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America's Presidents - James Monroe 美國總統(tǒng) — 詹姆斯·門羅

VOA Learning English presents America’s Presidents.
美國之音慢速英語介紹美國總統(tǒng)欄目。

James Monroe easily won election in 1816. He had a relaxed^[1], likeable personality and was popular with voters. In addition, many saw him as a last connection to the country’s founding generation.
詹姆斯·門羅很輕易地就贏取了1816年的選舉。他性格隨和，受人愛戴，在選民當中很受歡迎。另外，很多人都視他為美國建國一代的最后紐帶（總統(tǒng)）。

Monroe had fought in George Washington’s army during the Revolutionary War against British rule.
獨立戰(zhàn)爭時期，門羅參加了喬治·華盛頓的軍隊來抵抗英國。

He was a diplomat during Thomas Jefferson’s presidency and helped complete the Louisiana Purchase.
他是托馬斯·杰斐遜執(zhí)政時期的外交官，并且?guī)椭莒尺d完成了路易斯安那購地。

Monroe served as James Madison’s secretary of state — and briefly as his secretary of war, as well – during the War of 1812.
門羅是詹姆斯·麥迪遜時期的國務(wù)卿（1811-1817） — 1812年戰(zhàn)爭時期也短暫做過戰(zhàn)爭部長（1814-1815）。

Voters’ positive^[2] feelings carried Monroe into office and defined his presidency.
選民對門羅的好感讓他進入了總統(tǒng)辦公室。

Era of Good Feelings 和睦年代

When Monroe became president, the United States had just declared victory against British forces in the War of 1812. The American economy also was doing well, at least at first. And the government was mostly united under a single party.
當門羅成為總統(tǒng)時，美國剛剛宣布在1812年戰(zhàn)爭中戰(zhàn)勝了英國軍隊。美國經(jīng)濟也表現(xiàn)良好，至少一開始是這樣的。并且，政府在一個政黨的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)下基本團結(jié)一致。

But Monroe did have one immediate problem: He and his wife, Elizabeth, could not move into the president’s house right away. The British had burned it badly in an attack on Washington, D.C. Workers were busy making repairs.
但門羅確實遇到了一個迫在眉睫的問題：他和他的妻子伊麗莎白不能立即搬進總統(tǒng)住宅，因為在英國對華盛頓特區(qū)的一場襲擊中被燒毀了，工人們正忙著修復(fù)。

So, Monroe decided to go on a trip. He spent the first weeks of his presidency traveling.
所以，門羅決定去旅行。他總統(tǒng)任期的前幾個星期都在旅行。

He went north into New England, visiting important places from the Revolutionary War or the War of 1812. Everywhere he went he reminded^[3] Americans of their shared, proud history. He even wore clothes in the old colonial style. One of Monroe’s nicknames is “the last of the cocked hats.”
他往北去了新英格蘭，拜訪了獨立戰(zhàn)爭和1812年戰(zhàn)爭時期的許多地方。他每到一個地方都喚起了美國民眾共同并驕傲的歷史。他甚至穿著具有舊殖民時期風格的衣服。門羅的一個昵稱是“最后一頂三角帽”。

Then President Monroe turned west, toward lands that white migrants were increasingly settling. They were able to move west in part because American soldiers had defeated a powerful alliance of Native American tribes.
然后，門羅總統(tǒng)折向了西部，去往越來越多白人移民者定居的地方。他們之所以能夠定居西部，在某種程度上是因為美軍擊敗了美洲印第安人強大的部落聯(lián)盟。

What had been a victory for the U.S. government was a crushing^[4] loss^[5] for Native Americans. Many tribes moved farther west. Others began to lose their languages and their customs as white settlers took control.
美國政府的勝利對于印第安人來說是一份沉重的損失。許多部落遷往了西部更遠的地方。一些其他的部落因為白人定居者的控制，開始失去他們的語言和習俗。

For Monroe, however, the visit west was a positive sign of the country’s expansion.
然而，對門羅來說，西部之旅是國家拓展的一個積極信號。

By the time he returned to Washington, Monroe had met many Americans. He had learned for himself the geography^[6] of the country. And he had demonstrated that all parts of the U.S. could be connected by patriotism and a common federal government.
當門羅回到華盛頓的時候，他已經(jīng)見過了很多美國人，并且了解了國家的地理形勢。他證明了美國的所有部分都可以通過愛國主義和共同的聯(lián)邦政府來連接。

One newspaper called Monroe’s presidency the beginning of an “Era of Good Feelings.”
那時的一份報紙稱門羅總統(tǒng)是“和睦年代”的開始。

Four years later, Monroe won a second term even more easily than his first.
四年后，門羅甚至比第一屆還容易就贏得了第二屆任期。

The Missouri Compromise 密蘇里妥協(xié)

Yet James Monroe’s presidency had several crises.
然而詹姆斯·門羅總統(tǒng)遇到了一些危機。

One was the country’s first economic depression in more than 30 years.
其中之一就是國家30多年來首次出現(xiàn)的經(jīng)濟蕭條。

Another was over slavery. The country had been divided over^[7] the issue since its founding. By the end of 1819, eleven states, all in the South, permitted slavery. Eleven states, all in the North, did not.
另一個就是關(guān)于蓄奴，從國家建立以來就一直存在著分歧。1819年末，南方的11個州是允許蓄奴的，而北方的11個州是不允許的。

The question became: Would the new states in the West permit it?
然而問題是：西部新州允許蓄奴嗎？

Monroe had to face the question when settlers asked Congress permission for Missouri Territory to become a state. Many enslaved people already lived there. White settlers expected to bring more.
當密蘇里領(lǐng)地的居民向國會申請作為新的一州加入聯(lián)邦時，門羅不得不面對這個問題。許多奴隸已經(jīng)住在那兒，白人定居者希望攜帶更多過去。

But a member of Congress from a Northern state proposed that Missouri could become a state only if it banned slavery. That proposal started a debate that lasted more than a year.
但是北方一個州的國會議員提出密蘇里只有禁止蓄奴才能夠加入聯(lián)邦，提案開始了長達一年多的辯論。

For the most part, the debate was not based on the moral problems with people owning other people. Instead, it involved economic and political concerns.
在很大程度上，辯論不是基于蓄奴的道德問題，而是關(guān)于經(jīng)濟和政治問題。

Northerners argued that slave-holding states had an unfair economic advantage^[8]. In addition, if Missouri entered the Union as a slave state, its lawmakers would move the balance of power toward the South.
北方認為蓄奴州會有不公平的經(jīng)濟優(yōu)勢。另外，如果密蘇里作為蓄奴州進入聯(lián)邦，立法者會把權(quán)利的天平傾向南方。

The debate continued so long that another area asked to enter the Union. People in northern Massachusetts wanted to organize into an independent state called Maine.
辯論持續(xù)了很久，當時另一個地區(qū)也要求加入聯(lián)邦。馬薩諸塞州的北部居民想組織成立一個獨立的州叫緬因州。

After some time, lawmakers offered a compromise. They said Maine could be admitted as a free state and Missouri as a slave state. But they also made a line across a map of the country. They said Congress would not admit another slave state north of that line.
經(jīng)過一段時間，立法者提供了一份妥協(xié)方案，緬因州作為自由州而密蘇里作為蓄奴州加入聯(lián)邦。并且劃了一條線（北緯36.5°，密蘇里州南界緯度），在界線以北地區(qū)禁止蓄奴。

動畫表示1789–1861年間自由州與蓄奴州的消長。藍色為自由州，紅色為蓄奴州。

James Monroe signed into law^[9] what became known as the Missouri Compromise. It settled the issue of slavery, at least officially, in the U.S. for more than 20 years. But everyone knew that the peace between pro-slavery and anti-slavery groups was only temporary.
詹姆斯·門羅簽署了這項《密蘇里妥協(xié)》法律，至少官方上它解決了美國20多年的蓄奴問題。但其實所有人都知道，支持和反對蓄奴集團之間的和平只是暫時的。

The Monroe Doctrine 門羅主義

In 1823, Monroe made one of the most important foreign policy decisions in American history. It became known as the Monroe Doctrine. It related to Spain’s colonies in Latin America.
1823年，門羅發(fā)表了美國歷史上最重要的一個外交政策，叫做門羅主義。它是關(guān)于西班牙在拉丁美洲的殖民統(tǒng)治。

Monroe had dealt with Spain before. In his first term, he and his secretary of state, John Quincy Adams, successfully negotiated with Spain to buy Florida for the United States.
門羅之前已經(jīng)與西班牙交涉過。在他的第一屆任期內(nèi)，他和國務(wù)卿約翰·昆西·亞當斯成功地與西班牙達成協(xié)議購買了佛羅尼達州。

By Monroe’s second term, Spain had also lost control of some of its former colonies in Latin America. The president became concerned that Spain’s European allies would try to help the country re-gain power. He did not want European powers interfering in areas so close to U.S. territory and so important to U.S. trade.
門羅的第二屆任期內(nèi)，西班牙已經(jīng)失去了部分拉丁美洲的殖民統(tǒng)治，但他擔心西班牙的歐洲聯(lián)盟會試圖幫助西班牙重新獲取統(tǒng)治權(quán)。他不希望歐洲勢力干預(yù)鄰近美國領(lǐng)土的地區(qū)，并且這對美國貿(mào)易是很重要的。

So Monroe gave a speech to Congress. He said the U.S. would stay out of Europe’s affairs^[10]. But he said Europe should also stay out of Latin America’s affairs.
所以門羅在國會發(fā)表了演講。他說，美國不會干預(yù)歐洲事務(wù)，但歐洲也不應(yīng)該干預(yù)拉丁美洲事務(wù)。

And, Monroe declared that European powers would not be permitted to begin colonizing any area in the Western Hemisphere.
并且，門羅宣稱不允許歐洲勢力殖民西半球的任何地方。

In other words, Monroe declared that the U.S. considered the entire Western Hemisphere its sphere of influence^[11].
換句話說，門羅宣稱美國會將整個西半球都視為其勢力范圍。

Historians note that Monroe did not aim for the declaration to be a major statement. But it became a base of American foreign policy and supported U.S. expansion throughout the 19th century.
歷史學家注意到，門羅的目的并不是把宣言作為一項重要的聲明，但這卻成為了美國外交政策的基礎(chǔ)，并且?guī)椭绹谡麄€19世紀的擴張。

Final years 最后歲月

James Monroe was the fourth and last president in the “Virginia Dynasty^[12].” Except for John Adams, four of the first five American presidents were from Virginia.
詹姆斯·門羅是第四位也是最后一位“弗吉尼亞時代”的總統(tǒng)。除了詹姆斯·亞當斯，前五位美國總統(tǒng)當中有四位來自弗吉尼亞。

Elizabeth Monroe, courtesy White House Collection/White House Historical Association 伊麗莎白·門羅，感謝白宮收藏/白宮歷史協(xié)會提供

Monroe and his wife returned to their home there after he left office. They had a close relationship with each other, as well as with their two surviving children, both daughters.
門羅卸任總統(tǒng)后和妻子返回了他們的莊園。他和妻子，以及兩個幸存的女兒之間的感情很好。

Unlike many politicians of his time, Monroe had brought his family with him on his travels. He also believed strongly in education for girls. When the Monroes lived in France, young Eliza Monroe attended the best school for girls in Paris.
與他同時期的許多政治家不同，門羅在旅行中攜帶著他的家人。他非常認同對女兒的教育。當門羅一家居住在法國時，年輕的伊莉莎·門羅（大女兒）參加了當時最好的巴黎女子學院。

This loving family spent as much time together as possible. So, when Elizabeth Monroe died, James Monroe was filled with sorrow. His health also began to fail.
這一友愛的家庭盡可能地花時間在一起。所以，當伊麗莎白·門羅去世時，詹姆斯·門羅傷心欲絕（給門羅以極大打擊），他的健康也開始（隨之）告急。

He moved to the house of his younger daughter, Maria, in New York City. James Monroe died there one year later, at age 73.
他搬到了小女兒瑪利亞在紐約的家中。一年后，詹姆斯·門羅在女兒家離開了人世，終年73歲。

Like two other former presidents, Monroe died on the 4th of July – America’s birthday.
與前兩位總統(tǒng)一樣，門羅也死于7月4日 — 美國國慶日。

原文鏈接

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/americas-presidents-james-monroe/3767612.html

1. relaxed - adj. informal and comfortable - 輕松的，不拘束的，不嚴格的 ?

2. positive - adj. hopeful and optimistic - 積極的 ?

3. remind - v. make someone think about something again - 使想起，提醒 ?

4. crushing - adj. 壓倒的；決定性的；不能站起來；支離破碎的；v. 壓破，征服，沖入 ?

5. crushing loss - 沉重的損失 ?

6. geography - n. the natural features of a place - 地理，地形 ?

7. divide over - 分歧 ?

8. advantage - n. a condition that helps to make something better or more likely to succeed than others - 優(yōu)勢 ?

9. signed into law - 簽署成為法律 / sign the bill into law - 將法案簽署為法律 ?

10. affair - n. a matter that concerns or involves someone - 事務(wù) ?

11. sphere of influence - n. an area of control or activity - 勢力范圍，影響范圍 ?

12. dynasty - n. a family, team, etc., that is very powerful or successful for a long period of time - 朝代，王朝 ?