14 cemetery ur9z7     
n.坟墓,墓地,坟场
参考例句:
  • He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
  • His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。
15 interred 80ed334541e268e9b67fb91695d0e237     
v.埋,葬( inter的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Marie Curie's remains were exhumed and interred in the Pantheon. 玛丽·居里的遗体被移出葬在先贤祠中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The body was interred at the cemetery. 遗体埋葬在公墓里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 dreaded XuNzI3     
adj.令人畏惧的;害怕的v.害怕,恐惧,担心( dread的过去式和过去分词)
参考例句:
  • The dreaded moment had finally arrived. 可怕的时刻终于来到了。
  • He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital. 他害怕非得在医院过圣诞节不可。 来自《用法词典》
17 unearthing 00d1fee5b583e89f513b69e88ec55cf3     
发掘或挖出某物( unearth的现在分词 ); 搜寻到某事物,发现并披露
参考例句:
  • And unearthing the past often means literally and studying the evidence. 通常,探寻往事在字面上即意味着——刨根究底。
  • The unearthing of "Peking Man" was a remarkable discovery. “北京人”的出土是个非凡的发现。
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TAG标签:   VOA标准英语  Confederate  Past  Confederate  Pas
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