VOA新闻杂志2023--Abraham Lincoln: Martyr, Part Two

Abraham Lincoln: Martyr¹, Part Two

VOA Learning English presents America's Presidents.

Today we are continuing our story about Abraham Lincoln.

He led the United States during the Civil War, which lasted from 1861-1865. In that conflict, the Southern Confederacy battled the Union – the states that supported the federal government.

Southern states wanted to make their own laws, including those that protected slavery. They were afraid that President Lincoln would use the power of the federal government to ban slavery in their states, as well as in other areas.

So 11 Southern states withdrew from the rest of the country. They stopped recognizing the power of the central government.

President Lincoln did not think states had the right to withdraw. He said he was fighting to reunite the country.

But in time, he accepted that the Civil War would also be a fight to end slavery.

Commander-in-chief

Lincoln is known for several qualities as a wartime president. One was how he led the military campaign.

As president, Lincoln worked with top military officials to create a plan. They realized that the Union had more resources and more men who could fight than the Confederate forces. So, they planned to surround the Southern states, cut off their supplies, and prevent foreign powers from helping² the Confederacy.

Lincoln hoped the Union's generals could execute the plan quickly and end the war as soon as possible.

But the generals were guarded. They did not want to harm their soldiers if they did not have to. They also knew the Confederacy had a skilled commander in General Robert E. Lee.

Troops under another Confederate general, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, also defeated the Union army in several early battles.

Lincoln was frustrated³ with the war effort. He wanted generals who would not only win battles, but chase after the opposing forces and destroy them so they could not fight again.

In one famous telegram, he wrote to his top general, George McClellan. Lincoln said, "If General McClellan does not want to use the Army, I would like to borrow it for a time..."

Finally, Lincoln replaced McClellan. Then he replaced McClellan's replacements⁴.

Executive power

Lincoln changed the presidency⁵ by being actively⁶ involved as a commander-in-chief of the military. He also greatly expanded the powers of the chief executive.

Lincoln believed that, during war, the president had powers that were greater than those of Congress and the Supreme⁷ Court. As a result, he took many actions that critics – and even some supporters – considered illegal under the U.S. Constitution.

For example, Lincoln spent millions of dollars in federal money without getting permission from Congress. He also limited freedom of the press, restricted mail service, and declared martial⁸ law in some places, even when the situation did not require military action.

Most notably⁹, Lincoln temporarily suspended the writ¹⁰ of habeas corpus. Habeas corpus is an important right in the American legal tradition. It means that people who are under arrest have the right to appear personally in court.

But, at some periods, Lincoln ignored that right.

He said the Confederacy's "rebellion" justified¹¹ his actions. And, he said, extreme measures were necessary to re-unite the country.

Emancipation¹² Proclamation

One of Lincoln's most important legacies¹³ relates to slavery. The issue was at the heart of the American Civil War.

For most of his career, Lincoln spoke¹⁴ against slavery. But he did not try to bar the custom in states where it already existed. He agreed to leave slavery in the South alone.

Lincoln also did not really believe in racial equality. And he worried that if slavery ended in the United States, blacks and whites would not be able to live peacefully together.

But as the war continued, Lincoln changed his mind about how to deal with the issue.

For one thing, anti-slavery activists¹⁵ were urging Lincoln to end slavery for moral reasons.

Lincoln also considered tactical reasons -- those related to the war.

He saw that enslaved people in the South were escaping to join Union armies in the North. Their actions helped the Union effort.

Lincoln also wanted to prevent England or France from helping the South. The Southern states were important trading partners for Europe. But the English and French people had rejected slavery. Lincoln hoped that if the Union also rejected slavery, European countries would support the North – or at least not support the South.

So Lincoln waited until the Union won a major battle in Antietam, Maryland. Then he announced that he was using his power as a wartime president to order the end of slavery in the Confederate states.

He produced a document called the Emancipation Proclamation. It said that enslaved people in the rebelling states were "forever free."

Historians note that the act was important and revolutionary. But it was mostly symbolic¹⁶. The federal government was not able to enforce the order at the time. And it did not deal with enslaved people in other areas.

But the Emancipation Proclamation was the beginning of the end of legal slavery in the country. During the rest of his presidency, Lincoln worked in support of an anti-slavery amendment¹⁷ to the Constitution. That amendment – the Thirteenth – was approved in 1865. It officially outlawed¹⁸ slavery across the country.

Next week we will finish the story of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War.

Words in This Story

resources - n. a supply of something (such as money) that someone has and can use when it is needed

frustrated - adj. very angry, discouraged, or upset because of being unable to do or complete something

martial law - adj. control of an area by military forces rather than by the police

legacies - n. things that come from someone in the past

symbolic - adj. expressing or representing an idea or quality

1 martyr   

n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲

参考例句：

• The martyr laid down his life for the cause of national independence.这位烈士是为了民族独立的事业而献身的。
• The newspaper carried the martyr's photo framed in black.报上登载了框有黑边的烈士遗像。

2 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

3 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 replacements   

n.代替( replacement的名词复数 )；替换的人[物]；替代品；归还

参考例句：

• They infiltrated behind the lines so as to annoy the emery replacements. 他们渗透敌后以便骚扰敌军的调度。 来自辞典例句
• For oil replacements, cheap suddenly looks less of a problem. 对于石油的替代品来说，价格变得无足轻重了。 来自互联网

5 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

6 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

7 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

8 martial   

adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的

参考例句：

• The sound of martial music is always inspiring.军乐声总是鼓舞人心的。
• The officer was convicted of desertion at a court martial.这名军官在军事法庭上被判犯了擅离职守罪。

9 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

10 writ   

n.命令状，书面命令

参考例句：

• This is a copy of a writ I received this morning.这是今早我收到的书面命令副本。
• You shouldn't treat the newspapers as if they were Holy Writ. 你不应该把报上说的话奉若神明。

11 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

12 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》

13 legacies   

n.遗产( legacy的名词复数 )；遗留之物；遗留问题；后遗症

参考例句：

• Books are the legacies that a great genius leaves to mankind. 书是伟大的天才留给人类的精神财富。 来自辞典例句
• General legacies are subject to the same principles as demonstrative legacies. 一般的遗赠要与指定数目的遗赠遵循同样的原则。 来自辞典例句

14 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

15 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

17 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

18 outlawed   

宣布…为不合法（outlaw的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Most states have outlawed the use of marijuana. 大多数州都宣布使用大麻为非法行为。
• I hope the sale of tobacco will be outlawed someday. 我希望有朝一日烟草制品会禁止销售。