The development of the modern presidency in the United States began with Andrew Jackson who swept to power in 1829 at the head of the Democratic Party and served until 1837. During his administration, he immeasurably enlarged the power of the presidency. "The President is the direct representative of the American people," he lectured the Senate when it opposed him. "He was elected by the people, and is responsible to them." With this declaration, Jackson redefined the character of the presidential office and its relationship to the people.
During Jackson's second term, his opponents had gradually come together to form the Whig party. Whigs and Democrats held different attitudes toward the changes brought about by the market, banks, and commerce. The Democrats tended to view society as a continuing conflict between "the people”—farmers, planters, and workers—and a set of greedy aristocrats. This "paper money aristocracy" of bankers and investors manipulated the banking system for their own profit, Democrats claimed, and sapped the nation's virtue by encouraging speculation and the desire for sudden, unearned wealth. The Democrats wanted the rewards of the market without sacrificing the features of a simple agrarian republic. They wanted the wealth that the market offered without the competitive, changing society; the complex dealing; the dominance of urban centers; and the loss of independence that came with it.
Whigs, on the other hand, were more comfortable with the market. For them, commerce and economic development were agents of civilization. Nor did the Whigs envision any conflict in society between farmers and workers on the one hand and businesspeople and bankers on the other. Economic growth would benefit everyone by raising national income and expanding opportunity. The government's responsibility was to provide a well-regulated economy that guaranteed opportunity for citizens of ability.
Whigs and Democrats differed not only in their attitudes toward the market but also about how active the central government should be in people's lives. Despite Andrew Jackson's inclination to be a strong President, Democrats as a rule believed in limited government. Government's role in the economy was to promote competition by destroying monopolies' and special privileges. In keeping with this philosophy of limited government, Democrats also rejected the idea that moral beliefs were the proper sphere of government action. Religion and politics, they believed, should be kept clearly separate, and they generally opposed humanitarian legislation.
The Whigs, in contrast, viewed government power positively. They believed that it should be used to protect individual rights and public liberty, and that it had a special role where individual effort was ineffective. By regulating the economy and competition, the government could ensure equal opportunity. Indeed, for Whigs the concept of government promoting the general welfare went beyond the economy. In particular, Whigs in the northern sections of the United States also believed that government power should be used to foster the moral welfare of the country. They were much more likely to favor social-reform legislation and aid to education.
In some ways the social makeup of the two parties was similar. To be competitive in winning votes, Whigs and Democrats both had to have significant support among farmers, the largest group in society, and workers.Neither party could win an election by appealing exclusively to the rich or the poor. The Whigs, however, enjoyed disproportionate strength among the business and commercial classes. Whigs appealed to planters who needed credit to finance their cotton and rice trade in the world market, to farmers who were eager to sell their surpluses, and to workers who wished to improve themselves. Democrats attracted farmers isolated from the market or uncomfortable with it, workers alienated from the emerging industrial system, and rising entrepreneurs who wanted to break monopolies and open the economy to newcomers like themselves. The Whigs were strongest in the towns, cities, and those rural areas that were fully integrated into the market economy, whereas Democrats dominated areas of semisubsistence farming that were more isolated and languishing economically.
原題
Paragraph 6: In some ways the social makeup of the two parties was similar. To be competitive in winning votes, Whigs and Democrats both had to have significant support among farmers, the largest group in society, and workers. Neither party could win an election by appealing exclusively to the rich or the poor. The Whigs, however, enjoyed disproportionate strength among the business and commercial classes. Whigs appealed to planters who needed credit to finance their cotton and rice trade in the world market, to farmers who were eager to sell their surpluses, and to workers who wished to improve themselves. Democrats attracted farmers isolated from the market or uncomfortable with it, workers alienated from the emerging industrial system, and rising entrepreneurs who wanted to break monopolies and open the economy to newcomers like themselves. The Whigs were strongest in the towns, cities, and those rural areas that were fully integrated into the market economy, whereas Democrats dominated areas of semisubsistence farming that were more isolated and languishing economically.
10. According to paragraph 6, the Democrats were supported by all of the following groups EXCEPT
○workers unhappy with the new industrial system
○planters involved in international trade
○rising entrepreneurs
○individuals seeking to open the economy to newcomers
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答案
10. ○ 2
This is a Negative Factual Information question asking for specific information that can be found in paragraph 6. Choice 2 is the correct answer. Sentence 5 says that it was Whigs, not Democrats, who had the support of planters involved in international trade. The next sentence, sentence 6, says that in contrast, Democrats had the support of the groups mentioned in choices 1, 3, and 4 ("workers," "entrepreneurs," and certain other "individuals"). Therefore, all of the groups described in the answer choices, EXCEPT the planters of choice 2, did support the Democrats.
美國(guó)現(xiàn)代總統(tǒng)制度的發(fā)展是從安德魯杰克遜開始的。這位民主黨領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人在1829年掌權(quán),直至1837年卸任。在他任職期間,總統(tǒng)的權(quán)力被無限量地?cái)U(kuò)大了。參議院反對(duì)他時(shí),他曾說:“總統(tǒng)是美國(guó)人民的直接代表,美國(guó)總統(tǒng)由公民選舉產(chǎn)生,對(duì)公民負(fù)責(zé)。”杰克遜用這番話重新定義了內(nèi)閣的角色,及其與民眾的關(guān)系。
在杰克遜的第二任任職期間,他的反對(duì)者們逐漸聯(lián)合起來形成了輝格黨。輝格黨和民主黨在市場(chǎng)、銀行、商業(yè)引發(fā)的變化上持有不同的態(tài)度。民主黨傾向于把社會(huì)視作平民(農(nóng)民、種植園主、工人)和一小撮貪婪的貴族間持續(xù)的斗爭(zhēng)。他們宣稱,那些銀行家和投資者們都是“鈔票貴族”,他們?cè)谧约豪娴尿?qū)使下操縱著銀行系統(tǒng),并且以鼓勵(lì)投機(jī)和迅速賺取不義之財(cái)?shù)男袨閿膰?guó)民道德。民主黨人既想從市場(chǎng)經(jīng)濟(jì)中獲得好處,又不想犧牲單一土地所有權(quán)的共和體制。他們想要市場(chǎng)經(jīng)濟(jì)帶來的財(cái)富而不想要競(jìng)爭(zhēng),不想改變社會(huì);不想要復(fù)雜的交易;不要大城市的主宰和隨著市場(chǎng)經(jīng)濟(jì)而來的獨(dú)立性的喪失。
另一方面,輝格黨對(duì)市場(chǎng)更為適應(yīng)。對(duì)于他們來說,商業(yè)和經(jīng)濟(jì)的發(fā)展是文明化的動(dòng)力。然而,輝格黨人并沒有預(yù)見農(nóng)民、工人和商人、銀行家之間的沖突。他們認(rèn)為,經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展會(huì)通過增加國(guó)民收入和就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)使每個(gè)人受益。政府的職責(zé)就是提供一個(gè)井然有序運(yùn)作良好的經(jīng)濟(jì)環(huán)境,保證給每一個(gè)有能力的公民機(jī)會(huì)。
輝格黨和民主黨的分歧不僅表現(xiàn)在對(duì)市場(chǎng)的態(tài)度上,而且表現(xiàn)在中央政府究竟該在人民生活中起到多少作用上。拋開安德魯杰克遜想做一個(gè)強(qiáng)勢(shì)總統(tǒng)不談,民主黨本身就主張限制政府的做法。政府在經(jīng)濟(jì)中的角色就是通過摧毀壟斷和特權(quán)來鼓勵(lì)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)。為了遵循限制政府的做法,民主黨人同樣否定了道德準(zhǔn)則屬政府行為的范疇。民主黨人確信,宗教和政治應(yīng)劃清界限,而大體上,他們也反對(duì)人道主義立法。
相反地,政府權(quán)力在輝格黨人眼中是積極的。他們認(rèn)為,應(yīng)該用政府權(quán)力保護(hù)個(gè)人權(quán)力和公眾自由,在個(gè)人努力無效時(shí)扮演特殊角色。通過規(guī)劃經(jīng)濟(jì)和競(jìng)爭(zhēng),政府可以保證機(jī)會(huì)平等。確實(shí),輝格黨的政府促進(jìn)公眾福利超過了促進(jìn)經(jīng)濟(jì)。特別是,美國(guó)北部的輝格黨還認(rèn)為政府力量應(yīng)該用來推廣國(guó)家的道德福利。他們更加偏好社會(huì)改革法案和補(bǔ)助教育。
兩個(gè)政黨在社會(huì)結(jié)構(gòu)、人員構(gòu)成上具有某種程度的相似性。為了在投票中更具競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力,輝格黨和民主黨都要在社會(huì)最大群體即農(nóng)民和工人當(dāng)中獲得大力支持。任何一個(gè)黨派若只討好窮人或富人都不可能贏得選舉。然而,輝格黨偏好把精力花費(fèi)在商業(yè)階層上。輝格黨博得了需要信用來貸款以在世界貿(mào)易中出售棉花和米的種地的人、渴望賣出余糧的農(nóng)民和希望改變現(xiàn)狀的工人的喜好。民主黨則吸引了隔離于市場(chǎng)外或不習(xí)慣市場(chǎng)的農(nóng)民、工業(yè)系統(tǒng)外的工人和想打破壟斷開發(fā)新市場(chǎng)的新興小企業(yè)家的歡心。輝格黨在城鎮(zhèn)市區(qū)還有完全融入市場(chǎng)經(jīng)濟(jì)的農(nóng)村區(qū)域很強(qiáng)勢(shì),而民主黨主宰了與市場(chǎng)隔絕,經(jīng)濟(jì)日漸衰微的半自給農(nóng)耕地區(qū)。