He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution,and unacknowledged by our laws;giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
他同某些人勾结起来把我们置于一种不适合我们的体制且不为我们的法律所承认的管辖之下;他还批准那些人炮制的各种伪法案来达到以下目的:
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
在我们中间驻扎大批武装部队;
For protecting them,by a mock Trial,from Punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
用假审讯来包庇他们,使他们杀害我们各州居民而仍然逍遥法外;
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
切断我们同世界各地的贸易;
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
未经我们同意便向我们强行征税;
For depriving us in many cases,of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
在许多案件中剥夺我们享有陪审制的权益;
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
罗织罪名押送我们到海外去受审;
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province,establishing therein an Arbitrary government,and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
在一个邻省废除英国的自由法制,在那里建立专制政府,并扩大该省的疆界,企图把该省变成既是一个样板又是一个得心应手的工具,以便进而向这里的各殖民地推行同样的极权统治;
For taking away our Charters,abolishing our most valuable Laws,and altering fundamentally the forms of our Governments:
取消我们的宪章,废除我们最宝贵的法律,并且根本上改变我们各州政府的形式;
For suspending our own Legislatures,and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
中止我们自己的立法机关行使权力,宣称他们自己有权就一切事宜为我们制定法律。
He has abdicated Government here,by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
他宣布我们已不属他保护之列,并对我们作战,从而放弃了在这里的政务。
He has plundered our seas,ravaged our Coasts,burnt our towns,and destroyed the Lives of our people.
他在我们的海域大肆掠夺,蹂躏我们沿海地区,焚烧我们的城镇,残害我们人民的生命。
He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to compleat the works of death,desolation and tyranny,already begun with circumstances of Cruelty&perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages,and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
他此时正在运送大批外国佣兵来完成屠杀、破坏和肆虐的老勾当,这种勾当早就开始,其残酷卑劣甚至在最野蛮的时代都难以找到先例。他完全不配作为一个文明国家的元首。
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country,to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren,or to fall themselves by their Hands.
他在公海上俘虏我们的同胞,强迫他们拿起武器来反对自己的国家,成为残杀自己亲人和朋友的刽子手,或是死于自己的亲人和朋友的手下。
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us,and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers,the merciless Indian Savages,whose known rule of warfare,is an undistinguished destruction of all ages,sexes and conditions.
他在我们中间煽动内乱,并且竭力挑唆那些残酷无情、没有开化的印第安人来杀掠我们边疆的居民;而众所周知,印第安人的作战律令是不分男女老幼,一律格杀勿论的。
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms:Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury.A Prince,whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant,is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
在这些压迫的每一阶段中,我们都是用最谦卑的言辞请愿改善;但屡次请求所得到的答复是屡次遭受损害。一个君主,当他的品格已打上了暴君行为的烙印时,是不配作自由人民的统治者的。
Nor have We been wanting in attention to our British brethren.We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us.We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here.We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity,and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpation,which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence.They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity.We must,therefore,acquiesce in the necessity,which denounces our Separation,and hold them,as we hold the rest of mankind,Enemies in War,in Peace Friends.
我们不是没有注意我们英国的弟兄。我们时常提醒他们,他们的立法机关企图把无理的管辖权横加到我们的头上。我们也曾把我们移民出这里和在这里定居的情形告诉他们。我们曾经向他们天生的正义感和雅量呼吁,我们恳求他们念在同种同宗的份上,弃绝这些掠夺行为,以免影响彼此的关系和往来。但是他们却对于这种正义和血缘的呼声一直充耳不闻。因此,我们实在不得不宣布和他们脱离,并且以对待世界上其它民族一样的态度对待他们:战即为敌;和则为友。
We,therefore,the Representatives of the United States of America,in General Congress,Assembled,appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions,do,in the Name,and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies,solemnly publish and declare,That these United Colonies are,and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States;that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown,and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain,is and ought to be totally dissolved;and that as Free and Independent States,they have full Power to levy War,conclude Peace,contract Alliances,establish Commerce,and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.And for the support of this Declaration,with a firm reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence,we mutually pledge to each other our Lives,our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
因此,我们,在大陆会议上集会的美利坚合众国代表,以各殖民地善良人民的名义并经他们授权,向全世界最崇高的正义呼吁,说明我们的严正意向,同时郑重宣布;这些联合的殖民地是而且有权成为自由和独立的国家,它们取消一切对英国王室效忠的义务,它们和大不列颠国家之间的一切政治关系从此全部断绝,而且必须断绝;作为自由独立的国家,它们完全有权宣战、缔和、结盟、通商和独立国家有权去做的一切行动。为了支持这篇宣言,我们坚决信赖上帝的庇佑,以我们的生命、我们的财产和我们神圣的名誉,彼此宣誓。
JOHN HANCOCK,President
约翰·汉考克,主席
Attested,CHARLES THOMSON,Secretary
鉴定无误,查尔斯·汤姆森,秘书
New Hampshire:JOSIAH BARTLETT,WILLIAM WHIPPLE,MATTHEW THORNTON
新罕布什尔:乔赛亚·巴特利特、威廉·惠普尔、马修·桑顿
Massachusetts-Bay:SAMUEL ADAMS,JOHN ADAMS,ROBERT TREAT PAINE,ELBRIDGE GERRY
马萨诸塞:塞缪尔·亚当斯、约翰·亚当斯、罗伯特·特里特·佩因、埃尔布里奇·格里
Rhode Island:STEPHEN HOPKINS,WILLIAM ELLERY
罗得岛:斯蒂芬·霍普金斯、威廉·埃勒里
Connecticut:ROGER SHERMAN,SAMUEL HUNTINGTON,WILLIAM WILLIAMS,OLIVER WOLCOTT
康涅狄格:罗杰·谢尔曼、塞缪尔·亨廷顿、威廉·威廉姆斯、奥利弗·沃尔科特
Georgia:BUTTON GWINNETT,LYMAN HALL,GEO.WALTON
乔治亚:巴顿·格威内特、莱曼·霍尔、乔治·沃尔顿
Maryland:SAMUEL CHASE,WILLIAM PACA,THOMAS STONE,CHARLES CARROLL OF CARROLLTON
马里兰:塞缪尔·蔡斯、威廉·帕卡、托马斯·斯通、卡罗顿的查尔斯·卡罗尔
Virginia:GEORGE WYTHE,RICHARD HENRY LEE,THOMAS JEFFERSON,BENJAMIN HARRISON,THOMAS NELSON,JR.,FRANCIS LIGHTFOOT LEE,CARTER BRAXTON.
弗吉尼亚:乔治·威思、理查德·亨利·李、托马斯·杰斐逊、本杰明·哈里森、小托马斯·尼尔森、弗朗西斯·莱特富特·李、卡特·布拉克斯顿
New York:WILLIAM FLOYD,PHILIP LIVINGSTON,FRANCIS LEWIS,LEWIS MORRIS
纽约:威廉·弗洛伊德、菲利普·利文斯顿、弗朗西斯·刘易斯、刘易斯·莫里斯
Pennsylvania:ROBERT MORRIS,BENJAMIN RUSH,BENJAMIN FRANKLIN,JOHN MORTON,GEORGE CLYMER,JAMES SMITH,GEORGE TAYLOR,JAMES WILSON,GEORGE ROSS
宾夕法尼亚:罗伯特·莫里斯、本杰明·拉什、本杰明·富兰克林、约翰·莫顿、乔治·克莱默、詹姆斯·史密斯、乔治·泰勒、詹姆斯·威尔逊、乔治·罗斯
Delaware:GEORGE READ,THOMAS MCKEAN,CAESAR RODNEY
特拉华:乔治·里德、托马斯·麦肯、凯撒·罗德尼
North Carolina:WILLIAM HOOPER,JOSEPH HEWES,JOHN PENN
北卡罗来纳:威廉·霍珀、约瑟夫·休斯、约翰·潘
South Carolina:EDWARD RUTLEDGE,THOMAS HEYWARD,JR.,THOMAS LYNCH,JR.,ARTHUR MIDDLETON
南卡罗来纳:爱德华·拉特利奇、小托马斯·海沃德、小托马斯·林奇、亚瑟·米德尔顿
New Jersey:RICHARD STOCKTON,JOHN WITHERSPOON,FRANCIS HOPKINSON,JOHN HART,ABRAHAM CLARK
新泽西:理查德·斯托克顿、约翰·威瑟斯庞、弗朗西斯·霍普金森、约翰·哈特、亚伯拉罕·克拉克