How one piece of legislation divided a nation - Ben Labaree, Jr.

催生出共和党的法案 - Ben Labaree, Jr.

翻译人员: sherry lee 校对人员: Francis Ma

如今当人们抱怨 美国的政治制度时

Today when people complain about the state

of American politics,

they often mention the dominance of

他们总是能提及 民主党和共和党轮流执政的格局

the Democratic and Republican Parties,

or the sharp split between red and blue states.

或者红州与蓝州旗帜鲜明的对立局面

But while it may seem like both of these things

这两件种现象 好像从一开始就存在一样

have been around forever,

the situation looked quite different in 1850,

但在 1850 年，实际情况与现在大不相同

with the Republican Party not yet existing,

当时还没有共和党

and support for the dominant Democrats and Whigs

占主导地位的是民主党和辉格党

cutting across geographic divides.

支持者依据其所在的地理位置分为明显的两派

The collapse of this Second Party System

而第二党系的瓦解

was at the center of increasing regional tensions

使当时局势日益紧张

that would lead to the birth of the Republican Party,

也促成了共和党的诞生

the rise of Abraham Lincoln as its leader,

也使阿伯拉罕林肯脱颖而出，成为领袖

and a civil war that would claim over half a million lives.

同时使南北战争爆发，造成了超过 50 万人的死亡

And if this collapse could be blamed

而如果这个体系的崩塌 要归咎于一场事件的话

on a single event,

it would be the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854.

那便是 1854 年通过的堪萨斯—内布拉斯加法案

The story starts with the Missouri Compromise of 1820.

事件的起因是 1820 年的密苏里妥协案

To balance the number of slave states

为了使合众国里的畜奴州 和自由州的数量达到平衡

and free states in the Union,

it allowed slavery in the newly admitted

该妥协案于新成立的密苏里州允许奴隶制

state of Missouri, while making it off limits

但是在联邦政府管辖的路易斯安那地区禁止奴隶制

in the remaining federally administered Louisiana Territory.

But compromises tend to last

但是该妥协法案

only as long as they're convenient,

只是权宜之计，不是长久之策

and by the early 1850s,

到了 19 世纪 50 年代早期

a tenacious Democratic Senator from Illionis

有一位来自伊利诺伊州的十分强势的民主党参议员

named Stephen A. Douglas

名叫史蒂芬道格拉斯

found its terms very inconvenient.

他认为该法案极不合理

As an advocate of western expansion,

他主张向西部扩张

he promoted constructing a transcontinental

并建立跨洲铁路

railroad across the Northern Plains

横跨北部平原

并把东部终点站设在芝加哥

with an eastern terminus in Chicago,

where he happened to own real estate.

他在那里恰好有自己的不动产

For his proposal to succeed,

为了使自己的提案获得通过

Douglas felt that the territories

道格拉斯认为

through which the railroad passed,

所有铁路穿过的地区 都要实行统一的制度

would have to be formally organized,

这就意味着他需要得到南部的支持

which required the support of Southern politicians.

He was also a believer in popular sovereignty,

他同时信奉人民主权论

arguing that the status of slavery in a territory

提出一个州是否实行奴隶制

should be decided by its residents rather than Congress.

应由其居民决定而非国会决定

So Douglas introduced a bill

所以道格拉斯提出了一个法案

designed to kill two birds with one stone.

旨在实现一石二鸟

It would divide the large chunk of incorporated land

这会使大部分本已实现统一的区域

into two new organized territories: Nebraska and Kansas,

分裂成两个新成立的地区：内布拉斯加和肯萨斯

each of which would be open to slavery

两者都可以实现奴隶制

if the population voted to allow it.

只要人民投票通过即可

While Douglas and his Southern supporters

道格拉斯和他在南部的支持者

tried to frame the bill as protecting

试图把该法案描述为保护

the political rights of settlers,

当地居民的政治权利

horrified Northerners recognized it as

但这也在北部引起恐慌，北方人认为这等于是

repealing the 34-year-old Missouri Compromise

要废除实行了 34 年的密苏里妥协案

and feared that its supporters' ultimate goal

并担心支持者的最终目的

was to extend slavery to the entire nation.

是使奴隶制在全国扩张

Congress was able to pass the Kansas-Nebraska Act,

后来国会通过了堪萨斯-内布拉斯加法案

but at the huge cost of bitterly dividing the nation,

但代价是惨痛的，它造成了国家的分裂

with 91% of the opposition coming from Northerners.

91% 的反对派来自北方

In the House of Representatives,

在众议院

politicians traded insults and brandished weapons

政客们相互谩骂，剑拔弩张

until a Sargent at Arms restored order.

直到警卫官恢复秩序才停下来

President Pierce signed the bill into law

皮尔斯总统签署该法案通过

amidst a storm of protest,

尽管周围尽是反对的声音

while Georgia's Alexander Stephens,

来自乔治亚州的亚历山大·斯蒂芬斯

future Confederate Vice President,

也就是后来美利坚联盟国副总统

hailed the Act's passage as,

把法案的通过盛赞为

"Glory enough for one day."

「充满荣耀光辉的一天」

但纽约论坛报报道称

The New York Tribune reported,

"The unanimous sentiment of the North is indignant resistance."

「北方民众一致坚决反对」

Douglas even admitted that he could travel

道格拉斯也承认

他能顺着燃烧的自己的人像 一路从华盛顿走到芝加哥

from Washington D.C. to Chicago

by the light of his own burning effigies.

The political consequences

堪萨斯-内布拉斯加法案的政治后果极为严重

of the Kansas-Nebraska Act were stunning.

Previously, both Whigs and Democrats had included

在此之前，辉格党和民主党还可以让

南北方的立法委员

Northern and Southern lawmakers united around

在不同议题上统一意见，

various issues, but now slavery became

但如今奴隶制问题

a dividing factor that could not be ignored.

使两派分裂到已不容小觑的程度

Congressmen from both parties

来自两党的国会议员

spoke out against the act,

都站出来反对该法案

including an Illinois Whig named Abraham Lincoln,

其中包括一位来自伊利诺斯州的 辉格党人—阿伯拉罕·林肯

denouncing "the monstrous injustice of slavery"

他在 1854 年皮奥里亚演说中 谴责道「奴隶制本身便是巨大的不公」

in an 1854 speech.

By this time the Whigs had all but ceased to exist,

在当时，辉格党已近乎式微

irreparably split between

并已无法挽回地使党内分裂成

their Northern and Southern factions.

南北两派

In the same year, the new Republican Party

同年，一个新的政党——共和党成立了

was founded by the anti-slavery elements

由来自原有的两个党派 反对奴隶制的人士组建

from both existing parties.

虽然林肯在 1854 年仍旧担任辉格党参议员

Although Lincoln still ran for Senate as a Whig in 1854,

he was an early supporter of the new party,

他在新政党成立之初就是其支持者

and helped to recruit others to its cause.

也为其招募了一批成员

Meanwhile the Democratic Party was shaken

而同时民主党也受到了冲击

when events in the newly formed Kansas Territory

因为在新成立的肯萨斯州境内

revealed the violent consequences of popular sovereignty.

由于「人民主权」的实行引发了暴力冲突

Advertisements appeared across the North

在北部到处都有广告宣传

imploring people to emigrate to Kansas

呼吁人民到堪萨斯去

to stem the advance of slavery.

阻止奴隶制的推行

The South answered with Border Ruffians,

而南部以边界的暴动回应此举

pro-slavery Missourians who crossed state lines

支持奴隶制的密苏里人穿过州界

to vote in fraudulent elections

来操控投票结果

and raid anti-slavery settlements.

并声讨反奴隶制的居民

One northern abolitionist, John Brown,

一位来自北部的废奴主义者，名叫约翰·布朗

became notorious following the

由于 1856 年的波特瓦托米大屠杀而名声扫地

Pottawatomie Massacre of 1856

when he and his sons hacked to death

当时他和他的儿子们用宽剑 刺死了五名支持奴隶制的农民

five pro-slavery farmers with broad swords.

In the end, more than 50 people

最后，超过 50 人 死于当时的堪萨斯内战

died in Bleeding Kansas.

While nominally still a national party,

虽然名义上仍旧是一个全国性政党

Douglas's Democrats were increasingly divided

道格拉斯领导的民主党 内部已经逐渐分成南北两派

along sectional lines,

and many Northern members left

许多在北部的成员退出

to join the Republicans.

并加入了共和党

Abraham Lincoln finally took up

阿伯拉罕林肯最终在 1856 成为了共和党的领袖

the Republican Party banner in 1856

并在余生一直身居此位

and never looked back.

That year, John C. Fremont,

同年，约翰·查理·弗里蒙特

the first Republican presidential candidate,

也是第一位来自共和党的总统候选人

lost to Democrat, James Buchanan,

败给来自民主党的詹姆斯·布坎南

but garnered 33% of the popular vote

但赢得了 33%的选票

all from Northern states.

全部支持都来自北部各州

Two years later, Lincoln challenged Douglas

两年后，林肯与道格拉斯

for his Illinois Senate seat,

在伊利诺斯州的参议员选举中展开激辩

and although he lost that contest,

虽然林肯输掉了竞选

it elevated his status among Republicans.

但他在共和党的地位大大提升

Lincoln would finally be vindicated in 1860,

然而在 1860 年 林肯转败为胜

when he was elected President of the United States,

这一次，他被选举为美国总统

defeating in his own home state,

在他的家乡击败了

a certain Northern Democrat,

那位来自北部的民主党人，道格拉斯

who was finally undone by the disastrous

他最终也由于自己亲自策划的

aftermath of the law he had masterminded.

法案所带来的灾难性后果而饱尝苦果

Americans today continue to debate

美国人如今依旧在争论

whether the Civil War was inevitable,

南北战争是否无法避免

but there is no doubt that the

但毫无疑问的是

堪萨斯-内布拉斯加法案 加剧了双方可怕的冲突

Kansas-Nebraska Act made the ghastly conflict

much more likely.

而正是因为这点

And for that reason,

该法案也应作为美国历史上 最重要法案之一而被永远铭记

it should be remembered as one of the most

consequential pieces of legislation

in American history.