The historical audacity of the Louisiana Purchase - Judy Walton

Transcriber: Andrea McDonough Reviewer: Bedirhan Cinar

翻译人员: Shawnee Huang 校对人员: Zhuo Wang

Have you heard the one about Thomas Jefferson

你听说过

托马斯·杰斐逊与路易斯安那购地案吗

and the Louisiana Territory?

Thomas Jefferson, author of The Declaration of Independence,

托马斯 杰斐逊——美国独立宣言的撰稿人

was not a fan of the new constitution presented in 1787.

并不支持在1787年起草的美国新宪法

He was very worried

相反的 他感到非常担忧

that The Constitution gave too much power

因为宪法赋予了新联邦政府

to the new, national government,

过大的权力

and not enough power to the states,

而各个州所分得的权力远远不足

an issue known as "big government".

这一问题被称为“大政府”

Jefferson only reluctantly agreed to support it

然而杰斐逊的朋友 詹姆斯·麦迪逊

when his friend, James Madison,

承诺在新宪法出台后 公开一份权利宣言

promised to propose a bill of rights after it was ratified.

最终 杰斐逊勉强同意支持新宪法的出台

But Jefferson's fears about big government did not go away.

但是杰斐逊所担心的“大政府”的状态还是持续下去

For example, Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton,

例如 1790年国家财政部秘书长亚历山大 · 汉密尔顿

proposed a national bank in 1790,

提议建立中央银行

and Jefferson knew there was no provision in The Constitution

杰斐逊认为在新宪法的条令中

to permit such a thing.

并不允许这样的事情发生

Hamilton claimed some sort of implied powers mumbo-jumbo.

汉密尔顿则念念有词 主张宪法暗示了这项权利

Sure, it wasn't written in The Constitution,

——当然 新宪法没有明文规定可以这样

but The Constitution implied that it could be done.

然而事实上 新宪法默许了这样的做法

But, Jefferson wasn't buying it.

杰斐逊并不买账

Nonetheless, the bank was established

尽管如此 在汉密尔顿和华盛顿总统的推动下

by Hamilton and President Washington.

中央银行还是在杰斐逊宣誓就任总统的同年

When Jefferson was sworn in as President in 1801,

1801年建立了

he pledged to reduce the size and scope

杰斐逊保证在他执政后

of the national government.

缩减联邦政府的规模

But, of course, things didn't go exactly as he had planned.

但是 事情不总是按照他的计划来发展

Spain secretly transferred the Louisiana Territory to France

在杰斐逊的眼皮底下

西班牙悄悄地把路易斯安那领地转让给了法国

right beneath Jefferson's nose.

When Congress found out,

当国会知道这件事后

they quickly began discussions with France

他们迅速和法国谈判

to buy a piece of the territory

想要花大约2百万美元

along the Mississippi River for about $2 million.

购买靠近密西西比河的一些土地

But, there was one little problem:

但是 他们面临一个小问题

Jefferson knew there was no provision

杰斐逊知道

新宪法中没有任何条令允许本国购买外国的土地

in The Constitution to buy foreign territory.

So what was a strict constructionist to do?

那么 作为一个坚定的建构主义者 他会怎么做呢

First, he tried to get an amendment to The Constitution passed

首先 他想要通过修改新宪法

that would expressly permit the purchase,

来获取购买许可

but Congress wasn't willing to do it.

但国会不愿意通过他的提案

Then, without permission, the U.S. negotiators in France

然后 在没有得到许可的情况下

在法国进行谈判的美国方面代表

cut a deal for all of the territory

与法国达成了用1500万美元购买 所有领地的协议

for a cool $15 million dollars.

That new land doubled the size of the nation!

新购买的土地使美国版图扩大了一倍！

Now Jefferson was really stuck.

现在杰斐逊被难住了

He knew that the territory would be a great acquisition for the country,

他知道对美国来说 这是一次意义深远的土地收购

providing lots of new land for farmers and other settlers,

包括为农民和其他的移民者提供了许多新的土地

but how could he constitutionally justify it?

但是他应如何在体制上证明这次收购的合法化

In the end, Jefferson turned to the argument

最后 杰斐逊想到了一个漏洞

used by his old foe Alexander Hamilton.

这一漏洞曾被他的老敌人亚历山大 · 汉密尔顿运用过

He claimed that the power to purchase the territory

杰斐逊宣称 在新宪法“制定条约的权力”一条中

is implied in The Constitution's treaty-making power.

默认土地购买权的合法化

This was the exact argument

十年之前的情景

that he had mocked openly a decade before,

在杰斐逊身上重现了

so it must have crushed his pride to have to use it.

并且他不得不放下他的自尊求助于这个漏洞

But more importantly,

但是更耐人寻味i的是

he may have committed the biggest big government play ever!

他或许已经扮演了至今为止 最有代表性的“大政府”的角色

How ironic is it

多么讽刺

that one of the biggest opponents of big government

杰斐逊——最坚决抵制“大政府”体制的人之一

使年轻的美国版图扩充了一倍

doubled the size of the young country

and did so while openly questioning its constitutionality?

在公开质疑合宪性（宪法合格性）的同时 却做出了与他言辞相反的举动

At $15 million,

以1500万美元

which is about three cents an acre,

即一英亩（约4047平方米）约三美分的价格成交

it has been called by many

至今它被很多人称之为 “美国历史上最重要的地产交易”

the greatest real estate deal

in the history of the United States.