美国总统7 马丁·范布伦.docx

美国总统7马丁范布伦MartinVanBuren:JustOKVOALearningEnglishpresentsAmerica'sPresidents.TodayWearetalkingaboutMartinVanBuren.HewassworninastheeighthpresidentoftheUnitedStatesin1837.VanBurenhadalreadybeenworkingfortheWhiteHouseforseveralyears.HehadbeenthesecretaryofstateforPresidentAndrewJacksonzandlaterhisvicepresident.This1832politicalcartoonshowsJacksoncarryingVanBurenintooffice.Jacksonaskedhisparty,theDemocrats,tonominateVanBurenastheirpresidentialcandidateinthe1836election.Theyagreed,andVanBurenwonthatelectioneasily.Buthedidnotwinthenextelection.Orthenext.Orthenext.PresidencyInhisinauguralspeechin1837,VanBurennotedthathewasthefirstU.S.presidenttobebornaftertheAmericanRevolution.HewasalsothefirstpresidentwhowasnotfromaBritishfamily.HisancestorswereDutch.Heremainstheonlypresident-sofar-whodidnotspeakEnglishashisfirstlanguage.Inhisinauguralspeech,VanBurenpredictedbettertimesforAmericans.Butseveraldayslater,aneconomiccrisisstruck.ThesituationputthecountryinadepressionthatlastedfortherestofVanBuren'sterm.Itwasonereasonthepresident'sopponentscalledhim"MartinVanRuin."ThedepressionwasnotVanBuren'sonlyproblem.HealsofacedadisputewithBritainrelatedtotheborderbetweentheU.S.andCanada.Theconflictnearlyturnedintowar.HistorianJoelSilbeysaysmostexpertsdonotthinkVanBurenwasastrongpresident.However,Silbeynotes,VanBurenleftanimportantlegacythatstilloperatestoday:HecreatedthemodernU.S.politicalsystem.EarlylifeVanBuren'spoliticaleducationbeganearly.HisfatherwasafarmerandoperatedahotelatasmalltowninNewYorkState.Lawmakerssometimesvisitedthehotel.Bylisteningtothem,thefuturepresidentlearnedaboutpolitics.Eventually,VanBurenstudiedinalawofficeandbecamealawyer.Inthefirstyearsofhiscareer,hedefendedfarmerswhowerefightinglargeplantationownersfortheirland.Asaresult,hedevelopedareputationforhelpingthecommonman.VanBurenbecamealocalofficial,andthenasenatorandgovernorofNewYork.Whenhewas24,hemarriedayoungwomanhehadgrownupwith.Butshediedoftuberculosisafter12years,leavinghimwithfoursons.HistorianJoelSilbeysaysalthoughVanBurendidnotremarry,"hewasknownasquitecharmingamongtheladies."PoliticalanimalVanBurenhadagiftforpolitics-thatis,developingrelationshipsandformingalliances.HistorianJoelSilbeysaysmostpeoplewhoknewVanBurenlikedhim.Heseemedwarmandfriendly.Hetriedtokeephiswork-relatedlifeandsocialactivitiesseparate.Itwasnotunusualtoseehimexchangehandshakes,smilesandjokeswithmenwhowerehispoliticalenemies.OpponentscalledVanBurentheSlyFoxbecausetheydidnotbelievetheycouldtrusthim.Hisabilitytomakefriendsbecameapowerfultool.BeforeVanBurenzevenlawmakersfromthesamepoliticalpartyoperatedindependently.Theyhadtheirownbeliefs,theirownsupporters,andtheirownallies.VanBurenbroughtthemtogether.FirstheidentifiedpeoplewhofollowedtheideasofThomasJefferson:supportforindependentfarmersandstates'rights.ThegrouphadbecomeknownastheDemocraticParty(althoughitwasinmanywaysdifferentfromtheDemocraticPartyoftoday).VanBurenorganizedmeetingsforDemocratstotalkabouttheirpoliticalbeliefs.Hepersuadedthemtosupportthesamepolicies-atthattime,thepoliciesofAndrewJackson.Sometimes,VanBurenhelpedpeoplewhosupportedJackson'spolicies.Hegavethemgovernmentjobs.VanBurenalsousedaseriesofmeetingstochooseonepresidentialcandidatefortheparty.Ifthisprocessseemsclear-cutzitwasnotatthetime.Duringtheelectionof1824,forexample,asinglepartyhadfourseparatecandidatesforpresident,oneforeachpartofthecountry.VanBuren'ssystemeventuallygaverisetothenationalconventionsthatmajorU.S.partiesusetodaytonominatetheircandidates.ModelcampaignerVanBurenalsohelpedcreatethemodernpoliticalcampaign.Inthe1820szhesawthatmanystateconstitutionswereliftingsomeoftheirvotingrestrictions.Asaresult,statesweregivingmorewhitemalestherighttovote.(WomenandmostAfrican-Americanmenwerestilllargelyprohibitedfromvoting.)HistorianJoelSilbeysaysVanBurenwantedtobringthesenewvotersintotheDemocraticParty.Hedecidedtoimproveonthemethodsthatother,smallergroupshadused:campaignevents,speeches,andorganizedeffortstobringpeopletovoteonElectionDay.Silbeyexplainsthattheseeffortstopersuadeandenergizevoterswerenewtonationalpolitics.Nowtheyaresomeofthemajorfeaturesofpoliticalcampaigns.1.ivebythesword,diebytheswordIntheelectionof1840zVanBurensoughtasecondtermaspresident.ThistimehisopponentsusedVanBuren'spoliticaltechniquesagainsthim.Silbeysaysthenewoppositionparty,calledtheWhigs,usedpopularspeechesandeventstoportrayVanBurenasafailedpresident.Crowdsshouted,"MattieVanisaused-upman!"Inotherwords,henolongerhadanypoweroreffectingovernment.CriticsalsomadefunofVanBuren,sfine-looking,evenfussyclothes.Theyportrayedhimasarich,elitecandidate.Theycomparedhimunfavorablytotheircandidate,amilitaryheronamedWilliamHenryHarrison.SomeofVanBuren'ssupporterscalledhimbytheinitialsofhishometown:"OK"forOldKinderhookzNewYork.Hisnicknamemaybethebasisfortoday'scommonexpressiontomeanyes.YetitwasVanBurenwhohadcomefromapoorfamily,andHarrisonfromawealthyone.EvensozVanBurenlosttheelectionof1840.Fouryearslater,VanBurenagainsoughtthepresidency.ThistimezevenAndrewJacksondidnotsupporthim.Instead,JacksonbackedamanwhosupportedtheseizureofTexasandexpandingslavery:JamesPolk.ButVanBurendidnotpermitthosedefeatstostophispoliticalcareer.Heranagaininthepresidentialelectionof1848.Thistime,VanBurenwithdrewfromtheDemocraticPartyhehadhelpedbuild.Heraninsteadasthecandidateofanewzanti-slaveryparty,calledtheFreeSoilers.ButevenVanBuren'spoliticalskillscouldnotpersuadevoters.Hedidnotwinasinglestate.Afterlosingthisfinalpresidentialelection,VanBurenfinallyretired.Hespenttimewithhischildrenandgrandchildren,traveled,andwroteabouthislife.At79hediedofheartfailure.mKellyJeanKelly.KellyJeanKellywrotethisstoryforVOALearningEnglish.GeorgeGrowwastheeditor.WordsinThisStoryinaugural-adj.happeningaspartofanofficialceremonyorcelebrationwhenanewlyelectedofficialbeginsanimportantjobreputation-n.thecommonopinionthatpeoplehaveaboutsomeoneorsomethingcharming-adj.verypleasingorappealingladies-n.women,usuallyofhighsocialpositionclear-cut-adj.obviousfeatures-n.importantpartsportray-v.todescribesomeoneinaparticularwayfussy-adj.tofancyorcomplicated