独立在线视频

Today,
如今

America is one of the most powerful countries
美国是世界上最强大的国家

in the world.

It is a young country
这是一个有着

with less than 300 years history.
不到300年历史的年轻国家

What made it develop so quickly?
是什么让它发展得这么快？

It all started from here,
一切都从这里开始

its independence.
独立战争

Part 1 Causes
第一部分 导火线

At the beginning,
最初

the thirteen colonies had long enjoyed
13个殖民地一直享有

high degrees of autonomy,
其他欧洲殖民地无法比拟的

liberties and democracy
高度自治、自由

unseen in other European colonies.
和民主

The American colonists
美国殖民地居民

also needed the British protection
也需要英国的保护

against possible French attack.
免受法国的攻击

Ties between the colonies
在七年战争结束之前

and their mother country
殖民地和他们的

were good before the Seven Years War ended.
祖国之间的关系很好

In 1763,
在1763年

Britain won the Seven Years War
英国获得七年战争的胜利

but the war debts ran high.
但同时战争的债务很高

To pay off it s debts,
为了还清债务

the British government began
英国政府开始增加对

to increase the economic exploitation of the colonies.
殖民地的经济剥削

A number of taxes were imposed on colonies
英国不仅增加了殖民地的税收

and soldiers were sent to enforce their collection.
而且派来士兵强制执法

At this time,
与此同时

the British East India Company,
曾经给英国政府带来了

which brought a lot of profits to the British government,
巨大利润的英国东印度公司

had trouble selling its tea stored in warehouses
很难大量地出售储存在

in large quantities.
仓库里的茶叶

To help the company out of difficulty,
为了帮助公司摆脱困境

the British parliament allowed it to undersell the tea
英国议会允许它在美洲殖民地

in its American colonies without paying tax.
低价出售这种茶且不需要交税

The act harmed the interests of local tea merchants.
这一行为损害了当地茶商的利益

The radical colonists took advantage of the situation.
激进的殖民地居民利用了这种事态

On December 16, 1773,
1773年12月16日

60 colonists,
60个殖民地居民

disguised as Indians,
伪装成印度人

boarded on the tea ship
登上茶船

and poured the tea into the sea.
把茶叶倒进海里

The event is known as the Boston Tea Party.
这就是波士顿倾茶事件

Part 2 The War of independence
第二部分 独立战争

The British government passed several laws
为了避免他们的权威受到损害

to punish the colonist in fear
英国政府通过了几项法律

of the damage of their authority.
来惩罚殖民地居民

The colonists found those laws intolerable
殖民地居民认为那些法律是不能容忍的

and they decided to act together
他们决定共同行动

to defend their interests and liberties.
捍卫自己的利益和自由

Each colony sent their delegates to Philadelphia
在1774 来自各个殖民地的代表在费城集合

to find a solution in 1774.
寻求解决的方法

The event is known as the First Continental Congress.
这一次聚会被称为第一次大陆会议

They tried to solve the crises peacefully
他们试图通过呼吁英国国王

by appealing to the English king
废除那些讨厌的法律

to abolish the hated laws.
来和平解决危机

But the king refused.
但国王拒绝了

Then the colonies decided to take up arms
然后殖民地决定拿起武器

to defend their rights and liberty.
保卫他们的权利和自由

In 1775, shooting broke out in Lexington
1775年 列克星顿发生枪击事件

and immediately grew into serious military clashes.
并立即演变成严重的军事冲突

Thus the armed struggle
这也就是美国独立武装斗争

for American independence began.
的开端

At first, the colonial forces suffered many defeats
起初 殖民军遭受了许多失败

because the British army was better equipped
因为英国军队装备精良

and trained.
训练有素

However, the colonial forces
然而 殖民地军队

began to win important battles
在乔治・华盛顿的领导下

from the end of 1776,
在大多数殖民地居民的支持下

under the leadership of George Washington
从1776年底开始赢得

and with the support of most colonists.
几场重要的战斗

During the war, in July, 1776,
在战争期间 1776年7月

colonist delegates voted to break away from Britain
殖民地居民代表投票决定脱离英国

and approved the Declaration of Independence,
并通过了《独立宣言》

which became the fundamental documents
后来这份文件成为

of the future country.
最重要的立国文书之一

Part 3 The Consequences of the War
第三部分 战争的后果

On October 19, 1781,
1781年10月19日

the colonial army won a decisive victory at Yorktown
殖民军在约克镇取得决定性胜利

and forced Britain to the negotiation table.
把英国逼上了谈判席

The two sides signed the Treaty of Paris in 1783,
双方在1783年签署了巴黎条约

in which Britain recognized the independence
条约中 英国承认殖民地的独立

of the colonies.

The American Revolution
美国独立战争促使

gave birth to the first republic in the world.
世界上第一个共和国的诞生

It is the first time that colonies
这是世界上第一次殖民地打败

defeated tyrannical oppressors
专制的暴君

and won independence,
赢得了独立

setting a good example
为世界其他殖民地

for other colonies in the world.
树立了良好榜样

We hold these truths to be self-evident,
我们认为这些真理是不辩自明的

that all men are created equal,
即人人生而平等

that they are endowed by their Creator
造物主赋予他们

with certain unalienable rights,
某些不可剥夺的权利

that among these are life,
其中包括生命

liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
自由和对幸福的追求

That to secure these rights,
为了保障这些权利

governments are instituted among men,
政府在人们中间建立起来

deriving their just powers from the consent
从被统治者的准许中

of the governed.
获得公正的权力

That whenever any form of government
任何形式的政府

becomes destructive to these ends,
只要破坏这些目标

it is the right of the people
人民就有权

to alter or to abolish it,
改变或废除它

and to institute new government
并建立新政府

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations,
但当一系列的滥用、篡夺职权

pursuing invariably the same object
总是追求同一个陈旧的目标

evinces a design to reduce them
标示着在绝对的专制主义下

under absolute despotism,
对它们应该削减

it is their right,
他们有权利

it is their duty, to throw off such government,
有责任推翻这样的政府

and to provide new guards
并为他们未来的安全

for their future security
提供新的保障