(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION – American history in VOA Special English. In October of eighteen fifty-nine, a group of anti-slavery extremists attacked the town of Harpers Ferry. Harpers Ferry was part of Virginia then; today it is located in West Virginia. The attackers were led by John Brown. They seized a gun factory and a federal supply center where military equipment was kept. They planned to use the guns and equipment to organize a rebel army of slaves. This week in our series, Harry Monroe and Kay Gallant tell us what happened to John Brown after he seized Harpers Ferry. The president of the United States in eighteen fifty-nine was James Buchanan. When Buchanan learned of the attack, he wanted immediate action. He sent a force of Marines to Harpers Ferry, under the command of Army Colonel Robert E. Lee. John Brown had attacked with about twenty men. Several, including two of his sons, had been killed by local militia. He and his remaining men withdrew to a small brick building. The attack had failed. Not one slave had come to Harpers Ferry to help Brown.
The few whom his men had freed had refused to fight when the shooting started. Brown could not understand the fear that kept the slaves from fighting for their freedom. Brown and his men were trapped inside the brick building. They held a few hostages whom they hoped to exchange for their freedom. Colonel Lee wrote a message to John Brown demanding his surrender. He did not think Brown would surrender peaceably. So, he planned to attack as soon as Brown rejected the message. He felt this was the surest way to save the lives of the hostages. As expected, Brown refused to surrender. He said he and his men had the right to go free. As soon as Brown spoke, the signal was given. The Marines attacked. They broke open a small hole in the door of the brick building. One by one, the Marines moved through the hole. They fought hand-to-hand against the men inside. After a brief fight, they won. John Brown's rebellion was crushed. A few hours after Brown was captured, the Governor of Virginia and three Congressmen arrived in Harpers Ferry. They wanted to question Brown. Brown had been wounded in the final attack. He was weak from the loss of blood. But he welcomed the chance to explain his actions.
The officials first asked where Brown got the money to organize his raid. Brown said he raised most of it himself. He refused to give the names of any of his supporters. Then the officials asked why Brown had come to Harpers Ferry. "We came to free the slaves," Brown said, "and only that." He continued: "I think that you are guilty of a great wrong against God and humanity. I believe anyone would be perfectly right to interfere with you, so far as to free those you wickedly hold in slavery. I think I did right. You had better -- all you people of the South -- prepare yourselves for a settlement sooner than you are prepared for it. "You may get rid of me very easily. I am nearly gone now. But this question is still to be settled -- this Negro question, I mean. That is not yet ended." The raid on Harpers Ferry increased the bitterness of the national dispute over slavery. Members of the Democratic Party called the raid a plot by the Republican Party. Republican leaders denied the charge. They said the raid was the work of one man -- one madman -- John Brown. Still, they said, he had acted for good reason: to end slavery in America.
Southern newspapers condemned Brown. Some said his raid was an act of war. Some demanded that he be executed as a thief and murderer. Many southerners said all of the North was responsible for the raid. They believed all northerners wanted a slave rebellion in the South. And it was such a rebellion that southerners feared more than anything else. New measures were approved throughout the South to prevent this. Military law was declared in some areas. Slave owners threatened to beat or hang any Negro who even looked rebellious. The fear of a slave rebellion united the people of the South. For years, rich slave owners had talked of taking the southern states out of the Union to save their way of life. But those who had no slaves opposed the idea of disunion. John Brown's raid changed that. After his attack on Harpers Ferry, the south spoke with one voice. All southerners declared that they would fight to protect their homes from a Negro rebellion or from another attack by men like Brown. Feelings were especially high in Virginia, the state in which the raid took place.
Virginians wanted Brown punished quickly to show what would happen to anyone who tried to lead a Negro rebellion. There was some question whether Brown should be tried in a federal court or a state court. Brown's raid took place within the borders of a state. But the property he seized belonged to the federal government. The Governor of Virginia decided to try Brown in a state court. He believed a federal court trial would take too long. If Brown were not brought to trial quickly, he said, people might attack the jail and kill him. Brown was being held in Charles Town, a few kilometers from Harpers Ferry. The court there named two lawyers to defend him. A doctor examined Brown. He reported that Brown's wounds were not serious enough to prevent the trial from starting. Brown lay in a bed in the courtroom throughout the trial. John Brown's lawyers tried to show that his family had a history of madness. They tried to prove that Brown, too, was mad. They asked the court to declare him innocent because of insanity. Brown protested. He said the lawyers were just trying to save his life. He did not want such a defense. The matter of insanity was dropped.
Brown's lawyers then argued that he was not guilty of the three crimes with which he was charged. First, they said, he could not be guilty of treason against Virginia, because he was not a citizen of Virginia. Second, he could not be guilty of plotting a slave rebellion, because he had never incited slaves against their owners. And third, he could not be guilty of murder, because he had killed only in self-defense. The trial lasted five days. The jury found John Brown guilty of all three charges. The judge asked Brown if he wanted to make a statement before being sentenced. Brown did. He declared that he had not planned to start a slave rebellion. He said he only wanted to free some slaves and take them to Canada. Brown's statement was strong. But it was not true. He had, in fact, planned to organize an army of slaves to fight for their freedom. He acted in the belief that slaves throughout the south would rise up against their owners and join him. Brown's words did not move the judge. He said he could find no reason to question the jury's decision that Brown was guilty. He sentenced Brown to be hanged.
One of Brown's supporters attempted to find a way to free Brown from jail. Several plans were proposed. None were tried. Brown himself did not want to escape. He said he could do more to destroy slavery by hanging than by staying alive. John Brown was executed on December second, eighteen fifty-nine. His death created a wave of public emotion throughout the country. In the North, people mourned. One man wrote: "The events of the last month or two have done more to build northern opposition to slavery than anything which has ever happened before, than all the anti-slavery pamphlets and books that have ever been written." In the south, people cheered. But their happiness at Brown's punishment was mixed with anger at those who honored him. As the nation prepared for a presidential election year, the South renewed its promise to defend slavery -- or leave the Union. That will be our story next week.
重点解析
1.fight for 争取；为......而战
I hope they continue to fight for equal justice after I'm gone.
我希望我走了以后他们能继续为司法公正而战。
2.exchange for 交换；换取
It is illegal for public officials to solicit gifts or money in exchange for favors.
公务员通过索要礼物或钱财作为为他人提供便利的交换是违法的。
3.plan to 计划；打算
They plan to challenge the constitutionality of the law.
他们计划对该法的合宪性提出质疑。
4.happen to 发生在......身上；发生于
I was afraid for her. I thought something was going to happen to her.
我替她担心，我觉得她要出事。
参考译文
欢迎收听VOA慢速英语之建国史话节目。1859年10月，一群反奴隶制极端分子袭击了哈珀斯镇。哈珀斯镇当时归属于弗吉尼亚州；而它现在位于西弗吉尼亚。袭击者由约翰·布朗带领，他们占领了一家枪械厂和一个存放军备的联邦供应中心。他们计划使用这些枪支和设备来组织一支由奴隶组成的叛军。本周，哈利·门罗和凯·格兰特将向我们讲述约翰·布朗攻占哈珀斯镇后发生的故事。1859年时，执政的美国总统是詹姆斯·布坎南。布坎南得知袭击事件后，希望立即采取行动。他派遣了一支海军陆战队前往哈珀斯镇，这支部队由陆军上校罗伯特·E·李指挥。约翰·布朗和大约20个人一起发动进攻。数人被当地民兵击毙，其中包括他的两个儿子。布朗和其他人撤退到一座小砖房里。袭击失败了，没有一个奴隶到哈珀斯镇来支援布朗。
枪击开始时，由他手下释放的几个奴隶拒绝战斗。布朗无法理解让奴隶们为自由而战，而使他们产生的恐惧感。布朗和他的手下被困在砖房里。他们扣押了几名人质，希望能以此为自己换取自由。李上校给约翰·布朗写了封信，要求他投降。他认为布朗不会和平投降。所以，当布朗表示拒绝后，他就计划发动攻击。他觉得，这是拯救人质生命最可靠的方法。不出所料，布朗拒绝投降。他说他和他的手下有自由的权利。布朗一发话，就代表发出了信号。于是，海军陆战队发起进攻。他们在砖房的门上打了个小洞，海军陆战队员一个个地穿过这个洞。他们与房内的人进行肉搏。经过短暂的打斗，他们获胜了。约翰·布朗的反叛被镇压了。布朗被抓获几个小时后，弗吉尼亚州州长和三名国会议员抵达哈珀斯镇。他们想质问布朗。布朗在最后一次袭击中受伤，身体因失血而虚弱。但是，他接受了这次解释自己所作所为的机会。
官员们先询问布朗从哪里搞到钱来组织这次突袭。布朗说，大部分款项由他自己筹集。他拒绝透露支持者的姓名。于是，官员们问布朗为什么来到哈珀斯镇。“我们来解放奴隶，”布朗说，“只为这个目的。”他继续说道：“我认为你们犯了一个违背上帝和人类的大错。我相信，只要能够释放那些被你们用奴隶制牢牢掌控的奴隶们，任何人都有权进行干涉。我觉得我做得对。你们这些南方人，最好早作准备。“你们可以很轻松地打发我，我快死了。但这个问题还有待解决——我是说这个有关黑人的问题。这个问题还没有结束。” 对哈珀斯镇的突袭，增加了国民对奴隶制争端的怨恨之情。民主党人称这次突袭是共和党的阴谋，共和党领导人否认了这一指控。他们说这次突袭是一个人——一个疯子——约翰·布朗的所作所为。不过，他们说，他采取行动具备充分的理由，即结束美国的奴隶制。
南方的报纸对布朗大加指责。有人说他的突袭是战争行为，有些人要求以小偷和杀人犯的身份对他进行处决。许多南方人说，这次突袭都要归咎于北方。他们认为，所有北方人都希望南方发生奴隶叛乱，而南方人最害怕的就是奴隶叛乱。为防止这种情况发生，整个南方地区都批准实施新的措施。一些地区颁布了军事法，奴隶主威胁要殴打或绞死任何一个看起来想造反的黑人。对奴隶叛乱的恐惧使南方人民团结起来。多年来，富有的奴隶主一直在谈论要使南部各州脱离联邦，以拯救他们的生活方式。但是，那些没有奴隶的人反对这种分裂的观点。方人团结一致。所有南方人都宣称，他们将为保护自己的家园而战斗，以防黑人叛乱或出现类似布朗这样的人再次袭击他们。这次事件发生在弗吉尼亚州，那里的人们对此事的感觉尤为强烈。
弗吉尼亚州的人民希望快速处置布朗，以向那些试图带领黑人叛乱的人表明这样做的后果。布朗是否应该在联邦法院或州法院受审还是个问题。布朗的突袭发生在一个州的边界内，但他夺取的财产却属于联邦政府。弗吉尼亚州州长决定在州法院审判布朗，他认为联邦法院的审判时间可能过久。他表示，如果布朗不能很快接受审判，人们可能会袭击监狱并杀害他。布朗被关押在距离哈珀斯镇几公里远的查尔斯镇，那里的法院指定了两名律师为他辩护。医生查看了布朗的状况，他报告说布朗的伤口不是非常严重，可以开始审讯。布朗在整个审讯过程中，都躺在法庭中的一张床上。约翰·布朗的律师试图证明他的家族存在精神失常的病史，他们想证明布朗也疯了，他们要求法庭宣布他因精神错乱而无罪。布朗反对这种说法，他说律师们只是想救他的命，他不想要这样的辩护。关于精神错乱的事就此撤销。
随后，布朗的律师辩称，他没有犯被指控的三项罪行。他们说，首先，他不可能犯下背叛弗吉尼亚州的罪行，因为他不是弗吉尼亚州的公民。第二，他不可能犯有策划奴隶叛乱的罪行，因为他从未煽动奴隶反对奴隶主。第三，他不可能犯有谋杀罪，因为他杀人只是为了自卫。审判持续了五天，陪审团裁定约翰·布朗三项罪名均成立。法官问布朗，他是否想在被判刑前发表声明。布朗这么做了。他宣称自己没有策划发动奴隶叛乱，他只是想解放一些奴隶，把他们带到加拿大。布朗的话语铿锵有力，但却并非实情。事实上，他计划组织一支奴隶军队，为他们的自由而战。他相信南方的奴隶会奋起反抗奴隶主，加入到他的斗争队伍之中。布朗的话没有打动法官。他说，没有任何理由质疑陪审团对布朗有罪的裁决。他判处布朗绞刑。
布朗的一位支持者试图寻找方法，把布朗从监狱中解救出来。他提出了几项计划，但无一付诸实施。布朗并不想逃跑。他说，他被绞死比活着更能够为摧毁奴隶制做贡献。约翰·布朗于1859年12月2日被处决。他的死在全国掀起了一股公众情绪的浪潮。在北方，人们哀悼他的死亡。有人写道：“上个月或两个月前发生的事件，对北方反对奴隶制的影响比以往任何时候都要强烈，超过了所有曾撰写过的反奴隶制的宣传册和书籍。”在南方，人们欢呼雀跃。但是，他们对布朗遭到惩罚感到高兴的同时，也对那些尊敬他的人感到愤怒。当全国人民为总统选举之年做准备时，南方人重新许诺要保卫奴隶制，不惜脱离联邦。这将是我们下周要讲述的故事。
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