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1、美国总统12米勒德菲尔莫尔MillardFillmore:ForgottenVOALearningEnglishpresentsAmericasPresidents.TodaywearetalkingaboutMillardFillmore,the13thpresidentoftheUnitedStates.Fillmoreisalsolikelytheleastrememberedpresident.Hehasbeencalleduninspiringandhavingonlysomecompetence.ButFillmoreprovidedanexampleoftheAmericandr
2、eamcometrue.Herosefromapoorfamilytobecomeawealthyman.HewaselectedtoCongressfourtimesandnominatedforvicepresidentunderZacharyTaylor.WhenTaylorunexpectedlydiedinofficein1850,Fillmoretookhisplace.EarlylifeOtherpresidentscampaigns,suchasAndrewJacksons,hadspokenproudlyoftheircandidatesmodestbeginnings.Wi
3、lliamHenryHarrisonssupportersespeciallylinkedhimwiththeimageofasimplehousecalledalogcabin-eventhoughWilliamHenryHarrisonwasawealthyman.ButMillardFillmorereallywasborninalogcabin.Hisfamilywaspoor.TheyraisedhimandhissevenbrothersandsistersinaruralpartofNewYorkState.Fillmoredidnotreceivemucheducationas
4、achild.However,hewasveryinterestedinlearning-sointerestedthathefellinlovewithhisteacher,AbigailPowers.Thetwomarriedafterhelaunchedhiscareerasalawyer.Theyhadtwochildren,asonandadaughter.MillardFillmoresoonenteredpolitics.HewonelectionstotheNewYorkStateAssembly,andthentotheU.S.HouseofRepresentatives.A
5、ftereightyearsinWashington,DC,FillmorereturnedtoNewYork.Hefailedtobeelectedgovernor,butsucceededtobecomecomptrollerofNewYork.Inotherwords,heoversawthestatesfinances.Atthattime,Americanswerepreparingforanotherpresidentialelection.PresidentJamesPolkwasretiringfromtheWhiteHouseafteronlyoneterm,ashehadp
6、romised.Theoppositionparty,theWhigs,nominatedZacharyTaylorastheirpresidentialcandidate.TaylorzapopularwarherofromtheSouth,ownedslaves.ButtheWhigsrealizedthatmanyanti-slaveryvotersintheNorthwouldnotsupportTaylor.Partyleaderswerelookingforsomeonetobalancetheticket-aNorthernervoterswouldconsiderafriend
7、ofbusiness.TheyfoundMillardFillmore.In1847,theWhigsnominatedFillmoreasTaylorsvicepresident.Thetwomenhadnevermet.And,whentheydidmeet,theydidnotlikeeachotherverymuch.ZacharyTaylorandMillardFillmoreTaylorwasshort-legged,poorlyeducated,andrarelyseemedconcernedabouthisphysicalappearance.Fillmorewastaller
8、,learned,andelegant.Theirpersonalitiesdidnotfittogetheranybetterthantheirappearancesdid.Butamajorityofvoterslikedthem.TheWhigswontheelection,andFillmorereturnedtoWashington.AvicepresidentwithoutavoiceAsvicepresident,MillardFillmorewastheleaderoftheSenate.ButPresidentTaylordidnotseekhisadviceonthemaj
9、orpoliticalissueoftheday.Atthetimezbothlawmakersandthepublicweredebatingwhetherthegovernmentshould-andcould-banslaveryintheterritoriestheU.S.hadgainedafterthewarwithMexico.Ingeneral,Northernersdidnotwanttopermitslaveryinnewstates.ButmanySouthernersdid.ThedebatewassoheatedthatoneoftheSouthernstates,S
10、outhCarolina,threatenedtoleavetheUnion.PresidentTaylordidnotwanttoexpandslavery.Torestrictit,heproposedachangetotherulessoCaliforniaandNewMexicocouldentertheUnionquicklyasslave-freestates.ButbeforeTaylorsideacouldgettoofar,hebecamesick.Fillmorelearnedthepresidentwasnotwellandpreparedfortheworst.Itca
11、me.Taylordiedafterbeinginofficeforonly16months.Thefollowingday,Fillmorewassworn-inaspresident.PresidencyOneofFillmoresfirstactsaspresidentwastoshowwherehestoodontheslaveryissue.HeappointedamanwhoopposedTaylortosecretaryofstate.Thatman,DanielWebster-andothers-wantedtopassacompromisebillonslavery.With
12、FiIImore1Ssupport,theysucceeded.TheCompromiseof1850includedseveralmeasuresrelatedtoslavery.Twomeasureslimitedit:CaliforniawasadmittedasafreestatezandtheslavetradeinWashington,DCended.Ontheotherhand,NewMexicoandUtahwereleftopentoslavery,andboththefederalgovernmentandordinarycitizenswererequiredtoretu
13、rnsuspectedescapedslavestotheirowners.Thatlastmeasure,theFugitiveSlaveActof1850,targetedevenfreeAfrican-Americansandenslavedpeoplewhohadescapedtofreestates.TheCompromiseaimedtoendtheconflictbetweenpro-slaveryandanti-slaveryforces.Butneithersidewasreallysatisfied.AndPresidentFillmoredidnothelpmatters
14、.Hewaspersonallyopposedtoslavery.However,hedidnotactonhisbeliefs.Instead,hetriedtokeeptheSouthintheUnionbystronglyenforcingtheFugitiveSlaveAct.BytheendofFillmoresthreeyearsintheWhiteHouse,manymembersofhisWhigpartywereangrywithhim.Partyleadersdidnotnominatehimagainforthenextelection.Buttheirchosencan
15、didatewasnotsuccessfuleither.FillmoreturnedouttobethelastWhigpresident.1.egacyTheendofFillmorespresidencyincludeddifficultyinhisprivatelife,too.Hiswife,Abigail,becamesickonthedaythenextpresidentwassworn-in.Shediedwithinamonth.Soonafter,Fillmoresdaughterdied,too.Tohelpdealwiththeirloss,Fillmoretriedt
16、ostayactiveinpolitics.Inthepresidentialelectionof1856,FillmoreservedasthecandidateforanewpartytheKnow-NothingParty.TheKnow-Nothingswerestronglyopposedtoimmigration.TheyespeciallywantedtolimitthenumberofIrishCatholicswhocouldcometotheUnitedStates.Fillmoredidnotagreewiththepartysanti-immigrationpolicies.Buthedidnothaveachancetoputhisopinionsintopolicy.Fillmorefinishedthirdoutofthethreemajorcand
