Abraham Lincoln 亞伯拉罕·林肯

胡楊

Abraham Lincoln （February 12， 1809～April 15， 1865） was the 16th President1 of the United States of America. He served as President from March 4， 1861， until April 15， 1865 （he was re-elected in 1864）. He is the first republican President， but also a statesman2 who belongs among the great.

亞伯拉罕·林肯（1809年2月12日—1865年4月15日），美國第16任總統，任期為1861年3月4日至1865年4月15日（他在1864年再次當選）。他是首位共和黨籍總統，也是一位應歸入偉人之列的政治家。

Abraham Lincoln is known as one of the greatest American presidents， but at that time his family was very poor. They lived in a log cabin3 in the wood near Hodgenville， Kentucky. Abraham had very little formal schooling and was mostly self-educated. His formal schooling was limited to three brief periods in local schools， as he had to work constantly4 to support his family. He had to walk about five miles to school but he loved to study late after working hard all day. He grew to be a wise man and eventually became a lawyer and a Republican politician.

亞伯拉罕·林肯是美國歷史上最偉大的總統之一，但是當時他的家里十分貧窮，他和家人住在美國肯塔基州霍奇維爾的一個小木屋里面。亞伯拉罕由于家境貧窮，受正規學校教育的程度不高，主要靠他自己自學。他有過三段短暫的在當地學校學習的經歷，當時他不得不中斷學習去工作來貼補家用。他需要步行大約五英里去上學，但是在辛苦工作一天之余，他樂于學習到深夜。他成為了一個充滿智慧的人，并最終成了一名律師和一位共和黨的政治家。

Lincoln won election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1846 and began serving his term the following year. Then Lincoln， a self-taught Illinois lawyer and legislator with a reputation as an eloquent5 opponent6 of slavery， shocked many people and overcame several more prominent contenders to win the Republican Partys nomination for president in 1860.

林肯1846年當選為美國眾議員，第二年開始了他的任期。接著，林肯，這位自學成才的伊利諾斯州律師、有著雄辯口才的奴隸制反對者震驚了很多人，并且戰勝了一些杰出的競爭者，贏得了共和黨的1860年總統候選人提名。

In the general election， Lincoln won most of the North and carried the Electoral College. After years of sectional tensions， he was elected President of the United States. Lincoln was inaugurated7 in March 4， 1861， and the Civil War began barely a month later.

在大選中，林肯贏得了大多數的北方（選民）和選舉團的支持。經過多年的派系之間的斗爭，他被選為美國總統。1861年3月4日，林肯宣誓就職，僅僅一個月后就爆發了南北戰爭。

During Lincolns presidency， the people of the South wanted to own slaves， but those of the North thought that it was wrong to own slaves. Then the Southern states seceded from the Union because Lincoln and the Northern states were against slavery.

在林肯擔任總統期間，南方各州支持奴隸制度，而北方各州認為蓄奴是不對的。接著南方各州因為林肯和北部各州反對奴隸制而脫離了聯邦。

Contrary to expectations， Lincoln proved to be a shrewd military strategist and a savvy8 leader during what became the costliest conflict ever fought on American soil. During the Civil War， Lincoln gave many speeches. His Emancipation Proclamation， issued in 1863， freed all slaves in the rebellious states and paved the way for slaverys eventual abolition. The Gettysburg Address （Nov. 1863）， a short speech in which he stated how a country must be dedicated to human freedom in order to survive. It is considered as one of the most famous and influential pieces of speech in American history.

與預期相反，在這場最昂貴的美國本土戰爭中，林肯被證明了是一個精明的軍事戰略家和精明的領導者。在內戰期間，林肯做過許多次演講。1863年他發表了《解放奴隸宣言》，宣布了釋放所有反叛州的奴隸并且為最終廢除奴隸制度鋪平了道路。他在葛底斯堡演說（1863年11月）這場簡短的演說中提出一個國家為了生存需要致力于追求人類的自由。它被認為是美國歷史上最著名和最具影響力的演講。

The Civil War lasted from 1861 until 1865， and at last the North won and the slaves were set free.

美國內戰從1861年到1865年持續了四年，最終北方贏得勝利，所有奴隸得以解放。

In April 14， 1865， with the Union on the brink of victory， Lincoln had been attending a play at Fords Theater in Washington， D.C. He was shot and killed by John Wilkes Booth.

1865年4月14日，聯邦勝利在即的時候，林肯被邀請去觀看華盛頓特區福特劇院的一場戲劇的時候，被約翰·威爾克斯·布斯槍殺。

Lincoln died the next morning. Andrew Johnson （Lincolns Vice-President） became the next US President.

林肯第二天早上去世。安德魯·約翰遜（林肯的副總統）成為美國下一任總統。

Lincoln was the first US president ever assassinated9. His death made him a martyr10 to the cause of liberty11 and Union. Over the years Lincolns mythic stature has only grown， and he is widely regarded as one of the greatest presidents in the nations history.

林肯是第一位遭到刺殺的美國總統，他的早逝使他成為自由事業和聯邦的烈士。多年來，林肯的神話地位一直在攀升，他是公認的美國歷史上最偉大的總統之一。