評(píng)論
打印
I can't guarantee that the American Civil War
我不能保證
would not have happened if women had been
如果婦女被允許有平等選舉權(quán)和有政治職位
allowed to vote and hold political office.
美國(guó)內(nèi)戰(zhàn)就不會(huì)發(fā)生
On the other hand women voters and female
另一方面，我也不敢保證婦女選民和
elected officials couldn't possibly have messed
女性競(jìng)選政府職位不可能不
things up any worse than the men wound up doing.
像男性那樣將事情變得一團(tuán)亂
Segment 5d: Of Human Bondage.
第五部分，人性枷鎖
Dancing around the problem.
問(wèn)題周邊起舞
From the very beginning of America's history
從美國(guó)歷史之初
the founders despaired of reconciling the slave
國(guó)父就對(duì)調(diào)解奴隸州和
and free states. Various half measures were taken;
自由州沖突失望，他們采取了許多折中辦法
the rule that a slave counted for three fifths of
如規(guī)定在納稅和選舉問(wèn)題上
a free person for tax and election purposes, letting
奴隸算作3/5個(gè)自由民
the international slave trade continue until 1808,
他們準(zhǔn)許國(guó)際奴隸貿(mào)易持續(xù)到1808年
and the banning of slavery in the Northwest Territory.
禁止西北地區(qū)奴隸制
Northerners and southerners alike hoped that
北方人和南方人都同樣希望
slavery would just die out. But the rise of
奴隸制消亡
king cotton and its domination of the
但棉花王國(guó)的興起和其
southern economy just made slavery stronger.
作為南方經(jīng)濟(jì)的支柱使得奴隸制愈發(fā)牢固
Thanks to the Missouri Compromise of 1820
由于1820年的密蘇里協(xié)定
adding slave and free states to the Union on a one
將自由州和奴隸制加入美國(guó)
for one basis was the law of the land.
一對(duì)一基礎(chǔ)成為土地法
Meanwhile around the world slavery was
同時(shí)，全球的奴隸制都在
being phased out. The United States was being
漸漸淘汰，美國(guó)被
criticized for not joining this important trend.
批評(píng)沒(méi)有融入到這重要的浪潮中
Even Russia was on the verge of freeing its serfs.
甚至俄國(guó)都要解放其農(nóng)奴
Try as it might to solve the problem America
試圖解決這個(gè)問(wèn)題
was merely holding off the inevitable.
美國(guó)只是在拖延這個(gè)不可避免的事實(shí)
The ultimate solution to the slavery crisis
奴隸制危機(jī)的最終解決辦法
nearly destroyed us.
差點(diǎn)毀了我們
As early as 1830 groups of middle class northerners
1830左右，成群的北方中產(chǎn)階級(jí)
began demanding what they called abolition;
開始要求廢除奴隸制
freedom and full civil rights for enslaved blacks.
奴役黑人享有自由和完全公民權(quán)
Yet half measures like the Missouri Compromise
然而像密蘇里協(xié)定等折中政策
held the Union largely intact until the Mexican War
令聯(lián)邦大體保持完整直至墨西哥戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)
added massive new territories to the US.
將大塊新領(lǐng)土加入美國(guó)
Because territorial questions were handled by
因?yàn)轭I(lǐng)土問(wèn)題是由國(guó)會(huì)掌控
Congress the extension of slavery became
奴隸制擴(kuò)張成為
the hot-button political issue. Southerners suspected
非常敏感的政治問(wèn)題，南方人懷疑
a northern plot against the southern economy.
北方人設(shè)計(jì)阻撓南方經(jīng)濟(jì)
Northerners were suspicious of
北方人懷疑
President James K. Polk. Polk wouldn't fight
詹姆斯·K。波爾克總統(tǒng)
Great Britain for Oregon, a free territory,
不會(huì)和大不列顛開打爭(zhēng)取自由州俄勒岡
but he started a war with Mexico over Texas
但他發(fā)動(dòng)與墨西哥的戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)
which was slated to become a slave territory.
搶指定是奴隸州的德克薩斯
Northerners supported the Wilmot Proviso
北方人支持韋慕特但書
which would've kept slavery out of all former
他令所有先前的墨西哥領(lǐng)土都不采用奴隸制
Mexican territory. Polk, the southerner,
波爾克是南方人
wanted to extend the Missouri Compromise line
他想將密蘇里協(xié)定界線
all the way from Missouri to southern California.
從密蘇里一直延伸到加利福尼亞的南方
On top of that came the 1848 California gold rush
緊接著 1848年，加州迎來(lái)了淘金熱
which drew in tens of thousands of settlers and
那吸引來(lái)無(wú)數(shù)定居者
made California statehood an issue far earlier
令加州地位問(wèn)題比預(yù)想得早的成為熱點(diǎn)問(wèn)題
than expected. There was no slave state ready to be
沒(méi)有奴隸州準(zhǔn)備
added to the Union along with California.
與加州一同并入美國(guó)
And this lead to all sorts of strange proposals
這引來(lái)各種奇怪的提議
we don't have time for here.
對(duì)此我們沒(méi)有足夠時(shí)間來(lái)講
More half measures. The compromise of 1850
更多的折中辦法 1850年協(xié)定
was a doomed attempt to fix the situation.
是確定這種形式的災(zāi)難嘗試
Under this agreement Texas was designated a slave
根據(jù)這個(gè)協(xié)定，德克薩斯被指定個(gè)奴隸州
state but California could enter as a free state.
而加利福尼亞州可以以自由州的身份加入
