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

讓共和黨誕生的立法 - 小班．拉巴里

譯者: Harry Chen 審譯者: Geoff Chen

Today when people complain about the state

當今天大家都在抱怨 美國的政治局面，

of American politics,

they often mention the dominance of

他們經常說到民主黨 與共和黨的一山不容二虎，

the Democratic and Republican Parties,

or the sharp split between red and blue states.

或是分屬兩黨的州政府 嚴重對立。

But while it may seem like both of these things

這兩件事情看起來可能

have been around forever,

像是一直就存在著的；

the situation looked quite different in 1850,

不過在1850年時情況 卻是非常不一樣的，

with the Republican Party not yet existing,

共和黨根本還不存在，

and support for the dominant Democrats and Whigs

力挺民主黨或輝格黨 當家的力量，

cutting across geographic divides.

切割出地理上的區分。

The collapse of this Second Party System

第二名政黨體制的失敗，

was at the center of increasing regional tensions

主因是不斷增加的地區壓力，

that would lead to the birth of the Republican Party,

那可能還帶來了 共和黨的成立、

the rise of Abraham Lincoln as its leader,

以及後來亞伯拉罕．林肯 崛起成為該黨的領袖，

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

還有據估計折損了 50多萬條性命的內戰。

And if this collapse could be blamed

如果可以歸咎這個浩劫 於單一事件，

on a single event,

it would be the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854.

那必定就是1854年的 《堪薩斯．內布拉斯加法案》。

The story starts with the Missouri Compromise of 1820.

故事要從1820年的 《密蘇里妥協協定》說起，

To balance the number of slave states

為了要讓有蓄奴的各州 (美利堅聯盟國)，

and free states in the Union,

與解放奴隸的各州─美利堅聯邦 (同盟國)在數目上維持平衡，

it allowed slavery in the newly admitted

該協定允許新設立的 密蘇里州可以蓄奴，

state of Missouri, while making it off limits

使得仍處於美利堅聯邦管轄 的路易斯安那地區

in the remaining federally administered Louisiana Territory.

蓄奴是不違法的。

But compromises tend to last

而且只要夠便利，

only as long as they're convenient,

該協定就像會永久 維持下去一般。

and by the early 1850s,

等到了1850-60年的前面幾年，

a tenacious Democratic Senator from Illionis

來自伊利諾州強硬的 民主黨參議員：

named Stephen A. Douglas

史提芬．道格拉斯，

found its terms very inconvenient.

發現該法案的條文 非常不方便。

As an advocate of western expansion,

身為西部擴張政策 的鼓吹者，

he promoted constructing a transcontinental

他推動了興建貫通 北部原野的

railroad across the Northern Plains

穿越大陸鐵路法案，

with an eastern terminus in Chicago,

鐵路東邊的 終點站在芝加哥，

where he happened to own real estate.

在芝加哥他擁有著 私人的不動產，

For his proposal to succeed,

為了讓他的提案成功，

Douglas felt that the territories

道格拉斯認為 鐵路通過的領域，

through which the railroad passed,

would have to be formally organized,

需要正式地計劃，

which required the support of Southern politicians.

那需要南方政要的幫助。

He was also a believer in popular sovereignty,

道格拉斯也是當時 流行的統治權的信眾，

arguing that the status of slavery in a territory

聲稱蓄養奴隸在(各州) 領土內的現象，

should be decided by its residents rather than Congress.

應該由居民而不是國會 來做決定，

So Douglas introduced a bill

因此道格拉斯提出了

designed to kill two birds with one stone.

一舉兩得的一個法案，

It would divide the large chunk of incorporated land

那將會把一大片 相連的土地，

into two new organized territories: Nebraska and Kansas,

劃分成兩個新規劃的領域： 內布拉斯加以及堪薩斯，

each of which would be open to slavery

如果百姓投票通過，

if the population voted to allow it.

兩個地方都會開放蓄養奴隸。

While Douglas and his Southern supporters

當道格拉斯和他南方 的盟友們，

tried to frame the bill as protecting

想要把法案架構成保護

the political rights of settlers,

屯墾者的參政權，

horrified Northerners recognized it as

擔憂的北方人將這視為意欲

repealing the 34-year-old Missouri Compromise

廢除有34年之久的 《密蘇里妥協協定》的行為，

and feared that its supporters' ultimate goal

擔心該法案的支持者 的最終目標是

was to extend slavery to the entire nation.

要將蓄奴制度擴展遍及全國。

Congress was able to pass the Kansas-Nebraska Act,

當時國會是可以通過 《堪薩斯．內布拉斯加法案》，

but at the huge cost of bitterly dividing the nation,

但是要付出國家嚴重對立 的沉重代價，

with 91% of the opposition coming from Northerners.

來自北方議員做出91%反對票；

In the House of Representatives,

在眾議院裡頭，

politicians traded insults and brandished weapons

政客們交相辱罵、 揮舞著武器，

until a Sargent at Arms restored order.

直到武裝守衛來恢復 議場的秩序。

President Pierce signed the bill into law

富蘭克林．皮爾斯總統 在抗議的風暴中

amidst a storm of protest,

批准了該法案，

while Georgia's Alexander Stephens,

當時喬治亞州的 亞歷山大．史提芬斯，

future Confederate Vice President,

也就是未來的美利堅 聯盟國的副總統，

hailed the Act's passage as,

歡呼著法案的通過像是 「就算只是一天，也是光榮的。」

"Glory enough for one day."

The New York Tribune reported,

紐約論壇報是這樣的報導：

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

「北方人一致的念頭是 要義憤填膺的來抵制！」

Douglas even admitted that he could travel

道格拉斯甚至承認

from Washington D.C. to Chicago

從華盛頓特區旅行到芝加哥，

by the light of his own burning effigies.

都會經過燃燒他本人畫像的 火光。

The political consequences

《堪薩斯．內布拉斯加法案》的

of the Kansas-Nebraska Act were stunning.

政治影響是令人不敢置信的，

Previously, both Whigs and Democrats had included

以前輝格黨和民主黨

Northern and Southern lawmakers united around

南方和北方的民意代表在 許多議題上都是團結一心的，

various issues, but now slavery became

可是現在的奴隸制度成為

a dividing factor that could not be ignored.

無法忽視的分裂因素，

Congressmen from both parties

兩政黨的國會議員

spoke out against the act,

都公開發言反對該法案，

including an Illinois Whig named Abraham Lincoln,

包括了伊利諾州的輝格黨員 亞伯拉罕．林肯，

denouncing "the monstrous injustice of slavery"

在1854年的演說中譴責說：

in an 1854 speech.

是「對奴隸最殘忍的不公正」。

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

這時候輝格黨就 像是不存在了的，

irreparably split between

在南方和北方的派別上

their Northern and Southern factions.

有著無法修復的分立，

In the same year, the new Republican Party

同一年新的政黨成立了：共和黨。

was founded by the anti-slavery elements

由既存的兩黨中反對蓄奴 的成員們所組成的，

from both existing parties.

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

雖然林肯在1854年仍是用 輝格黨的身分競選參議員，

he was an early supporter of the new party,

但他也是最初的 共和黨擁護者，

and helped to recruit others to its cause.

還幫忙招攬支持 該黨成立宗旨的黨員，

Meanwhile the Democratic Party was shaken

同時間共和黨對發生在 新建立的堪薩斯州地區

when events in the newly formed Kansas Territory

的好幾個事件感到頭痛，

revealed the violent consequences of popular sovereignty.

那顯露了持續不斷的 統治權的暴力結局。

Advertisements appeared across the North

在北方到處都看得到廣告單，

imploring people to emigrate to Kansas

懇求大家移居到堪薩斯，

to stem the advance of slavery.

來遏止擁奴派的進逼。

The South answered with Border Ruffians,

南方則以「邊境惡棍」來報復，

pro-slavery Missourians who crossed state lines

支持蓄奴的密蘇里州人 跨越州界，

to vote in fraudulent elections

在有弊案的選舉中投票、

and raid anti-slavery settlements.

襲擊反對蓄奴的北方屯墾者；

One northern abolitionist, John Brown,

北方主張廢除奴隸的 約翰．布朗，

became notorious following the

在1856年的波特瓦特米 大屠殺之後，

Pottawatomie Massacre of 1856

變得惡名昭彰，

when he and his sons hacked to death

那時候他跟他的兒子們 用寬劍砍死了

five pro-slavery farmers with broad swords.

5位支持奴隸制度的農民，

In the end, more than 50 people

最後超過50多人死在 「流血的堪薩斯」。

died in Bleeding Kansas.

While nominally still a national party,

儘管名義上仍然是 全國性的政黨

Douglas's Democrats were increasingly divided

道格拉斯的民主黨在派系上 是更加的分裂了，

along sectional lines,

and many Northern members left

許多北方成員退黨 而來加入共和黨，

to join the Republicans.

Abraham Lincoln finally took up

亞伯拉罕．林肯最終 也在1856年

the Republican Party banner in 1856

舉著共和黨的旗幟， 並且一路高升。

and never looked back.

That year, John C. Fremont,

當年約翰．佛瑞蒙特

the first Republican presidential candidate,

共和黨的第一位 總統候選人，

lost to Democrat, James Buchanan,

輸給了民主黨的 詹姆斯．布坎南，

but garnered 33% of the popular vote

但是獲得了33%的 大選選票，

all from Northern states.

全部都是來自北方州。

Two years later, Lincoln challenged Douglas

兩年後林肯挑戰 道格拉斯的

for his Illinois Senate seat,

伊利諾州參議員席次，

and although he lost that contest,

雖然他競選輸了，

it elevated his status among Republicans.

那卻提升了他在共和黨 黨員中的地位，

Lincoln would finally be vindicated in 1860,

林肯最終在1860年受到肯定，

when he was elected President of the United States,

當他獲選為美國總統，

defeating in his own home state,

在他的家鄉打敗，

a certain Northern Democrat,

一個道地的北方民主黨人，

who was finally undone by the disastrous

那個人最終被他所 策劃的法律

aftermath of the law he had masterminded.

給帶來的災難性 影響給扣分了。

Americans today continue to debate

今天美國人持續爭辯

whether the Civil War was inevitable,

到底內戰是不是無法避免的？

but there is no doubt that the

但毫無疑問的是 《堪薩斯‧內布拉斯加法案》

Kansas-Nebraska Act made the ghastly conflict

造成非常可怕的衝突 更有機會來發生，

much more likely.

And for that reason,

為了這理由它應該被牢記，

it should be remembered as one of the most

它應該被視為美國歷史上

consequential pieces of legislation

影響最為重大的幾項法案之一。

in American history.