从乔治·班克罗夫特看美利坚特性

The American Characteristics through Bancroft's Works

乔治.班克罗夫特在《从美洲大陆发现以来的美利坚合众国史》等著作中阐明了盎格鲁-撒克逊人热爱独立和自由的民族特性是美国人自由精神的源头,而清教平民宗教的特性是美利坚人对自由的追求和信仰的另一个来源。信仰自由的美国将越来越符合道德世界的一般法则并趋向统一,美利坚独特的精神也因此使国家内部趋于一致,并在世界上具有普适性。秉承自由精神美国的民主制度是现代文明国家的范例。班氏在其著作中为正在起步的美利坚指明了精神上的方向,增强了这个新国家的凝聚力。其史学思想迎合了19世纪中期美国社会的愿望和要求,也揭示了19世纪中期美国的民族心理和美利坚特性形成的历史渊源,因而他的著作被当时社会所广泛接受。

George Bancroft expounded the two origins of American spirit of Freedom in his works, especially in his History of the United States：from the discovery of the American continent： one was the national characteristics of Anglo- Saxons who love independence and freedom; the other was from the Puritan belief. The individualism and equality inherently rooted in Puritanism brought about the American people＇ s pursuit and belief in freedom. The American holding the belief in liberty and freedom would more and more conform to the principle of morality and tend to be a unity. As a result,American spirit would be inclined to be eoherent as a nation and to be universalism in the world. The institution of demoeraey,based on freedom and equality was the model in the modern civilized nations,so America undertook the responsibility to propagate the democracy to all the rest nations in the world. Bancroft revealed the important themes such as the origin of American people, the national spirit and the nation＇s mission of the United States in his works. These showed the direction in mind and spirit for the new nation and strengthened the coherence of American people. The themes and thoughts in the works of George Bancroft reflected the hope and requirement of American society in mid- 19th century,so that they were widely accepted by American people. Therefore,Bancroft＇s thoughts and ideas revealed the development of the national mind of America in the middle of 19th century and the historical origins of American characteristics.