美国民众开始国庆庆祝活动

America’s independence holiday, July 4th, is a chance for Americans to take the day off, have a picnic, go to the beach or take advantage of sales at the shopping mall.

美国的独立纪念日7月4号这一天，美国民众休假一天，很多人到户外野餐，或在海滩享受大自然。这一天也是商家大减价的日子。

But for many Americans, it is also a time to reflect on the historic meaning of July 4th.

但是，7月4号在美国更是一个充满历史意义的日子。

Music and barbeque

Street musician Raycurt Johnson treats passersby to patriotic music as they head into downtown Washington on the subway.

Music, whether it’s played by street musicians or members of the National Symphony Orchestra, has traditionally been part of the annual Fourth of July celebration, along with barbeques and fireworks.

除了烤肉和施放烟火，像雷克特.约翰逊这样的街头艺人或是国家交响乐团所演奏的爱国乐曲，也是每年7月4号国庆日欢庆活动的重要组成部分。

And, for many Americans, the holiday weekend is also a time to think about history and reflect on what it means to be an American.

对许多美国人来说，这个假日也是他们回顾历史，反省作为一个美国人意义何在的时候。

For some families, that means coming to Washington, D.C., to visit the city’s historic monuments and museums.

有些家庭来说，利用这一天前来首都华盛顿特区，参观这里的历史性纪念碑和各个博物馆。

John Carothers, from Santa Cruz, California, says the nation’s capital is especially meaningful to him at this time of the year.

来自加州圣塔克鲁兹的约翰.卡罗斯表示，每年这个时候，首都华盛顿特区对他都有特别的意义。

“It’s really wonderful to come here and see the bed of the government that we now live within.”

他说：“来到这里的感觉真是太好了，可以亲眼目睹现在治理我们这个国家的政府所在地。”

Reflecting on America’s past

The Carothers family visited the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, where one of the highlights is the almost 200-year-old Star-Spangled Banner. The hand-sewn flag inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem that became the U.S. national anthem.

卡罗斯一家人参观了美国历史博物馆，这里展示了一面有将近两百年历史的美国星条旗。这面手工缝制的国旗鼓舞了史卡特.基写下了现在已经成为美国国歌的诗篇。

Seeing it was one of the highlights of the trip for 14-year-old Milena Carothers.

对现年14岁的米雷娜.卡罗斯来说，目睹这面国旗更是她此行的高潮之一。

“It was much larger than I thought it would be,” she says. “And it’s amazing how it’s pretty much well-preserved after so long. You can still tell what it is, not much damage to it. Really amazing.”

她说：“这面国旗比我想象的要大很多。而且更神奇的是，他们怎么能够把它保存得这么久还这么好。你可以看得出来，都没有什么损坏，这真是神奇。”

The American History Museum expects to welcome more than 100,000 visitors over the holiday weekend.

预期在今年这个国庆日长周末假期，前来美国历史博物馆参观的人数会超过10万人。

“I think July 4th is the time that people come and they really want to connect with American history and with their stories," says Andrea Lowther, director of visitor services for the museum. “And so, of course, they do come to see those icons.”

美国历史博物馆的导览部主任罗泽尔说：“我想7月4号这一天是人们想来到这里，真的想借此和美国历史以及先民故事联系起来的时候。因此之故，他们当然想来这里参观这些东西。”

罗泽尔说：“我们还展出林肯总统遭到刺杀前一晚所戴的帽子。”

And the writing box Thomas Jefferson used while drafting the Declaration of Independence.

“还有杰弗逊总统起草独立宣言时的用品。”

“I mean, how much more perfect for July 4th can it be?” says Lowther.

“我的意思是，对于7月4日来说，还有什么比这更有意义的参观游览呢？”

Civil liberty

For other Americans, July 4th is about principles that can’t be displayed in a museum. Christine Coombs of Gaithersburg, Maryland, says Independence Day symbolizes the right to choose her own religion and to practice her Mormon faith without persecution.

对其他美国人来说，7月4日也意味着一些无法在博物馆里展出的原则和理念。来自马里兰州盖特斯堡的克莉斯汀.库姆斯表示，独立纪念日这一天象征着她的摩门教信仰权利不再受到迫害。

“Freedom is everything in our country,” she says. “I think it’s what our country means. It’s what we stand for - the ability to choose. I really love my religion and it was important for me to be able to choose.”

她说：“在我们国家，自由是最重要的。我想这就是我们国家的意义所在。这也是我们所要捍卫的 -- 选择的能力。我真的热爱我的宗教，对我来说，能够自由选择我的宗教是非常重要的。”

Separation of church and state

Martin Hochhauser of Poughkeepsie, New York, also believes in freedom of religion, but he believes Americans must continue to be careful about separating religion from government - a tension reflected in current political debates.

来自纽约普吉普西的马丁.霍克豪瑟则表示，宗教自由固然重要，但是美国人民也必须注意美国政坛目前有关政教分离原则的辩论。

“In New York, they just voted to let gay people get married and not to treat them as second class citizens,” he says. "But some religious groups are trying to say ‘It’s our country and the heck with every other religion and every other opinion but ours.’ That’s not right.”

他说：“在纽约，他们刚刚投票通过了同性恋婚姻合法化，不再以二等公民对待他们。但是有些宗教团体却试图表示，‘这是我们的国家，除了我们的观点，其他人的观点和宗教等等统统一边去。’这是不对的。”

Ronnie Stephens of Jacksonville, Florida thinks Americans take many of their freedoms for granted.

来自佛罗里达州杰克森维尔的罗尼.史蒂芬斯说：“我想我们美国人对于我们所享有的自由已经视为理所当然了。”

“I think it’s time that we need to just step back and reflect on how good we do have it no matter what your political affiliation is,” he says. “We can all come together and enjoy what we have here.”

他说：“我想，现在应该是我们好好回想一下，我们是如何的幸运，可以不论我们的政治立场都享有同样的自由和权利。”

Milena Carothers, 14, expresses a sentiment shared by many Americans visiting the nation’s capital in the week leading up to the Fourth of July.

“I hope that the countries that are having troubles right now will be able to celebrate their own Fourth of July in the future and their own independence.”

观光客米雷娜.卡罗斯说：“我希望那些现在仍不自由的国家的人民也能够在将来有一天能够庆祝他们自己的7月4号，庆祝他们自己的独立纪念日。”