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VOA标准英语2013 建国史话: 1812年战争结束

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The War of 1812 Ends - The Making of a Nation #39  建国史话: 1812年战争结束

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 have been talking about the War of 1812 between the United States and Britain. In the summer of 1814, the two countries opened peace talks at Ghent, in Belgium. But Britain was in no hurry to agree on a peace treaty. This week, we tell the story of how the war ended.

British forces were planning several campaigns in the United States in the autumn and winter of 1814. Successful military campaigns could force the United States to accept the kind of treaty Britain wanted.

British representatives to the talks demanded that the United States give control of its Northwest Territory to the Indians. They also asked that the United States give part of the state of Maine to Canada, and make other changes in the border.

The Americans made equally tough demands. The United States wanted payment for damages suffered during the war. It also wanted the British to stop seizing American sailors for the British navy. And the United States wanted all of Canada.

The British representatives said they could not even discuss the question of stopping impressment of Americans into the British navy.

And the Americans would surrender none of their territory.

Most of America’s representatives had little hope the talks would succeed. But then Britain received word that its military campaigns had failed at Baltimore and Plattsburgh. After that, the British representatives became easier to negotiate with. They dropped their demands for American territory. The Americans then dropped their demands for Canadian territory.

The issues that had led to the war no longer existed. Britain's war with France had caused the British and French to interfere1 with neutral American trade. And Britain had needed men for its navy. Now, the war with France was over. No longer was there any reason to interfere with the trade of any nation. And no longer was there any need to seize Americans for service in the British navy.

On December 24, the day before Christmas, in 1814, the United States and Britain signed a simple treaty. Each side agreed to stop fighting. They also agreed to settle all their differences at future negotiations2.

The war had ended. But one more battle was to be fought before news of the peace treaty reached the United States.

During the autumn of 1814, British soldiers at Jamaica began preparing for an attack against New Orleans, a city at the mouth of the Mississippi River. Late in November, this force of about 7,500 men sailed from Jamaica to New Orleans.

The British soldiers were commanded by General Edward Pakenham. The general did not take his men directly to the mouth of the Mississippi River. Instead, they sailed across a lake east of the city.

Early during the afternoon of December 23, General Andrew Jackson, the commander of American forces at New Orleans, learned that the British force was near.

General Jackson was a good soldier and a great leader. He fought in the Revolutionary War, then studied law. He moved west to Nashville, Tennessee. The general also served in both houses of the United States Congress.

When war broke out in 1812, he was elected general of a group of volunteer soldiers from Tennessee. Jackson was a rough man. His soldiers feared and respected him. They called him "Old Hickory,” because he seemed as tough as hickory wood.

Jackson was given responsibility for defending the coast along the Gulf3 of Mexico.

Earlier in the year, he had attacked Pensacola, in Florida, and forced out several hundred British marines. Jackson believed the British would attack Mobile before attacking New Orleans. He left part of his forces at Mobile and took the others to the mouth of the Mississippi.

Jackson was a sick man when he got to New Orleans. And what he found made him feel no better. Little had been done to prepare for the expected British attack. Jackson declared martial4 law and began building the city's defenses.

Most of the work on the defenses had been completed when Jackson got word that the British were only a few kilometers from New Orleans. "Gentlemen," Jackson told his officers, "the British are below. We must fight them tonight."

The British soldiers rested. They believed it would be easy to capture the city the next day. But Jackson rushed up guns and men, and attacked the British by surprise just after dark. Then, the Americans retreated to a place about eight kilometers south of the city.

Jackson had chosen this place carefully. On the right was the Mississippi River. On the left was the mud and water of a swamp that could not easily be crossed. In front of the American soldiers was an open field.

For two weeks, the British soldiers waited. They tested the American defenses at several places, but found no weaknesses. Every day, Jackson had his men improve their positions. At night, small groups of Jackson's soldiers would slip across the field and silently attack British soldiers guarding the other side.

Finally, on January 8, the British attacked. They expected the Americans to flee in the face of their strong attack. But the Americans stood firm.

Jackson's artillery5 fired into the enemy. When the British got as close as 150 meters, the Americans began to fire their rifles. The rain of bullets and shells was deadly. General Pakenham was wounded twice and then killed by a shell that exploded near him. Only one British soldier reached the top of the American defenses.

The British finally retreated. They left behind more than 2,000 dead and wounded. Five hundred other British soldiers had been captured. Thirteen Americans were killed. It was a great victory for the United States, but one that was not necessary. The war had ended, by treaty, two weeks earlier.

Historian Alan Taylor says the peace treaty saved the United States from a “very grim situation.”

“The American government was bankrupt. It had lost its credit, it could not raise enough in taxes for the war effort, and most creditors6 were refusing to lend any more money to the United States. And so it was very unclear how the Americans would conduct another campaign in 1815, because it looked like it wouldn’t have the money for it.”

The Senate acted quickly to approve the treaty. On February 17, 1815, President Madison declared the war officially ended. It had lasted two years and eight months, and united the American people.

On the Fourth of July in 1815, the nation celebrated7 its thirty-ninth anniversary of independence.  In Washington, the man who wrote the "Star-Spangled Banner,” Francis Scott Key, spoke8 at the celebrations.

Historian Alan Taylor says many people call the War of 1812 America’s second war for independence. But he calls it America’s first civil war. He says the country had been divided throughout the war. But things changed after Andrew Jackson’s victory at New Orleans.

“And so, Americans concluded the war had really been a glorious occasion that had defended national honor and proved the merit of their republican institutions. And they were so relieved by all of this, they decided10 to celebrate the war in their memories.”

Albert Gallatin, Madison's treasury11 secretary and one of the negotiators at Ghent, said people felt "more American" after the war. “They feel and act more like a nation."

Alan Taylor says the War of 1812 was very difficult for the United States, yet Americans remember it as a “feel-good war.”

At the same time, he says the War of 1812 also united Canadians.

“Despite all their divisions during the war, they felt so relieved they had fended9 off an American invasion that they remembered the war as a glorious victory over the more powerful United States.”

As a result of the war, Alan Taylor says both Americans and Canadians felt a greater sense of nationalism. And, because of that, the two nations could relate more peacefully. Each believed it could survive without having to defeat the other.

“And today the U.S. and Canada are each other’s primary trade and security partners in the world.”

But not everyone benefited from the end of the war. The opposition12 Federalist Party found itself greatly embarrassed by the peace. Its leaders had long denounced the war and said Britain could not be defeated. Many of the Federalists had traded with the enemy. Some had worked with the British against their own country. They had even threatened to break up the Union.

Once the war was over, the Federalist Party lost its supporters. And then the party itself soon disappeared, even in the New England states, its base of support.

The end of the Federalist Party changed politics in the United States. The changes started as early as the next presidential election, in 1816. James Madison continued the tradition, begun by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, of serving only eight years as president. The man who followed him will be our story next week.

I’m Steve Ember, inviting13 you to join us next time for The Making of a Nation – American history from VOA Learning English. 


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1 interfere b5lx0     
v.(in)干涉,干预;(with)妨碍,打扰
参考例句:
  • If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话,可能弊多利少。
  • When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件,棘手的事情就来了。
2 negotiations af4b5f3e98e178dd3c4bac64b625ecd0     
协商( negotiation的名词复数 ); 谈判; 完成(难事); 通过
参考例句:
  • negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
  • Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。
3 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。
4 martial bBbx7     
adj.战争的,军事的,尚武的,威武的
参考例句:
  • The sound of martial music is always inspiring.军乐声总是鼓舞人心的。
  • The officer was convicted of desertion at a court martial.这名军官在军事法庭上被判犯了擅离职守罪。
5 artillery 5vmzA     
n.(军)火炮,大炮;炮兵(部队)
参考例句:
  • This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
  • The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。
6 creditors 6cb54c34971e9a505f7a0572f600684b     
n.债权人,债主( creditor的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 celebrated iwLzpz     
adj.有名的,声誉卓著的
参考例句:
  • He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
  • The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。
8 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
9 fended 91b0599f2c74c95c02b51efaca41f196     
v.独立生活,照料自己( fend的过去式和过去分词 );挡开,避开
参考例句:
  • He neatly fended off a jab at his chest. 他利落地挡开了当胸的一击。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I fended off his sword thrust with my spear. 他一刀砍来,我拿枪架住。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
10 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。
11 treasury 7GeyP     
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。
12 opposition eIUxU     
n.反对,敌对
参考例句:
  • The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
  • The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。
13 inviting CqIzNp     
adj.诱人的,引人注目的
参考例句:
  • An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
  • The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人,使人感到亲切温馨。

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