You have been wisely admonished to “accustom yourselves to think and speak of the Union as of the palladium of your political safety and prosperity，watching for its preservation with Jealous anxiety，discountenancing whatever may suggest even a suspicion that it can in any event be abandoned，and indignantly frowning upon the first dawning of any attempt to alienate any portion of our country from the rest or to enfeeble the sacred ties which now link together the various parts．”
你们曾被理智地告诫过：“你们要习惯于像对待护佑你们政治上的安全与繁荣的守护神那样想到它或谈论它，要小心翼翼、无微不至地保护它；要驳斥一切抛弃它的想法，即使对它抱有丝毫怀疑亦不允许；要义正词严地反对刚回头的、一切可能使我国的任何部分与其他部分疏远并削弱连接全国各地的神圣纽带的种种企图。”
Without union our independence and liberty would never have been achieved；without union they never can be maintained．Divided into twenty－four，or even a smaller number，of separate communities，we shall see our internal trade burdened with numberless restraints and exactions；communication between distant points and sections obstructed or cut off；our sons made soldiers to deluge with blood the fields they now till in peace；the mass of our people borne down and impoverished by taxes to support armies and navies，and military leaders at the head of their victorious legions becoming our lawgivers and judges．The loss of liberty，of all good government，of peace，plenty，and happiness，must inevitably follow a dissolution of the Union．In supporting it，therefore，we support all that is dear to the freeman and the philanthropist．
没有联合，我们的独立和自由就永远不会取得，没有联合，独立和自由也绝得不到维护，如果我国分裂为24个独立的地区，或者即使数量上少一些，我们的国内贸易将为无数的限制和苛税所累；遥远的市镇与地区之间的通讯联系将受阻或被切断；我们的孩子将被迫当兵，使他们现在还在和平耕种的土地浸满鲜血；为了支撑陆军和海军的开支，大多数人将被税款压垮，穷困潦倒，走在得胜军团前列的军队首领将成为立法者和执法者。失去自由，失去这绝好的政体，失去和平、富裕和幸福，随之而来的必然是联邦的解体。因此，支持联邦，我们就支持了自由人和博爱主义者所珍视的一切。
The time at which I stand before you is full of interest．The eyes of all nations are fixed on our Republic．The event of the existing crisis will be decisive in the opinion of mankind of the practicability of our federal system of government．Great is the stake placed in our hands；great is the responsibility which must rest upon the people of the United States．Let us realize the importance of the attitude in which we stand before the world．Let us exercise forbearance and firmness．Let us extricate our country from the dangers which surround it and learn wisdom from the lessons they inculcate．
我站在你们面前的这一时刻充分地引起了人们的注意。世界各国的目光都在注视着我们的共和政体。目前这个危机的结果将决定全人类对我们联邦制政府的可行性的看法。置于我们手中的赌注是巨大的，置于美国人民肩上的责任是重大的。让我们意识到我们对全世界表明的这种态度的重要性。让我们运用我们的克制态度和坚定信念，让我们将我们的国家从所处的危险中解脱出来，从这些危险所反复说明的教训中汲取智慧。
Deeply impressed with the truth of these observations，and under the obligation of that solemn oath which I am about to take，I shall continue to exert all my faculties to maintain the just powers of the Constitution and to transmit unimpaired to posterity the blessings of our Federal Union．At the same time，it will be my aim to inculcate by my official acts the necessity of exercising by the General Government those powers only that are clearly delegated；to encourage simplicity and economy in the expenditures of the Government；to raise no more money from the people than may be requisite for these objects，and in a manner that will best promote the interests of all classes of the community and of all portions of the Union．
这些观察所得出的道理给我留下深刻的印象，既然我必须对我即将作的庄严誓词负责，我将继续竭尽全力维护宪法所规定的正当权力，将我们合众国的福祉无损地传至后代，同时，我的目标是：以我的官方行动，反复灌输中央政府只行使明确地授予它的权力的必要性；鼓励政府节俭开支；不向人民征收超过达到这些目标所需要的款项，最大限度地提高社会各阶级和联邦各州的利益。
Constantly bearing in mind that in entering into society “individuals must give up a share of liberty to preserve the rest，”it will be my desire so to discharge my duties as to foster with our brethren in all parts of the country a spirit of liberal concession and compromise，and，by reconciling our fellow－citizens to those partial sacrifices which they must unavoidably make for the preservation of a greater good，to recommend our invaluable Government and Union to the confidence and affections of the American people．
我们要时刻牢记，在进入社会时“个人必须放弃一份自由以维护其他人的自由”，我的愿望将是履行我的职责，并和全国各地的同胞们一起，培养一种宽容谦让的精神，使我们的公民安心于为维护更大的利益而必须做出部分的牺牲，从而使我们宝贵的政府和联邦能博得美国人民的信任和爱戴。
Finally，it is my most fervent prayer to that Almighty Being before whom I now stand，and who has kept us in His hands from the infancy of our Republic to the present day，that He will so overrule all my intentions and actions and inspire the hearts of my fellow－citizens that we may be preserved from dangers of all kinds and continue forever a united and happy people．
最后，我站在全能的上帝面前作最热忱的祈祷，我们的共和国在他的怀抱里已经从婴儿成长到今日，愿他主宰我的一切愿望和行动，并激发公民们的信念，使我们能免遭一切危险，永远成为一个团结和幸福的民族。
人物小传：美国第7位总统（1829—1837）
姓名：安德鲁·杰克逊
绰号：老胡桃木
出生：1767年3月15日，南卡罗来纳州
卒于：1845年6月8日，纳什维尔，田纳西州
所属政党：民主党
资产来源：地产与种植园收入
杰克逊是美国历史上第一位平民出身的总统。出生之前，父即去世。他少年时期住在西部边远地区，在那里度过了独立战争年代。他从一名边区律师起家，当过众议员、参议员、州最高法院法官、州民兵少将。第二次对英战争中，他坚韧不拔，肯与士兵共甘苦，被誉为“老胡桃木”。在新奥尔良战役中，他率兵大败英军，振奋全国，成为举国闻名的英雄。他第一次竞选总统时失败，第二次才获胜，是美国第一位民主党总统。任内大力加强总统职权，维护联邦统一，颇有政绩，史称“民主政治”，几与第三届总统杰斐逊齐名。
First Inaugural Address ofAbraham Lincoln（1861）
Monday，March 4，1861