填空题 The earliest settlers came to the North American continent to establish colonies which were free from the controls that existed in European societies. They wanted to (1) the controls placed on their lives by kings and governments, priests and churches, noblemen and aristocrats. To a great (2) , they succeeded. In 1776 the British colonial settlers (3) their independence from England and (4) a new nation, the United States of America. In (5) doing, they overthrew the king of England and declared that the power to govern would lie in the (6) of the people. They were now (7) from the power of the kings. In 1787, when they (8) the Constitution for their new nation, they separated church and state so that there would never be a governmentsupported church. This greatly (9) the power of the church. Also, in this Constitution they expressly forbade titles of nobility to ensure that an aristocratic society would not develop. There would be (10) ruling class of noblemen in the new nation.
The historic decision (11) by those first settlers has had a profound (12) on the shaping of the American character. By limiting the power of the government and the churches and eliminating a formal aristocracy, they (13) a climate of freedom where the emphasis was (14) the individual. The United States came to be associated in their minds (15) the concept of individual freedom. This is probably the most (16) of all the American values. Scholars and outside observers often (17) this value "individualism", but many Americans use the word "freedom". Perhaps the word is one of the most respected popular words in the United States today.
By "freedom", Americans (18) the desire and the ability of all individuals to control their own destiny without outside interference from the government, a ruling noble class, the church or (19) other organized authority. The desire to be free of controls was a basic value of the new nation in 1776, and it has continued to (20) immigrants to this country.