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VOA新闻杂志2023--James Buchanan: Passive

时间:2023-06-05 07:14来源:互联网 提供网友:nan   字体: [ ]
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James Buchanan: Passive

VOA Learning English presents America's Presidents.

Today we are talking about James Buchanan, the 15th president of the United States.

He was the third in a series of unsuccessful presidents. Millard Fillmore and Franklin Pierce had failed to resolve the country's increasing division over slavery.

Democratic Party officials hoped Buchanan could do better.

After all, he was a gifted lawyer and had been a member of the U.S. Congress, a secretary of state, and a diplomat1.

But Buchanan was not so sure he could resolve the country's problems. He was right. He was the last president before the American Civil War.

Early life

James Buchanan was born in the northern state of Pennsylvania.

His father was a businessman, and his family was financially successful.

Buchanan – the oldest son in a family with 11 children – received a good education. He attended Dickinson College in Pennsylvania and soon began working as a lawyer.

His abilities earned him a good deal of money and a place in the state's legislature. But they were not able to win him a wife.

As a young man, Buchanan fell in love with and proposed marriage to a young woman from a wealthy family. She accepted. But her father opposed the union.

One day, his fiancée wrote Buchanan a letter saying she had reconsidered and decided2 not to marry him after all. Three days later, she unexpectedly died.

Buchanan was heartbroken. He promised never to marry anyone else. And he did not.

To date, James Buchanan is the only U.S. president who never married. When he entered the White House, his niece served as his first lady.

Election of 1856

Even with problems in his personal life, Buchanan went on to have a strong career as a national politician. He hoped his party would nominate him as its candidate for president.

But in the 1840s and early 1850s, the Democrats3 nominated other candidates. Finally, in 1856, the party chose Buchanan. But by then, he was no longer sure he wanted to be president. He believed the country would soon be at war.

Violence had already broken out in the western territory of Kansas. White settlers there had clashed over whether Kansas would enter the Union as a slave or free state.

In one dramatic event, an anti-slavery activist4 named John Brown had murdered several pro-slavery settlers.

President Buchanan had clear ideas about slavery. He said in his inaugural5 speech that voters in the territories – a group made up of white men – should be able to decide the issue for themselves.

In the same speech, Buchanan urged Americans to support an important Supreme6 Court ruling that became known as the Dred Scott decision.

Two days later, the court's justices announced the majority opinion in that case. The opinion said the federal government did not have the power to control slavery in the territories.

In addition, the court declared that enslaved people were not U.S. citizens. They were property, it said. Enslaved people did not have any more rights than a horse or a chair.

Buchanan hoped the decision would stop the country's debate over slavery. Instead, it made the debate more intense.

Presidency7

During his presidency, Buchanan took two other actions that increased tensions and damaged his public image.

First, he tried to persuade Congress to accept a state constitution for Kansas. The constitution permitted slavery, although a majority of Kansas voters had not agreed to it.

The U.S. House of Representatives decided not to follow President Buchanan's wishes. They permitted Kansans to vote again on the constitution.

This time, Kansas voters rejected it. A majority agreed instead to seek admission into the Union as a free state.

Buchanan's image also suffered because of an event known as the raid on Harper's Ferry.

The raid was led by John Brown, the anti-slavery activist who had murdered pro-slavery settlers in Kansas. This time, Brown hoped to create an armed rebellion of anti-slavery activists8 and freed slaves.

To get weapons, Brown and his men attacked a federal arsenal9 about 110 kilometers northwest of Washington, D.C. The armory10 was in the town of Harper's Ferry, in today's state of West Virginia.

President Buchanan answered the raid by permitting federal troops to use force. The U.S. Marines surrounded Brown and his forces. They killed some and captured others, including Brown.

A few weeks later, Brown was brought to trial, found guilty, and hanged.

The event further divided Americans. Anti-slavery Northerners believed Brown was a hero. Pro-slavery Southerners believed he was a traitor11.

In general, Buchanan agreed with the Southerners. He said in a speech that Northerners should not tell Southerners what they could do in their states.

But his words did not satisfy either side. For one thing, a main issue was whether slavery should be permitted in any new states. Buchanan did not comment on that point.

Election of 1860

At the end of his single term, Buchanan kept an earlier promise not to seek re-election. His party did not urge him to. Instead, Northern Democrats and Southern Democrats split. They nominated two different candidates.

The Democrats' lack of unity12 provided an opening for a candidate from a new party. The Republican Party was comprised of northerners who were against slavery. Their candidate was a lawyer without much experience in government. His name was Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln won the presidential election of 1860.

In answer, the Southern state of South Carolina withdrew from the Union.

Buchanan – who was in the last weeks of his presidency – did not support the move. But he did not act to stop South Carolina, either. He said the Constitution did not give him the power to force a state to stay in the Union.

Following Buchanan's inaction, six other slave-holding Southern states also seceded14.

Legacy15

Today many historians agree James Buchanan was one of the worst American presidents.

Buchanan had many good personal qualities, and he did not want to harm the country. Instead, a common belief is that he did not have the right skills to unite a divided nation.

His behavior appeared to be guided by conflicting ideas. Buchanan said he opposed slavery and supported the Union. But he often took actions to protect slavery and help the South.

Buchanan largely blamed anti-slavery activists and opposition16 politicians for the problems during his administration.

But the public did not accept Buchanan's position. He was not respected after he left office, and he did not appear in public very often.

Instead, the former president withdrew to his home in Pennsylvania until his death in 1868.

Words in This Story

dramatic - adj. greatly affecting people's emotions

inaugural - adj. happening as part of an official ceremony or celebration when someone (such as a newly elected official) begins an important job

secede13 - v. to separate from a nation or state and become independent


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 diplomat Pu0xk     
n.外交官,外交家;能交际的人,圆滑的人
参考例句:
  • The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话,紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
  • He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。
2 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。
3 democrats 655beefefdcaf76097d489a3ff245f76     
n.民主主义者,民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
  • The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 activist gyAzO     
n.活动分子,积极分子
参考例句:
  • He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
  • He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。
5 inaugural 7cRzQ     
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。
6 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。
7 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。
8 activists 90fd83cc3f53a40df93866d9c91bcca4     
n.(政治活动的)积极分子,活动家( activist的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
  • Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 arsenal qNPyF     
n.兵工厂,军械库
参考例句:
  • Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
  • We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。
10 armory RN0y2     
n.纹章,兵工厂,军械库
参考例句:
  • Nuclear weapons will play a less prominent part in NATO's armory in the future.核武器将来在北约的军械中会起较次要的作用。
  • Every March the Armory Show sets up shop in New York.每年三月,军械博览会都会在纽约设置展场。
11 traitor GqByW     
n.叛徒,卖国贼
参考例句:
  • The traitor was finally found out and put in prison.那个卖国贼终于被人发现并被监禁了起来。
  • He was sold out by a traitor and arrested.他被叛徒出卖而被捕了。
12 unity 4kQwT     
n.团结,联合,统一;和睦,协调
参考例句:
  • When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结,并非一团和气。
  • We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前,我们必须加强团结。
13 secede iEwyt     
v.退出,脱离
参考例句:
  • They plotted to make the whole Mississippi Valley secede from the United States.他们阴谋策划使整个密西西比流域脱离美国。
  • We won't allow Tibet to secede from China and become an independent nation.我们决不允许西藏脱离中国独立。
14 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
15 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。
16 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。
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