VOA文化艺术2023--Boston Common: America’s First Public Park

Boston Common: America’s First Public Park

Almost 400 years ago, America's early European colonists¹ voted to tax each household in Boston about $70 in today's money. The money was used to buy a local farm. The plan was to use it as a common area for the public.

That is how Boston Common, in the state of Massachusetts, became America's first public park.

Liz Vizza is president of the Friends of the Public Garden, an organization that supports Boston Common. She noted² that Bostonians did not have backyards – private outdoor spaces behind their homes. Boston Common, she said, became "their front yard and backyard and common ground. It was a place that everybody owned."

On any given day, colonists walking though Boston Common would see soldiers setting up camp or their neighbors taking walks. They may also have seen public punishments. Presidents George Washington and John Adams also visited the park.

Visitors would have seen cows, because everyone had the right to keep one cow per household in the area.

Today, visitors will find dogs instead of cows in the 20-hectare park. The cows became outlawed³ in 1830 as Boston Common became more of a place for recreation.

Friends of the Public Garden estimates that Boston Common sees 7 million visitors each year.

"Boston Common is a central stage of civic⁴ life in Boston and it's been that center stage of civic life for hundreds of years, ever since it began as a park in 1634," Vizza said. "America's oldest park is a place where we come to celebrate, we come to protest, we come to find a place alone," she added.

Boston Common is home to several large pieces of art. They include "The Embrace," a sculpture that shows civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. holding his wife, Coretta Scott King. The Brewer⁵ Fountain was the park's first public piece of art. It won the top award at the 1855 World's Fair in Paris, France.

The pieces of art found on the Common may soon change to include a wider selection⁶ of subjects.

Vizza said, "We want people to look at it with new eyes and just have a deeper understanding and respect and awareness⁷ of the history."

That history includes the native Massachusett tribe⁸, the first people to live where the Common is now. The state of Massachusetts is named after the Massachusett people.

Vizza said, "People have lived on this land for 12,000 years. So, we do want to think about colonial⁹ America because that's a fascinating story for us. But what's an even more fascinating story is to peel those layers open to think about the Native Americans living here."

Vizza's team is working with tribal¹⁰ members to develop a piece to recognize the Massachusett tribe. They hope to have something in place by 2026, when America will celebrate its 250th birthday.

Words in This Story

park – n. a piece of public land in or near a city that is kept free of houses and other buildings and can be used for pleasure and exercise

recreation – n. something people do to relax or have fun: activities done for enjoyment¹¹

civic – adj. of or relating to a city or town or the people who live there

sculpture – n. a piece of art that is made by carving¹² or molding clay, stone, or metal

landscape – n. a picture that shows a natural scene of land or the countryside

awareness – adj. knowing that something (such as a situation, condition, or problem) exists

fascinating – adj. very interesting or appealing

1 colonists   

n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Colonists from Europe populated many parts of the Americas. 欧洲的殖民者移居到了美洲的许多地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some of the early colonists were cruel to the native population. 有些早期移居殖民地的人对当地居民很残忍。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 outlawed   

宣布…为不合法（outlaw的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Most states have outlawed the use of marijuana. 大多数州都宣布使用大麻为非法行为。
• I hope the sale of tobacco will be outlawed someday. 我希望有朝一日烟草制品会禁止销售。

4 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

5 brewer   

n. 啤酒制造者

参考例句：

• Brewer is a very interesting man. 布鲁尔是一个很有趣的人。
• I decided to quit my job to become a brewer. 我决定辞职，做一名酿酒人。

6 selection   

n.选择，挑选，精选品，可选择的东西

参考例句：

• We left the selection of the team to the captain.我们把挑选队员的工作交给了队长。
• The shop has a fine selection of cheeses.那家商店有各种精美乳酪可供选购。

7 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

8 tribe   

n.部落，种族，一伙人

参考例句：

• This is a subject tribe.这是个受他人统治的部落。
• Many of the tribe's customs and rituals are as old as the hills.这部落的许多风俗、仪式都极其古老。

9 colonial   

adj.殖民地的，关于殖民的；n.殖民地，居民

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• The people of Africa have successfully fought against colonial rule.非洲人民成功地反抗了殖民统治。

10 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

11 enjoyment   

n.乐趣；享有；享用

参考例句：

• Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。
• After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。

12 carving   

n.雕刻品，雕花

参考例句：

• All the furniture in the room had much carving.房间里所有的家具上都有许多雕刻。
• He acquired the craft of wood carving in his native town.他在老家学会了木雕手艺。