The 1776 Declaration of Independence was created by combining Enlightenment philosophy with the way the colonies were already being managed. This established a foundation for a new independent state based on the consent of the people.

1776年的獨立宣言將啟蒙哲學與當時殖民地的管理方式相結合。這為一個基於人民同意的新獨立國家奠定了基礎。

The Declaration was developed by a committee that included Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams. Adams chose Jefferson as the main writer to ensure that the interests of Virginia were represented, which helped unite the northern and southern colonies. Jefferson used John Locke's theories on natural rights and the Virginia Declaration of Rights to write the document. Furthermore, Benjamin Franklin suggested changing the word 'sacred' to 'self-evident.' This change shifted the focus from religious beliefs to logical reasoning, grounding the nation's legitimacy in reason.

這份宣言是由一個委員會起草的，成員包括班傑明·富蘭克林、湯瑪斯·傑佛遜與約翰·亞當斯。亞當斯選擇傑佛遜作為主筆，以確保維吉尼亞州的利益得到代表，這有助於統一北部與南部的殖民地。傑佛遜運用約翰·洛克關於自然權利的理論以及《維吉尼亞權利宣言》來撰寫該文件。此外，班傑明·富蘭克林建議將「神聖」一詞改為「顯而易見」。這一改變將焦點從宗教信仰轉向邏輯推理，將國家的合法性建立在理性之上。

At the same time, the ideas of Thomas Paine and John Adams strengthened the revolution. Paine's pamphlet 'Common Sense' encouraged public support, while Adams's 'Thoughts on Government' provided a practical plan for state constitutions that limited the power of the leader. Adams emphasized that the colonies had already acted as independent democracies because Britain had largely ignored them for years. Consequently, a larger percentage of men in the colonies could vote compared to men in England, which proved that authority should belong to the citizens.

與此同時，湯瑪斯·潘恩與約翰·亞當斯的思想強化了革命。潘恩的小冊子《常識》鼓勵了公眾支持，而亞當斯的《政府思考》則為州憲法提供了一個實際方案，用以限制領導者的權力。亞當斯強調，由於英國多年來基本上忽略了他們，殖民地實際上已如同獨立民主政體般運作。因此，與英格蘭相比，殖民地有更高比例的男性擁有投票權，證明了權力應屬於公民。

However, despite the language of equality, these principles did not apply to everyone. At first, 'all men' only referred to white male property owners, meaning women, enslaved people, and indigenous groups were excluded. This contradiction is clear because Jefferson's original section against slavery was removed, and many of the signers owned slaves. Nevertheless, these written ideals created a standard that later civil rights and abolition movements used to fight for equality over the next 250 years.

然而，儘管文字上強調平等，但這些原則並不適用於每個人。起初，「所有男人」僅指白人男性業主，意味著女性、奴隸及原住民被排除在外。這種矛盾十分明顯，因為傑佛遜原稿中反對奴隸制度的段落被刪除，且許多簽署者本身就擁有奴隸。儘管如此，這些書面理想創造了一個標準，使後續250年的民權與廢奴運動能據此爭取平等。

The modern American republic is defined by the continuing effort to make its society match the inclusive and equal ideals first described in 1776.

現代美國共和國的定義，在於持續努力使社會符合1776年最初描述的包容與平等理想。