美中两国，风马牛不相及。美国人的常识和中国人的常识完全不同，因此，不能用自己的常识作为对“政治、经济、军事、文化、历史、传统………等社会问题的认知和判断。

中国常识：1、“党政军民学、东西南北中，党是领导一切的”，2、尊一腚、腚一尊，3、裆中央一只鸟。

美国常识足有100条。在上一节，我们知道，联邦宪法共有27条修正案，最后一条有关议员工资的修正案在1992年通过。如果除去前10条人权法案，所余17条是在漫长的200多年内逐渐通过的。美国宪法的稳固、稳定、长久略见一斑。最主要的《联邦宪法》的原文没有一个字的改动！

八、《独立宣言》的意义，consent of the governed

《独立宣言》宣布、宣告、声明告诉世人说：美国从英国独立而出。

《独立宣言》表达了有关美国人民的政府系统的一个极其重要的理念。《独立宣言》声明，在独立的美国，人人生而平等，并享有一些不可剥夺的权力。这些权力任何政府都不能改变或抛弃。

《独立宣言》的作者托马斯.杰佛逊写道：美国人的殖民地应当独立，因为英国不尊重殖民地人民的基本权力。

他深信，一个政府只有得到人民认可才有存在的必要。他有一种牢不可破的理念：人民造就了自己的政府，并且情愿、同意遵守政府制定的法律。

这种信念被称为“consent of the governed.”。只有政府制定的法律是公正的、保护人民的，人民才会同意并遵循它。

在独立宣言中，杰佛逊指责英国国王一系列罪行，在结语中写道：殖民者正在、应该从英国独立出来。

第二大陆国会于1776年7月4日投票接受了《独立宣言》。

8.、What did the Declaration of Independence do?

announced our independence (from Great Britain)

declared our independence (from Great Britain)

said that the United States is free (from Great Britain）

The Declaration of Independence contains important ideas about the American system of government. The Declaration of Independence states that all people are created equal and have “certain unalienable rights.” These are rights that no government can change or take away. The author of the Declaration, Thomas Jefferson, wrote that the American colonies should be independent because Great Britain did not respect the basic rights of people in the colonies. Jefferson believed that a government exists only if the people think it should. He believed in the idea that the people create their own government and consent，or agree, to follow laws their government makes.

This idea is called “consent of the governed.” If the government creates laws that are fair and protect people, then people will agree to follow those laws.In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson wrote a list of complaints the colonists had against the King of England. 

Jefferson ended the Declaration with the statement that the colonies are, and should be, free and independent states. The Second Continental Congress voted to accept the Declaration on July 4, 1776.