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VOA慢速英语2013 Jefferson Arranges Louisiana Purchase - Pgm No.33

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Jefferson Arranges Louisiana Purchase - Pgm No.33

From VOA Learning English, welcome to The Making of a Nation, our weekly program of American history for people learning English.  I’m Steve Ember.

We’ve been discussing the presidency1 of Thomas Jefferson. He was America’s third president, elected in 1800.

In our last program, we talked about a dispute between Jefferson and the chief justice of the United States. Jefferson believed the Constitution gave Congress the right to decide the country’s laws. But Chief Justice John Marshall believed the Supreme2 Court had the final say.

The two men’s beliefs were tested in a case called Marbury versus3 Madison. John Marshall's arguments won. He wrote a decision saying the Supreme Court had the power to rule on the laws that Congress passed.

The Supreme Court did not act on that power during Jefferson’s administration. But John Marshall’s decision did help establish the role of the Supreme Court in the American government.

The Marbury versus Madison case is one of the important legacies4 of Jefferson’s presidency. But historian Joseph Ellis says it was not the only one.   

“The major achievement of Jefferson’s presidency is the Louisiana Purchase, which is a lot of luck as well as his willingness to take advantage of the luck.”

The story of the Louisiana Purchase begins with France and Spain. The two European countries wanted to limit the power of the United States. So, in 1800, Spain and France entered into a secret treaty. In the treaty, Spain gave France control of a large area in North America called the Louisiana Territory.

The Louisiana Territory stretched north-to-south from the Gulf5 of Mexico to Canada. And, it stretched east-to-west from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. The area was important not only for its large size. It also included some valuable navigation features, including where the Mississippi River opened into the Gulf of Mexico.

Napoleon Bonaparte ruled France at that time.  Jefferson did not want Napoleon in North America.  He felt the French presence was a threat to the peace of the United States.  He decided6 to try to buy parts of the Louisiana Territory, especially around the mouth of the Mississippi River near the city of New Orleans.

Jefferson sent James Monroe to Paris as a special negotiator.

But Monroe never had a chance to offer the American position. Napoleon had decided to sell everything to the Americans.  He told his finance minister to give up Louisiana -- all of it. Napoleon needed money for a war with Britain.

James Monroe was happy to negotiate the purchase of Louisiana. They agreed on a price of eighty million francs for all the land drained by the great Mississippi River and all its many streams.

The Louisiana Purchase nearly doubled the size of the United States at that time. It included the present-day states of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska. It stretched into parts of Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Louisiana.

The Louisiana Purchase also opened the Mississippi River to American commerce and travel. Historian Andrew O’Shaughnessy says that as a result of this access, the Louisiana Purchase fueled the country’s economic expansion in the nineteenth century. And, Mr. O’Shaughnessy says the Louisiana Purchase created more opportunities for Americans to own land.

“It was very important to Jefferson because he really wanted every free member of society to be able to own land. He regarded land ownership as in many ways essential to someone’s independence and their ability therefore to participate in a republican government.”

But both Mr. O’Shaughnessy and historian Joseph Ellis say the Louisiana Purchase went against Jefferson’s beliefs about central government. Joseph Ellis says that in many ways, Jefferson’s presidency aimed to make the federal government almost invisible and to limit the president’s power.

“And the Louisiana Purchase is the most authoritative7 executive action in American presidential history. One president decides to buy the Midwest. And he does it unilaterally.”

Historians say the Louisiana Purchase is one example of Jefferson’s contradictory8 character, in which he says one thing but does another.

Andrew O’Shaughnessy adds that Jefferson made trade-offs. When he bought Louisiana, Jefferson used presidential power in a way that was not specifically permitted by the Constitution. But, Mr. O’Shaughnessy says Jefferson was also looking to the higher good—in the case of the Louisiana Purchase, the good of improving the county’s political health.

Federalists in the early 1800s also questioned Jefferson’s decision to buy Louisiana. They feared it would weaken the power of the states of the Northeast.  Federalist leaders made a plan to form a new government of those states.  But to succeed, they needed the state of New York. Their plan for a new government led to another memorable9 episode in American history.

Aaron Burr was vice10 president during Thomas Jefferson’s first term. Burr became a candidate for New York governor.  The Federalists believed Burr would win the election, become governor, and support their plan.  But Federalist leader Alexander Hamilton did not trust Burr.  The two had been enemies for a long time.

Hamilton made some strong statements against Burr during the election campaign in New York.  The comments later appeared in several newspapers.  Burr lost the New York election.  The Federalist plan for a new government of Northeastern states died.

New York historian Valerie Paley says Burr heard about Hamilton’s strong comments. He was offended.

“He called him something like despicable. It hinged on a word, one word, and a word as simple as ‘despicable.’”

Burr asked Hamilton to admit or deny the comments.  Hamilton refused.  The two men exchanged more notes.  Burr was not satisfied with Hamilton's answers.  He believed Hamilton had attacked his honor.  Burr demanded a duel11.

A duel is a fight, usually with guns.  Valerie Paley says in those days, gentlemen often used duels12 to settle rivalries13 and defend their honor.

 “So, it wasn’t so much these men dueled14 to kill. They would purposely miss their shots, and then the air would be cleared.”

Hamilton opposed duels.  Yet he agreed to fight Burr on July 11, 1804.

The two men met at Weehawken, New Jersey15, just across the Hudson River from New York City.  The duel would take place by the water's edge, at the bottom of a high rock wall.

The guns were loaded.  Burr and Hamilton took their places.  One of Hamilton's friends explained the rules.  "Are you ready, gentlemen?" he asked.  Both answered "yes."  There was a moment of silence.  He gave the signal.  Burr and Hamilton raised their guns.  Two shots split the air.

Hamilton raised up on his toes, then fell to the ground.  Burr remained standing16.  He looked at Hamilton with regret, then left. Hamilton died the next day. He was not yet 50. Valerie Paley says Hamilton’s story is almost like a television or newspaper drama. 

“He was extremely attractive, and he had such a romantic story. Here he is, the immigrant boy from the West Indies, made good, comes to New York, goes to King’s College, becomes a sort of self-taught lawyer, becomes aide-de camp to Washington, all sorts of extraordinary things, marries so well, and also has this vision of what modern America might become.  And in many ways was able to implement17 at least an early bit of that vision before his death.”

Hamilton had made a big impact on the United States. He had created a national bank and influenced many government policies. Newspapers throughout the nation reported his death. Most people accepted the news calmly.  To them, it was simply the sad end to an old, private dispute. 

In the months after Hamilton’s death, the nation prepared for the next presidential election.  Once again, the Republican Party chose Thomas Jefferson as its candidate for president.  But the Republicans refused to support Aaron Burr for vice president again.  Instead, they chose George Clinton.  Clinton had served as governor of New York seven times.

The Federalist Party chose Charles Cotesworth Pinckney of South Carolina as its candidate for president.  It chose Rufus King of New York to be its vice presidential candidate.

The campaign was quiet.  In those days, candidates did not make many speeches.

Republican pamphlets told of the progress made during the past four years.  The former Federalist administration raised taxes, they said.  Jefferson ended many of the taxes.  The Federalists borrowed millions of dollars.  Jefferson borrowed none.  And Jefferson got the Louisiana Territory without going to war.

The Federalists could not dispute these facts.  They expected that Jefferson would be re-elected. But they were sure their candidate would get as many as 40 electoral votes.  The results shocked the Federalists.  Jefferson received 162 electoral votes.  Pinckney received just 14.

One man tried to explain the meaning of Jefferson's great victory. He was John Quincy Adams, son of former president John Adams. President Adams had been a firm Federalist. This is what his son said:

The power of Jefferson's administration rests on a strong majority of the American people. The president has great popular support. His re-election shows that the experiment of the Federalists has failed. It never can and never will be brought to life again. To try to bring it back would be foolish. It would be like trying to put life into a body that has been buried for years.

After the election of 1804, only seven Federalists remained in the United States Senate. Only 25 remained in the House of Representatives.

Thomas Jefferson would be president for another four years.

Jefferson’s second term will be our story next week.


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1 presidency J1HzD     
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。
2 supreme PHqzc     
adj.极度的,最重要的;至高的,最高的
参考例句:
  • It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
  • He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
3 versus wi7wU     
prep.以…为对手,对;与…相比之下
参考例句:
  • The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
  • The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。
4 legacies 68e66995cc32392cf8c573d17a3233aa     
n.遗产( legacy的名词复数 );遗留之物;遗留问题;后遗症
参考例句:
  • Books are the legacies that a great genius leaves to mankind. 书是伟大的天才留给人类的精神财富。 来自辞典例句
  • General legacies are subject to the same principles as demonstrative legacies. 一般的遗赠要与指定数目的遗赠遵循同样的原则。 来自辞典例句
5 gulf 1e0xp     
n.海湾;深渊,鸿沟;分歧,隔阂
参考例句:
  • The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
  • There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。
6 decided lvqzZd     
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。
7 authoritative 6O3yU     
adj.有权威的,可相信的;命令式的;官方的
参考例句:
  • David speaks in an authoritative tone.大卫以命令的口吻说话。
  • Her smile was warm but authoritative.她的笑容很和蔼,同时又透着威严。
8 contradictory VpazV     
adj.反驳的,反对的,抗辩的;n.正反对,矛盾对立
参考例句:
  • The argument is internally contradictory.论据本身自相矛盾。
  • What he said was self-contradictory.他讲话前后不符。
9 memorable K2XyQ     
adj.值得回忆的,难忘的,特别的,显著的
参考例句:
  • This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
  • The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。
10 vice NU0zQ     
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。
11 duel 2rmxa     
n./v.决斗;(双方的)斗争
参考例句:
  • The two teams are locked in a duel for first place.两个队为争夺第一名打得难解难分。
  • Duroy was forced to challenge his disparager to duel.杜洛瓦不得不向诋毁他的人提出决斗。
12 duels d9f6d6f914b8350bf9042db786af18eb     
n.两男子的决斗( duel的名词复数 );竞争,斗争
参考例句:
  • That's where I usually fight my duels. 我经常在那儿进行决斗。” 来自英语晨读30分(初三)
  • Hyde Park also became a favourite place for duels. 海德公园也成了决斗的好地方。 来自辞典例句
13 rivalries 926be51786924da37a1354cf92d4843a     
n.敌对,竞争,对抗( rivalry的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The new government was torn by rivalries. 新政府由于各派对立而四分五裂。 来自辞典例句
  • Rivalries could bring about pain and hatred or give rise to fighting. 竞争会带来痛苦、仇恨,或者引起争斗。 来自互联网
14 dueled 39f95d30f33275c4f179a42e787175b2     
vt.使(另一人)参加决斗(duel的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • In the 19th century, men often dueled over small matters. 19世纪人们经常为了小事而决斗。 来自互联网
  • Ionce dueled with puppy LuLu, because she robbed Ktten JiJi of a fish. 我曾和小狗鲁鲁决斗,因为它抢了猫咪吉吉的小鱼。 来自互联网
15 jersey Lp5zzo     
n.运动衫
参考例句:
  • He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
  • They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致,都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。
16 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
17 implement WcdzG     
n.(pl.)工具,器具;vt.实行,实施,执行
参考例句:
  • Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划,除非你能完成这项计划。
  • The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

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