5 The New Country

CHAPTER 5 The New Country Being the assistant to George Washington was an important job. But Alexander was frustrated because General Washington was so protective of him. He wanted Alexander away from the battlefield, where he might get hurt. But Alexander dreamed of being a war hero. Finally he became so impatient that he actually quit his job as Washington's assistant! He and Eliza moved into a house on the east bank of the Hudson River, just opposite from Washington's headquarters. Alexander continued to pester Washington to send him into battle.

作为乔治·华盛顿的助手是一项重要的工作。 但是亚历山大很沮丧，因为华盛顿将军对他太过保护。 他希望亚历山大远离战场，因为他可能会受伤。 但亚历山大梦想成为一名战争英雄。 最后，他变得非常不耐烦，以至于辞去了华盛顿助理的工作！他和伊丽莎搬进了哈德逊河东岸的一所房子，就在华盛顿总部的对面。 亚历山大继续缠着华盛顿，要他去打仗。

Finally, Alexander got his wish. General Washington gave him command of a small unit of men. Alexander was ready to fight. Eliza returned to Albany. She was expecting their first child. And Alexander couldn't stop thinking about the future.

最后，亚历山大如愿以偿。 华盛顿将军让他指挥一个小部队。 亚历山大做好了战斗的准备。 伊丽莎回到了奥尔巴尼。她正期待着他们的第一个孩子。 亚历山大无法停止对未来的思考。

What would happen when the country finally won its independence? He had many ideas. At that time, the thirteen American colonies worked independently of one another. The war was the first thing that had really united them all. The American government in 1781—the Continental Congress—was organized under what was called the Articles of Confederation. Alexander thought that if America was going to be an independent nation, it would need a strong central government. That way the states could all work together. He thought the government should have a bank of its own that could lend and borrow money for the new country. He studied the banking systems of other countries, like Great Britain, to plan a system of money and banking for America.

当这个国家最终赢得独立后会发生什么？ 他有很多想法。当时，美国的13个殖民地彼此独立运作。 战争是第一件真正把他们团结起来的事。 1781年的美国政府——大陆会议——是根据所谓的《邦联条例》组织起来的。 亚历山大认为，如果美国要成为一个独立的国家，就需要一个强大的中央政府。 这样各州就可以一起工作。 他认为政府应该有自己的银行，可以为这个新国家借贷。 他研究了英国等其他国家的银行体系，为美国制定了货币和银行体系。

The Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation was an agreement among all thirteen colonies to act as one nation in order to fight the Revolutionary War. It also helped to streamline the way the colonies dealt with the foreign governments of other countries. It was the first model of government for the United States. But there were many things the Articles did not cover, such as the establishment of taxes and laws. In many ways, the Articles of Confederation did not create a central government, because the individual colonies still kept all their power.

《邦联条例》是所有13个殖民地之间达成的一项协议，目的是作为一个国家来打独立战争。 它还有助于简化殖民地与其他国家的外国政府打交道的方式。 这是美国的第一个政府模式。 但是，《条例》还有很多内容没有涉及，比如税收和法律的建立。 在很多方面，《邦联条例》并没有建立一个中央政府，因为各个殖民地仍然保留着自己所有的权力。

In October 1781, Alexander was sent to Yorktown, Virginia. There he and Lafayette met up with General Washington. The British commander, General Cornwallis, had stationed his troops nearby. On the night of October 14, Alexander led his men on a charge against the British troops. The Continental Army won. Cornwallis's surrender to General Washington signaled that the British had given up. Although the war went on for two more years, the battle at Yorktown is usually seen as

1781年10月，亚历山大被派往弗吉尼亚州的约克镇。 他和拉斐特在那里会见了华盛顿将军。 英军指挥官康沃利斯将军驻扎在附近。 10月14日晚，亚历山大率领部下向英军发起进攻。 大陆军赢了。康沃利斯向华盛顿将军投降，标志着英国投降了。 虽然战争持续了两年多，但在约克镇的战斗通常被视为

the turning point—the beginning of the end—for British rule in America. Alexander was a hero. He was also a father! Eliza had a son named Philip on January 22, 1782. Alexander couldn't wait to get home to be with them. The family all lived in the Schuyler mansion in Albany with Eliza's parents. The Schuyler mansion Alexander then devoted himself to studying law and soon earned a license to be a lawyer in New York. Often he worked with Aaron Burr, who had also become a lawyer. Alexander

英国在美洲统治的转折点——结束的开始。 亚历山大是个英雄。他也是一位父亲！1782年1月22日，伊丽莎生了一个儿子，名叫菲利普。 亚历山大迫不及待地想回家和他们在一起。 全家都和伊丽莎的父母住在奥尔巴尼的斯凯勒大厦里。 亚历山大随后潜心学习法律，并很快在纽约获得了律师执照。 他经常和艾伦·伯尔一起工作，伯尔也成为了一名律师。 亚历山大