Franklin Pierce: Ineffective
2023-05-28
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1VOA Learning English presents America's Presidents.
2Today we are talking about Franklin Pierce, the 14th president of the United States.
3He took office in 1853 at age 48. At that time, he was the youngest person elected to the White House.
4Pierce was known for being social - and for his good looks.
5But his personal life was full of tragedy, and he was not an effective chief executive.
6Over time, he has come to be remembered as one of the country's worst presidents.
7Franklin Pierce was born in the northern state of New Hampshire. He was one of eight children.
8He attended school regularly as a child, and he went on to Bowdoin College in Maine.
9There, he developed his skills as an excellent public speaker. He also became an able lawyer.
10Pierce's abilities carried him far. But his personal connections helped, too.
11His father became the governor of New Hampshire.
12Shortly after, Pierce was elected to the state legislature.
13He soon became a member of the U.S. Congress - first as a member of the House of Representatives, and then as a senator.
14Several important things happened in Pierce's personal life during those years in Washington, DC.
15He married Jane Means Appleton.
16They soon had a son, but the child died after only three days.
17The couple went on to have two more boys.
18In Washington, Franklin Pierce also developed friendships with many people from the South.
19They defended the right of states to permit slavery.
20Although he was from the North, Pierce came to share the opinions of his Southern friends.
21He grew to dislike anti-slavery activists, who were known as abolitionists.
22As a politician, Pierce was a member of the Democratic Party and strongly supported the ideas of President Andrew Jackson.
23But politics did not appeal to his wife.
24She also did not like her husband's habit of drinking alcohol with his friends.
25Jane Pierce belonged to the temperance movement, which urged Americans to avoid the use of alcoholic drinks.
26So Pierce resigned his job in the Senate and moved back to New Hampshire.
27There, he stopped drinking alcohol and earned fame as a lawyer and public speaker.
28But tragedy struck again: his second son became sick and died.
29Pierce remained active in politics in New Hampshire.
30He helped the Democratic candidate for president at the time, James K. Polk, win votes in the state.
31When Polk entered the White House, he gave Pierce a position as a general in the Mexican-American War.
32Pierce did not earn the respect of his troops.
33In one battle, he passed out after he fell off his horse and crushed his leg.
34Some of his men, seeing what happened, fled the battlefield. Others called him "Fainting Frank."
35Although Pierce had his critics, he returned to New Hampshire as a leader in the state's Democratic Party.
36Yet no one expected him to become president of the United States.
37Pierce's nomination came during the Democratic national convention in 1852.
38Party leaders could not agree on a candidate.
39They were split among the three top choices.
40So the party turned to Pierce.
41They liked the fact that he was not well known or had taken any strong positions as a lawmaker.
42As a result, fewer people could object to him, they reasoned.
43Pierce did very little during the election campaign.
44He did not need to. Many voters, especially in the South, did not like his opponent.
45When the election was held, Pierce won easily.
46But before he took office, another terrible thing happened.
47Franklin and Jane Pierce were traveling by train with their youngest son Benjamin, who was 11-years-old.
48The train went off the rails. Bennie was killed instantly in front of his parents.
49Neither Franklin nor Jane Pierce ever really recovered.
50Jane believed their son's death was a punishment from God for her husband becoming president.
51As president, Pierce faced an extremely difficult situation.
52The country's ongoing dispute about whether and where to permit slavery was becoming more intense.
53Under Pierce, the dispute centered on the areas of Kansas and Nebraska.
54At the time, both areas were considered territories, not states.
55And each territory was above the line of the Missouri Compromise of 1820.
56That act, approved by lawmakers nearly 35 years before Pierce took office, banned slavery in northern areas, including what would become Kansas and Nebraska.
57But pro-slavery settlers demanded that Kansas and Nebraska voters - a group comprised of white men - decide the issue for themselves.
58A majority of U.S. lawmakers agreed.
59Under pressure, President Pierce signed the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854.
60The measure was one of the most important in U.S. history.
61It overturned the Missouri Compromise and cancelled the ban on slavery.
62It incited years of intense of violence between pro-slavery and anti-slavery activists.
63And it pushed a divided nation even further apart.
64The troubles also showed Pierce to be an ineffective president.
65He could not ease the tensions over slavery, nor unite the country behind the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
66And he delayed using his power to stop the violence in Kansas until it was far too late.
67Finally, his sympathy for pro-slavery groups angered many in the North, including people in his own party.
68The Democrats did not nominate him again at the next election.
69After four years as president, Pierce returned to New Hampshire.
70He rarely socialized and began drinking alcohol again.
71After his wife died in 1863, Pierce seemed to disappear from public life.
72Americans heard little about him until his death in 1869.
73But he lived to see the ultimate tragedy of the Civil War that he - like other presidents before him - had failed to prevent.
74I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.
1VOA Learning English presents America's Presidents. 2Today we are talking about Franklin Pierce, the 14th president of the United States. He took office in 1853 at age 48. At that time, he was the youngest person elected to the White House. 3Pierce was known for being social - and for his good looks. But his personal life was full of tragedy, and he was not an effective chief executive. 4Over time, he has come to be remembered as one of the country's worst presidents. 5Early life 6Franklin Pierce was born in the northern state of New Hampshire. He was one of eight children. 7He attended school regularly as a child, and he went on to Bowdoin College in Maine. There, he developed his skills as an excellent public speaker. He also became an able lawyer. 8Pierce's abilities carried him far. But his personal connections helped, too. 9His father became the governor of New Hampshire. Shortly after, Pierce was elected to the state legislature. He soon became a member of the U.S. Congress - first as a member of the House of Representatives, and then as a senator. 10Several important things happened in Pierce's personal life during those years in Washington, DC. He married Jane Means Appleton. They soon had a son, but the child died after only three days. The couple went on to have two more boys. 11In Washington, Franklin Pierce also developed friendships with many people from the South. They defended the right of states to permit slavery. Although he was from the North, Pierce came to share the opinions of his Southern friends. He grew to dislike anti-slavery activists, who were known as abolitionists. 12As a politician, Pierce was a member of the Democratic Party and strongly supported the ideas of President Andrew Jackson. But politics did not appeal to his wife. She also did not like her husband's habit of drinking alcohol with his friends. Jane Pierce belonged to the temperance movement, which urged Americans to avoid the use of alcoholic drinks. 13So Pierce resigned his job in the Senate and moved back to New Hampshire. 14There, he stopped drinking alcohol and earned fame as a lawyer and public speaker. But tragedy struck again: his second son became sick and died. 15Fainting Frank 16Pierce remained active in politics in New Hampshire. He helped the Democratic candidate for president at the time, James K. Polk, win votes in the state. 17When Polk entered the White House, he gave Pierce a position as a general in the Mexican-American War. 18Pierce did not earn the respect of his troops. In one battle, he passed out after he fell off his horse and crushed his leg. Some of his men, seeing what happened, fled the battlefield. Others called him "Fainting Frank." 19Although Pierce had his critics, he returned to New Hampshire as a leader in the state's Democratic Party. Yet no one expected him to become president of the United States. 20Pierce's nomination came during the Democratic national convention in 1852. Party leaders could not agree on a candidate. They were split among the three top choices. 21So the party turned to Pierce. They liked the fact that he was not well known or had taken any strong positions as a lawmaker. As a result, fewer people could object to him, they reasoned. 22Pierce did very little during the election campaign. He did not need to. Many voters, especially in the South, did not like his opponent. 23When the election was held, Pierce won easily. 24But before he took office, another terrible thing happened. Franklin and Jane Pierce were traveling by train with their youngest son Benjamin, who was 11-years-old. The train went off the rails. Bennie was killed instantly in front of his parents. 25Neither Franklin nor Jane Pierce ever really recovered. Jane believed their son's death was a punishment from God for her husband becoming president. 26Presidency 27As president, Pierce faced an extremely difficult situation. The country's ongoing dispute about whether and where to permit slavery was becoming more intense. Under Pierce, the dispute centered on the areas of Kansas and Nebraska. 28At the time, both areas were considered territories, not states. And each territory was above the line of the Missouri Compromise of 1820. That act, approved by lawmakers nearly 35 years before Pierce took office, banned slavery in northern areas, including what would become Kansas and Nebraska. 29But pro-slavery settlers demanded that Kansas and Nebraska voters - a group comprised of white men - decide the issue for themselves. A majority of U.S. lawmakers agreed. 30Under pressure, President Pierce signed the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854. 31The measure was one of the most important in U.S. history. It overturned the Missouri Compromise and cancelled the ban on slavery. It incited years of intense of violence between pro-slavery and anti-slavery activists. And it pushed a divided nation even further apart. 32The troubles also showed Pierce to be an ineffective president. He could not ease the tensions over slavery, nor unite the country behind the Kansas-Nebraska Act. 33And he delayed using his power to stop the violence in Kansas until it was far too late. 34Finally, his sympathy for pro-slavery groups angered many in the North, including people in his own party. 35The Democrats did not nominate him again at the next election. 36Legacy 37After four years as president, Pierce returned to New Hampshire. He rarely socialized and began drinking alcohol again. 38After his wife died in 1863, Pierce seemed to disappear from public life. Americans heard little about him until his death in 1869. 39But he lived to see the ultimate tragedy of the Civil War that he - like other presidents before him - had failed to prevent. 40I'm Kelly Jean Kelly. 41Kelly Jean Kelly wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 42We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. 43_____________________________________________________________ 44____________________________________________________________ 45Words in This Story 46regularly - adv. on a regular basis 47habit - n. something that a person does often in a regular and repeated way 48pass out - phrasal verb. to become unconscious or fall asleep 49faint - v. to suddenly become unconscious 50instantly - adv. immediately 51ultimate - adj. greatest or most extreme