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Southerners saw manifest destiny as
南方人视天定命运为
a wonderful opportunity to ensure the continued
一个出色机会确保
growth of their cotton economy,
其棉花经济持续发展
otherwise known as king cotton.
或者是保持其棉花王的地位
In short, manifest destiny seemed to
总之，天定命运似乎
have something to offer for every American.
对每个美国人都有好处
Napoleon of the stump.
树桩的拿破仑
In 1844 James K. Polk became America's
1844年，詹姆斯·K.波尔克成为
youngest president yet at age 49.
美国最年轻的总统，时年49岁
Polk campaigned for the presidency on
波尔克竞选总统
a four point platform; annex the Oregon Territory,
基于四项宣言，兼并俄勒冈领地
annex Mexico's North American Territory,
兼并墨西哥北美领地
establish an independent treasury and reduce
建立独立国库
crippling tariffs. Polk believed that lower tariffs,
减少严重不利的关税，波尔克相信更低关税
that is to say a tax set on foreign goods,
也就是对外国商品收的税
would benefit everybody by stimulating
会刺激经济，将使每个人受益
the economy. If foreign trade picked up,
如果对外贸易好转
tax revenues would jump and so would
税收就会提升
the American public's buying power.
美国公众的购买力也会提高
Polk's instrument was the Walker Tariff
波尔克的工具就是沃克关税
which was based not on an important product's
那不是基于某终于商品的价值
value but rather equally put on all goods.
而是平均分配在所有商品上
Even the northerners who liked the previous
就连喜欢先前将过多额外钱关税体系
tariff system which put exorbitant amounts of
投入这些东西中的北方人
added money on these things had to acknowledge
都不得不承认
that the Walker Tariff actually worked
沃克关税实际
as Polk had intended. In fact the Walker Tariff
如波尔克意图的那样起作用了，事实上
also gave the US Treasury more than enough money
沃克关税也给美国国库足够的钱
to pursue Polk's expansionist foreign policy.
来追寻波尔克的扩张主义对外政策
President Polk's first policy goal was to
波尔克总统的首要政策目标是
obtain a settlement of the Oregon Territory.
在俄勒冈领地定居
Despite Louis and Clark's efforts the territory
尽管路易斯和克拉克做出了努力
was still under explored. Land hungry
但那片领地仍待开发，地荒
American squatters were moving north of the 49th
美国寮屋居民越过北纬49度
parallel which had for a long time
那条线长时间来
been the working boundary.
都是采区边界
This prompted the expansionist war cry 54-40
这促发了扩张政治口号54-40
or fight. But neither the United States nor Britain
或斗争，但美国和英国
was interested in fighting over Oregon
都对争夺俄勒冈不感兴趣
when they got on so well in all other respects.
他们在所有其它方面进行得如此顺利
The 1846 Oregon Treaty established the 49th parallel
1846年俄勒冈条约将北纬49°
as a permanent boundary between the United States
确定为美国
and what is now Canada. With the nation's
和现在加拿大的永久边界
northern boundary stabilized for good Polk was
稳定北方边界对波尔克有利
free to look south. Even though the Mexican Republic
他可以自由朝南看，尽管墨西哥共和国
had openly emulated and idolized the United States
从一建立时就公开仿效和崇拜美国
since it started, US-Mexican relations had been
但美西关系紧张有10年之久
strained for a decade by the time Polk came to office.
直到波尔克上任
Hungry as ever for new lands American settlers
新土地上的美国定居者依旧忍受着饥荒
had started moving into the northeast
他们开始移入
Mexican states of Coahuila and Tejas.
墨西哥东北方州科阿韦拉州和光辉州
Welcomed at first the settlers soon wore out
定居者开始受到欢迎
their welcome by openly calling for union
但那很快消失不见，因为他们公开
with the United States. In 1836 settlers
宣扬要与美国合并 1836年
seceded from Mexico and declared
定居者从墨西哥脱离
what they call the Republic of Texas.
公然宣布德克萨斯共和国成立
The Texans were defeated at the Alamo but their later
德克萨斯人在阿拉莫战争被击败，但他们之后
victory at San Jacinto established a nation;
在圣哈辛托的胜利使其建立了一个国家
Texas which still openly wanted to
德克萨斯仍公开想要
join the United States. In 1845 President Polk
加入美国 1845年，波尔克总统
quite happily saw to it that the Republic of Texas
十分高兴看到，德克萨斯共和国
became an American state.
成为了美国的一个州
