As a young man he had fought against the British in the American War of Independence, and he felt that written English in the newly independent United States, should have a distinctive American look.

在美国独立战争中，热血青年韦伯斯特反抗英国统治，他认为在这片独立的国土上，英语书写需要有美国式的风格。

I mean, you might say, well, why would these newly independent states in the '60s and '70s want to be part of anything to do with the former colonial power?

我的意思是， 你可能会说，为什么这些 60 年代和 70 年代新独立的国家想要成为与前殖民国家有关的任何事物的一部分？