(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION – American history in VOA Special English. The Civil War began in eighteen sixty-one as a struggle over the right of states to leave the Union. President Abraham Lincoln firmly believed that a state did not have that right. And he declared war on the southern states that tried to leave. Lincoln had only one reason to fight: to save the Union. In time, however, there was another reason to fight: to free the black people held as slaves in the South. Today, Kay Gallant and Harry Monroe continue the story of how President Lincoln dealt with this issue. Lincoln had tried to keep the issue of slavery out of the war. He feared it would weaken the northern war effort. Many men throughout the North would fight to save the Union. They would not fight to free the slaves.
Lincoln also needed the support of the four slave states that had not left the Union: Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland and Missouri. He could not be sure of their support if he declared that the purpose of the war was to free the slaves. Lincoln was able to follow this policy, at first. But the war to save the Union was going badly. The North had not won a decisive victory in Virginia, the heart of the Confederacy. To guarantee continued support for the war, Lincoln was forced to recognize that the issue of slavery was, in fact, a major issue. And on September twenty-second, eighteen sixty-two, he announced a new policy on slavery in the rebel southern states. His announcement became known as the Emancipation Proclamation. American newspapers printed the proclamation. This is what it said: I, Abraham Lincoln, president of the United States and commander in chief of the Army and Navy, do hereby declare that on the first day of January, eighteen sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any state then in rebellion against the United States, shall then become and be forever free. The government of the United States, including the military and naval forces, will recognize and protect the freedom of such persons, and will interfere in no way with any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.
For political reasons, the proclamation did not free slaves in the states that supported the Union. Nor did it free slaves in the areas around Norfolk, Virginia, and New Orleans, Louisiana. Most anti-slavery leaders praised the Emancipation Proclamation. They had waited a long time for such a document. But some did not like it. They said it did not go far enough. It did not free all of the slaves in the United States, only those held by the rebels. Lincoln answered that the Emancipation Proclamation was a military measure. He said he made it under his wartime powers as commander in chief. As such, it was legal only in enemy territory. Lincoln agreed that all slaves should be freed. It was his personal opinion. But he did not believe that the Constitution gave him the power to free all the slaves. He hoped that could be done slowly, during peacetime. Lincoln's new policy on slavery was welcomed warmly by the people of Europe. It won special praise in Britain.
The British people were deeply concerned about the Civil War in America. The United States navy had blocked southern exports of cotton. The British textile industry -- which depended on this cotton -- was almost dead. Factories were closed. Hundreds of thousands of people were out of work. The British government watched and worried as the war continued month after month. Finally, late in the summer of eighteen sixty-two, British leaders said the time had come for them to intervene. They would try to help settle the American dispute. Britain would propose a peace agreement based on northern recognition of southern rights. If the North rejected the agreement, Britain would recognize the Confederacy. Then came the news that President Lincoln was freeing the slaves of the South. Suddenly, the Civil War was a different war. No longer was it a struggle over southern rights. Now it was a struggle for human freedom. The British people strongly opposed slavery. When they heard that the slaves would be freed, they gave their support immediately to President Lincoln and the North. Britain's peace proposals were never offered. The Emancipation Proclamation had cost the South the recognition of Britain and France.
The South was furious over the proclamation. Southern newspapers attacked Lincoln. They accused him of trying to create a slave rebellion in states he could not occupy with troops. They also said the proclamation was an invitation for Negroes to murder whites. The Confederate Congress debated several resolutions to fight Lincoln's proclamation. One resolution would make slaves of all Negro soldiers captured from the Union army. Another called for the execution of white officers who led black troops. Some southern lawmakers even proposed the death sentence for anyone who spoke against slavery. In the North, most people cheered the new policy on slaves. Some, however, opposed it. They said the policy would cause the slave states of the Union to secede. Those states would join the Confederacy. Or, they said, it would cause freed slaves to move north and take away jobs from whites.
There also was another reason. Eighteen sixty-two was a congressional election year. The Democratic Party was the opposition party at that time. Party leaders believed their candidates would have a better chance of winning if they opposed the policy. Democrats said the policy was proof that anti-slavery extremists were in control of the government. As we said, Abraham Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation on September twenty-second, eighteen sixty-two. But Lincoln said he would not sign the proclamation until the first day of eighteen-sixty-three. That gave the southern states one hundred days to end their rebellion, or face the destruction of slavery. Some people thought Lincoln would withdraw the proclamation at the last minute. They did not believe he would sign a measure that was so extreme. They said the new policy would only make the South fight harder. And, as a result, the Civil War would last longer. Others charged that the proclamation was illegal. They said the Constitution did not give the president the power to violate the property rights of citizens. Lincoln answered the charges. He said: I think the Constitution gives the commander in chief special powers under the laws of war. The most that can be said -- if so much -- is that slaves are property. Is there any question that, by the laws of war, property -- both of enemies and friends -- may be taken when needed.
Just before the first of the year, a congressman asked the president if he still planned to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. "My mind is made up," Lincoln answered. "It must be done. I am driven to it. There is no other way out of our troubles. But although my duty is clear, it is in some way painful. I hope that the people will understand that I act not in anger, but in expectation of a greater good." The morning of New Year's Day was a busy time for Lincoln. It was a tradition to open the White House on that day so the president could wish visitors a happy new year. After the last visitor had gone, Lincoln went to his office. He started to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. Then he stopped. He said: "I never, in all my life, felt more sure that I was doing right than I do in signing this paper. But I have been shaking hands all day, until my arm is tired. When people examine this document, they will say, 'He was not sure about that.' But anyway, it is going to be done." With those words, he wrote his name at the bottom of the paper. He had issued one of the greatest documents in American history. We will continue our story of the Civil War next week.
重点解析
1.be forced to 被迫做某事；不得不
The banks would be forced to absorb large losses.
银行将被迫承受巨大的损失。
2.depend on 依赖；取决于
The risk and severity of sunburn depend on the body's natural skin colour.
晒伤的风险和严重程度取决于人体的自然肤色。
3.based on 基于；根据
Democracy is based on good will and mutual understanding.
民主建立在善意和相互理解的基础上。
4.as a result 因此；结果是
As a result, the bad thing has been turned into a good one.
结果坏事变成了好事。
参考译文
欢迎收听VOA慢速英语之建国史话节目。内战始于1861年，当时的内战是关于各州脱离联邦的一场权利斗争。总统亚伯拉罕·林肯坚信州没有权利这样做，他向试图脱离联邦的南方各州宣战。林肯作战的理由只有一个：拯救联邦。然而，随着时间的推移，还有另一个战斗的原因：解放南方被奴役的黑人。今天，凯·格兰特和哈里·梦露将继续讲述林肯总统如何处理这个问题。林肯曾试图使奴隶制问题远离战争，他担心这会削弱北方作战的努力。北方的许多人都会为拯救联邦而战斗，但他们不会为解放奴隶而战。林肯还需要四个尚未脱离联邦的奴隶制州的支持：特拉华州、肯塔基州、马里兰州和密苏里州。如果他宣布战争的目的是解放奴隶，就不能确定他们是否会支持作战。林肯起初能够遵守这项政策，但是拯救联邦的战争进行得很糟糕。北方军没能在联盟国的中心弗吉尼亚州赢得决定性的胜利。为了保证继续支持战争，林肯被迫承认奴隶制问题实际上是一个重大问题。在1862年9月22日，他宣布了一项关于南部叛乱各州奴隶制的新政策。他的宣言被称为《解放黑人奴隶宣言》。美国报纸刊登了公告，内容为：“本人，亚伯拉罕·林肯，任美国总统，兼陆、海军总司令，特在此郑重声明，1863年1月1日，在任何一个反抗美国的州内，作为奴隶被关押起来的人，都将成为自由人，并永远保持自由。美国政府，包括武装力量和海军，将承认并保护这些人的自由，决不干涉他们为获得自由所做出的任何努力。
出于政治原因，该声明并没有在支持该联盟的各州，以及弗吉尼亚州的诺福克和路易斯安那州的新奥尔良解放奴隶。大多数反奴隶制领袖都称赞《解放黑人奴隶宣言》，他们等这样的文件等了很久。但有些人并不喜欢它，他们说力度不够，说它并没有解放美国的所有奴隶，而只是解放了那些被叛军控制的奴隶。林肯回答说，《解放黑人奴隶宣言》是一项军事措施。他表示，他行使作战总司令的权力完成的宣言，因此，它只在敌方领土上才合法。林肯同意解放所有奴隶，这是他的个人意见。但他不相信宪法赋予他释放所有奴隶的权力。他希望在和平时期慢慢地推行。林肯的新奴隶制政策受到欧洲人民的热烈欢迎，它在英国赢得了特别的赞誉。
英国人民对美国内战深感忧虑，美国海军已经阻止南方的棉花出口。依赖此类棉花的英国纺织业几乎破产，工厂倒闭，数十万人失业。随着战争的持续，英国政府监视着战争进程，也表示出担忧。最后，在1862年的夏末，英国领导人说，他们要对战事进行干预，他们将设法帮助解决美国的争端。英国将在北方承认南方权利的基础上提出和平协议，如果北方拒绝这项协议，英国将承认南部联盟国。后来有消息说，总统林肯正在解放南方的奴隶。突然之间，内战变成了另一场战争。这不再是一场关于南方权利的斗争，现在它转变为一场争取人类自由的斗争。英国人民强烈反对奴隶制，当他们听说奴隶将获释时，立即向总统林肯和北方给予支持。英国从未提出过和平提议。《解放黑人奴隶宣言》使南方失去了对英法两国的承认。
南方人对这项宣言感到愤怒，南方报纸攻击林肯。他们指责林肯试图在他不能用军队占领联盟国国会对几项决议展开辩论，以对抗林肯发表的宣言。一项决议是逮捕联邦军中的所有黑人士兵，另一项是要求处决带领黑人军队的白人军官。一些南方立法者甚至提议对任何反对奴隶制的人判处死刑。在北方，大多数人都对奴隶制的新政策表示欢欣鼓舞。然而，也有些人反对它。他们表示，这项政策将导致奴隶制各州脱离联邦，这些州将加入联盟国。他们说，这也可能导致被解放的奴隶向北方移动，并夺走白人的工作。
还有另一个原因。1862年是国会选举年，民主党当时是反对党。党的领导人认为，如果他们反对这项政策，他们的候选人将有更好的获胜机会。民主党人表示，这项政策证明反奴隶制极端分子控制着政府。正如我们所说，亚伯拉罕·林肯于1862年9月22日宣布《解放黑人奴隶宣言》。但是林肯表示，他要到1863年1月1日，才会签署该宣言。这使得南方各州有一百天的时间来结束他们的叛乱，或者是面对奴隶制的瓦解。有些人认为林肯会在最后一分钟撤销宣言，他们不相信他会签署一项如此极端的措施。他们表示，新政策只会让南方的斗争更加艰难，致使内战持续更长时间。其他人指控该项声明是非法的，他们说宪法没有赋予总统侵犯公民财产权的权力。林肯对这些指控加以回应，他说：我认为宪法赋予总司令行使战争法下的特权，提到最多的是奴隶属于财产。如果有任何疑问，根据战争法，财产，无论是敌人还是朋友的，都可以在需要时被占有。
就在战前第一年，一位国会议员询问总统是否还打算签署《解放黑人奴隶宣言》。“我已经下定决心，”林肯答道。“必须这样做，我对此非常坚决。没有其它办法能摆脱我们目前遇到的困难，虽然我的责任很明确，但在某种程度上是痛苦的。我希望人们明白我的行为不是出于愤怒，但是期待能获得更大的利益。”新年的早晨是林肯非常忙碌的时刻，按照惯例，白宫在这一天对外开放，所以总统可以向游客祝愿新年快乐。在最后一位访客离开后，林肯去了他的办公室。他开始签署《解放黑人奴隶宣言》。然后他停了下来说：“我在一生中，从来没有比在签署这篇论文时更加确定我做得是件正确的事。但我整天都在握手，手臂都累了。当人们查看这份文件时，他们会说，‘他对此并不确定。’但无论如何，就这样决定了。”伴着这些话语，他把自己的名字签署在文件底部，由此发表了美国历史上最伟大的声明之一。下周我们将继续讲述内战故事。
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