詹姆斯·麦迪逊，美国宪法之父
📖 逐句对照翻译
The men who created America’s Constitution are often called the nation’s “founders.” But only one of those men, James Madison, is widely considered “the father of the Constitution.”
Madison was elected president of the United States in 1808.
创建美国宪法的那些人常被称为美国的“国父”。但在这些人中，只有詹姆斯·麦迪逊被广泛认为是“宪法之父”。
麦迪逊于1808年当选为美国总统。
He served for two terms.
他任职两届。
But many Americans remember Madison more for the work he did to strengthen the national government before he served as president.
但许多美国人记住麦迪逊，更多是因为他在担任总统之前为加强国家政府所做的工作。
Madison was one of the writers of the state constitution in his home state of Virgina in 1776.
麦迪逊是1776年他家乡弗吉尼亚州州宪法的起草人之一。
Later, he proposed a more structured national government after the Revolutionary War.
后来，在独立战争之后，他提议建立一个更为结构化的国家政府。
That conflict resulted in the American colonists separating from Britain.
那场冲突导致美国殖民者脱离英国。
Madison imagined a three-part American government – one with an executive, a legislature, and an independent Supreme Court.
麦迪逊设想了一个由三部分组成的美国政府——包括行政、立法和独立的最高法院。
His ideas became the basis for the U.S.
他的思想成为美国的基础。
Constitution.
宪法。
Tom Howard has served as an educator at Madison’s home in southern Virginia.
汤姆·霍华德曾在弗吉尼亚州南部麦迪逊的家中担任教育工作者。
He said Madison did not receive as much attention as some of America’s other founding members.
他说，麦迪逊没有像美国其他一些开国元勋那样受到那么多关注。
“He’s not somehow historically as well-known as other…founding statesmen,” Howard said.
霍华德说：“不知为何，他在历史上的知名度不如其他……开国政治家。”
“But he’s certainly every bit as important…We are not even sure there would be a Constitution had it not been for James Madison,” he added.
“但他无疑同样重要……如果没有詹姆斯·麦迪逊，我们甚至无法确定是否会有宪法，”他补充道。
Howard noted how James Madison used his own library to prepare for the nation’s Constitutional Convention.
霍华德提到了詹姆斯·麦迪逊如何利用自己的藏书为国家的制宪会议做准备。
“He went up there and studied for months, and that’s having just a light breakfast and then studying throughout the entire day – before he finally took a break to rest up, to go back at it the next day.”
Historians say Madison took very detailed notes during the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
“他到那里攻读了数月，其间只是简单吃个早餐，然后学习一整天——直到最后才休息一下，以便第二天继续。”历史学家称，麦迪逊在宾夕法尼亚州费城制宪会议期间做了非常详细的笔记。
“He sat behind George Washington taking notes, and trying to determine how the debates were going in discussions that he could prepare for the next day, and how he would influence that.”
Madison understood his notes were important not only for him.
“他坐在乔治·华盛顿身后做笔记，努力从讨论中判断辩论进展如何，以便为第二天的讨论做准备，以及他该如何施加影响。”
麦迪逊明白，他的笔记不仅对他自己重要。
He knew they would also be interesting for historians and other people who wanted to know what happened at the meeting.
他知道，这些对历史学家以及其他想了解会议情况的人来说也会很有意思。
He included information on speeches and ideas expressed by other delegates.
他收录了其他代表的发言和观点信息。
After a new constitution was created at the convention, the legislatures of each state had to ratify, or vote to approve, the document.
在制宪会议上新宪法制定出来后，各州的立法机构必须批准，即投票通过该文件。
Madison and other supporters of the proposed government eventually succeeded in persuading the states to ratify the Constitution.
麦迪逊和其他拟议政府的支持者最终成功说服各州批准了宪法。
He was then elected to the House of Representatives in the first Congress under the new government.
随后，他在新政府下的第一届国会中当选为众议院议员。
But it was his actions in support of a strong national government and federal laws that earned Madison a place in history as “Father of the Constitution.”
I’m Bryan Lynn.
但正是他支持强大的国家政府和联邦法律的行动，使麦迪逊赢得了“宪法之父”的历史地位。
我是布莱恩·林恩。
Jill Robbins, Steve Ember and Faith Lapidus reported on this story for VOA Learning English.
吉尔·罗宾斯、史蒂夫·恩伯和费思·拉皮德斯为VOA英语学习频道报道了这则新闻。
Bryan Lynn adapted the reports.
布莱恩·林恩改编了这些报告。
