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今天换种方式继续讲历史故事

01

一美元：George Washington

George Washington (1732-99) was commander in chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War (1775-83) and served two terms as the first U.S. president, from 1789 to 1797. 

乔治·华盛顿(1732-99)在美国独立战争(1775-83)期间担任大陆军总司令，并于1789 - 1797年担任两届美国总统。

The son of a prosperous planter, Washington was raised in colonial Virginia. As a young man, he worked as a surveyor then fought in the French and Indian War (1754-63). During the American Revolution, he led the colonial forces to victory over the British and became a national hero. 

作为一个富裕种植园主的儿子，华盛顿在弗吉尼亚殖民地长大。年轻时，他曾是一名测量员，后来参加了法印战争(1754-63)。在美国独立战争期间，他领导殖民地军队战胜了英国人，成为民族英雄。

By the late 1760s, Washington had experienced firsthand the effects of rising taxes imposed on American colonists by the British, and came to believe that it was in the best interests of the colonists to declare independence from England. Washington served as a delegate to the First Continental Congress in 1774 in Philadelphia. By the time the Second Continental Congress convened a year later, the American Revolution had begun in earnest, and Washington was named commander in chief of the Continental Army.

到18世纪60年代末，华盛顿亲身经历了英国对美国殖民者加税的影响，并开始相信，宣布从英国独立是殖民地人民的最佳利益。1774年，华盛顿作为代表出席了在费城举行的第一届大陆会议。一年后，第二届大陆会议召开，美国独立战争正式开始，华盛顿被任命为大陆军总司令。

America’s First President

In 1783, with the signing of the Treaty of Paris between Great Britain and the U.S., Washington, believing he had done his duty, gave up his command of the army and returned to Mount Vernon, intent on resuming his life as a gentleman farmer and family man. However, in 1787, he was asked to attend the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia and head the committee to draft the new constitution. His impressive leadership there convinced the delegates that he was by far the most qualified man to become the nation’s first president.

1783年，随着英国和美国签订《巴黎条约》，华盛顿相信他已经完成了他的职责，放弃了他在军队的指挥权，回到弗农山庄，决心恢复一个田园农民和居家男人的生活。1787年，他被邀请参加费城的制宪会议，并领导委员会起草新宪法。他令人印象深刻的领导能力使代表们相信，他是当时最有资格成为美国第一位总统的人。

His two most prominent cabinet appointees were Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) and Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), two men who disagreed strongly on the role of the federal government. Hamilton favored a strong central government and was part of the Federalist Party, while Jefferson favored stronger states’ rights as part of the Democratic-Republican Party, the forerunner to the Democratic Party. Washington believed that divergent views were critical for the health of the new government, but he was distressed at what he saw as an emerging partisanship.

他任命的两个最重要的内阁成员是国务卿托马斯·杰斐逊(Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1826)和财政部长亚历山大·汉密尔顿(Alexander Hamilton, 1755-1804)，这两人在联邦政府的角色上有着强烈的分歧。汉密尔顿支持一个强有力的中央政府，他是联邦党人的一员，而杰斐逊支持作为民主党前身的民主-共和党的一部分，赋予各州更大的权利。华盛顿认为，不同的观点对新政府的健康发展至关重要，但他对正在出现的党派之争感到不安。

George Washington’s presidency was marked by a series of firsts. He signed the first United States copyright law, protecting the copyrights of authors. He also signed the first Thanksgiving proclamation, making November 26 a national day of Thanksgiving for the end of the war for American independence and the successful ratification of the Constitution.

乔治·华盛顿的总统任期有一系列的“第一”。他签署了美国第一部版权法，保护作者的版权。他还签署了第一个感恩节公告，使11月26日成为全国感恩节，以纪念美国独立战争的结束和美国宪法的成功批准。

George Washington’s Retirement to Mount Vernon and Death

Washington returned to Mount Vernon and devoted his attentions to making the plantation as productive as it had been before he became president. More than four decades of public service had aged him, but he was still a commanding figure. In December 1799, he caught a cold after inspecting his properties in the rain. The cold developed into a throat infection and Washington died on the night of December 14, 1799 at the age of 67. He was entombed at Mount Vernon, which in 1960 was designated a national historic landmark.

华盛顿回到弗农山庄，全身心地继续投入到他的田园种植，希望种植园能恢复到他就任总统之前的模样。然而，40多年的从政使他衰老了很多。1799年12月，他在雨中查看财政后患了感冒。感冒后来发展成咽喉感染，华盛顿于1799年12月14日晚去世，享年67岁。他被安葬在弗农山庄，那里在1960年被指定为国家历史地标。

身高188cm的乔治华盛顿不仅在1789年，他经过全体选举团无异议的支持而成为美国第一任总统（其同时也成为全世界第一位以“总统”为称号的国家元首，首任总统，其他的还都称为国王之类的），在接连两次选举中都获得了全体选举团无异议支持，一直担任总统直到1797年。他在两届的任期中设立了许多持续到今天的政策和传统。

在两届任期结束后，他自愿放弃权力不再谋求续任，成为了美国总统今后的示范，从此美国总统最多不超过两任共八年的任期（除了二战之外的富兰克林.罗斯福）

02

二美元：Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), author of the Declaration of Independence and the third U.S. president, was a leading figure in America’s early development. During the American Revolutionary War (1775-83), Jefferson served in the Virginia legislature and the Continental Congress and was governor of Virginia. 

托马斯·杰斐逊(1743-1826)是《独立宣言》的作者，也是美国第三任总统，他是美国早期发展的主要人物。在美国独立战争(1775-83)期间，杰斐逊在弗吉尼亚州议会和大陆会议任职，并担任弗吉尼亚州州长。

He later served as U.S. minister to France and U.S. secretary of state, and was vice president under John Adams (1735-1826). Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican who thought the national government should have a limited role in citizens’ lives, was elected president in 1800. 

他后来担任美国驻法公使和美国国务卿，并在约翰·亚当斯(John Adams, 1735-1826年)政府中担任副总统。杰斐逊是民主党和共和党人，他认为国家政府应该在公民生活中发挥有限的作用，并于1800年当选总统。

During his two terms in office (1801-1809), the U.S. purchased the Louisiana Territory and Lewis and Clark explored the vast new acquisition. Although Jefferson promoted individual liberty, he was also a slave owner. After leaving office, he retired to his Virginia plantation, Monticello, and helped found the University of Virginia.

在他的两个任期内(1801-1809)，美国购买了路易斯安那州的领土，路易斯和克拉克探索了这片巨大的新土地。尽管杰斐逊提倡个人自由，但他同时也是一个奴隶主。卸任后，他退休回到他在弗吉尼亚的种植园蒙蒂塞洛，并帮助建立了弗吉尼亚大学。

     美国开国元勋之一，与华盛顿、本杰明·富兰克林并称为美利坚开国三杰。

　　除了政治事业外，杰斐逊同时也是农业学、园艺学、建筑学、词源学、考古学、数学、密码学、测量学与古生物学等学科的专家；又身兼作家、律师与小提琴手；也是弗吉尼亚大学的创办人。许多人认为他是历任美国总统中智慧最高者，并且在他去世前，他宣布解放了他拥有的所有奴隶。

　　他在任期间保护农业，托马斯·杰斐逊是个重农主义者，这在当时的美国来看是没有错的，因为当时的美国95%的人口都是农业人口，但是与此同时，托马斯·杰斐逊也注意培育和发展民族资本主义工业。从法国手中购买路易斯安那州，使美国领土近乎增加了一倍。

03

十美元 ：Alexander Hamilton

Hamilton as Secretary of the Treasury 

In 1789, Washington was unanimously elected as the first president of the United States; he appointed Hamilton as the first secretary of the U.S. Treasury. Seeking to provide lasting financial stability for the new nation, Hamilton argued for the importance of a national banking system and the federal government’s assumption of state debts. Hamilton’s financial policies faced strong opposition from Madison and Thomas Jefferson, then secretary of state, who thought they put far too much power in the hands of the federal government.

1789年，华盛顿被一致推选为美国第一任总统;他任命汉密尔顿为美国第一任财政部长。为了给这个新国家提供持久的金融稳定，汉密尔顿强调了国家银行体系和联邦政府承担州债务的重要性。汉密尔顿的财政政策遭到麦迪逊和当时的国务卿托马斯·杰斐逊的强烈反对，他们认为这些政策让联邦政府掌握了太多的权力。

Hamilton’s Rivalry With Aaron Burr

Hamilton and Aaron Burr had been political opponents since the debate over the Constitution in 1789. Burr angered Hamilton further by running successfully against Hamilton’s father-in-law, Philip Schuyler, for the U.S. Senate in 1791. “I fear [Burr] is unprincipled both as a public and private man,” Hamilton wrote in 1792, adding that “I feel it a religious duty to oppose his career.”

自从1789年的宪法辩论以来，汉密尔顿和亚伦·伯尔一直是政治对手。1791年，伯尔成功地与汉密尔顿的岳父菲利普·斯凯勒(Philip Schuyler)竞选美国参议员，这进一步激怒了汉密尔顿。汉密尔顿在1792年写道:“我担心(伯尔)无论是作为一个公众人物还是一个普通人，都是没有原则的。我觉得反对他的职业生涯是一种宗教责任。”

He made good on this in 1800, after Federalist divisions led to a tie between Jefferson and Burr, both Democratic-Republicans, in the 1800 presidential election. Even though Jefferson had long been his political rival, Hamilton helped sway Federalists in Congress to vote in Jefferson’s favor to break the tie and defeat Burr.

1800年，在联邦党人的分裂导致杰斐逊和伯尔产生了关联。在1800年的总统选举中，尽管杰斐逊长期以来一直是他的政治对手，汉密尔顿还是帮助国会中的联邦党人投票支持杰斐逊，从而打破了僵局，击败了伯尔。

Largely sidelined by Jefferson as vice president, Burr decided to run for governor of New York in 1804. After he lost, largely due to the opposition of powerful party rivals, the frustrated Burr fixated on a newspaper article, published during the gubernatorial campaign, which claimed that Hamilton had insulted him at a private dinner. He wrote to Hamilton confronting him about the slight. When Hamilton characteristically refused to back down, Burr challenged him to a duel.

1804年，伯尔决定竞选纽约州州长，在杰斐逊担任副总统期间，他基本上是被忽视的。败选后，沮丧的伯尔开始关注在州长竞选期间发表的一篇报纸文章，该文章称汉密尔顿在一次私人晚宴上侮辱了他。他写信给汉密尔顿，就这一侮辱当面质问他。汉密尔顿以他的性格拒绝让步，伯尔向他提出决斗的挑战。

On July 11, 1804, Hamilton and Burr met on the dueling ground in Weehawken, New Jersey. Both men fired. Hamilton's shot missed, in fact, some historians believe Hamilton never intended to hit Burr, but meant to “throw away his shot.” Burr’s bullet, however, mortally wounded Hamilton, who died the next day of his injuries.

1804年7月11日，汉密尔顿和伯尔在新泽西州维霍肯的决斗场上相遇，两人都开枪决斗。汉密尔顿没有击中，事实上，一些历史学家认为，汉密尔顿并没有打算击中伯尔，而是想开一枪出去。然而，伯尔的子弹使汉密尔顿受了致命伤，第二天他就死了。

    亚历山大·汉密尔顿，美国的第一任财政部长，有可能是美国历史上第一位具有现代金融理念和建立了现代金融体系的美国人，美国政党制度的创建者。

　　在美国的开国元勋中，没有哪位的生与死比亚历山大·汉密尔顿更富戏剧色彩了。在为美国后来的财富和势力奠定基础方面，也没有哪位开国老臣的功劳比得上汉密尔顿。

04

100美元----第一名真正的美国人 

One of the leading figures of early American history, Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was a statesman, author, publisher, scientist, inventor and diplomat. 

本杰明·富兰克林(1706-1790)是美国早期历史上的主要人物之一，他是一位政治家、作家、出版商、科学家、发明家和外交家。

Born into a Boston family of modest means, Franklin had little formal education. He went on to start a successful printing business in Philadelphia and grew wealthy. Franklin was deeply active in public affairs in his adopted city, where he helped launch a lending library, hospital and college and garnered acclaim for his experiments with electricity, among other projects. 

富兰克林出生在波士顿一个中等收入的家庭，他几乎没有接受过正规教育。后来，他在费城创办了一家成功的印刷企业，并变得富有起来。富兰克林在他所居住的城市积极参与公共事务，在那里，他帮助建立了一个借阅图书馆、医院和大学，并因他的电实验和其他项目而赢得了赞誉。

During the American Revolution, he served in the Second Continental Congress and helped draft the Declaration of Independence in 1776. He also negotiated the 1783 Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War (1775-83). In 1787, in his final significant act of public service, he was a delegate to the convention that produced the U.S. Constitution.

在美国独立战争期间，他参加了第二届大陆会议，并帮助起草了1776年的独立宣言。他还参与了结束独立战争(1775-83)的1783年《巴黎条约》的谈判。1787年，他作为代表参加了制定美国宪法的大会，这是他为公众服务的最后一项重要举措。

   印在最大面值上的人，是被誉为是“第一名真正的美国人”的本杰明富兰克林，不像其他面额的钞票上的人，本杰明富兰克林没有当过美国总统。

　　他是美国独立战争时重要的领导人之一，参与了多项重要文件的草拟，并曾出任美国驻法国大使，成功取得法国支持美国独立。本杰明·富兰克林曾经进行多项关于电的实验，并且发明了避雷针，最早提出电荷守恒定律。他还发明了双焦点眼镜，蛙鞋等等。本杰明·富兰克林被选为英国皇家学会院士。他曾是美国首位邮政局长。

   早年，17岁的富兰克林应总督之邀去伦敦帮助采购印刷设备，借此机会游历欧洲，学问大长，眼界也大开。回到北美后，他与朋友合开了一家印刷店，印刷和出版了宾夕法尼亚第一份报纸《宾夕法尼亚报》。这一年，他22岁。紧接着，就是本杰明富兰克林传奇的人生了，传奇的程度就像他人生的最后用自己年轻时写的一段话作为结束语：

The Body of B. Franklin, Printer, 印刷商， B·富兰克林的躯体

Like the Cover of an old Book, 就像一本旧书的封面

Its Contents torn out, 没有了内容

And stript of its Lettering and Gilding,字迹斑驳，镀金脱落

Lies here, Food for Worms.躺在这里，成为蠕虫的食物

But the Work shall not be lost: 但是他的工作成果不会丢失

For it will, as he believed, appear once more, 就像他所期待，所相信的那样，再次出现

In a new & more perfect Edition,以新的更完美的版本

Corrected and Amended 更正和修订

By the Author.由作者本人著

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