THE MAKING OF A NATION 90 - James Buchanan, Part 6

THE MAKING OF A NATION #90 - James Buchanan, Part 6
By Frank Beardsley

Broadcast: Thursday, November 25, 2004

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VOICE ONE:

THE MAKING OF A NATION -- a program in Special English.

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Throughout most of the eighteen-fifties, war between north and south over the issue of slavery remained a continuing threat. Then, in the autumn of eighteen-fifty-nine, the American crisis¹ seemed to cool.

There had been elections in most states of the north and south. The people had rejected candidates of extreme ideas and elected moderate men. Only in a few states of the north did anti-slavery extremists rule. And pro-slavery extremists held power in only a few states of the deep south.

People saw the elections as a sign of hope that reasonable men might find a way to settle the bitter dispute over slavery.

But these hopes fell on October seventeenth, eighteen-fifty-nine, with the news that a group of Abolitionists had attacked the Virginia town of Harper's Ferry.

VOICE TWO:

 
John Brown
The attack was led by John Brown, an old anti-slavery extremist. Many believed him insane². He had gone to Kansas and fought bitterly against pro-slavery forces. Once, to answer an attack on the town of Lawrence, Brown and his men pulled five men and boys from their homes amd murdered them.

The wife of one of the men said brown told her: "If a man stands between me and what I believe to be right, I will take his life as coolly as I would eat my breakfast."

Brown lost a son in a pro-slavery attack on his home at Osawatomie, Kansas. Brown and his friends were forced to flee. They watched as the pro-slavery men burned the town.

Brown shook with grief³ and anger. "I have only a short time to live," he said, "only one death to die. And I will die fighting for this cause. There will be no more peace in this land until slavery is done for. I will give them something else to do than to extend slave territory. I will carry this war into the south."

VOICE ONE:

To fight a war against slavery, Brown needed money and guns. He went to Massachusetts and New York. He spoke⁴ at town meetings and met privately⁵ with Abolitionist leaders.

In these private talks, Brown said it was too late to settle the slave question through politics or any other peaceful way. He said the only answer was a slave rebellion⁶. It would be bloody⁷, Brown said, and this was terrible. But slavery itself was a terrible wrong -- the same as murder. Only blood, he said, would wash away the wrongs of slavery.

Brown said God meant for him to begin this rebellion by invading Virginia with a military force he already was organizing. Brown said even if the rebellion failed, it would probably lead to a civil war between north and south. In such a war, he said, the north would break the chains of the black man on the battlefield.

VOICE TWO:

Brown won the support of a group of Abolitionist leaders. They formed a secret committee and called themselves the "Secret Six. " They agreed to advise Brown and, more importantly, to raise one thousand dollars for him.

From New England, Brown went to Chatham, Canada. He went there for a secret convention⁸ he had called to form a revolutionary government. This government would rule all the slave territory that Brown and his men could capture.

Forty-six representatives went to the convention -- thirty-four Negroes and twelve whites. Brown told them of his plan. He said he was sure that southern slaves were ready for rebellion. He said they would rise up at the first sign of a leader who wished to break their chains.

VOICE ONE:

"But what if troops are brought against you," one man asked.

Brown answered that his men would fight in the mountains, where a small force could stop a much larger one. He said his men would be well-trained in mountain fighting. Brown said he expected his small force to grow much larger. He would invite the slaves he freed to join his army. And, he said he thought that all the free Negroes of the north would come to fight slavery with him.

The representatives approved Brown's constitution. And they named him commander-in-chief.

VOICE TWO:

Brown had decided¹⁰ to strike at Harpers Ferry, a town of about twenty-five-hundred people. It was in northern Virginia about one hundred kilometers north of Washington. Harpers Ferry was built on a narrow finger of land where the Shenandoah River flowed into the Potomac River. There were two bridges. One crossed the Shenandoah. The other, a railroad bridge, crossed the Potomac to Maryland.

John Brown chose Harpers Ferry because there was a factory there that made guns for the army. There also was an arsenal¹¹ where several million dollars' worth of military equipment was kept. Brown needed the guns and equipment for the slave army he hoped to form.

VOICE ONE:

 
Brown's fort⁹ near Harpers Ferry (Image:www.nps.gov/hafe)
Old Brown arrived at Harpers Ferry early in July, eighteen-fifty-nine. Two of his sons, Owen and Oliver, and another man came with him. They rented an old house on a farm in Maryland not far from Harpers Ferry. Brown told people that he was a cattle buyer from New York.

Brown's men joined him, one or two at a time, over the next several months. They traveled at night so no one would see them. Once they reached the farm house, they had to stay in hiding.

Week by week, the little force grew. But it grew too slowly. By the end of summer, there were still less than twenty men hiding in the old house.

Brown wrote letters to his supporters in the north. He asked for more money and more men. He got little of either. His supporters were afraid. Too many people knew of Brown's plans. The "Secret Six" feared they would face criminal charges if Brown attacked Harpers Ferry.

Brown's men grew tired of the small, crowded rooms of the farm house. Brown knew he must act soon or his young men would begin leaving.

VOICE TWO:

On Saturday, October fifteenth, three men arrived to join the group. One of them brought six-hundred dollars in gold for Brown's use. Brown saw the gold as a sign that God wanted him to act. He told his men they would strike the next night.

Brown held religious services Sunday morning and prayed for God to help him free the slaves. Then he called his men around him to explain to them his battle plan.

They would seize the two bridges at Harpers Ferry and close them. Next, they would capture the armory¹² and the rifle factory. They would capture as many people as possible. They would use the people as hostages¹³ for protection against any soldiers that might be sent against them.

VOICE ONE:

The army had no men near Harpers Ferry. Brown believed he would have all the time he needed. He believed his only opposition¹⁴ might be local groups of militia¹⁵. He did not fear these civilian¹⁶ soldiers.

The old man thought he and his men could hold Harpers Ferry until slaves in the area rebelled and joined them. Brown knew that Maryland and western Virginia were full of people opposed to slavery. He expected many of them to come to his aid.

The twenty-two men rested until dark, listening to rain hit the roof of the farm house.

VOICE TWO:

About eight o'clock, Brown called his group. "Men," he said, "get your weapons. We are going to the Ferry."

A wagon¹⁷ was brought out and a horse tied to it. In the wagon were a few tools and some extra guns. Brown climbed into the wagon and started it toward town. Two of his men stepped out in front of the wagon, leading the way. The others walked behind.

It was a dark and cold night. A light rain was falling. There was no one else on the road. After a time, they reached the high ground above the Potomac. Below them, across the river, lay the town of Harpers Ferry. Most of the town was sleeping. Only a few lights shone through the rain.

John Brown was ready for his final struggle against slavery.

That will be our story in the next program of THE MAKING OF A NATION.

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VOICE ONE:

You have been listening to the Special English program, THE MAKING OF A NATION. Your narrators were Harry¹⁸ Monroe and Jack¹⁹ Moyles. Our program was written by Frank Beardsley. THE MAKING OF A NATION can be heard Thursdays.

1 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

2 insane   

adj.蠢极的，荒唐的，精神错乱的，疯狂的

参考例句：

• Insane people are sometimes dangerous.精神病人有时非常危险。
• The letter made her insane with jealousy.那封信使她妒忌得发疯。

3 grief   

n.悲伤，悲痛，悲伤的事，悲痛的缘由

参考例句：

• Don't allow yourself to sink into grief,it can do no good.不要使自己陷入悲哀之中，这样一点好处也没有。
• After her mother died,she abandoned herself to grief.母亲死后，她沉浸于悲痛之中。

4 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。

5 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

6 rebellion   

n.造反，叛乱，反抗

参考例句：

• The next year they rose up in rebellion.第二年他们就揭竿起义了。
• The new government quickly suppressed the rebellion.新政府迅速把叛乱镇压下去。

7 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

8 convention   

n.惯例，习俗，常规，会议，大会

参考例句：

• How many delegates have checked in at the convention?大会已有多少代表报到？
• He sets at naught every convention of society.他轻视所有的社会习俗。

9 fort   

n.要塞，堡垒，碉堡

参考例句：

• The fort can not be defended against an air attack.这座要塞遭到空袭时无法防御。
• No one can get into the fort without a pass.没有通行证，任何人不得进入要塞。

10 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

11 arsenal   

n.兵工厂，军械库

参考例句：

• Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
• We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。

12 armory   

n.纹章，兵工厂，军械库

参考例句：

• Nuclear weapons will play a less prominent part in NATO's armory in the future.核武器将来在北约的军械中会起较次要的作用。
• Every March the Armory Show sets up shop in New York.每年三月，军械博览会都会在纽约设置展场。

13 hostages   

人质( hostage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The hostages were tied up and blindfolded. 人质被捆绑起来并蒙上了眼睛。
• Fear was the hostages' constant companion. 人质一直都感到恐惧不安。

14 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

15 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

16 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

17 wagon   

n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车

参考例句：

• We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
• The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。

18 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

19 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。