(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION -- American history in VOA Special English. Last week in our series, we described how the Constitution became law once nine of America's first thirteen states ratified it. The Continental Congress set a date for the new plan of government to take effect. The first Wednesday in March, seventeen eighty-nine. Now, here are Richard Rael and Shep O'Neal to continue our story. In seventeen eighty-nine, the population of the United States was about four million. The thirteen states had been loosely united for a short time, only about ten years. Before that, they were separate colonies of Britain. Because the colonies were separate, their people developed different ways of life. Their economies and traditions were different. As a result, Americans were fiercely independent. An emergency -- the crisis of the revolution -- brought them together. Together, they celebrated the Fourth of July, the day America declared its independence from Britain. Together, they fought British troops to make that declaration a political reality. Together, they joined under the Latin phrase 'E Pluribus Unum' -- one out of many. Yet when the war ended, the soldiers returned to their home states. They still thought of themselves as New Yorkers, or Virginians, or Marylanders.
They did not consider themselves a national people. Americans of seventeen eighty-nine were sharply divided on the need for a national government. Many were afraid the new government would not survive. They feared the anarchy that would result if it failed. Others hoped it would fail. They wanted strong state governments, not a strong central government. For those who supported the national government, there were good reasons to hope for success. The country had great natural resources. And its people were honest and hard-working. Also, in seventeen eighty-nine, the American economy was improving after the destruction of the Revolutionary War. Agriculture, trade, and shipbuilding were coming back to life. Roads, bridges, and canals were being built to improve travel and communication. The country's economy had many problems, however. Two major issues had to be settled. One was repayment of loans made to support the Revolutionary Army. The other was creation of a national money system. Both issues needed quick action. But before the new government could act, the old government had work to do. It had to decide where the capital city of the new nation would be. It also had to hold elections for president and Congress. First, the question of a capital.
At the time the states ratified the new Constitution, the Continental Congress was meeting in New York City. And that is where it decided to place the new government. Later, the capital would be moved to Philadelphia for a while. Finally, it would be established at Washington, D.C. Next, the Continental Congress had to decide when the states would choose a president. It agreed on March fourth, seventeen eighty-nine. That was when the new Constitution would go into effect. The eleven states that ratified the Constitution chose electors to vote for a president. The result was not a surprise. They chose the hero of the Revolutionary War: George Washington. No one opposed the choice. Washington learned of his election while at his home in Virginia, Mount Vernon. He left for New York and was inaugurated there on April thirtieth. Members of the new Congress also were elected on March fourth. Now, for the first time, Americans had something many of them had talked about for years -- a working national government. There was much work to be done. The machinery of government was new, untested. Quick decisions were needed to keep the new nation alive and healthy. One of the first things the Congress did was to re-open debate on the Constitution itself. Several states had set a condition for approving the document.
They said a Bill of Rights must be added to the Constitution, listing the rights of all citizens. When the Constitution was written, a majority of the states already had their own bills of rights. So some delegates to the convention said a national bill was unnecessary. Others argued that the Constitution would be the highest law of the land, higher than state laws. So a national bill of rights was needed to guarantee the rights of the citizens of the new nation. Time proved this to be a wise decision. The Bill of Rights gave the Constitution a special strength. Many Americans consider the Bill of Rights to be the heart and spirit of the Constitution. What is this Bill of Rights that is so important to the citizens of the United States? It is contained in the first ten amendments to the Constitution. The First Amendment is the basic statement of American freedoms. It protects freedom of religion, freedom of speech and freedom of the press. The First Amendment guarantees that religion and government will be separate in America. It says Congress will make no law establishing an official religion. Nor will Congress interfere in the peoples' right to worship as they choose.
The First Amendment also says Congress will not make laws restricting the peoples' right to gather peacefully and to make demands on the government. The Second Amendment guarantees the peoples' right to keep weapons as part of an organized militia. The Third Amendment says people may not be forced to let soldiers stay in their homes during peacetime. The Fourth through the Eighth Amendments all protect the peoples' rights in the criminal justice system. The Fourth Amendment protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures. If police want to search a suspect's house or papers, they must get special permission from a judge. The document from the judge must say exactly what police are looking for. And it must describe the place to be searched. The Fifth Amendment says no one can be put on trial for a serious crime unless a grand jury has first examined the evidence and agreed that a trial is needed. No one can be put on trial more than once on the same criminal charge. And no one can be forced to give evidence against himself in court. The Fifth Amendment also says no one can lose their freedom, property, or life except by the rules of law. And the government cannot take people's property for public use without paying them a fair price.
The Sixth Amendment says all persons accused of crimes have the right to a fair and speedy public trial by a jury. This guarantees that people cannot be kept in prison for a long time unless a jury has found them guilty of a crime. The Sixth Amendment also guarantees the right of accused persons to be defended by a lawyer. It says they must be informed of the nature and cause of the charges against them. And it says they have the right to face and question their accusers. The Seventh Amendment guarantees a person's right to have a jury decide his legal dispute with another person. The Eighth Amendment bars all cruel and unusual punishments. The Ninth Amendment provides protection for other rights not stated directly in the Constitution. And the Tenth Amendment says any powers which the Constitution does not give to the national government belong to the states or to the people themselves. A majority of the states approved the Bill of Rights by the end of seventeen ninety-one. As we have seen, these amendments limited the powers of the national government. As a result, many anti-Federalists ended their opposition. They accepted the new government. Many agreed to help with the job of building the new nation. President Washington wanted the best men -- Federalist or anti-Federalist -- to be in his administration. The new nation needed strong leadership. George Washington provided it. General Washington's work as the first president will be our story next week.
重点解析
1. As a result 结果
As a result, the bad thing has been turned into a good one.
结果坏事变成了好事。
2. during peacetime 在和平时期
He hoped that could be done slowly, during peacetime.
他希望奴隶制问题能够在和平时期慢慢地得以解决。
3. Bill of Rights 人权法案
The reference librarian is often left to his or her own individual interpretation of the ALA Code of Ethics and Library Bill of Right.
图书馆参考馆员通常同常会根据美国图书馆协会和图书馆人权法而留下他们自己的解释。
4. major issues 重大事项
Two of the major issues are access methods and join methods.
其中的两个主要问题是 访问方法 和 连接方法。
参考译文
欢迎来到《建国史话》-VOA慢速美国历史栏目。上周，我们讲述了宪法在得到美国前13个州中的9个州批准后是如何成为法律的。大陆会议确定了新政府计划生效的日期——1789年3月的第一个星期三。现在，理查德•拉尔和谢普•奥尼尔继续为您讲述。1789年，美国人口约为400万。美国13个州处于松散联邦的时间很短，只有大约10年的时间。在那之前，他们是英国独立的殖民地。因为殖民地是独立的，所以人民的生活方式、经济和传统是不同的。结果，美国人完全独立了。一场革命的危机把他们聚集在了一起。他们一起庆祝7月4日——美国宣布从英国独立的日子。他们一起与英国军队作战，使独立成为政治现实。它们合众为一，众志成城。然而战争结束后，士兵们回到了家乡。他们仍然认为自己是纽约人、弗吉尼亚人或马里兰人。而并没有把自己看做是美国人。1789年，美国人在联邦政府的问题上产生严重分歧。许多人担心新政府成不了气候，如果失败会导致无政府状态。其他人希望新政府失败，他们想要强大的州政府，而非强大的联邦政府。对于那些支持联邦政府的人来说，成功的希望还是很大的。美国有丰富的自然资源，人民诚实勤劳。而且，1789年，独立战争结束后美国经济好转。农业、贸易和造船正在复苏。
道路、桥梁和运河正在修建，交通和通讯得到改善。然而，美国经济依然有很多问题，有两个主要问题亟需解决。一个是偿还支持大陆军的债务。另一个是建立国家货币体系。需要迅速采取行动解决这两个问题。但在新政府采取行动之前，旧政府工作还没有完成。包括新首都的选址以及总统和国会选举的问题。首要任务是定都问题。当各州批准新宪法时，大陆会议正在纽约召开。于是都城定在了纽约，后来迁往费城。最后才搬到华盛顿。接下来，大陆会议决定各州选举总统的时间。最后定在了1789年3月4日，也就是新宪法生效的日子。批准宪法的11个州推选出选举人来投票选举总统。结果毫无悬念。他们选择了独立战争的英雄——乔治•华盛顿担任第一届总统，没有人反对。华盛顿是在维吉尼亚州弗农山庄的家中得知这一消息的。他前往纽约，并于4月30日宣誓就职。新一届国会的成员也于3月4日选举产生。现在，美国第一次有了多年来许多人一直谈论的联邦政府。要做的工作有很多，政府机构刚成立，还没有接受考验。政府需要迅速作出决定，让这个新国家保持活力和健康。国会做的第一件事就是重新展开对宪法的辩论。
为批准该文件，几个州设置一个条件。他们说，必须在宪法的基础上增加一项权利法案，列出所有公民的权利。编纂宪法时，大多数州已经有了自己的权利法案。因此，一些与会代表表示，没有必要设立全国性的法案。其他人则认为，宪法将是美国最高的法律，高于州立法。因此，需要一个全国性的权利法案来保障新国家公民的权利。时间证明这是一个明智的决定。《权利法案》赋予了宪法特殊的力量。许多美国人认为《权利法案》是宪法的核心和精神。对美国公民来说如此重要的权利法案是什么呢?它是宪法的前十项修正案。第一修正案是美国宗教自由、言论自由和新闻自由的基本宣言。第一修正案保证美国政教分离。它表示，国会不得确立官方宗教。也不得干涉人民宗教信仰的自由。宪法第一修正案还说，国会不得立法，限制人民和平集会，对政府提出要求。第二修正案保障人民持有武器，作为有组织民兵的一部分。第三修正案规定，在和平时期，不得强迫人民将士兵留在家中。第四到第八修正案都规定了民众在司法体系中的权利。第四修正案保护人们免受无理搜查和扣押。如果警方想搜查嫌疑人的房子或文件，必须得到法官的特别许可。法官的文件必须准确说明警方正在搜查的物件，必须注明搜查的地点。第五修正案规定，除非大陪审团首先审查证据并同意审判，否则任何人都不能因严重罪行而受审。任何人不得对同一项刑事指控进行多次审判。
任何人不得在法庭上证明自己有罪。第五修正案还说，除非法律规定，否则任何人都不得失去自由、财产或生命。政府不得在不支付合理价格的情况下将个人财产充作公用。第六修正案规定，所有被指控犯罪的人都有权接受陪审团公正而迅速的公开审理。这保证了除非陪审团认定他们有罪，否则不得长期监禁嫌疑人。第六修正案还保障了律师为被告辩护的权利。他们必须被告知自己被指控的性质和原因。他们有权和原告证人当面对质。第七修正案保证了人们有权让陪审团决定他与另一个人的法律纠纷。第八修正案禁止一切残忍和不寻常的惩罚。第九修正案保护宪法中没有明确说明的其它权利。第十修正案规定，宪法不赋予联邦政府的任何权力，归各州或人民所有。到1791年底，大多数州通过了权利法案。正如我们所看到的，这些修正案限制了联邦政府的权力。结果，许多反联邦主义者因此不再反对宪法。他们接受了新政府。许多人同意帮助建设新国家。华盛顿总统希望，联邦主义者或者反联邦主义者加入他的政府。新国家需要强有力的领导。乔治•华盛顿领导美国。华盛顿将军作为第一任总统所做的工作将是我们下周要讲述的故事。
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