美国总统7 马丁·范布伦.docx

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1、美国总统7马丁范布伦MartinVanBuren:JustOKVOALearningEnglishpresentsAmericasPresidents.TodayWearetalkingaboutMartinVanBuren.HewassworninastheeighthpresidentoftheUnitedStatesin1837.VanBurenhadalreadybeenworkingfortheWhiteHouseforseveralyears.HehadbeenthesecretaryofstateforPresidentAndrewJacksonzandlaterhisvicep

2、resident.This1832politicalcartoonshowsJacksoncarryingVanBurenintooffice.Jacksonaskedhisparty,theDemocrats,tonominateVanBurenastheirpresidentialcandidateinthe1836election.Theyagreed,andVanBurenwonthatelectioneasily.Buthedidnotwinthenextelection.Orthenext.Orthenext.PresidencyInhisinauguralspeechin1837

3、,VanBurennotedthathewasthefirstU.S.presidenttobebornaftertheAmericanRevolution.HewasalsothefirstpresidentwhowasnotfromaBritishfamily.HisancestorswereDutch.Heremainstheonlypresident-sofar-whodidnotspeakEnglishashisfirstlanguage.Inhisinauguralspeech,VanBurenpredictedbettertimesforAmericans.Butseverald

4、ayslater,aneconomiccrisisstruck.ThesituationputthecountryinadepressionthatlastedfortherestofVanBurensterm.ItwasonereasonthepresidentsopponentscalledhimMartinVanRuin.ThedepressionwasnotVanBurensonlyproblem.HealsofacedadisputewithBritainrelatedtotheborderbetweentheU.S.andCanada.Theconflictnearlyturned

5、intowar.HistorianJoelSilbeysaysmostexpertsdonotthinkVanBurenwasastrongpresident.However,Silbeynotes,VanBurenleftanimportantlegacythatstilloperatestoday:HecreatedthemodernU.S.politicalsystem.EarlylifeVanBurenspoliticaleducationbeganearly.HisfatherwasafarmerandoperatedahotelatasmalltowninNewYorkState.

6、Lawmakerssometimesvisitedthehotel.Bylisteningtothem,thefuturepresidentlearnedaboutpolitics.Eventually,VanBurenstudiedinalawofficeandbecamealawyer.Inthefirstyearsofhiscareer,hedefendedfarmerswhowerefightinglargeplantationownersfortheirland.Asaresult,hedevelopedareputationforhelpingthecommonman.VanBur

7、enbecamealocalofficial,andthenasenatorandgovernorofNewYork.Whenhewas24,hemarriedayoungwomanhehadgrownupwith.Butshediedoftuberculosisafter12years,leavinghimwithfoursons.HistorianJoelSilbeysaysalthoughVanBurendidnotremarry,hewasknownasquitecharmingamongtheladies.PoliticalanimalVanBurenhadagiftforpolit

8、ics-thatis,developingrelationshipsandformingalliances.HistorianJoelSilbeysaysmostpeoplewhoknewVanBurenlikedhim.Heseemedwarmandfriendly.Hetriedtokeephiswork-relatedlifeandsocialactivitiesseparate.Itwasnotunusualtoseehimexchangehandshakes,smilesandjokeswithmenwhowerehispoliticalenemies.Opponentscalled

9、VanBurentheSlyFoxbecausetheydidnotbelievetheycouldtrusthim.Hisabilitytomakefriendsbecameapowerfultool.BeforeVanBurenzevenlawmakersfromthesamepoliticalpartyoperatedindependently.Theyhadtheirownbeliefs,theirownsupporters,andtheirownallies.VanBurenbroughtthemtogether.Firstheidentifiedpeoplewhofollowedt

10、heideasofThomasJefferson:supportforindependentfarmersandstatesrights.ThegrouphadbecomeknownastheDemocraticParty(althoughitwasinmanywaysdifferentfromtheDemocraticPartyoftoday).VanBurenorganizedmeetingsforDemocratstotalkabouttheirpoliticalbeliefs.Hepersuadedthemtosupportthesamepolicies-atthattime,thep

11、oliciesofAndrewJackson.Sometimes,VanBurenhelpedpeoplewhosupportedJacksonspolicies.Hegavethemgovernmentjobs.VanBurenalsousedaseriesofmeetingstochooseonepresidentialcandidatefortheparty.Ifthisprocessseemsclear-cutzitwasnotatthetime.Duringtheelectionof1824,forexample,asinglepartyhadfourseparatecandidat

12、esforpresident,oneforeachpartofthecountry.VanBurenssystemeventuallygaverisetothenationalconventionsthatmajorU.S.partiesusetodaytonominatetheircandidates.ModelcampaignerVanBurenalsohelpedcreatethemodernpoliticalcampaign.Inthe1820szhesawthatmanystateconstitutionswereliftingsomeoftheirvotingrestriction

13、s.Asaresult,statesweregivingmorewhitemalestherighttovote.(WomenandmostAfrican-Americanmenwerestilllargelyprohibitedfromvoting.)HistorianJoelSilbeysaysVanBurenwantedtobringthesenewvotersintotheDemocraticParty.Hedecidedtoimproveonthemethodsthatother,smallergroupshadused:campaignevents,speeches,andorga

14、nizedeffortstobringpeopletovoteonElectionDay.Silbeyexplainsthattheseeffortstopersuadeandenergizevoterswerenewtonationalpolitics.Nowtheyaresomeofthemajorfeaturesofpoliticalcampaigns.1.ivebythesword,diebytheswordIntheelectionof1840zVanBurensoughtasecondtermaspresident.ThistimehisopponentsusedVanBurens

15、politicaltechniquesagainsthim.Silbeysaysthenewoppositionparty,calledtheWhigs,usedpopularspeechesandeventstoportrayVanBurenasafailedpresident.Crowdsshouted,MattieVanisaused-upman!Inotherwords,henolongerhadanypoweroreffectingovernment.CriticsalsomadefunofVanBuren,sfine-looking,evenfussyclothes.Theypor

16、trayedhimasarich,elitecandidate.Theycomparedhimunfavorablytotheircandidate,amilitaryheronamedWilliamHenryHarrison.SomeofVanBurenssupporterscalledhimbytheinitialsofhishometown:OKforOldKinderhookzNewYork.Hisnicknamemaybethebasisfortodayscommonexpressiontomeanyes.YetitwasVanBurenwhohadcomefromapoorfamily,andHarrisonfromawealthyone.EvensozVanBurenlosttheelectionof1840.Fouryears