Today when people complain about the state of American politics,
如今当人们抱怨美国的政治制度时
they often mention the dominance of the Democratic and Republican Parties,
他们总是能提及民主党和共和党轮流执政的格局
or the sharp split between red and blue states.
或者红州与蓝州旗帜鲜明的对立局面
But while it may seem like both of thesethings
have been around forever,
这两件种现象好像从一开始就存在一样，
the situation looked quite different in 1850
但在1850年，实际情况与现在大不相同
with the Republican Party not yet existing,
当时还没有共和党
and support for the dominant Democrats and Whigs
占主导地位的是民主党和辉格党
cutting across geographic divides.
支持者依据其所在的地理位置分为明显的两派
The collapse of this Second Party System
而第二党系的瓦解
was at the center of increasing regionaltensions
使当时局势日益紧张
that would lead to the birth of the Republican Party,也促成了共和党的诞生
the rise of Abraham Lincoln as its leader,也使阿伯拉罕林肯脱颖而出，成为领袖
and a civil war that would claim over half amillion lives.
同时使南北战争爆发，造成了超过50万人的死亡
And if this collapse could be blamed on a single event,
而如果这个体系的崩塌要归咎于一场事件的话
it would be the Kansas-Nebraska Act of1854.
那便是1854年通过的堪萨斯一内布拉斯加法案
The story starts with the MissouriCompromise of 1820.
事件的起因是1820年的密苏里妥协案
To balance the number of slave states and free states in the Union,
为了使合众国里的畜奴州和自由州的数量达到平衡
it allowed slavery in the newly admitted state of Missouri,
该妥协案于新成立的密苏里州允许奴隶制
while making it off limits in the remaining federally administeredLouisiana Territory.
但是在联邦政府管辖的路易斯安那地区禁止奴隶制
But compromises tend to last
但是该妥协法案
only as long as they are convenient,
只是权宜之计，不是长久之策
and by the early 1850s,
到了19世纪50年代早期
a tenacious Democratic Senator from Illionis
有一位来自伊利诺伊州的十分强势的民主党参议员
named Stephen A. Douglas
名叫史蒂芬道格拉斯
found its terms very inconvenient.
他认为该法案极不合理
As an advocate of western expansion,
他主张向西部扩张
he promoted constructing a transcontinental
并建立跨洲铁路
railroad across the Northern Plains
横跨北部平原
with an eastern terminus in Chicago,
并把东部终点站设在芝加哥
where he happened to own real estate.
他在那里恰好有自己的不动产
For his proposal to succeed,
为了使自己的提案获得通过
Douglas felt that the territories
道格拉斯认为
through which the railroad passed, would have to be formally organized,所有铁路穿过的地区都要实行统一的制度
which required the support of Southernpoliticians.
这就意味着他需要得到南部的支持
He was also a believer in popularsovereignty,
他同时信奉人民主权论
arguing that the status of slavery in aterritory
提出一个州是否实行奴隶制
should be decided by its residents ratherthan Congress.
应由其居民决定而非国会决定
So Douglas introduced a bill
所以道格拉斯提出了一个法案
designed to kill two birds with one stone.
旨在实现一石二鸟
It would divide the large chunk of incorporated land
这会使大部分本已实现统一的区域
into two new organized territories: Nebraskaand Kansas,
分裂成两个新成立的地区:内布拉斯加和肯萨斯
each of which would be open to slavery
两者都可以实现奴隶制
if the population voted to allow it.
只要人民投票通过即可
While Douglas and his Southern supporters
道格拉斯和他在南部的支持者
tried to frame the bill as protecting
试图把该法案描述为保护
the political rights of settlers,
当地居民的政治权利
horrified Northerners recognized it as
但这也在北部引起恐慌，北方人认为这等于是
repealing the 34-year-old MissouriCompromise
要废除实行了34年的密苏里妥协案
and feared that its supporters' ultimate goal
并担心支持者的最终目的
was to extend slavery to the entire nation.
是使奴隶制在全国扩张
Congress was able to pass the Kansas-Nebraska Act, 后来国会通过了堪萨斯-内布拉斯加法案
but at the huge cost of bitterly dividing the nation.但代价是惨痛的，它造成了国家的分裂
with 91% of the opposition coming from Northerners. 91 %的反对派来自北方
In the House of Representatives,在众议院
politicians traded insults and brandished
weapons 政客们相互谩骂，剑拔弩张
until a Sargent at Arms restored order.
直到警卫恢复秩序才停止下来
President Pierce signed the bill into law amidst a storm of protest,
皮尔斯总统签署该法案通过 尽管周围尽是反对的声音
while Georgia's Alexander Stephens,
来自乔治亚州的亚历山大·斯蒂芬斯
future Confederate Vice President,
也就是后来美利坚联盟国副总统
hailed the Act's passage as,"Glory enough for one day."
把法案的通过盛赞为“充满荣耀光辉的一天”
The New York Tribune reported,
但纽约论坛报道称，
"The unanimous sentiment of the North isindignant resistance."
「北方民众一致坚决反对」
Douglas even admitted that he could travel
道格拉斯也承认
from Washington D.C. to Chicago by the light of his own burning effigies.
他能顺着燃烧的自己的人像一路从华盛顿走到芝加哥
The political consequences of the Kansas-Nebraska Act were stunning.
堪萨斯-内布拉斯加法案的政治后果极为严重
Previously, both Whigs and Democrats hadincluded
在此之前，辉格党和民主党还可以让
Northern and Southern lawmakers unitedaround
南北方的立法委员
various issues, but now slavery became
在不同议题.上统一意见，但如今奴隶制问题
a dividing factor that could not be ignored.
使两派分裂到已不容小觑的程度
Congressmen from both parties
来自两党的国会议员
spoke out against the act,
都站出来反对该法案
including an Illinois Whig named Abraham .Lincoln,
其中包括一-位来自伊利诺斯州的辉格党人一阿伯拉罕:林肯
denouncing "the monstrous injustice ofslavery"
in an 1854 speech.
他在1854年皮奥里亚演说中谴责道「奴隶制本身便是巨大的不公」
By this time the Whigs had all but ceased toexist,
在当时，辉格党已近乎式微
irreparably split between
并已无法挽回地使党内分裂成
their Northern and Southern factions.
南北两派
In the same year, the new Republican Party
同年，一个新的政党一一共和党成立了
was founded by the anti-slavery elements from both existing parties.
由来自原有的两个党派反对奴隶制的人士组建
Although Lincoln still ran for Senate as aWhig in 1854，
虽然林肯在1854年仍旧担任辉格党参议员
he was an early supporter of the new party,
他在新政党成立之初就是其支持者
and helped to recruit others to its cause.
也为其招募了一批成员
Meanwhile the Democratic Party was shaken
而同时民主党也受到了冲击
when events in the newly formed KansasTerritory
因为在新成立的肯萨斯州境内
revealed the violent consequences of popularsovereignty.
由于「人民主权」的实行引发了暴力冲突
Advertisements appeared across the North
在北部到处都有广告宣传
imploring people to emigrate to Kansas
呼吁人民到堪萨斯去
to stem the advance of slavery.
阻止奴隶制的推行
The South answered with Border Ruffians,
而南部以边界的暴动回应此举
pro-slavery Missourians who crossed statelines
支持奴隶制的密苏里人穿过州界
to vote in fraudulent elections
来操控投票结果
and raid anti-slavery settlements.
并声讨反奴隶制的居民
One northern abolitionist, John Brown,
一位来自北部的废奴主义者，名叫约翰:布朗
became notorious following the
Pottawatomie Massacre of 1856
由于1856年的波特瓦托米大屠杀而名声扫地
when he and his sons hacked to death
five pro-slavery farmers with broad swords.
当时他和他的儿子们用宽剑刺死了五名支持奴隶制的农民
In the end, more than 50 people
died in Bleeding Kansas.
最后，超过50人死于当时的堪萨斯内战
While nominally still a national party,
虽然名义_上仍旧是一个全国性政党
Douglas's Democrats were increasinglydivided along sectional lines,
道格拉斯领导的民主党内部已经逐渐分成南北两派
and many Northern members left许多在北部的成员退出
to join the Republicans.
并加入了共和党
Abraham Lincoln finally took up the Republican Party banner in 1856
阿伯拉罕林肯最终在1856成为了共和党的领袖
and never looked back.
并在余生一直身居此位
That year, John C. Fremont,
同年，约翰.查理弗里蒙特
the first Republican presidential candidate,
也是第一位来自共和党的总统候选人
lost to Democrat, James Buchanan,
败给来自民主党的詹姆斯:布坎南
but garnered 33% of the popular vote
但赢得了33%的选票
all from Northern states.
全部支持都来自北部各州
Two years later, Lincoln challenged Douglas
两年后，林肯与道格拉斯
for his Illinois Senate seat,
在伊利诺斯州的参议员选举中展开激辩
and although he lost that contest,
虽然林肯输掉了竞选
it elevated his status among Republicans.
但他在共和党的地位大大提升
Lincoln would finally be vindicated in 1860,
然而在1860年林肯转败为胜
when he was elected President of the UnitedStates,
这一次，他被选举为美国总统
defeating in his own home state,
在他的家乡击败了
a certain Northern Democrat,
那位来自北部的民主党人，道格拉斯
who was finally undone by the disastrous
他最终也由于自己亲自策划的
aftermath of the law he had masterminded.
法案所带来的灾难性后果而饱尝苦果
Americans today continue to debate
美国人如今依旧在争论
whether the Civil War was inevitable,
南北战争是否无法避免
but there is no doubt that the
但毫无疑问的是
Kansas Nebraska Act made the ghastlyconflict much morelikely.
堪萨斯-内布拉斯加法案加剧了双方可怕的冲突
And for that reason,
而正是因为这点
it should be remembered as one of the most
consequential pieces of legislation
这应该作为这条法律的后果之一被记住
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