来自《耶鲁大学开放课程：美国革命 第2集 第2集》

• 
  
  Now of course the American version of
  当然美国式的
• 
  
  this great social order, this great hierarchy,
  社会秩序和阶层划分
• 
  
  is different in some ways from its British equivalent
  在很多方面 都与英国的不同
• 
  
  because the colonies lacked both the top-most
  因为殖民地社会没有英国社会中的
• 
  
  and the bottom-most rungs of society in England.
  最高层和最底层的阶级
• 
  
  So in the colonies there wasn't a titled entrenched aristocracy
  在殖民地 没有严格地区分
• 
  
  and there wasn't an entrenched peasant class.
  贵族阶级和平民阶级
• 
  
  Instead the colonies had what some called a middling society
  取而代之的是所谓的中产阶级
• 
  
  which was populated mostly by
  主要由这几类人组成
• 
  
  either middling folk, logically enough,
  有为寻求更好生活
• 
  
  who had migrated from England to better their lot in life,
  从英国移居而来的普通人
• 
  
  by the English poor who hoped to better themselves,
  有希望出人头地的英国穷苦阶层