2009年奥巴马独立纪念日献词

Today, we are called upon to remember not only the day our country was born, but also the indomitable spirit of the first American citizens who made that day possible. We are called to remember how unlikely it was that our American experiment would succeed at all; that a small band of patriots would declare independence from a powerful empire; and that they would form, in the new world, what the old world had never known — a government of, by, and for the people.
今天，我们受到这个日子的感召，不仅纪念我国诞生的那一天，而且需要继承建国初期美国公民不屈不饶的精神，是他们使这一天成为值得纪念的日子。我们应该记住，当年的这一切多么来之不易。我们进行创建美国的试验，结果获得了成功；为数不多的爱国者宣布独立，脱离了帝国强权的统治；他们还在新世界建立了旧世界不可思议的事物──民有、民治、民享的政府。
   
That unyielding spirit is what defines us as Americans. It is what led generations of pioneers to blaze a westward trail. It is what led my grandparents’ generation to persevere in the face of a depression and triumph in the face of tyranny. It is what led generations of American workers to build an industrial economy unrivaled around the world. It is what has always led us, as a people, not to wilt or cower at a difficult moment, but to face down any trial and rise to any challenge, understanding that each of us has a hand in writing America's destiny.
正是这种顽强的精神构筑了美国人的特征。正是这种精神指引一代又一代先驱者开拓西进之路。正是这种精神指引我们的祖祖辈辈，以坚韧不拔的毅力渡过了大萧条，战胜了专制暴政。正是这种精神指引世世代代的美国劳动者建成全世界无可比拟的工业经济。正是这种精神始终指引全体美国人民在时局艰难的时刻永不气馁，永不退缩，敢于经受任何考验，迎接任何挑战，因为我们知道美国的命运有待于我们每一个人为之努力。
   
On this day, we also remember that during our most defining moments, it was brave and selfless men and women in uniform who defended and served our country with honor — waging war so that we might know peace; braving hardship so that we might know opportunity; and at times, paying the ultimate price so that we might know freedom. This service — the service of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen — makes our annual celebration of this day possible. This service proves that our founding ideals remain just as powerful and alive in our third century as a nation as they did on the first July 4. This service guarantees that the United States of America shall forever remain the last, best hope on Earth.
在这一天到来的时候，我们还不应该忘记，在我国最紧要的关头，勇敢无私的男女军人不辱使命，保卫我们的国家，忠心为国效力──为实现和平奔赴战场；为赢得机会不辞劳苦；有时还为捍卫自由付出极为高昂的代价。正因为他们为国效力──陆军、海军、空军、海军陆战队和海岸警卫队士兵做出的奉献，我们才有可能每年庆祝这个节日。这种为国效力的精神说明，在进入建国后第三个百年之际，我国的建国理想仍然长盛不衰，生气勃勃，永远保持第一个7月4日的活力。这种为国效力的精神保证美利坚合众国永远是地球上最后、最大的希望。
   
All of us must call on this spirit of service and sacrifice to meet the challenges of our time. We are waging two wars. We are battling a deep recession. Our economy — and our nation itself — are endangered by festering problems we have kicked down the road for far too long: spiraling health care costs, inadequate schools, and a dependence on foreign oil.
Meeting these extraordinary challenges will require an extraordinary effort on the part of every American. It will require us to remember that we did not get to where we are as a nation by standing pat in a time of change. We did not get here by doing what was easy. That is not how a cluster of 13 colonies became the United States of America.
为了迎接我们这个时代的挑战，我们大家都必须发扬这种为国效力和献身的精神。我们正在参与两场战争。同时我们也在抗击严重的衰退。我们长期拖延了旷日持久的问题：持续上升的医疗成本、学校设施的欠缺和对外国石油的依赖，导致问题日益恶化，我国经济以及国家本身正面临着危难。