美国总统6 约翰昆西亚当斯.docx

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1、美国总统6约翰昆西亚当斯JohnQuincyAdams:GreatDiplomat,PoorPoliticianVOALearningEnglishpresentsAmericasPresidents.TodaywearetalkingaboutJohnQuincyAdams.Doeshisnamesoundfamiliar?JohnQuincyAdams,thesixthpresident,wasthesonofJohnAdams,thesecondpresident.JohnQuincyAdamsportraitbyGilbertStuart.QuincyAdamswaspresident

2、from1825-1829.1.ikehisfather,QuincyAdamshadasharpmindandadifficultpersonality.And,likehisfather,QuincyAdamsservedonlyonefour-yearterminoffice.ButQuincyAdamswentontohavemanysuccessfulyearsworkinginadifferentjob.Heistheonlyformerpresident(sofar)toserveintheHouseofRepresentatives.GreatexpectationsThepa

3、rentsofJohnQuincyAdams,JohnandAbigail,werestrongpatriots.TheirswasoneofthefoundingfamiliesofAmerica.AbigailAdamsespeciallyraisedhersontoservehiscountry.Sheexpectedhimtobecomepresident.Shetoldhimthat,withhisgoodeducationandtraining,ifhedidnotserveinahighpublicofficeitwouldbehisownfault.QuincyAdamsdid

4、notdisappointhismother.Asachild,helearnedtospeakatleastfourlanguagesandreadGreekandLatin.HealsostudiedShakespearezSplays.Atage10,hetraveledwithhisfathertoEurope.Asayoungman,heworkedalongsideJohnAdamsinAmericandiplomaticofficesinParis,AmsterdamandSt.Petersburg.Finally,QuincyAdamsreturnedtohishomeinBo

5、stonintimetograduatefromHarvard.Hewasworkingasalawyerbytheageof23.StoriesconfirmthatQuincyAdamswasabrilliantboyandyoungman.Butherarelycompromisedhisideas.Hisinabilitytoworkwithotherlawmakersandtoconsiderpublicopinionwerepartlytoblameforhisdifficultpresidency.Poorpolitician.ExcellentdiplomatQuincyAda

6、msmayhavebeenapoorpolitidanzbuthewasanexcellentdiplomat.Intheearlypartofhiscareer,heservedastheAmericanambassadortotheNetherlands,Germany,RussiaandBritain.HehelpedleadthenegotiationsthatendedtheWarof1812.AndheservedforeightyearsassecretaryofstateunderJamesMonroe.Someofthatpresidentsaccomplishmentsow

7、ealottoQuincyAdams.HehelpednegotiatethepurchaseofFloridafromSpain.And,hewasofthepeopleresponsiblefortheMonroeDoctrine.ItwarnedEuropenottointerfereintheWesternHemisphere.ButQuincyAdamscouldbeimpatient,especiallywithlawmakers.Manyofthem,hebelieved,didnotcaremuchaboutthecountryandwantedtohelponlythemse

8、lves.QuincyAdamsalsoavoidedpoliticalbattles.Assecretaryofstate,heappointedpeoplewhomhethoughtwerecapable,eveniftheydidnotsupporthispoliticalparty.Similarly,whenhebecamepresident,hetriedtobringpoliticalopponentsalongwithrepresentativesofdifferentpartsofthecountrytogetherinhiscabinet.Hisopponents,howe

9、ver,refusedtoserve.And,althoughhiscabinetincludedsoutherners,hedidnotreallyhavethesupportoftheSouth.PresidencyYetQuincyAdamstalkedaboutunityinhispresidentialinauguralspeech.AdamssaidtheConstitutionandtherepresentativedemocracyoftheUnitedStateshadprovedasuccess.Thenationwasfreeandstrongandstretchedac

10、rossthecontinent,fromtheAtlanticOceantothePacific.Henotedthatpoliticaldivisionshadeased.Sonow,hesaid,itwastimeforthepeopletosettletheirdifferencesandmakeatrulynationalgovernment.InhisfirstmessagetoCongress,PresidentAdamsdescribedhisideas.Thechiefpurposeofthegovernment,hesaid,wastoimprovethelivesofth

11、epeopleitgoverned.Todothis,heofferedanationalprogramofbuildingroadsandcanals.Healsoproposedanationaluniversityandanationalscientificcenter.AdamssaidCongressshouldnotbelimitedtomakinglawsonlytoimprovethenationseconomiclife.Hesaiditshouldmakelawstoimprovetheartsandsciences,too.ButmanypeopleoftheWestan

12、dSouthdidnotbelievethattheConstitutiongavethefederalgovernmentthepowertodoallthesethings.Theybelievedthesepowersbelongedtothestates.TheirrepresentativesinCongressrejectedthepresidentsproposals.Inaddition,anewoppositionpartywastryingtoweakensupportforQuincyAdams.TheysupportedageneralfromTennesseename

13、dAndrewJackson.HistorianHarlowGilesUngersaysJohnQuincyAdamswasneverabletomeetthehighexpectationsmanypeoplehadforhim.Hispresidencywasacompletefailure/7UngertoldVOA.Hewasabletoaccomplishnothing/Retirement.sortofQuincyAdamslostthepresidentialelectionof1828inalandslide.Herefusedtoattendtheinaugurationof

14、AndrewJackson.HereturnedtohishomeinQuincy,Massachusettsdepressedandworriedaboutthecountry.Hiswife,LouisaCatherineJohnsonAdamszbelievedtheywerereturningtoMassachusettstostay.ShewasanAmerican,butwasborninEngland.HermotherwasBritish.Shewaszatthetime,thefirstforeign-bornfirstlady.JohnandLouisahadfourchi

15、ldren,buttheironlydaughterhaddiedasababy.TheirsonsweregrownbythetimeQuincyAdamsretiredfromthepresidency.Soonhebecamerestless.SomeneighborsaskedifQuincyAdamswouldconsiderrepresentingthedistrictasamemberoftheU.S.Congress.Heagreed-butonlyifvoterswouldlethimactashebelievedwasright,insteadofaswhatwouldbe

16、politicallypopular.Apparentlytheyagreed,too,becausevoterselectedQuincyAdamstotheHouseofRepresentativesninetimes.InCongress,QuincyAdamsoftenfoughtforcitizen,sindividualliberty.Hestronglyopposedslavery.Hisideaswerenotwidelypopularatthetime,especiallyamongotherlawmakers.TheyhadcreatedarulethatsaidCongr

17、esswouldnotevenconsideranymeasuresagainstslavery.YetQuincyAdamsdefendedtherightsofenslavedpeople-frequently,andsometimessuccessfully.Hediedattheageof88zafewdaysaftersufferingastrokeontheflooroftheHouseofRepresentatives.Atthetime,lawmakerswereconsideringaproposal.And,asusualzJohnQuincyAdamswasloudlyv

18、otingno.mKellyJeanKelly.KellyJeanKellywrotethisstoryforVOALearningEnglish.GeorgeGrowwastheeditor.WordsinThisStorypatriot-n.apersonwholovesandstronglysupportsorfightsforhisorhercountryfault-n.responsibilityforaproblem,mistakeorbadsituationdisappoint-v.tomakesomeoneunhappybynotbeingasgoodasexpectedorbynotdoingsomethingthatwashopedfororexpectedgraduate-v.toearnadegreeordiplomafromaschool,college,oruniversityaccomplishment-n.thesuccessfulcompletionofsomethinglandslide-n.anelectioninwhichthewinnergetsamuchgreaternumberofvotesthantheloser