美国价值观1(中英文对照)

Basic American Values and Beliefs

Individual Freedom and Self-Reliance

The earliest settlers came to the North American continent to establish colonies which were free from the controls that existed in European societies.They wanted to escape the controls placed on their lives by kings and governments,priests and churches,noblemen and aristocrats.To a great extent,they succeeded.In 1776 the British colonial settlers declared their independence from England and established a new nation,the United States of America.In so doing,they overthrew the king of England and declared that the power to govern would lie in the hands of the people.They were now free from the power of the king.In 1789,when they wrote the Constitution for their new nation,they separated church and state so that there would never be a government-supported church.Also,in writing the Constitution they expressly forbade titles of nobility to ensure that an aristocratic society would not develop.There would be no ruling class of noblemen in the new nation.

The historic decisions made by those first settlers have had a profound effect on the shaping of the American character.By limiting the power of the government and eliminating a formal aristocracy,they created a climate of freedom where the emphasis was on the individual.The United States came to be associated in their minds with the concept of individual freedom.This is probably the most basic of all the American values.

Scholars and outside observes often call this value”individualism,”but many Americans use the word”freedom.”Perhaps the word”freedom” is one of the most respected popular words in the United States today.

There is,however,a price to be paid for this individual freedom:self-reliance.Americans believe that individuals must learn to rely on themselves or risk losing freedom.This means achieving both financial and emotional independence from their parents as early as possible,usually by age 18 or 21.It means that Americans believe they should take care of themselves,solve their own problems,and”stand on their own two feet.”Tocqueville observed the Americans’ belief in self-reliance 150years ago in the 1830s:

They owe nothing to any man,they expect nothing from any man;they acquire the habit of always

considering themselves as standing alone,and they

are apt to imagine that their whole destiny is in their own hands.

Self-reliance is one of the most difficult aspects of the American character to understand,but it is profoundly important.It stands in direct contrast to dependence,which has a negative connotation to most Americans.By being dependence,not only do you risk losing freedom,but you also risk losing the respect of your peers.

Equality of Opportunity and Competition

A second important reason why immigrants have traditionally been drawn to the United States is the beliefs that everyone has a chance to succeed in the U.S.Generations of immigrants from the earliest settlers to the present day have come with the expectation.They have felt that because individual are free from excessive political,and social controls,they have a better chance for success.Particularly important is the lack of a hereditary aristocracy.

Because titles of nobility were forbidden in the Constitution,no formal class system

developed in the United States.In the early years of American history many immigrants chose to leave the older European societies,believing that they had a better chance to succeed in America than in”the old country,”where their place in life was determined largely by the social class into which they were born.

There is,however,a price to be paid for this equality of opportunity:competition.If much of life is seen as a race,then a person must run the race in order to succeed;a person must compete with others.The pressures of competition in the life of an American begin in childhood and continue until retirement from work.Learn to compete successfully is part of grow up in the United States.

Material Wealth and Hard Work

A third reason why immigrants have traditionally come to the United States is to have a better life-that is,to raise their standard of living.For the vast majority of the immigrants who came here,it was probably the most compelling reason for leaving their homeland.Because of its incredibly abundant natural resources,the United States appeard to be a”land of plenty”where millions could come to seek their fortunes.Of course,most immigrants did not “get rich overnight”,and many of them suffered terribly,but the majority of them were eventually able to improve upon their former standard of living.Even if they were not able to achive the economic success they wanted,they could be fairly certain that their children would have the opportunity for a better life.The phrase “going from rags to riches”became a slogan for the great American drean.Because of the vast riches of the North American continent,the dream came true for many of the immigrants.They achieved material success;they became very attached to material things.Material wealth became a value to the American people.

In understanding the relationship between what American believe and how they live,it is important to distinguish between idealism and reality.Ameican values such as equality of opportunity and self-reliance are ideals that may not necessarily describe the facts of American life. equality of opportunity,for example,is an ideal that is not always put into practice.In reality,some people have a better chance for success than others.Those who opportunities are born into rich families have more opportunities than those who are born into poor families.Inheriting money does give a person a decided advantage.Many black American have fewer opportunities than the average white Ameican,in spite of laws designed to promote equality of opportunity for all races.

The fact that American ideal are only partly carried out in real life does not diminish their importance.Most American still believe in them and are strongly affected by them in their everyday lives.It is easier to understand what Americans are thinking and feeling if we can understand what these basic American values are and how they influence almost every facet of life in the United States.