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THIS IS AMERICA - Presidential Exhibits at the National Arch

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THIS IS AMERICA - Presidential Exhibits at the National Archives
By Jerilyn Watson

Broadcast: Monday, January 10, 2005

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Bob Doughty1. Today we visit the National Archives for some presidential history.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

President George W. Bush will begin his second term on Inauguration2 Day, January twentieth. But Inauguration Day has not always taken place on this date in wintertime.

George Washington gave the nation's first presidential swearing-in speech in the spring. He spoke3 on April thirtieth, seventeen eighty-nine, in New York City.

Part of Washington's handwritten speech will be shown at the National Archives, in the city named in his honor, this week through January twenty-fifth. Visitors can see the first and last pages of the speech. They can also see the Bible on which he placed his hand during the swearing-in ceremony.

VOICE TWO:

George Washington had led the American colonies to freedom from England in the Revolutionary War. Now he spoke of what he called the "difficulty of the trust to which the voice of my country called me." He also pointed4 out that as the first president of the United States, he had no example to follow. Years later, America's thirty-third president, Harry5 Truman, recognized an example of what the job was like. Being president, Truman said, was like riding a tiger.

 
Graphic6 Image
Now he and others who rode that tiger are the subjects of a collection of presidential photographs at the National Archives. Some pictures in the exhibit show the pressures of America's highest office. Others show the pleasures of political life. Still others record family times or lighthearted moments, like Ronald Reagan enjoying a laugh on the presidential plane, Air Force One.

VOICE ONE:

The exhibit is called "The American Presidency7: Photographic Treasures of the National Archives." It is presented by U.S. News & World Report magazine. It is the first exhibit in the Lawrence F. O'Brien Gallery. The newly named space opened in December. Lawrence O'Brien was an adviser8 to presidents Kennedy and Johnson. The photographs demonstrate the development of camera art over the last one hundred fifty years. Most of the forty pictures are in black-and-white.

VOICE TWO:

A photo from eighteen fifty-seven shows James Buchanan during his first year as president. The photographer was Mathew Brady, one of the nation's first great photographers of historical subjects. Buchanan sits in a chair next to a table covered by a cloth and topped by books. A feather pen sits in ink. The chair is turned half-sideways from the camera. Buchanan has one leg crossed over the other. The nation he led was divided over slavery and the rights of states. Four years later, America was at war with itself. The slave-holding South rebelled against the Union.

VOICE ONE:

Abraham Lincoln guided the nation through the Civil war. Another photo by Mathew Brady shows President Lincoln at a military camp in Antietam, Maryland, in eighteen sixty-two. Lincoln stands between two other officials. But their presence does not seem nearly as important compared to the very tall president with the very tall hat.

Both sides in the war suffered terrible losses at Antietam. Southern troops led by Confederate General Robert E. Lee withdrew. This gave the Union a chance to declare a victory. It also gave Lincoln a chance he had been waiting for. He announced that slaves in the South would be free as of the coming January of eighteen sixty-three. The Civil War lasted from eighteen sixty-one until eighteen sixty-five.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

William McKinley was president from eighteen ninety-seven until his death in nineteen-oh-one, when an anarchist9 shot him.

The National Archives exhibit shows McKinley during a visit to his hometown in Ohio. He reaches out to greet children. He looks happy and at ease. The image we see is really two pictures. These were made to be looked at side-by-side in a device called a stereoptican. This way pictures appeared to have depth.

Theodore Roosevelt followed McKinley in office. One photograph shows Teddy Roosevelt in front of a huge tree. He loved the open air and he loved to hunt. But he also recognized the need to protect wildlife and nature. During his eight years in office, he created many national forests and other protected areas.

VOICE ONE:

A picture of Herbert Hoover shows him fishing in California. Another shows him speaking at a political meeting. Hoover was president from nineteen twenty-nine to nineteen thirty-three. During this time the stock market crashed. This led to a worldwide economic depression.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt followed Hoover in office. This Roosevelt was known as F.D.R. He was distantly related to Theodore. He helped raise the spirits of Americans during the worst of the Great Depression. In fact, he was elected four times. After that the Constitution was amended11 to set a limit of two terms.

VOICE TWO:

The great camera artist Edward Steichen captured Roosevelt's face from the side. The picture is an image of strength. Yet most Americans did not know that Roosevelt needed help to walk. He was disabled by a polio infection. Pictures of him in his wheelchair or wearing leg braces12 were rare.

Franklin Roosevelt died unexpectedly in April of nineteen forty-five. Vice10 President Harry Truman became president. He led the United States through the final months of World War Two. President Truman often spoke from the back of a train as he campaigned for election in nineteen forty-eight. In one picture, he talks to a crowd at a train station in a small Southern town. Young people sit on the station roof as they listen.

VOICE ONE:

Dwight Eisenhower was commanding general of the Allied13 forces in Europe during World War Two. He was a military hero. In nineteen fifty-two, he was elected president. A photograph in the exhibit shows President Eisenhower and his wife Mamie at a celebration of their thirty-ninth wedding anniversary. He has his arm around her shoulder. She has a bright smile on her face.

Photographer Paul Begley captured this image in the summer of nineteen fifty-five at the family's home in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. In September of that year, President Eisenhower suffered a heart attack. But he recovered and was re-elected in nineteen fifty-six.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

In nineteen sixty Americans elected John Fitzgerald Kennedy. In one of the pictures at the Archives, J.F.K. watches his young daughter playing in his White House office. Caroline and her younger brother, John Junior, often provided light moments for photographers.

 
Graphic Image
Another photo shows L.B.J., Lyndon Baines Johnson. Johnson took office after the murder of President Kennedy in nineteen sixty-three. In the photo President Johnson holds his dog Yuki. Both have their faces turned upward. They look like they are singing together. Johnson's little grandson looks on in surprise.

VOICE ONE:

Richard Nixon is one of the few presidents pictured in color in the exhibit. He was elected in nineteen sixty-eight.

A picture shows President Nixon with Chinese Premier14 Chou En-lai. The premier is showing the president how to eat with chopsticks. The photo was taken during the historic Nixon trip to China in nineteen seventy-two. That trip helped open relations between the two countries.

On August eighth, nineteen seventy-four, Richard Nixon became the only American president ever to resign. In doing so, he avoided the possibility of removal from office over charges in Congress of political crimes.

VOICE TWO:

The pictures in the collection show presidents at work, at rest and at play. In three photos side-by-side, Jimmy Carter and his young daughter Amy run toward a helicopter at the White House.

Another picture shows President George H.W. Bush walking on the White House grounds. The Washington Monument stands tall in the background. This photo is from January of nineteen ninety-one, five months after Iraq invaded and occupied Kuwait. Mister Bush appears deep in thought. He had just approved a decision to go to war.

"The American Presidency: Photographic Treasures of the National Archives" continues through February twenty-first, in Washington, D.C. Internet users can find out more at the Web site of the National Archives and Records Administration: nara.gov.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Caty Weaver15. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Bob Doughty. Please join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 doughty Jk5zg     
adj.勇猛的,坚强的
参考例句:
  • Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质:脾气倔强,性格刚强。
  • The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。
2 inauguration 3cQzR     
n.开幕、就职典礼
参考例句:
  • The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
  • Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。
3 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
4 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
5 harry heBxS     
vt.掠夺,蹂躏,使苦恼
参考例句:
  • Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天,人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
  • Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。
6 graphic Aedz7     
adj.生动的,形象的,绘画的,文字的,图表的
参考例句:
  • The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
  • Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。
7 presidency J1HzD     
n.总统(校长,总经理)的职位(任期)
参考例句:
  • Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
  • Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。
8 adviser HznziU     
n.劝告者,顾问
参考例句:
  • They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
  • Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。
9 anarchist Ww4zk     
n.无政府主义者
参考例句:
  • You must be an anarchist at heart.你在心底肯定是个无政府主义者。
  • I did my best to comfort them and assure them I was not an anarchist.我尽量安抚他们并让它们明白我并不是一个无政府主义者。
10 vice NU0zQ     
n.坏事;恶习;[pl.]台钳,老虎钳;adj.副的
参考例句:
  • He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
  • They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。
11 Amended b2abcd9d0c12afefe22fd275996593e0     
adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。
  • He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。
12 braces ca4b7fc327bd02465aeaf6e4ce63bfcd     
n.吊带,背带;托架( brace的名词复数 );箍子;括弧;(儿童)牙箍v.支住( brace的第三人称单数 );撑牢;使自己站稳;振作起来
参考例句:
  • The table is shaky because the braces are loose. 这张桌子摇摇晃晃,因为支架全松了。
  • You don't need braces if you're wearing a belt! 要系腰带,就用不着吊带了。
13 allied iLtys     
adj.协约国的;同盟国的
参考例句:
  • Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
  • Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。
14 premier R19z3     
adj.首要的;n.总理,首相
参考例句:
  • The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
  • He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。
15 weaver LgWwd     
n.织布工;编织者
参考例句:
  • She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快,而且布的质量很好。
  • The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

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