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1、美国总统13富兰克林皮尔斯FranklinPierce:IneffectiveVOALearningEnglishpresentsAmericasPresidents.TodaywearetalkingaboutFranklinPiercezthe14thpresidentoftheUnitedStates.Hetookofficein1853atage48,Atthattime,hewastheyoungestpersonelectedtotheWhiteHouse.Piercewasknownforbeingsocial-andforhisgoodlooks.Buthispersonall
2、ifewasfulloftragedy,andhewasnotaneffectivechiefexecutive.Overtime,hehascometoberememberedasoneofthecountrysworstpresidents.EarlylifeFranklinPiercewasborninthenorthernstateofNewHampshire.Hewasoneofeightchildren.Heattendedschoolregularlyasachild,andhewentontoBowdoinCollegeinMaine.There,hedevelopedhiss
3、killsasanexcellentpublicspeaker.Healsobecameanablelawyer.Piercesabilitiescarriedhimfar.Buthispersonalconnectionshelped,too.HisfatherbecamethegovernorofNewHampshire.Shortlyafter,Piercewaselectedtothestatelegislature.HesoonbecameamemberoftheU.S.Congress-firstasamemberoftheHouseofRepresentatives,andthe
4、nasasenator.SeveralimportantthingshappenedinPiercespersonallifeduringthoseyearsinWashington,DC.HemarriedJaneMeansAppleton.Theysoonhadason,butthechilddiedafteronlythreedays.Thecouplewentontohavetwomoreboys.InWashington,FranklinPiercealsodevelopedfriendshipswithmanypeoplefromtheSouth.Theydefendedtheri
5、ghtofstatestopermitslavery.AlthoughhewasfromtheNorth,PiercecametosharetheopinionsofhisSouthernfriends.Hegrewtodislikeanti-slaveryactivists,whowereknownasabolitionists.Asapolitician,PiercewasamemberoftheDemocraticPartyandstronglysupportedtheideasofPresidentAndrewJackson.Butpoliticsdidnotappealtohiswi
6、fe.Shealsodidnotlikeherhusbandshabitofdrinkingalcoholwithhisfriends.JanePiercebelongedtothetemperancemovement,whichurgedAmericanstoavoidtheuseofalcoholicdrinks.SoPierceresignedhisjobintheSenateandmovedbacktoNewHampshire.There,hestoppeddrinkingalcoholandearnedfameasalawyerandpublicspeaker.Buttragedys
7、truckagain:hissecondsonbecamesickanddied.FaintingFrankPierceremainedactiveinpoliticsinNewHampshire.HehelpedtheDemocraticcandidateforpresidentatthetime,JamesK.Polk,winvotesinthestate.WhenPolkenteredtheWhiteHouse,hegavePierceapositionasageneralintheMexican-AmericanWar.Piercedidnotearntherespectofhistr
8、oops.Inonebattle,hepassedoutafterhefelloffhishorseandcrushedhisleg.Someofhismen,seeingwhathappened,fledthebattlefield.OtherscalledhimFaintingFrank.AlthoughPiercehadhiscritics,hereturnedtoNewHampshireasaleaderinthestatesDemocraticParty.YetnooneexpectedhimtobecomepresidentoftheUnitedStates.Piercesnomi
9、nationcameduringtheDemocraticnationalconventionin1852.Partyleaderscouldnotagreeonacandidate.Theyweresplitamongthethreetopchoices.SothepartyturnedtoPierce.Theylikedthefactthathewasnotwellknownorhadtakenanystrongpositionsasalawmaker.Asaresult,fewerpeoplecouldobjecttohim,theyreasoned.Piercedidverylittl
10、eduringtheelectioncampaign.Hedidnotneedto.Manyvoters,especiallyintheSouth,didnotlikehisopponent.Whentheelectionwasheld,Piercewoneasily.Butbeforehetookoffice,anotherterriblethinghappened.FranklinandJanePierceweretravelingbytrainwiththeiryoungestsonBenjamin,whowas11-years-old.Thetrainwentofftherails.B
11、enniewaskilledinstantlyinfrontofhisparents.NeitherFranklinnorJanePierceeverreallyrecovered.JanebelievedtheirsonsdeathwasapunishmentfromGodforherhusbandbecomingpresident.PresidencyAspresident,Piercefacedanextremelydifficultsituation.Thecountrysongoingdisputeaboutwhetherandwheretopermitslaverywasbecom
12、ingmoreintense.UnderPiercezthedisputecenteredontheareasofKansasandNebraska.Atthetime,bothareaswereconsideredterritories,notstates.AndeachterritorywasabovethelineoftheMissouriCompromiseof1820.Thatact,approvedbylawmakersnearly35yearsbeforePiercetookoffice,bannedslaveryinnorthernareas,includingwhatwoul
13、dbecomeKansasandNebraska.Violencebetweenpro-slavery,free-state,andabolitionistgroupscontinuedforsevenyearsbeforeKansasenteredtheUnionasafreestatein1861.ThattimebecameknownasBleedingKansas.Butpro-slaverysettlersdemandedthatKansasandNebraskavoters-agroupcomprisedofwhitemen-decidetheissueforthemselves.
14、AmajorityofU.S.lawmakersagreed.Underpressure,PresidentPiercesignedtheKansas-NebraskaActin1854.ThemeasurewasoneofthemostimportantinU.S.history.ItoverturnedtheMissouriCompromiseandcancelledthebanonslavery.ItincitedyearsofintenseOfviolencebetweenpro-slaveryandanti-slaveryactivists.Anditpushedadividedna
15、tionevenfurtherapart.ThetroublesalsoshowedPiercetobeanineffectivepresident.Hecouldnoteasethetensionsoverslavery,norunitethecountrybehindtheKansas-NebraskaAct.AndhedelayedusinghispowertostoptheviolenceinKansasuntilitwasfartoolate.Finally,hissympathyforpro-slaverygroupsangeredmanyintheNorth,includingp
16、eopleinhisownparty.TheDemocratsdidnotnominatehimagainatthenextelection.1.egacyAfterfouryearsaspresident,PiercereturnedtoNewHampshire.Herarelysocializedandbegandrinkingalcoholagain.Afterhiswifediedin1863,Pierceseemedtodisappearfrompubliclife.Americansheardlittleabouthimuntilhisdeathin1869.Buthelivedt
17、oseetheultimatetragedyoftheCivilWarthathe-likeotherpresidentsbeforehim-hadfailedtoprevent.mKellyJeanKelly.KellyJeanKellywrotethisstoryforLearningEnglish.GeorgeGrowwastheeditor.Wewanttohearfromyou.WritetousintheCommentsSection.WordsinThisStoryregularly-adv.onaregularbasishabit-n.somethingthatapersondoesofteninaregularandrepeatedwaypassout-phrasalverb.tobecomeunconsciousorfallasleepfaint-v.tosuddenlybecomeunconsciousinstantly-adv.immediatelyultimate-adj.greatestormostextreme
