TEXT:But the doubters are outnumbered nearly five to one.
On July 4, 1776, the delegates ratify a document that will change the world, the Declaration of Independence. 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."
Now think about that. They're saying that your rights come not from the king, not from the government, your rights come from God and furthermore, they can't be taken away from you. They're unalienable. Every group: blacks, women, gays-- everybody looks to the Declaration as a way of saying we are Americans, too. So the Declaration is the American creed. that among these are "Life" ，"Liberty"and "the pursuit of Happiness." You cannot help but be stirred when you read those words. And you feel the excitement of being on the cusp of something so profound. We can be free. Now soldiers like Plumb Martin have something worth fighting for.On July 12th, two British warships open fire on New York City. It must have been quite a shock because New York, up to that point, was pretty quiet city. It was a business city. So you had significant support for the Rebels but also significant support for the people who were still loyal to the king. A month later, Joseph Reed, secretary to George Washington, tracks the British fleet massing off New York. Over 400 ships, the largest British Naval task force until D-day. 32,000 British troops prepare to storm Manhattan Island. They outnumber Patriot forces two to one. Just five of the biggest British ships carry more firepower than all the Patriot guns in the city. Reed is awed by the sight.

译文:持怀疑态度者最终以一比五被否决。1776年7月4日，大陆会议通过了一项将改变世界历史的文件《独立宣言》，"我们认为下面这些真理是不言而喻的"，"人人生而平等"，"造物主赋予他们若干不可剥夺的权利"。纽特·金里奇[前美国国会众议院议长]：“试想一下，他们试图告诉人们，人民的权利并非国王赏赐，也非政府施舍，而是上帝赋予，并且这些权利是不能被夺去的，不可剥夺。”安妮特·戈登·里德[罗格斯大学历史学教授]：“无论黑人，女人还是同性恋者，都仰望着《独立宣言》，告诉世人我们也是独立自主的美国人，《独立宣言》才是我们唯一的信条。”其中包括"生命权"，"自由权"，"和追求幸福的权利"。汤姆·布罗考[原NBC新闻主播]：“你虽无能为力，但当你读到这些文字仍心情澎湃，你能够感受到站在历史浪尖的无比兴奋，自由也可以属于我们。”现在，士兵们终于有了为之浴血的理由。7月12日，两艘英国战舰向纽约开火。鲁道夫·W·朱利安尼[前纽约市市长]：“炮火一定震惊了整个纽约，此前，这里一直安静祥和，这里原是贸易之都。英王的残暴惹怒了人民，他们纷纷支持革命，也有不少人将战争归咎于革命军，继续效忠英王。”一个月后乔治·华盛顿的秘书约瑟夫·里德从望远镜里发现了正在向纽约逼近的英国舰队，400余艘战船，诺曼底登陆前英国海军最大规模的特遣部队。32000名英国海军时刻准备着强攻曼哈顿岛，这一数量是革命军两倍，仅仅五艘大战舰所承载的火力就超过了纽约城中所有军火的总和，里德被眼前的局势吓住了。