Traditional Mainstream Values of USA（英文）(ppt 42頁)

Traditional Mainstream Values of USA（英文）內容提要：
Individual Freedom and Self-Reliance
The earliest settlers came to the North American continent to establish colonies that were free from the controls that existed in European societies. They wanted to escape to controls placed on their lives by kings and governments, priests（牧師） and churches, noblemen and aristocrats(貴族).
To a great extent, they succeeded. In 1789, when they wrote the Constitution for their new nation, they separated those “privileged class”(特權階層) mentioned above from the government to ensure that an aristocratic society would not develop. There would be no ruling class of nobility in the new nation.
The word freedom is one of the most respected popular words in the United States today. By freedom, Americans mean the desire and the ability of all individuals to control their own destiny(命運) without outside interference from the government, a ruling noble class, the church, or any other organized authority.

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