美国独立日：庆祝自由
美国驻中国大使 泰里·布兰斯塔德
每年的7月4日，全美国的家庭都聚在一起庆祝《独立宣言》和美利坚合众国的生日。今年，美国243岁了。
独立日也是让我们铭记为什么美国得以建国的时候。随着英国国王的不公平政策点燃了追求独立的斗争，美国的建国之父们决定建立一个政府：它将保护个体自由并限制该政府控制公民的权力。他们的高瞻远瞩为美国现在成为有活力、多元化和繁荣的社会奠定了根基。
为保护人民，美国宪法规定了一些政府不能侵犯的核心权利。两项权利在过去的两百多年里特别塑造了美国的经历：宗教自由与言论自由。
从美国原住民数不胜数的宗教传统开始，美国长期以来就拥有多元化的信仰。随着移民群体的到来，新的宗教传统蓬勃发展。的确，从第一批于美国东北部走下船的欧洲定居者，到最近在加利福尼亚州下飞机的亚洲移民，敬拜自由已吸引人们来到美国。在我的家乡艾欧瓦州，各种犹太—基督教长期以来一直在互动，而21世纪也见证了其他宗教传统的到来，新的宗教信仰场所陆续出现在古老的教堂旁。这并不是说它们之间的关系一直是完美或融洽的，但有宪法作为我们的指路明灯，遵行这些信仰是受到保护的，而信仰的多样性丰富了美国社会。
同样，言论自由也丰富了美国社会及其多元的声音。言论自由让所有公民在自己的社区都有话语权，无论是在家、学校，还是在工作中。每一天，在美国各地的课堂，这种自由给师生提问的权利，鼓励批判性思考，促进有益的辩论。
这种自由也塑造了我们的政治。言论自由使公民能够表达自己对政治事件的看法，并影响地方、州，以及国家政治的改变。在美国，网络上的交流也是受保护的。因此，公众可以通过网络媒体从海量的信息中进行提取和事实查证，并从全国及世界各地的人们的观点中学习。
这些自由值得弘扬。

America’s Independence Day: Celebrating Freedom
By U.S. Ambassador to China, Terry Branstad
Every year on the fourth of July, families around the United States gather to celebrate the Declaration of Independence and the United States of America’s birthday.  This year America turns 243 years old.
Independence Day is also a time for us to remember why the United States came into existence.  Since the unfair policies of the English king had sparked the struggle for independence, America’s founding fathers decided to create a government that would preserve individual liberty and limit the government’s power to control citizens.  Their vision laid the foundation for the vibrant, diverse, prosperous society the United States has become.
To protect the people, the constitution lays out a number of core rights, which the government cannot violate.  Two rights have particularly shaped the American experience over the last two hundred years are: freedom of religion and freedom of speech.
America has long had a diversity of beliefs, starting with the numerous Native American religious traditions.  As immigrant groups arrived, new religious traditions flourished.  Indeed, from the first European settlers stepping off their ships in the northeast, to the latest Asian immigrants descending from planes in California, the freedom to worship has drawn people to the United States.  In my home state of Iowa, a variety of Judeo-Christian religions have long interacted, and the 21st century has seen the arrival of additional faith traditions, with new houses of faith cropping up next to old stone churches.   This is not to say relationships have always been perfect, or easy, but with the constitution as our guiding light, the practice of these beliefs has been protected and their diversity has enriched American society.
Similarly, freedom of speech has enriched American society and its diverse voices.  Freedom of speech gives all citizens a voice in their communities, whether it be at home, school, or work.  Every day, this freedom gives students and teachers the right to ask questions, promotes critical thinking, and fosters healthy debate in classrooms across America.
This freedom has also shaped our politics.  Freedom of speech enables citizens to voice their opinions about political events and influence change in local, state, and national politics.  Online communication in the United States is protected as well.  As a result, the public can use online media to draw from a wealth of information, fact-check, and learn from the perspectives of people across the country and from around the world.
These freedoms are worthy of celebration.