What makes Thomas Jefferson so controversial? - Frank Cogliano

翻译人员: Grace Man 校对人员: Yip Yan Yeung

He was part of America's fight for freedom and equality.

他是美国争取自由与平等的一部分。

But were his enlightened principles outweighed

但他参与更大的 不公正行为所带来的影响

by participation in a greater injustice?

是否压倒了他开明的原则？

Find out on History versus Thomas Jefferson.

历史 VS. 托马斯·杰斐逊 （Thomas Jefferson）。

Order! Order! Hey, that’s one of the guys from Mt. Rushmore.

肃静，肃静！ 嘿，那是拉什莫尔山来的家伙。

Ahem. This is Thomas Jefferson,

大家好，这位先生是 托马斯·杰斐逊。

founding father of the United States of America

美国开国元勋以及

and primary author of the Declaration of Independence.

《美国独立宣言》的主要起草人。

The document that established the US as a democratic republic

《独立宣言》 即根据人人生而平等的原则

建立美国民主共和国的文件，

on the principle that everyone is created equal.

If by “everyone” you mean property-owning white men.

如果文件里所说的“人”是指 拥有财产的白人。

At the time Jefferson was writing,

当杰斐逊起草文件时，

one fifth of the colonies’ population was enslaved.

殖民地五分之一的人口 处于被奴役状态。

Surely he couldn’t be expected to single-handedly overturn

当然，我们不能指望他 凭一己之力推翻奴隶制度，是吧？

the institution of slavery?

Couldn’t he have just written that into the Declaration?

但他就不能写入《独立宣言》吗？

It wasn’t that simple, Your Honor.

没那么简单，法官大人。

Jefferson was one of five authors,

杰斐逊仅仅是五位作者之一，

and the document had to be ratified by the Continental Congress.

且文件必须得到大陆会议的批准。

He included a clause opposing the slave trade,

他曾试图加入反对奴隶贸易的条款，

but state delegates removed it.

但议会代表删除了它。

Nevertheless, Jefferson recognized slavery as an immoral institution

然而，杰斐逊承认 奴隶制是一种不道德的制度，

and condemned it throughout his life.

并终身谴责它。

But Jefferson’s words never came close to matching his actions!

但杰斐逊的话 从未在他的行动中践行！

As Virginia’s governor, he did nothing to change the state slave laws.

作为弗吉尼亚州州长， 他对改变州奴隶法没有丝毫贡献。

And in his personal life, he held over 600 people in slavery.

在他的个人生活中， 他总共拥有 600 多名奴隶。

Furthermore, he believed Black people were intellectual inferiors who,

此外，他认为黑人是智力低下的人，

if emancipated, should return to their countries of origin.

即便获得解放， 他们也应该被遣返其原籍国。

Frankly, there’s no argument that Jefferson did anything significant

坦白地说，杰斐逊在反对奴隶制方面 没有做出任何重大贡献，

to combat slavery.

这是毫无争议的。

It’s true, Your Honor.

是的，法官大人。

But Jefferson did make important contributions

但杰斐逊确实在宗教、金融以及 两性平等方面做出了重要贡献。

to religious, financial, and gender equality.

He led the charge for separating church and state,

他领导了政教分离运动，

removing government funding for Virginia’s Anglican Church,

取消了政府对 弗吉尼亚圣公会教堂的资助，

and paving the way for our modern understanding of religious freedom.

为我们对宗教自由的 现代化理解铺平了道路。

Jefferson also drafted laws that weakened the power of inherited wealth

杰斐逊还起草了削弱 继承财富权力的法律，

and pushed for the state-funded education of boys and girls.

并推动了对青少年的国家资助教育。

All valuable reforms, but you’re avoiding the fundamental issue here.

这些改革确实有价值， 但你在回避根本问题。

None of this benefited enslaved people or Indigenous Americans,

这些都没有使奴隶或土著美国人受益，

and it’s ridiculous to argue that Jefferson was pursuing equality

而且认为杰斐逊追求平等是荒谬的，

when his policies frequently harmed non-white groups.

因为他的政策经常伤害非白人群体，

Policies such as authorizing the military

诸如授权军队在革命战争期间 消灭土著社区的政策。

to exterminate Indigenous communities during the Revolutionary War.

Objection! Those Northwestern tribes were allied with the British.

反对！那些西北部族与英国人结盟。

In peacetime, Jefferson did his best to avoid conflict with Native Americans

在和平时期，杰斐逊尽力避免 与美洲原住民发生冲突，

and believed they could be equal to whites.

并且相信他们可以与白人平等。

“Could be equal”? Listen to yourself!

“可以平等”？你自己听听。

Are you defending his attempts to forcibly assimilate Indigenous communities?

你在为他强行同化 土著社区的企图辩护吗？

Jefferson’s recommendations even formed the basis

杰斐逊的建议甚至在日后

for the Indian Removal Act years later.

成为了《印第安人迁移法案》的基础。

Recommendations? Why not laws?

建议？为什么不是法律？

Thomas Jefferson served as a diplomat and Secretary of State

托马斯·杰斐逊曾担任 外交官和国务卿，

before being elected as Vice President under John Adams in 1796.

并在 1796 年当选为约翰·亚当斯 （John Adams）的副总统，

A role in which he undermined the President’s authority.

他所扮演的角色 削弱了总统的权威。

Jefferson argued that states should have the power

杰斐逊认为各州应该有权

to overrule federal laws they deemed unconstitutional—

推翻他们认为违宪的联邦法律——

an argument some Southern states would cite while seceding

70 年后，一些南方州在脱离联邦时 就引用了这一论点。

from the Union 70 years later.

I think it’s a little unreasonable to lay the entire Civil War at Jefferson’s feet.

我认为把整个内战的责任 归于杰斐逊有点不合理。

Besides, his defense of states’ rights was motivated

此外，他捍卫各州权利的动机是

by the president’s overreaching central government.

总统过度干预的中央政府。

As part of Adams’ preparations for war with France,

作为亚当斯准备 与法国开战的一部分，

he signed legislation that tightened restrictions on immigrants

他签署了加强对移民限制的立法，

and limited criticism of the government.

限制对政府的批评。

Jefferson was just trying to protect the public.

杰斐逊只是想保护公众。

And ultimately, his efforts were so popular that he was elected

最终，他的努力大受欢迎，

as the next president.

他当选了下一任美国总统。

A dubious victory.

一场可疑的胜利。

He only won because states were allowed to count enslaved people

他之所以获胜，是因为各州被允许 将被奴役的人计入其人口，

towards their population without giving them voting rights.

而不给予他们投票权。

This system gave states that held people in slavery additional voting power

这一制度在南北战争之前

in the Electoral College until the Civil War.

赋予了各奴隶制州 在选举团中的额外投票权。

Be that as it may, Jefferson was a popular president.

尽管如此，杰斐逊 仍旧是一位受欢迎的总统。

He worked to prevent the country from taking on too much debt,

他致力于防止国家背负太多债务，

and successfully led the US through the Napoleonic and the Barbary Wars.

并成功带领美国 度过了拿破仑战争和巴巴里战争。

Plus, he dramatically expanded the country’s territory

此外，他还通过购买路易斯安那州， 急剧地扩大了国家的领土。

through the Louisiana Purchase.

Where he once again failed to stop slavery from taking hold.

在那里，他再一次 未能阻止奴隶制扎根。

I’ll remind you that President Jefferson signed a law

我要提醒你，杰斐逊总统在 1807 年 签署了一项法律，禁止输入奴隶。

forbidding the importation of enslaved people in 1807.

And yet he continued to enslave those already on American soil—

然而，他继续奴役 那些已经在美国土地上的人——

including his own flesh and blood.

甚至他自己的子女。

Pardon?

什么？

Following his wife's death,

他妻子死后，

Jefferson began a relationship with her half-sister and maid, Sally Hemings.

杰斐逊与她同父异母的妹妹兼女仆 萨莉·海明斯（Sally Hemings）交往。

Jefferson fathered six children with Hemings

杰斐逊和她育有六个孩子，

and kept the entire relationship secret,

并对这段关系一直保密。

while continuing to publicly denounce the personhood of Black Americans.

同时继续公开谴责美国黑人的人格。

Jefferson freed several members of the Hemings family,

杰斐逊释放了 海明斯家族的几个成员，

including his children with Sally—

包括他与萨莉的孩子——

While refusing to free anyone else.

同时拒绝释放其他任何人。

Despite enslaving over 600 people, Jefferson only freed 10.

尽管奴役了 600 多人， 杰斐逊只释放了 10 人。

Five during his life and five in his will—

生前 5 人，遗嘱 5 人，

all members of the Hemings family.

都是海明斯家族的成员。

Even I have to admit, this seems indefensible.

即便我也不得不承认， 这是无可辩解的。

It’s true, Your Honor.

这是真的，法官大人。

Despite pursuing what he believed to be equality,

尽管杰斐逊追求他所认为的平等，

Jefferson failed to uphold his own ideals.

但他未能坚持自己的理想。

Ultimately, he was a man of his time—

最终，他也逃不过 所在时代的局限——

living in an economy that relied on exploitation and enslaved labor.

生活在依赖剥削和奴役的 经济社会中。

That’s hardly a defense when many of Jefferson’s contemporaries

这几乎算不上一种辩护， 与杰斐逊同时代的许多人

opposed slavery and took action to abolish it.

都致力于反对奴隶制并 采取行动废除奴隶制。

Even if some people considered him a great man in his time,

即使有人认为 他是那个时代的伟人，

he doesn’t have to be an icon in ours.

他并不必成为我们的偶像。

Well, I hear Mount Rushmore has a problematic past, too.

我也听说过 拉什莫尔山先生的过去有问题。

Can we judge historical figures by modern standards?

我们能用现代标准来 评判历史人物吗？

And what responsibilities do powerful people have to the future?

有权势的人对未来负有什么责任？

Answering these questions is all part of putting history on trial.

回答这些问题就是 审判历史的一部分。