アメリカ独立宣言（The Declaration of Independence）は、1776年7月4日に採択された、アメリカ合衆国の独立を宣言する歴史的文書です。
「すべての人は平等に造られ（all men are created equal）」「生命、自由、幸福の追求（Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness）」など、後世に大きな影響を与えた理念が力強い英語で表現されています。
このページでは、アメリカ独立宣言の有名な一節を和訳とともに紹介し、さらに独立宣言の英語原文を全文掲載しています。
アメリカ独立宣言の有名な一節（英語・和訳）
WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness— That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
「われわれは、自明の真理として、すべての人は平等に造られ、造物主によって一定の不可譲の天賦の権利を与えられており、その中に、生命、自由および幸福の追及がふくまれていることを信ずる。また、これらの権利を確保するために、人びとの間に政府が組織されるが、その正当な権力は被治者の同意に由来するものであることを信ずる。そして、どのような形態の政府であっても、この目的を害するようになったときは、これを改廃し、彼らの安全と幸福をもたらすために最も適当と思われる権力組織をもつ、新たな政府を組織することは、人民の権利であると信ずる。」
『人権の歴史』杉原泰雄著−岩波書店：p31より
「アメリカ独立宣言（抜粋）」
＊これは独立宣言からの抜粋です。以下に英語原文の全文を掲載します。
アメリカ独立宣言 全文（英語原文）
以下は、1776年7月4日に採択されたアメリカ独立宣言（The Declaration of Independence）の英語原文です。
冒頭の「すべての人は平等に造られ」「生命、自由および幸福の追求」といった言葉は特によく知られていますが、独立宣言の全文では、なぜ植民地がイギリスから独立する必要があると考えたのか、その理由と理念が詳しく述べられています。
※以下では、歴史的文書として原文の表現をそのまま掲載しています。現代では不適切・侮蔑的とされる表現も一部含まれています。
The Declaration of Independence
In Congress, July 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. –That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.
The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence.
They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.
And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
出典：U.S. National Archives, “Declaration of Independence: A Transcription”
※句読点の一部は、Web表示上の仕様により原資料と異なる場合があります。
アメリカ独立宣言の有名な一節を英語で読む
アメリカ独立宣言の中でも特によく知られているのが、冒頭近くに置かれた一節です。長く、現代の英語とは少し異なる表現も使われていますが、英文の組み立てを順番に追っていくと、何を述べているのかが見えやすくなります。ここでは、難しい英語をさらに難しい言葉で説明するのではなく、できるだけやさしい英語に置き換えながら読んでみます。
In Simple English
We believe that the following ideas are clearly true and do not need to be proved. All people are created equal, and they have certain basic rights that cannot rightfully be taken away. These include life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Governments are created to protect these rights, and their legitimate power comes from the agreement of the people they govern. If a government works against these purposes, the people have the right to change it or replace it with a new government.
原文の意味を一語ずつ置き換えたものではありません。原文が伝えている内容を、よりやさしい現代英語で表したものです。
Words & Phrases
| Original English | Simple English / Notes |
|---|---|
| hold A to be B | believe that A is B |
| We hold these truths to be self-evident. | We believe these truths are self-evident. ここでの hold は「持つ」ではなく、「〜だと考える」「〜だとみなす」という意味です。 |
| self-evident | clearly true without needing to be proved Something is self-evident when it is so clear that it does not need to be proved. |
| be endowed with | be given something valuable or important |
| they are endowed … with certain unalienable Rights | 人には一定の不可譲の権利が与えられている、という意味で使われています。 |
| unalienable Rights | rights that cannot rightfully be taken away unalienable は、現代では inalienable と綴られることも多い語です。 |
| the pursuit of Happiness | the act of trying to achieve happiness pursuit は「追い求めること」「追求」です。 |
| derive A from B | get A from B / have A come from B |
| deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed | 政府の正当な権力は、統治される人々の同意から生じる、という意味です。 |
| the consent of the governed | the agreement of the people who are governed |
| alter | change |
| abolish | officially end or remove something |
| alter or abolish it | change it or end it |
英文のしくみ
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. –That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
この長い一節では、まず
We hold these truths to be self-evident, 「私たちは、次のことを自明の真理であると考える」
と述べ、そのあとに 「では、その truths（真理）とは何か」 を、that ... を使って順番に示しています。
原文では、次の5つの内容が積み重ねられています。５つとも、that…で始まっていることがわかります。
| # | Original English | 内容 |
|---|---|---|
| ① | that all men are created equal | すべての人は平等に造られている |
| ② | that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights | 人には、奪うことのできない一定の権利が与えられている |
| ③ | that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness | その権利には、生命・自由・幸福の追求が含まれる |
| ④ | That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed | これらの権利を守るために政府がつくられ、その正当な権力は統治される人々の同意から生じる |
| ⑤ | That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government …（以下省略） | 政府がその目的を損なうようになれば、人民にはそれを変え、廃止し、新しい政府をつくる権利がある |
このように見ると、
We hold these truths to be self-evident
の these truths の内容が、①→②→③→④→⑤と順番に展開されていることが分かります。しかも、単に5項目が並んでいるのではありません。
① 人は平等である
↓
② 人には権利がある
↓
③ その権利とは生命・自由・幸福の追求などである
↓
④ その権利を守るために政府が存在する
↓
⑤ その政府が権利を守らなくなれば、人民には政府を変え、廃止し、新しい政府をつくる権利がある
という、一段ずつ論理を積み上げる構造になっています。
Say It Another Way
独立宣言の英語は18世紀の英語です。難しい表現も、やさしい現代英語に言い換えると意味がつかみやすくなります。
| Original English | Say It Another Way |
|---|---|
| self-evident | clearly true |
| unalienable Rights | rights that cannot rightfully be taken away |
| the pursuit of Happiness | trying to achieve happiness |
| the Consent of the Governed | the agreement of the people who are governed |
| Governments are instituted among Men. | People create governments. |
| It is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it. | The people have the right to change it or end it. |
