VOA常速英语:美国制度——为什么第一条修正案重要？

To protect individual rights, the framers of the United States Constitution added ten amendments to the document,which came into force in 1792, three years after the Constitution itself did.These amendments are collectively named the Bill of Rights.
为保护个人权利，美国宪法的制定者们在文件中增加了十条修正案，修正案在1792年生效，也就是宪法本身生效的3年后。这些修正案被合称为权利法案。

Arguably, the First Amendment is also the most important to the maintenance of a democratic government.It states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press;or the right of the people to peaceably assemble,and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
可以说，第一条修正案也是对于维持一个民主政府而言最重要的一条。它规定“国会不得制定关于下列事项的法律：确立国教或禁止宗教自由活动；剥夺言论或出版自由；或人民和平集会的权利，以及向政府请愿申冤的权利。”

The first part of that statement reflects the framers’ experience with the long history of religious strife in Europe.They realized that religious discord can be explosive and cause tremendous disruption in politics.It would be doubly so if one religious sect were favored over all others.So, they argued that federal government cannot interfere in the citizens’ practice of their religion.
该声明的第一部分反映了制宪者们在欧洲经历了漫长的宗教冲突历史。他们意识到宗教纷争可能引起冲突并且导致政局一片混乱。如果一个教派比其他教派受青睐，可能引发更加严重的后果。因此，他们认为联邦政府不能干涉公民的宗教信仰活动。

The freedoms of speech, press, assembly and the right to petition the government and seek redress of grievances proclaim that citizens have the right to call the government to account.Freedom of speech and press allows citizens to communicate their ideas verbally and in writing,while freedom of assembly lets them publicly express a common interest.The right to petition allows citizens to point out to the government where it did not follow the law,to seek changes, as well as damages for such missteps.
言论、出版、集会和向政府请愿和申冤的自由表明公民有权向政府问责。言论和出版自由允许公民通过口头和文字表达他们的想法，而集会自由使他们公开表达共同利益。请愿权使公民向政府指出其有违法律的地方，并寻求改变和因此类过失政府应给予的赔偿。

Of course, there are limits to these freedoms.One may not force the tenets of his or her religion on those who do not observe those beliefs.Harmful speech, such as yelling “fire” in a crowded room, is not protected, nor is a written lie that causes harm.As well, gatherings must be peaceful.Destruction of the property of others is not protected by the First Amendment.
当然，这些自由是有局限性的。一个人不能将他或她的宗教教义强加在其他不信仰该宗教的人身上。危害性的言论，如在拥挤的房间里大喊“着火了”，就不会受到保护，产生危害的书面谎言也不会受到保护。同样地，集会必须是和平的。危害他人财产也不会被第一修正案保护。

“Liberty is to faction –[political parties or movements] what air is to fire, an aliment without which it instantly expires,”said James Madison, the principal framer of the Constitution.“But it could not be less folly to abolish liberty, which is essential to political life, because it nourishes faction,than it would be to wish the annihilation of air, which is essential to animal life, because it imparts to fire its destructive agency.”
“自由之于党争——[政党或政治活动]就像空气之于火，空气是滋养物，没有它，火会立即熄灭，”詹姆斯·麦迪逊说，他是美国宪法的主要制定者。“因为自由孕育党争，所以它是政治生活的要素，但不能愚蠢到因要消除党争而消灭自由，正如维系动物生命的空气一样，不能因为空气是生火的必要条件从而使火发挥破坏性作用，就希望灭绝空气。”