真实的美国总统林肯

"If my name ever goes into history, it will be for this act."

Last weekend, President Lincoln and his wife Mary Todd came to life as actors Liam Neeson and Holly¹ Hunter read excerpts² from the Lincoln's letters and telegrams.

"Honorable A. Lincoln, president of the United States. We've reached New York in safety, hope you are well. Please send me by mail today [news:/p/00:25.0] and check for 50 dollars. Ted³ says, 'Are the goats well?' "
"Mrs. A. Linclon, the check will go to you. Tell Ted the goats and farther are very well, especially the goats."

He had a sense of humor, obviously. One thing Doris Kearns Goodwin learnt about the 16th president, while researching Lincoln's letters and diaries for a new book about America’s most popular president.

Doris Kearns Goodwin: "That's the greatness about Lincoln. I think in some ways compared to some of the founding fathers who do sometimes seem like they are still marbleized. He is so vulnerable. He is so open. He is so funny. He is so alive."

Historians say even as he struggled to hold the Union together, Lincoln felt the moral obligation to emancipate⁴ the slaves.

"There is no reason on the world why the Negro is not entitled to all the natural rights that enumerated⁵ in the Declaration of Independence"

From a distance of a century and a half, historians are trying to analyze⁶ not just Lincoln's governing style but his moods. Goodwin says at one point in 1835, Lincoln became severely⁷ depressed⁸.

Doris Kearns Goodwin: "He had broken his engagement with Mary Todd Lincoln and knew he had hurt her by doing so.His best friend Joshua Speed was leaving Illinois to go back to Kentucky, his most intimate friend. And his political career was on a downward slide. So his friends were worried that he would suicide, [news:/p/01:42.4] all they took all knives and razors from his room. And Joshua Speed came to his site and said Lincoln you must rally or you will die. And he said I would [news:/p/01:50.3] just too soon die but I haven't yet done anything to make the world remember that I have lived."

Of course, he did rally. He held the Union together and is considered by many Americans to be the country's most important president, one they can relate to on a personal level.

Jackie Posey: It meant so much for me to be here today [news:/p/02:07.2] my ancestors are what they came from. And for me, they actually built a walk in that go to soon bad then or go to soon to found, all're started with him.

And at the time when this country seems polarized on so many different issues, Americans seem drown again to Lincoln and his ideas.

Doris Kearns Goodwin: There is a wistfulness for a leader like Lincoln who was able to understand emotions and feelings and opinions on all sides of the political spectrum⁹. I mean that was his great strength, which may be why Lincoln's second inaugural¹⁰ address seems so timely.

"With malice¹¹ toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as god has given us to see the right. Let us strive on to finish the work we are in. To do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting¹² peace among ourselves and with all nations."

And by the way, Goodwin's book about Lincoln has been turned into a major motion picture by director Steven Spielberg with Liam Neeson in the leading role.

1 holly   

n.[植]冬青属灌木

参考例句：

• I recently acquired some wood from a holly tree.最近我从一棵冬青树上弄了些木料。
• People often decorate their houses with holly at Christmas.人们总是在圣诞节时用冬青来装饰房屋。

2 excerpts   

n.摘录，摘要( excerpt的名词复数 )；节选（音乐，电影）片段

参考例句：

• Some excerpts from a Renaissance mass are spatchcocked into Gluck's pallid Don Juan music. 一些文艺复光时期的弥撒的选节被不适当地加入到了格鲁克平淡无味的唐璜音乐中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is editing together excerpts of some of his films. 他正在将自己制作的一些电影的片断进行剪辑合成。 来自辞典例句

3 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

4 emancipate   

v.解放，解除

参考例句：

• This new machine will emancipate us from the hard work.这部新机器将把我们从繁重劳动中解放出来。
• To emancipate all mankind,we will balk at no sacrifice,even that of our lives.为了全人类的解放,即使牺牲生命也在所不惜。

5 enumerated   

v.列举，枚举，数( enumerate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A spokesperson enumerated the strikers' demands. 发言人列数罢工者的要求。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enumerated the capitals of the 50 states. 他列举了50个州的首府。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 analyze   

vt.分析，解析 (=analyse)

参考例句：

• We should analyze the cause and effect of this event.我们应该分析这场事变的因果。
• The teacher tried to analyze the cause of our failure.老师设法分析我们失败的原因。

7 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

8 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

9 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

10 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。

11 malice   

n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋

参考例句：

• I detected a suggestion of malice in his remarks.我觉察出他说的话略带恶意。
• There was a strong current of malice in many of his portraits.他的许多肖像画中都透着一股强烈的怨恨。

12 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。