评论
打印
It also established an equally careful balance
同时还决定将政府的构成分成
between the legislative, judicial and executive
立法，司法和行政三个部门并且确立了
branches of government. With very little modification
三者的分工，新宪法在经过了温和的讨论
and only moderate haggling the new constitution
没有进行过多修改的情况下
was approved by all 13 states.
很快就在13个州都得到了承认
George Washington was the first president.
同时乔治华盛顿也被选为美国第一任总统
Resisting pressure to declare himself King or
他顶住了压力，既没有称帝也没有成为
declare himself dictator Washington proved to be
大独裁者，从这一点上来看作为总统
an excellent choice. While he was not the most
他是非常成功的，尽管他不是开国元勋中
intellectually gifted of the founders he enjoyed
最有智慧学问的人，但是他还是享有
tremendous prestige and his good common sense
很高的权威，同时他优异的判断力
helped keep the new nation on an even keel.
也使得这个新兴国家得到了平稳的发展
Segment 3B; the 13 colonies the British and
第3B章还讲到了英国与北美的关系
North America. The inhabitants of Great Britain's
在英属的美洲殖民地居民从一开始
American colonies were a unique lot
就是一群非常特殊的人群
from the start. They reached a New World from
他们出于不同的目的从不同的地方
various locations for various reasons,
来到这个新世界
most of which involved freedom of worship.
其中大部分人是出于信仰自由的目的
While the Spanish and French colonies
而当时西班牙和法国在美国的
in North America never attracted many Spanish
殖民地对移民者则没有这种吸引力
or French settlers Britons and other Europeans
因此当时英国人和其他欧洲人都
came to the British colonies in droves.
源源不断地踏上了这些英属殖民地
Upon becoming residents of the New World
在这些人看来，定居这片新世界后
these colonists thought of themselves first
他们的首要身份是这些殖民地的居民
as members of their colony and only then
其次才是英格兰皇室的被殖民者
as subjects of the King of England.
其次才是英格兰皇室的被殖民者
The 2 earliest and therefore the 2 most
因此最早建立的也是最重要的
prominent British colonies were founded
两块英属殖民地分别是
in Virginia and in Massachusetts.
弗吉尼亚和马萨诸塞
Virginia goes back to the abortive Rowan Oak Colony,
弗吉尼亚的前身是在1586到1587年间
1586 to 1587, of Sir Walter Raleigh which has been
属于沃尔特拉雷的罗万奥克殖民地
chartered and established for the purpose of
这片地方当时建立是出于开发
exploiting its natural wealth such as its
自然资源和财富的考虑，但事实证明
natural wealth turned out to be.
当地的自然资源的确"非常丰富"
There was no gold in the Rowan Oak Colony,
罗万奥克殖民地可没有黄金矿产
only malaria and angry Indians.
那里只有疟疾和愤怒的原住民
The James Town Colony of 1607 was more
而1607年建立的詹姆斯镇殖民地
reality based and it proved more successful
则更加贴近现实，因此它也更加成功
but not immediately. Seeking to avoid conflict
尽管效果并非立竿见影，为了避免与
with the Spanish who had been established
已经在当地驻扎了很久的西班牙人
in that part of the world for some time
发生不必要的冲突
the James Town colonists settled roughly
詹姆斯镇的殖民者选择驻扎在
35 miles up the James River from the bay.
詹姆斯河湾上游约35英里的地方
Like the Rowan Oak colonists the James Town
跟罗万奥克殖民者一样，詹姆斯镇的
colonists were more interested in finding gold
殖民者也致力于依靠开发黄金矿产致富
and getting rich than they were in farming.
而不是单单进行大农场作业
This made it hard for the colony to become
这就意味着这个殖民地无法获得
self sufficient and fight off Indian attacks.
自给自足的资源以抵抗印第安人的袭击
Fortunately for Virginia's economy a new strain
但幸运的是 1612年一种新的烟草
of tobacco was discovered in 1612 which became
得以发现，而弗吉尼亚的经济也得到了刺激
eventually the colonies prime source of revenue.
而后烟草也成为了该殖民地主要的经济来源
Although Virginian soil was now profitable
然而尽管弗吉尼亚的土地盛产这种烟草
thanks to tobacco the colony itself struggled.
建立于此的殖民者的日子却并不好过
In 1642 it came under the control of the royal Crown.
1642年它被划归到了英国皇室的统治之下
The class structure in Virginia as in most of
跟很多其他的南部殖民地一样
the southern colonies tended to reflect the sharply
弗吉尼亚的阶级斗争也非常激烈
defined upper and lower classes found in Great Britain.
这也反应了大不列颠本国的阶级矛盾
Small farmers were few and far between compared
小农户极少而且分布地非常稀疏
with the plantations owned by the wealthy and
于此相对，富人坐拥着大量农场
worked by the lower classes, or sometimes by
并雇佣了大量的下层阶级，甚至是
African slaves. One famous product of this
非洲奴隶，正是在这些弗吉尼亚的
Virginia plantation gentry was America's
大农场主中，诞生了美国的
first president, George Washington.
第一任总统乔治华盛顿
Massachusetts got off to a somewhat different start;
而马萨诸塞的情况则有些不同
after 13 years in Dutch exile a group of puritans
在遭到丹麦皇室流放13年之后
set out for Virginia onboard the Mayflower.
一群清教徒登上了五月花号船
In autumn 1620 they instead reached Cape Cod.
但1620年该船却驶达了马萨诸塞鳕鱼角
