评论
打印
Becoming president in 1809,
詹姆斯·麦迪逊在1809年
James Madison had no better ideas
接任总统，他也没有更好的办法
for keeping Americans out of the British Navy.
阻止美国人接近英国海军
It was not a great place to start.
那不是一个好的起点
There were also rumors that
当时还有传言说
the British were going to launch attacks
英国可能会从他们的加拿大殖民地
on the Northwest Territory
对美国西北地区
out of their Canadian territories.
发动袭击
Seen in this light a preemptive strike
因此，似乎发起一场先发制人的
against Canada started to sound like a good idea.
针对加拿大的游行是个不错的主意
There were a lot of people
当时有很多
in the Northern United States who thought that
美国北部地区的人认为
Canada really belonged to us anyway.
加拿大也应该是属于美国的
Tired of British bullying
由于不堪忍受英国欺凌
and ready to annex Canada
并且觊觎加拿大的领土
the United States declared war
美国于1812年
on Great Britain in 1812.
对英国宣战
Not all Americans supported the War of 1812.
并不是所有美国人都支持1812年战争
For one thing the merchants of New England
首先，新英格兰和纽约的
and New York didn't want a war
商人们不希望打仗
with their best trading partners, the British.
因为英国是他们最好的贸易伙伴
There were also many people who believed that
还有许多人认为
the United States wasn't militarily prepared
美国在军事力量上还不足以
to fight a war and they were right.
去和英国抗衡，他们是对的
The British on the other hand were ready to go.
而英国却已经蓄势待发
British regular soldiers struck so hard at Washington
英国的士兵给予了
that President Madison was forced to flee
华盛顿沉重一击
and the White House was burned.
麦迪逊总统不得不逃走，白宫也被烧毁
Many of the Indian tribes had sided with the British.
许多印第安部落与英国同仇敌忾
The Shawnee chief Tecumseh had even
萧尼部落首领特库姆塞
become a Brigadier General in the British Army.
甚至成为了英军的准将
The United States tried to invade Canada
美国试图入侵加拿大
but it only diverted scarce United States troops
但是仅仅起到了
from where they were needed in the United States.
把本来就不多的美国士兵分散的作用
But the makeshift United States navy
但是美国海军的权宜之计
won amazing victories on the Great Lakes.
在五大湖上取得了奇迹般的胜利
And the Tennessean General Andrew Jackson
田纳西的上将安德鲁·杰克森
managed to beat both the Indians and the British
成功地击败了海湾沿岸的
up and down the Gulf Coast.
印第安和英国军队
The Treaty of Gent signed on Christmas Eve 1814
1814年平安夜签订的根特条约
ended the War of 1812
终止了1812年的战争
yet news was slow to reach New Orleans
但是这一消息还没到达新奥尔良
where Andrew Jackson won his greatest battle
1815年1月，安德鲁·杰克逊
in January 1815.
在那里打了一场最大的胜仗
He would be known forever more
他将永远被尊为
as the hero of New Orleans.
新奥尔良的英雄
Neither side won.
英美没有分出胜负
But the United States got more credit
但是美国占得便宜更多
because the United States had fought
因为美国已经
the world's mightiest power to a draw.
与世界上最强大的势力打成平手
Like it or not, America and American problems
不论你喜欢与否，美国和美国的问题
were now being taken very seriously in Europe.
如今在欧洲都受到了相当的重视
We'll be back in one moment.
我们一会儿继续
Segment 4c: The Monroe Doctrine.
4c章节，门罗主义
Fall of the Spanish Empire.
西班牙帝国的陨落
For most of the 18th century
西班牙在几乎整个18世纪
Spain had been battered
都受到了英国
by the British, French and Dutch.
法国和荷兰的欺凌
Stifled by bureaucracy and corruption,
全世界都充斥着
woefully over extended around the world,
官僚主义和腐败
the Spanish couldn't put up much of a resistance
西班牙在拿破仑
when Napoleon made them
迫使他们交出路易斯安那州的时候
give back the Louisiana Territory.
毫无抵御之力
After that nationalist movements
那以后，民族主义运动
began to rise up in Central and South America
开始在中美和南美盛行
in direct imitation of the United States.
其实都是效仿美国
After the United States
在美国购买了
purchased the Louisiana Territory
路易斯安那州之后
the new boundaries with Spanish America
与西班牙的新界限
caused a series of Spanish-American border wars,
导致了一系列的美西边界战争
many personally started by
很多都是因为未来的
the future hero of New Orleans, the Tennessean,
新奥尔良英雄，田纳西人
Old Hickory, Andrew Jackson.
安德鲁·杰克森引起的
Once more the United States
美国又一次开始寻找
was looking for more territory.
更加广阔的领土
