每日英语听力

当前播放

威廉·亨利·哈里森短暂的总统生涯

Welcome to the MAKING OF A NATIONAmerican history in VOA Special English. In November of eighteen forty, the American people elected their ninth president, William Henry Harrison.

The election of the retired general was expected. Still, it was a great victory for the Whig Party and a sharply felt loss for the opposing party, the Democrats. They failed to put their man, President Martin Van Buren, in the White House for a second term.

Whig leaders made most of Harrison's campaign decisions. Some of those leaders, especially senators Henry Clay of Kentucky and Daniel Webster of Massachusetts, believed they could control the newly elected president. But Harrison saw what was happening. When he made a trip to Kentucky, he made it clear that he did not want to meet with Clay. He felt that such a meeting might seem to show that Clay was the real power in the new administration.

But Clay made sure that Harrison was publicly invited to visit him. The newly elected president could not say no to such an invitation. He spent several days at Clay's home in Lexington.

This week in our series, Maurice Joyce and Jack Moyles discuss the presidency of William Henry Harrison. Daniel Webster, without even being asked, wrote an inaugural speech for the new president. Harrison thanked him, but said he already had written his speech.

Harrison spoke for more than one and a half hours. He gave the speech outside, on the front steps of the Capitol building. It was the coldest inaugural day in the nation's history. But Harrison did not wear a coat or hat. Harrison caught a cold, probably from standing so long outside in the bitter weather of inaugural day.

Rest was his best treatment. But Harrison was so busy, he had little time to rest. Hundreds of people demanded to see the new president. They wanted jobs with the government. Everywhere he turned, Harrison was met by crowds of job-hungry people.

And there was a problem that worried him. Henry Clay and Daniel Webster were fighting each other for power in the new administration. Harrison had offered Clay any job he wanted in the cabinet. But Clay chose to stay in the Senate. Harrison then gave the job of Secretary of State to Webster.

He also gave Webster's supporters the best government jobs in New York City. Clay did not like this. And he told the president so. Harrison accused Clay of trying to tell him -- the president -- how to do his job.

Later, he told Clay that he wanted no further words with him. He said any future communications between them would have to be written. Harrison's health grew worse. Late in March eighteen forty-one, his cold turned into pneumonia. Doctors did everything they could to cure him.

下载全新《每日英语听力》客户端,查看完整内容
点击播放