美国学生历史 第196期:解放奴隶宣言(1)

 Chapter 39 The emancipation¹ proclamation 第39章《解放奴隶宣言》

402. The Blockade. 402．封锁

On the fall of Fort Sumter President Lincoln ordered a blockade of the Confederate seaports². 在萨穆特要塞失陷之后，林肯总统命令封锁南方联盟的海港。

There were few manufacturing industries in the South. 南方的制造业很少，

Cotton and tobacco were the great staples³ of export. 棉花和烟草是他们的主要出口物资，

If her ports were blockaded the South could neither bring in arms and military supplies from Europe, nor send cotton and tobacco to Europe to be sold for money. 如果港口被封锁，南方联盟就不可能从欧洲得到武器与给养，也不能将棉花和烟草卖出去，

So her power of resisting the Union armies would be greatly lessened⁴. 这样就大大削弱其对联邦军队的抵抗。

The Union government bought all kinds of vessels⁵, even harbor ferryboats, armed them, and stationed them off the blockaded harbors. 联邦政府买下了各种各样的船只，甚至还买下了港口的渡船，将这些船只武装起来，将它们安插到那些被封锁港口的附近，

In a surprisingly short time the blockade was established. 这道封锁线以令人吃惊的速度建立起来。

The Union forces also began to occupy the Southern seacoast, and thus the region that had to be blockaded steadily⁶ grew less. 联邦军队还开始占据南方各州的海岸，这样一来，被牢牢封锁起来的南方各地就动弹不得。

403. Effects of the Blockade. 403．封锁所产生的效果

As months and years went by, and the blockade became stricter and stricter, the sufferings of the Southern people became ever greater. 经年累月，封锁变得越来越严，南方人经受的困难越来越大。

As they could not send their products to Europe to exchange for goods, they had to pay gold and silver for whatever the blockade runners brought in. 由于不能将自己的作物卖给欧洲人以换取物资，他们不得不用黄金和白银支付走私者带来的任何东西，

Soon there was no more gold and silver in the Confederacy, and paper money took its place. 很快南方联盟不再有黄金和白银，他们发行纸币。

Then the supplies of manufactured goods, as clothing and paper, of things not produced in the South, as coffee and salt, gave out. 随后，衣服和纸这样的工业品以及咖啡和盐这些南方所不出产的东西都耗尽了。

1 emancipation   

n.（从束缚、支配下）解放

参考例句：

• We must arouse them to fight for their own emancipation. 我们必须唤起他们为其自身的解放而斗争。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They rejoiced over their own emancipation. 他们为自己的解放感到欢欣鼓舞。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 seaports   

n.海港( seaport的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Airports have joined seaports as ports of entry for the visiting foreigner. 机场和海港一样成为来访的外国人的入境关口。 来自互联网
• Sanya has 16 seaports, 10 islands and 180km of coastline. 三亚有16个港口、10个海岛和180公里的海岸线。 来自互联网

3 staples   

n.（某国的）主要产品( staple的名词复数 )；钉书钉；U 形钉；主要部份v.用钉书钉钉住( staple的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The anvil onto which the staples are pressed was not assemble correctly. 订书机上的铁砧安装错位。 来自辞典例句
• I'm trying to make an analysis of the staples of his talk. 我在试行分析他的谈话的要旨。 来自辞典例句

4 lessened   

减少的，减弱的

参考例句：

• Listening to the speech through an interpreter lessened its impact somewhat. 演讲辞通过翻译的嘴说出来，多少削弱了演讲的力量。
• The flight to suburbia lessened the number of middle-class families living within the city. 随着迁往郊外的风行，住在城内的中产家庭减少了。

5 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。