美国独立战争中围绕美利坚战俘的宣传及其历史意义

The Propaganda toward the American Prisoners of War during the American War of Independence and Its Significance

独立战争期间,围绕美利坚战俘的战时经历,在美国形成了集报纸、战俘情况调查报告、战俘叙事和战时日记等方式于一体的宣传体系。北美革命者调动人性、宗教、权利等宣传话语,一方面生动呈现了英军对待美利坚战俘的种种残忍行径和英国作为"野蛮残暴的他者"的反面形象;另一方面宣扬了美国以仁慈和忠诚为核心内容的共和主义价值与国家特质。战俘宣传在鼓励美利坚人支持革命事业的同时,深化了他们对共和美德和自由精神的认同,促使其身份意识逐渐从依附英国转变为独立自主,成为推动美利坚人初步塑造自身国族认同感的重要力量,在独立战争的语境下有其独到的历史意义。

During the American War of Independence,a comprehensive propaganda system concerning the wartime experience of the American prisoners of war was formed in America including the paper,the investigation report regarding the prisoners of war,the narrative of the prisoners of war,and the wartime diaries.By virtue of the humanity,religion,right,etc.,the North American revolutionists vividly depicted the various brutal behaviors of the British army treating the American prisoners of war and built a negative image of Britain as'the other with brutality and barbarism'.On the other hand,they advocated the American value of republicanism and nation’s character,the cores of which were mercy and loyalty.The propaganda regarding the prisoners of war encouraged the American people to support the revolution,deepened their identification with the virtue of republicanism and the spirit of freedom,prompted their awareness of identity realizing from the dependence on Britain to the independence.This became a significant strength prompting the American people to initially build their sense of national identity,and had its unique historical meaning in the context of the American War of Independence.