The literature around the Revolution of IndependenceWord文件下载.docx

The literature around the Revolution of IndependenceWord文件下载.docx

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Inaperiodofmorethanfiftyyears,theAmericannationhoodtransformedfromitscolonialstatustothatofindependenceandfederation.TheeighteenthcenturyAmericanhistorywitnessedtwogreatrevolutions:

onewasAmericanRevolutionwhichledeventuallytotheindependenceofthenationandtheotherwasEnlightenment,anintellectualmovementwhoserationalisticspiritinspiredAmericanmenoflettersandbroughtthemintoanewhorizonbeyondthelimitationofprevailingPuritanism.

Enlightenment

InEngland,Enlightenmentdevelopedinthe17thcentury.ItgraduallyextendeditsinfluencetoFranceandEuropeandthen,inthe18thcentury,reachedthecoloniesofAmerica.TheideasofEnlightenmentintellectuallyshapedthetransitionoftheAmericannationhoodtothestatusofindependenceandfederation.Indeed,the18thcenturyinAmericaisknownastheAgeofReasonandEnlightenment.

LiketheirEuropeancounterparts,educatedcolonistsinAmericawereinfluencedbythescientificrationalismofSirIssacNewton（1642–1727）andthephilosophiesofThomasHobbes（1588–1679霍布士，哲学家）andJohnLocke（1642–1704）.NewtonianideascanbeseenasageneralsymbolofworldoutlookinEnlightenmentthinking.LockeandHobbesrepresentthepoliticalphilosophieswithinEnlightenmentreason.

ThroughtheNewtonianprism,theuniverseisseenasamechanismoperatingbyarationalformulaorbyunchanginglawsavailabletointelligenthumans.ThisuniverseisaharmonioussystemevidencingabenevolentGod.Mankindissupposedtohavetheabilitytodiscoverandunfoldall“Nature’sLaws”.Ontheonehand,Newtonianrationalismnurturedafaithinscienceandtheideaofprogress,andontheotherhand,NewtonianassumptionsalsohelpedshapeanewimageofGod,differentfromthatofPuritanism.ThisisatranscendentalGodoperatingbynaturallaws,notbyprovidentialintervention.ThisGodisrevealedinnature,notintheBible.Becauseman’sinnerharmonyissupposedtocorrespondtotheharmoniousnature,manissupposedtobenaturallyaltruistic.Evilthenisunderstoodnotastheresultofman’snaturaldepravitybutastheconsequenceofcorruptinstitutions.Therefore,sothelogicgoes,mancanbeperfectedthrougheducation.Inthisreligiousthinking,allmenarecreatedequal.ThatideawouldeventuallyappearinTheDeclarationofIndependence.

TheinfluenceofThomasHobbesandJohnLockewerefeltintherealmofpsychologicalandpoliticalinquiries.BothofthetwoarguedagainstthatmankindhasaninnateknowledgegivenbyGod.Hobbesbelievedintheabsolutepowerofthestate;

Lockethoughteverypersonwasbornwithablankslate,uponwhichexperienceinscribeditslessons.Locke’sviewofhumannaturewasmorefavorablethanHobbes’,andhisconceptionofgovernmentisbasedontheideaofmutualbenefit.

AttheinitialperiodinAmerica,thespreadofideasofEnlightenmentwaslargelyduetojournalism.TheAmericanreadingpublicatthetimedisplayedgreatinterestintheworksofEnglishscientists,philosophersandwriters.ThewritersoftheFrenchEnlightenment,particularlyVoltaire,werewidelyreadinAmerica.

Withanunshakeablebeliefinthepowerofreason,theEnlightenmentregarded“enlightenment”or“education”astheprincipalmeansforthedevelopmentofasociety.Moreover,theyshowedlargeconcernsforcivilrights,amorecomprehensivedemocracyingovernment,andgeneraltolerationratherthanearlierreligiousmysticism.

TheEnlightenersadvocatedpubliclytostudy“man”insteadof“God”,andpointedoutthatthe“evils”inhumancivilizationstemmedfromthesocialinjustice,notfrom“originalsin”.TheEnlightenmentemphasizedon“reason”,requiredpeopletopayattentiontothesocialreality,advocatededucationandscientificresearch,andbelievedthatmancould“perfecthimself”andmanshoulddecidehisowndestiny.Meanwhile,theyenergeticallypropagatedtheviewsofthesocialprogress,humanismandtheideasofequality.

Deism/Unitarianism唯一神教

Whenrationalismwasappliedtotheology,itledtotheappearanceofDeism,thebeliefinnaturalreligion,butthedegreesofDeismrangedwidely.TheyconfirmedDeistheldthat:

（1）onlyoneGodwasworthworshipping;

（2）mancouldkeepmakingprogressbymakinguseofhisownmoralsenseandofhisownintelligenceandwisdom;

（3）manshouldlovetruthanddogood;

（4）educationandsciencewasanimportantmeanstocreateman’shappiness;

（5）thefreedomofcitizen’sspeech,action,andfaithembodiedman’sbasicbenefits;

（6）toseverGodwastodogoodforthemankind.

ComparedwithPuritanism,Deismmadeagreatleapforward.Inthepast,Godgovernedall---controlledmanandallthingsonearth.Deistsconsideredthat“themovementoftheuniversedatesfromGod,”thatallthingsinthenatureweretheembodimentsofgods,andthatwhymanlivedintheworldwasnottosuffersoastoexchangefortherebirthofthenextgeneration,buttoeliminatetheinequalityofrace,sexandfaithandtobuilduphisown“earthlyparadise”inthehumanworld.ThisideologypromotedAmericanRevolutionanditsfinalsuccess.DeismattractedpeoplewhoweredissatisfiedwithPuritanism.Itquicklydevelopedandthenjustasquicklydeclinedwhenitdevelopeditsowndogmas.WilliamElleryChanning（1780---1842）becamethenewleader.HisredefinitionledDeismintothephilosophyoftranscendentalism.（威廉·

钱宁的弟弟为著名的《北美评论》创始人，哈佛大学教授EdwardTyrellChanning1790–1856,EmersonandThoreau的老师）

TheAmericanRevolution

Intheseventiesofthe18thcenturytheEnglishcoloniesinNorthAmericaroseinarmsagainsttheirmothercountry.TheWarforIndependencelastedforeightyears（1776–1783）andendedintheformationofaFederativebourgeoisdemocraticrepublic---theU.S.A..

Thetworevolutionsproducedanumberofoutstandingpoliticalandliteraryfigures,suchasBenjaminFranklin,ThomasPaine,andThomasJefferson,whoseliterarytalentenabledthemtobepoliticalleaderswithmoredynamic,andevenmadeliteraturebecomepartoftherevolutions.LiteratureintheperiodofAmericanRevolution（before,duringandafter）waspredominantlypublicandutilitarian.ItwasinthisperiodthatAmericannationhood,withtheUnitedStatesasitsname,begantoemerge.

ThePoliticalPamphlets独立革命时期的政论文学

ThestreamofeighteenthcenturyAmericanliteraturemanifestedanobvioustransitionfromPuritanismtotheEnlightenment.Theheroicandrevolutionaryambitionsoftheagehadcreatedgreatpoliticalpamphleteeringandstatepapers.Theproseofthegreatphilosopher-statesmenmakesupaprominentpartoftheeighteenthcenturyAmericanliterature.OutofthetumultoftheagecametheinspiredwritingofThomasJeffersonintheDeclarationofIndependence,ofThomasPaineinCommonSense,TheCrisis（1776）,andoftheFederalist（1787–1788）,whichstirredtheworldandhelpedformtheAmericanrepublic.Thesegreatworksservedeffectivelyforthephilosophicalorpoliticalpurposesoftheirauthors,andpossessedsucharrestingliteraryvaluesthatsomeofthemhavebeenconsideredasthelandmarksofAmericanliteratureoftheage.

JamesOtis（1725---1883）奥蒂斯，lawyer

AVindicationoftheConductoftheHouseofRepresentativesoftheProvinceoftheMassachusettsBay《为马萨诸塞湾代表会议辩护》（proposedtenprinciplesonrights,whichinfluencedTheDeclarationofIndependencegreatly）（他的观点主要包括：

上帝平等造人；

人的优劣不是与生俱来的，而是后天获得的；

无论什么样的政府都不能奴役人民；

尽管政府事实上是人为的，但从权利上说并非如此，即政府是人民选出来的，但它无权滥用职权。

尽管他在此传单中也提到了英王是“世上最荣耀的君王”之类的话，但他关于人生而平等，以及政府权利等的思想已经从事实上为后来的北美独立埋下了伏笔。

）随着关于殖民地权利以及殖民地与宗主国关系的讨论的日益深入，他于1764年7月发表了又一份传单，即著名的《英属殖民地权利论》（TheRightsoftheBritishColony），分政府的起源、一般殖民地权益之本质，和英属北美殖民地权益之本质等三方面，再次全面阐述了他的观点。

JohnAdams（1735---1826）亚当斯

AdamsgraduatedfromHarvardin1755andthenbecamealawyer.1765年8月，在《波士顿日报》上连续发表了4篇没有标题、没有署名的文章，对“印花税法”等提出强烈抗议，同时作者将政治问题同大众的切身利益联系起来，使文章更具有历史和理论的深度。

同时，读者也能从中隐约体会到它们对美国建国思想，特别是对《独立宣言》的影响。

这几篇政论文逻辑严密，气势磅礴，是当时可读性较强的政论散文。

AlexanderHamilton（1757---1804）汉密尔顿

HamiltonwasbornintheWestIndies.HecametoNewYorkin1722andinthefollowingyearwasenrolledintoKing’sCollege（ColumbiaUniversitytoday）,NewYork.In1775hejoinedthearmyandservedonGeorgeWashington’sstaff.HewrotetogetherwithJamesMadisonTheFederalistPapers（1787—1788）.ThepaperssuggestthattheConstitutionestablishedarepublicangovernmentratherthanademocraticone.ThepaperslaidthebasisoftheFederalistsystemandeconomicfutureoftheUnitedStates.IftheDeclarationmobilizedtheAmericansintotherevolution,theFederalistPapersstabilizedthepoliticalandeconomicsystem.Inretrospect,itisagreedthattheFederalistisagreatAmericanworkinpoliticaltheory.Hamilton’swritingshowsacalmappealtoreasonandexperience;

hislanguageisdignified,precise,withcoherentorderliness.HiswritingreflectshisbroadrangeofreadingwhichincludedHume,Hobbes,Rousseau,Vattle,Montesquieu,AdamSmithandtheGreekclassics.Hewaskilledinaduelin1804.是美国独立革命以及建国初期的重要政治家，在宪法指定、合众国的经济、财政等领域内发挥了重要的作用。

在《为大陆代表会议所去的措施辩护》（AFullVindicationoftheMeasuresoftheCongress,1774）这份传单中，他反驳了西伯里关于“大陆议会合不合法”的论点。

ThomasPaine（1737---1809）托马斯·

潘恩

PaineranksamongthemostimportantAmericanprosewritersoftheeighteenthcentury.HewasborninThetford,England,thesonofaQuaker（memberoftheSocietyofFriends,aChristiangroupthatholdsinformalmeetingsinsteadofformalchurchservicesandisopposedtoviolenceorwarunderanycircumstances）corsetmaker.Hetriedseveraloccupations---ascorsetmaker,sailor,teacher,taxcollector,tobacconist,andgrocer---withdisappointingresu