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A Glimpse of American Cultural Values from the Text of the Declaration of Independence

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A Glimpse of American Cultural Values from the Text of The Declaration of Independence
Abstract

The Declaration of Independence is a statement of the American Revolutionary War and also an important defense of bourgeois rights. Studying carefully American cultural values from The Declaration of Independence, we can better understand the core of our Chinese cultural values and get to know the main differences and similarities between these two value systems. In this way, we will find all the advantages and disadvantages regarding both cultural values, and thus learn those good ones while overcome the shortcomings. This thesis falls into five chapters. In the first chapter, the necessity and significance of the study are introduced. In Chapter Two, some definitions of key terms included in or related to this thesis are presented, including Value, Cultural Value and The Declaration of Independence. Chapter Three mainly concerns the analysis of the text of The Declaration of Independence. By analyzing the text, the main cultural values related are demonstrated as liberty, equality and democracy. Then each cultural value is explained respectively and thoroughly with proper examples. Chapter Four mainly discusses the contradictions and conflicts inherent in those American cultural values, showing that American cultural values is a double-edged sword. The last chapter is the conclusion part which summarizes the whole thesis.

Key Words: American, The Declaration of Independence, cultural values
Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction 1
Chapter 2 Definitions of Related Concepts 2 2.1 Value 2 2.2 Cultural Value 2 2.3 The Declaration of Independence 3
Chapter 3 American Cultural Values reflected in The Declaration of Independence 5 3.1 Liberty 5 3.2 Equality 7 3.3 Democracy 10
Chapter 4 Contradictions and Conflicts 13
Chapter

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