VOA慢速英语--美利坚诞生地--美国国家独立历史公园

America's Birthplace: Independence National Historical Park 美利坚诞生地--美国国家独立历史公园

This week, our U.S. National Parks journey takes us to the eastern city of Philadelphia, an important place in American history.

Philadelphia sits along the Delaware River in the northeastern state of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, often called “Philly,” served as the nation’s capital from 1790 to 1800. Earlier, it was the capital of the American colonies during the war for independence from Britain.

Philadelphia became the central meeting place for the men who created the United States government. The buildings where the founders¹ worked still stand in an area called the Old City.

The National Park Service protects much of Philadelphia’s Old City. In honor of the America’s 240th Independence Day, we visit the birthplace of the United States: Independence National Historical Park.

The national historical park is 22 hectares. It covers 20 city blocks of Philadelphia’s historic area. Within these city blocks are some of the most important places in American history.

The main site in the park is Independence Hall. It is here that colonial leaders declared independence from Britain. Later, they debated the creation of a government for the new country, and signed the U.S. Constitution.

The building that is now Independence Hall was completed in 1753. It was originally the site of Pennsylvania’s colonial government.

But 22 years later, Independence Hall would become the site of something much bigger.

The Pennsylvania legislature loaned its Assembly Room to those in the Second Continental² Congress in May of 1775.

The second Congress included delegates from the 13 colonies. The men gathered just weeks after gunshots fired in Massachusetts marked the start of the Revolutionary War.

The Congress prepared for war. It also approved George Washington as the first Commander in Chief of the new army.

And, the men worked to produce a statement of American independence from Britain. On July 2, 1776, they voted to approve the resolution for independence. On July 4, they approved a document written by five of the founders, including Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams. That document was the Declaration of Independence.

It includes these famous words:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

During the summer of 1787, the Assembly Room had another important use. Delegates held a federal convention there and wrote the U.S. Constitution.

Guided tours

National Park Service guides will take visitors through the Assembly Room, where the two historical documents were signed. It is a popular place among tourists. Visitors must order entrance tickets ahead of their visit.

The Assembly Room also held important relics⁴ of American history.

The Liberty Bell

The Liberty Bell arrived from England in the middle 1700s. It was to hang in what was then the Pennsylvania statehouse. But the bell cracked soon after it arrived. So in 1753, it was melted and reformed.

The new bell was rung many times for public announcements, including the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

In the 1830s, a group that was trying to ban slavery in the United States began calling it the Liberty Bell. On it are words from the Christian⁵ holy book, the Bible. They read, "Proclaim Liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof."

In 1846, the Liberty Bell cracked again. No one knows why. The Liberty Bell has not been rung since. It remains⁶ cracked and still served as an important national symbol.

About 2 million people visit Independence National Historical Park each year. They come to view history, celebrate independence, and walk in the footsteps of the nation’s founders.

Reminders⁷ of these men can be found all over the park, from the statue of George Washington in front of Independence Hall, to the Benjamin Franklin Museum.

Visitors can also search for the sign that marks where Abraham Lincoln once stood outside Independence Hall. He arrived there in February of 1861, as a president-elect on his way to Washington. Soon after, he took office as the 16th President of the United States.

Lincoln gave a speech inside Independence Hall. It centered on freedom and liberty.

He said that day, "I have never had a feeling politically that did not spring from the sentiments embodied⁸ in the Declaration of Independence."

Words in This Story

loan - v. to give (something) to (someone) for a period of time

evident - adj. clear to the sight or mind

relic³ - n. something that is from a past time, place, culture, etc.

spring from - phrasal verb. to start from or be caused by (something)

sentiment - n. an attitude or opinion

1 founders   

n.创始人( founder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was one of the founders of the university's medical faculty. 他是该大学医学院的创建人之一。 来自辞典例句
• The founders of our religion made this a cornerstone of morality. 我们宗教的创始人把这看作是道德的基石。 来自辞典例句

2 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

3 relic   

n.神圣的遗物，遗迹，纪念物

参考例句：

• This stone axe is a relic of ancient times.这石斧是古代的遗物。
• He found himself thinking of the man as a relic from the past.他把这个男人看成是过去时代的人物。

4 relics   

[pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸

参考例句：

• The area is a treasure house of archaeological relics. 这个地区是古文物遗迹的宝库。
• Xi'an is an ancient city full of treasures and saintly relics. 西安是一个有很多宝藏和神圣的遗物的古老城市。

5 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 reminders   

n.令人回忆起…的东西( reminder的名词复数 )；提醒…的东西；（告知该做某事的）通知单；提示信

参考例句：

• The film evokes chilling reminders of the war. 这部电影使人们回忆起战争的可怕场景。
• The strike has delayed the mailing of tax reminders. 罢工耽搁了催税单的投寄。

8 embodied   

v.表现( embody的过去式和过去分词 )；象征；包括；包含

参考例句：

• a politician who embodied the hopes of black youth 代表黑人青年希望的政治家
• The heroic deeds of him embodied the glorious tradition of the troops. 他的英雄事迹体现了军队的光荣传统。 来自《简明英汉词典》