Today when people complain about the state of American politics,
如今当人们抱怨美国的政治制度时，
they often mention the dominance of the Democratic and Republican Parties,
他们总是会提及民主党和共和党轮流执政的格局，
or the sharp split between red and blue states.
或者红州与蓝州旗帜鲜明的对立局面。
But while it may seem like both of these things have been around forever,
这两种现象好像从一开始就存在一样，
the situation looked quite different in 1850, with the Republican Party not yet existing,
但在1850年，实际情况与现在大不相同，当时还没有共和党，
and support for the dominant Democrats and Whigs cutting across geographic divides.
占主导地位的是民主党和辉格党，支持者依据其所在的地理位置分为明显的两派。
The collapse of this Second Party System was at the center of increasing regional tensions
而第二党系的瓦解使当时局势日益紧张，
that would lead to the birth of the Republican Party, the rise of Abraham Lincoln as its leader,
也促成了共和党的诞生，也使阿伯拉罕林肯脱颖而出，成为领袖，
and a civil war that would claim over half a million lives.
同时使南北战争爆发，造成了超过50万人的死亡。
And if this collapse could be blamed on a single event, it would be the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854.
而如果这个体系的崩塌要归咎于一场事件的话，那便是1854年通过的堪萨斯—内布拉斯加法案。
The story starts with the Missouri Compromise of 1820.
事件的起因是1820年的密苏里妥协案。
To balance the number of slave states and free states in the Union,
为了使合众国里的畜奴州和自由州的数量达到平衡，
it allowed slavery in the newly admitted state of Missouri,
该妥协案于新成立的密苏里州允许奴隶制，
while making it off limits in the remaining federally administered Louisiana Territory.
但是在联邦政府管辖的路易斯安那地区禁止奴隶制。
But compromises tend to last only as long as they're convenient, and by the early 1850s,
但是该妥协法案只是权宜之计，不是长久之策，到了19世纪50年代早期，
a tenacious Democratic Senator from Illionis named Stephen A. Douglas found its terms very inconvenient.
有一位来自伊利诺伊州的十分强势的民主党参议员，名叫史蒂芬·道格拉斯，他认为该法案极不合理。
As an advocate of western expansion, he promoted constructing a transcontinental railroad across the Northern Plains
他主张向西部扩张，并建立跨洲铁路，横跨北部平原，
with an eastern terminus in Chicago, where he happened to own real estate.
并把东部终点站设在芝加哥，他在那里恰好有自己的不动产。
For his proposal to succeed, Douglas felt that the territories through which the railroad passed,
为了使自己的提案获得通过，道格拉斯认为所有铁路穿过的地区
would have to be formally organized, which required the support of Southern politicians.
都要实行统一的制度，这就意味着他需要得到南部的支持。
He was also a believer in popular sovereignty,
他同时信奉人民主权论，
arguing that the status of slavery in a territory should be decided by its residents rather than Congress.
提出一个州是否实行奴隶制应由其居民决定而非国会决定。
So Douglas introduced a bill designed to kill two birds with one stone.
所以道格拉斯提出了一个法案，旨在实现一石二鸟。
It would divide the large chunk of incorporated land into two new organized territories:
这会使大部分本已实现统一的区域分裂成两个新成立的地区：
Nebraska and Kansas, each of which would be open to slavery if the population voted to allow it.
内布拉斯加和肯萨斯，两者都可以实现奴隶制，只要人民投票通过即可。
While Douglas and his Southern supporters tried to frame the bill as protecting the political rights of settlers,
道格拉斯和他在南部的支持者试图把该法案描述为保护当地居民的政治权利，
horrified Northerners recognized it as repealing the 34-year-old Missouri Compromise
但这也在北部引起恐慌，北方人认为这等于是要废除实行了34年的密苏里妥协案，
and feared that its supporters' ultimate goal was to extend slavery to the entire nation.
并担心支持者的最终目的是使奴隶制在全国扩张。
Congress was able to pass the Kansas-Nebraska Act,
后来国会通过了堪萨斯-内布拉斯加法案，
but at the huge cost of bitterly dividing the nation, with 91% of the opposition coming from Northerners.
但代价是惨痛的，它造成了国家的分裂，91%的反对派来自北方。
In the House of Representatives, politicians traded insults and brandished weapons until a Sargent at Arms restored order.
在众议院，政客们相互谩骂，剑拔弩张，直到警卫官恢复秩序才停下来。

President Pierce signed the bill into law amidst a storm of protest,
皮尔斯总统签署该法案通过，尽管周围尽是反对的声音，
while Georgia's Alexander Stephens, future Confederate Vice President,
来自乔治亚州的亚历山大·斯蒂芬斯，也就是后来美利坚联盟国副总统，
hailed the Act's passage as, 'Glory enough for one day.'
把法案的通过盛赞为“充满荣耀光辉的一天”。
The New York Tribune reported, 'The unanimous sentiment of the North is indignant resistance.'
但《纽约论坛报》报道称“北方民众一致坚决反对”。
Douglas even admitted that he could travel from Washington D.C. to Chicago by the light of his own burning effigies.
道格拉斯也承认，他能顺着燃烧的自己的人像一路从华盛顿走到芝加哥。
The political consequences of the Kansas-Nebraska Act were stunning.
堪萨斯-内布拉斯加法案的政治后果极为严重。
Previously, both Whigs and Democrats had included Northern and Southern lawmakers united around various issues,
在此之前，辉格党和民主党还可以让南北方的立法委员在不同议题上统一意见，
but now slavery became a dividing factor that could not be ignored.
但如今奴隶制问题使两派分裂到已不容小觑的程度。
Congressmen from both parties spoke out against the act, including an Illinois Whig named Abraham Lincoln,
来自两党的国会议员都站出来反对该法案，其中包括一位来自伊利诺斯州的辉格党人--阿伯拉罕·林肯，
denouncing 'the monstrous injustice of slavery' in an 1854 speech.
他在1854年皮奥里亚演说中谴责道：“奴隶制本身便是巨大的不公”。
By this time the Whigs had all but ceased to exist, irreparably split between their Northern and Southern factions.
在当时，辉格党已近乎式微，并已无法挽回地使党内分裂成南北两派。
In the same year, the new Republican Party was founded by the anti-slavery elements from both existing parties.
同年，一个新的政党--共和党成立了，由来自原有的两个党派反对奴隶制的人士组建。
Although Lincoln still ran for Senate as a Whig in 1854,
虽然林肯在1854年仍旧担任辉格党参议员，
he was an early supporter of the new party, and helped to recruit others to its cause.
他在新政党成立之初就是其支持者，也为其招募了一批成员。
Meanwhile the Democratic Party was shaken when events in the newly formed Kansas Territory
而同时民主党也受到了冲击，因为在新成立的肯萨斯州境内，
revealed the violent consequences of popular sovereignty.
由于人民主权的实行引发了暴力冲突。
Advertisements appeared across the North imploring people to emigrate to Kansas to stem the advance of slavery.
在北部到处都有广告宣传，呼吁人民到堪萨斯去阻止奴隶制的推行。
The South answered with Border Ruffians, pro-slavery Missourians who crossed state lines
而南部以边界的暴动回应此举，支持奴隶制的密苏里人穿过州界，
to vote in fraudulent elections and raid anti-slavery settlements.
来操控投票结果，并声讨反奴隶制的居民。
One northern abolitionist, John Brown, became notorious following the Pottawatomie Massacre of 1856
一位名叫约翰·布朗的来自北部的废奴主义者，由于1856年的波特瓦托米大屠杀而名声扫地，
when he and his sons hacked to death five pro-slavery farmers with broad swords.
当时他和他的儿子们用宽剑刺死了五名支持奴隶制的农民。
In the end, more than 50 people died in Bleeding Kansas.
最后，超过50人死于当时的堪萨斯内战。
While nominally still a national party, Douglas's Democrats were increasingly divided along sectional lines,
虽然名义上仍旧是一个全国性政党，道格拉斯领导的民主党内部已经逐渐分成南北两派，
and many Northern members left to join the Republicans.
许多在北部的成员退出并加入了共和党。
Abraham Lincoln finally took up the Republican Party banner in 1856 and never looked back.
阿伯拉罕·林肯最终在1856年成为了共和党的领袖，并在余生一直身居此位。
That year, John C. Fremont, the first Republican presidential candidate,
同年，约翰·查理·弗里蒙特，也是第一位来自共和党的总统候选人，
lost to Democrat, James Buchanan, but garnered 33% of the popular vote all from Northern states.
败给来自民主党的詹姆斯·布坎南，但赢得了33%的选票，全部支持都来自北部各州。
Two years later, Lincoln challenged Douglas for his Illinois Senate seat,
两年后，林肯与道格拉斯在伊利诺斯州的参议员选举中展开激辩，
and although he lost that contest, it elevated his status among Republicans.
虽然林肯输掉了竞选，但他在共和党的地位大大提升。
Lincoln would finally be vindicated in 1860, when he was elected President of the United States,
在1860年，林肯转败为胜，这一次，他被选举为美国总统，
defeating in his own home state, a certain Northern Democrat,
在他的家乡击败了那位来自北部的民主党人，道格拉斯，
who was finally undone by the disastrous aftermath of the law he had masterminded.
他最终也由于自己亲自策划的法案所带来的灾难性后果而饱尝苦果。
Americans today continue to debate whether the Civil War was inevitable,
美国人如今依旧在争论南北战争是否无法避免，
but there is no doubt that the Kansas-Nebraska Act made the ghastly conflict much more likely.
但毫无疑问的是，堪萨斯-内布拉斯加法案加剧了双方可怕的冲突。
And for that reason, it should be remembered as one of the most consequential pieces of legislation in American history.
而正是因为这点，该法案也应作为美国历史上最重要法案之一而被永远铭记。