| 摘要: | 「美國人」的認同乃得自於對自由、平等等政治理念的認同，而不是追求種族、語言、宗教、或血緣的一致性。此一民內涵的徵成，受到基督教盟約觀念極大的影響。而殖民地人民強調由下而上的界定公共利益，並以服從公益做為個人美德的判準，亦相當程度上強化了人民對新民族認同。由於以政治理念為民族認同的基礎，「美國民族」的形成與「建國制憲」的過程幾乎同步。而也因為如此，美國對某些自由權的保障更遠甚於歐陸國家，因為它們已不僅是人權問題，更也是美國民族形成的根基。
The traditional identity of a people has always based on the belief of same tribal or ancestral originality. The American people are different, however as they acquire their identity through a common set of political values, i.e., liberty and equality. With the identity transcending traditional boundaries, the American society becomes a melting pot of different peoples. An important factor relevant to the peculiarity is the concepts of a covenants, America inculcates the importance of common goods, which develops to become restrictive public virtues to suppress the tendency of self-interest. Moreover, an enforceable voluntary covenant must be endorsed by all members of the community. Thus, freedom of communication appears to be an indispensable condition for creation of the American people. As the values fundamental to the identity of American people are mostly political, the creation of the American people was accompanied by the establishment of an effective political regime. Without such an institution the realization of such values would have been illusory. |
