几年前,一家商务机构打出“拥有一块美国土地”的宣传口号,鼓动地球人慷慨解囊把自己的生命与美国连在一起。实际上富豪阔佬们以巨资购得的不过是一块巴掌大的美利坚草皮,它远远不同于当初美国政府出售给移民的实实在在的公共土地。在英国于1783年签署的《巴黎和约》承认美国独立并让出加拿大以南,密西西比以东和佛罗里达以北的所有土地之后,美国人便共同拥有了那片被称为西部的宝贵土地。如何更好地体现土地的价值并满足民众的利益就成了独立之初美国领导人面临的问题和挑战。此后颁布的一系列土地法令以公开标卖的方式向移民开放西部公地,人口满额后的西部领地还可以平等的方式加入联邦,从而确定了西部土地逐渐美国化的方向。 A few years ago, a business agency launched a slogan of “owning a piece of American land,” urging earth’s generosity to link up its own life with the United States. In fact, the wealthy men who bought at large sums of money were nothing more than a large palm grass, much different from the real public land that the United States government sold to immigrants. After the United Kingdom signed the Treaty of Paris in 1783 that recognized the United States as independent and gave up all the land south of Canada, east of Mississippi and north of Florida, Americans collectively owned the piece of valuable land known as the West. How to better reflect the value of land and satisfy people’s interest has become a problem and challenge that the U.S. leaders face at the beginning of independence. Since then, a series of land decrees promulgated openly sell the western commons to immigrants. After the full population of the western territories were allowed to join the federation in an equal manner, the direction of the gradual Americanization of the western lands was confirmed.