[7.1] Life in the United States
The United States is so big and ethnically diverse that lifestyle varies according to the place you live and the group you belong to or identify with. Aside from Native Americans, all Americans' ancestors come from foreign countries. In the 1500s, Spain and France claimed large territories in the country but the immigrants from England were the large majority and it was them that actually shaped the values and traditions that are dominant in today's culture of the United States.
[7.2] A nation of immigrants
In late 1800s and the early 1900s the United States took a huge amount of immigrants who mainly came from central, eastern, and southern Europe. During the first two decades of the twentieth century, there were as many as 1 million new immigrants per year, but in 1921 this number dropped to only 150,000 as the country began to limit immigration through a quota system. From 1965 to 1990 the immigration flow once again started to grow up until the point of taking in 1 million immigrants per year, the majority of which were from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia.
These two big waves of immigration had large implications in terms of the ethnic mix of the American population. Over the last two decades, Latinos, Asians and black people have been growing in number, and as most of the first generation of immigrants died already, the white people population is growing smaller.
[7.3] Cultural pluralism in the United States
Upon the large numbers of immigrants that have landed on the United States, the question that immediately arises is: will they maintain their culture or will they adopt that of America? Perhaps the answer is both. Bilingualism and biculturism are a reality in many communities, but there's also the case of many immigrant's grandchildren who simply do not speak the language of their old country and are American by culture.
Another thing worthy of mention in the context of cultural pluralism is that all minorities together outnumber the countries majority. This means that more than half of the population are members of minority groups. In spite of all this diversity, the sense of national identity is still what binds Americans together.
[7.4] Making generalizations about American beliefs
[7.5] The context of traditional American values: racial, ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity
The United States being what many called the "land of opportunity" has always been a breeding ground for diversity. In the beginning its society was made up of Native Americans, Spanish and dutch settlers, French missionaries, African slaves, and British colonists who provided the foundation for the political and economic systems developed in the US. In this scenario, accepting diversity was the only viable option. In all this diversity what made it possible to make a homogeneous society was a definite set of rules and the same values.
[7.6] Individual freedom and self-reliance
Freedom was the first settlers' driving force to America. In order to place the power to govern in the hands of the people the British cut ties with their English kings and established the United States of America. Then they wrote the Constitution and made it clear that church and state shall be separated, and it also expressly forbade any type of aristocracy.
All these decisions honored freedom, one of the most important of the American values, and shaped the American character. However, the price to be paid for individual freedom was self-reliance. In order to keep one's freedom one must be able to support oneself both financially and emotionally. In today's American society, kids have an urgency to leave their parent's house as early as possible to prove to themselves and to everybody else that they're independent.
[7.7] Equality of opportunity and competition
The first immigrants felt that they were free from excessive political, religious, and social controls and therefore that there was a wider window for success.
If there was freedom, then there was a chance to succeed, and for success to be possible there was equality of opportunity. The immigrants knew that in their new country they wouldn't have to live among families with great inherited power. For them equality meant that regardless of their initial position everyone should have a shot in life to be successful.
However, the price to be paid for this equality of opportunity is competition, which is another very important element that of the American character. Today, Americans enjoy matching their energy and intelligence against others, and from a social perspective those who come up on top are praised and called winners; those who don't, are put down and called losers, and on top of that they feel they don't fit into the mainstream of American life.
[7.8] Material wealth and hard work
All the reasons for immigrating to America come down to having a better life, to raising their standard of living. They knew very well that if they couldn't make a fortune, their children at least would have a fairly better opportunity for a better life. However, many achieved to go from rags to riches and as a consequence a sense of attachment to material things became a value to the American people.
They don't like being called materialistic, but they do appreciate the possession of a large number of material things as it is accepted as a measure of success and social status. Again, to achieve material wealth, Americans need to pay a price: hard work. In present-day United States it's more difficult to achieve this material success as there's been a change of paradigm. The economy has shifted form being industry-based to one that's service or information-based and this has affected blue-collar workers.
Freedom was the first settlers' driving force to America. In order to place the power to govern in the hands of the people the British cut ties with their English kings and established the United States of America. Then they wrote the Constitution and made it clear that church and state shall be separated, and it also expressly forbade any type of aristocracy.
All these decisions honored freedom, one of the most important of the American values, and shaped the American character. However, the price to be paid for individual freedom was self-reliance. In order to keep one's freedom one must be able to support oneself both financially and emotionally. In today's American society, kids have an urgency to leave their parent's house as early as possible to prove to themselves and to everybody else that they're independent.
[7.7] Equality of opportunity and competition
The first immigrants felt that they were free from excessive political, religious, and social controls and therefore that there was a wider window for success.
If there was freedom, then there was a chance to succeed, and for success to be possible there was equality of opportunity. The immigrants knew that in their new country they wouldn't have to live among families with great inherited power. For them equality meant that regardless of their initial position everyone should have a shot in life to be successful.
However, the price to be paid for this equality of opportunity is competition, which is another very important element that of the American character. Today, Americans enjoy matching their energy and intelligence against others, and from a social perspective those who come up on top are praised and called winners; those who don't, are put down and called losers, and on top of that they feel they don't fit into the mainstream of American life.
[7.8] Material wealth and hard work
All the reasons for immigrating to America come down to having a better life, to raising their standard of living. They knew very well that if they couldn't make a fortune, their children at least would have a fairly better opportunity for a better life. However, many achieved to go from rags to riches and as a consequence a sense of attachment to material things became a value to the American people.
They don't like being called materialistic, but they do appreciate the possession of a large number of material things as it is accepted as a measure of success and social status. Again, to achieve material wealth, Americans need to pay a price: hard work. In present-day United States it's more difficult to achieve this material success as there's been a change of paradigm. The economy has shifted form being industry-based to one that's service or information-based and this has affected blue-collar workers.
[7.9] The American dream
[8.1] Freedom of religion in the United States
Due to the great number of ethnic backgrounds existent in the United States there's a lot of different religions in the country, and the right that every individual has to choose among these is the center of the religious experience in the United States. This religious diversity I'm talking about is so big that almost every religion existent in the world is represented in the U.S.
[8.2] The development of Protestantism
The development of Protestantism is started when the Protestant branch of the Christian faith broke away from the Roman Catholic church in Europe in the sixteenth century. After this happened, the Protestants found that they themselves couldn't agree in many points regarding beliefs and for this reason many "denominations" were born, such as Baptists, Methodists, Lutheran, etc. This separation stirred up strong emotions and led to the persecution of some denominations and even to many people being killed. As the years went by, however, the adoption of the Constitution and its lack of affiliation with the church brought new airs tolerance and the Protestant denominations adopted an "live and let live" kind of attitude toward the others.
[8.3] The Protestant heritage: self-improvement
Self-improvement is one of the most important values associated with American Protestantism. It's also part of the legacy this religion has introduced into society. Americans constantly seek to improve as people and the thousands of self-help seminars and support group meetings are proof of this.
[8.4] Material success, hard work, and self-discipline
Material wealth as a form of self-improvement is also part of the nation's Protestant heritage. Even though materialism and religion may seem contradictory, some of the early Protestant leaders believed that people who were blessed and defended the value of hard-work were awarded by God with material success. Hard-work and self-discipline in order to pursuit wealth set the foundations of the protestant work ethic and this made an important contribution to the industrial growth of the United States.
[8.5] Volunteerism and Humanitarianism
[8.1] Freedom of religion in the United States
Due to the great number of ethnic backgrounds existent in the United States there's a lot of different religions in the country, and the right that every individual has to choose among these is the center of the religious experience in the United States. This religious diversity I'm talking about is so big that almost every religion existent in the world is represented in the U.S.
[8.2] The development of Protestantism
The development of Protestantism is started when the Protestant branch of the Christian faith broke away from the Roman Catholic church in Europe in the sixteenth century. After this happened, the Protestants found that they themselves couldn't agree in many points regarding beliefs and for this reason many "denominations" were born, such as Baptists, Methodists, Lutheran, etc. This separation stirred up strong emotions and led to the persecution of some denominations and even to many people being killed. As the years went by, however, the adoption of the Constitution and its lack of affiliation with the church brought new airs tolerance and the Protestant denominations adopted an "live and let live" kind of attitude toward the others.
[8.3] The Protestant heritage: self-improvement
Self-improvement is one of the most important values associated with American Protestantism. It's also part of the legacy this religion has introduced into society. Americans constantly seek to improve as people and the thousands of self-help seminars and support group meetings are proof of this.
[8.4] Material success, hard work, and self-discipline
Material wealth as a form of self-improvement is also part of the nation's Protestant heritage. Even though materialism and religion may seem contradictory, some of the early Protestant leaders believed that people who were blessed and defended the value of hard-work were awarded by God with material success. Hard-work and self-discipline in order to pursuit wealth set the foundations of the protestant work ethic and this made an important contribution to the industrial growth of the United States.
[8.5] Volunteerism and Humanitarianism
The idea of self-improvement also means becoming a better person by helping others, whether it be by donating part of their money (or possessions) or time. This philosophy is sometimes called volunteerism or humanitarianism. Some of the richest people from the United States, like Bill Gates and others, manage their public relations by donating big chunks of their money. Many Americans believe they should be generous with others in order to be acceptable in the eyes of God and of other Americans.
[8.6] September 11, 2011, and the national religion
[8.6] September 11, 2011, and the national religion
[8.7] Religious diversity in the United States
The non-existence of a central church in the U.S. has encouraged the acceptance of all types of faiths, which in turn opens the door for the development of further cultural pluralism. Today, four trends can be recognized in the U.S.:
_First: the number of Protestants has to a little over 50 percent, while the Catholics are increasing in number. Those who choose "other or none" are also growing. The Jews, on the other hand, remain the same.
_Second: some people in order to find a personal religious identity switch faiths.
_Third: liberals as well as conservative religious organizations are emerging in the US.
_Fourth: many Americans, especially youngsters, define themselves as spiritual rather than religious.
[8.8] The impact of the American frontier
The American frontier consisted of the relatively unsettled regions of the western part of the country. It's what is usually portrayed in Hollywood movies where there are cowboys and indians, or maybe a ranch where a man chops wood, and stuff like that.
Here, life was more primitive that in the more populated eastern lands. And the way they came about was through people gradually moving further west as the frontier towns became more populated. The people from this time believed it was their destiny to control all the land, and eventually they did.
Some of the values associated with the frontier heritage of the U.S. are individualism, self-reliance, and quality of opportunity.
[8.9] Self-reliance and the rugged individualist
Rugged individualism and self-reliance in the frontier period meant dismissing the society's comforts and conveniences. Americans have portrayed heroes with rugged individualism as physically tough men with skills to use guns and other weapons. He was fit for the harsh conditions they had to endure in the frontier life.
There are two types of heroic rugged individualists. The earliest version of rugged heroes is seen as an individual able to get through any challenge that the wilderness might put him against with. The other type of hero came later in what is known as the "wild west", when the wilderness had already been conquered. This was more of a man against man situation, and a hero from this period is someone so physically strong that could defeat two or three ordinary men at one time. This type of hero has inspired countless of western movies.
The American frontier consisted of the relatively unsettled regions of the western part of the country. It's what is usually portrayed in Hollywood movies where there are cowboys and indians, or maybe a ranch where a man chops wood, and stuff like that.
Here, life was more primitive that in the more populated eastern lands. And the way they came about was through people gradually moving further west as the frontier towns became more populated. The people from this time believed it was their destiny to control all the land, and eventually they did.
Some of the values associated with the frontier heritage of the U.S. are individualism, self-reliance, and quality of opportunity.
[8.9] Self-reliance and the rugged individualist
Rugged individualism and self-reliance in the frontier period meant dismissing the society's comforts and conveniences. Americans have portrayed heroes with rugged individualism as physically tough men with skills to use guns and other weapons. He was fit for the harsh conditions they had to endure in the frontier life.
There are two types of heroic rugged individualists. The earliest version of rugged heroes is seen as an individual able to get through any challenge that the wilderness might put him against with. The other type of hero came later in what is known as the "wild west", when the wilderness had already been conquered. This was more of a man against man situation, and a hero from this period is someone so physically strong that could defeat two or three ordinary men at one time. This type of hero has inspired countless of western movies.
[8.10] American Macho Heroes
The epitome of the Macho hero in the US is the typical tough man who's skillful in street fights as well as in gunfights, and who's always been the main character in movies and video games.
This idea of a hero comes from the Wild West, but some have criticized it because it underscores the importance of cooperation, it overlooks how important women have been in history, and it glorifies gunfights and violence. This is why lot of Americans draw a relationship between the violence that these heroes seem to glorify and the shootings that have taken place in recent years.
Owning guns is a very controversial issue in the U.S. that has largely been debated over and over again. The Constitution states that it's a right to own a gun, but many have strong opinions against it. It could also be said that this has a lot to do with Americans' willingness to take the law into their hands to protect themselves and their families, which is also part of the Wild West legacy.
[8.11] Inventiveness and the can-do spirit
This was all about men and women being able to come up with solutions to the problems and situations of their everyday lives. They would always manage with what they got and just by using their creativity. This readiness to invent new stuff, such as tools, spread throughout the country and led to the "can-do" spirit, which was the sense that every problem has a solution, nothing is impossible.
[8.12] Equality of opportunity
[9.1] A history of abundance
The U.S. was always been naturally abundant, and together with the fact that the immigrating Europeans came with strong determination to get rich, the country soon became one of the wealthiest in the world. These people had a sense of urgency in becoming richer and richer because they knew that in a country that status didn't depend as much in family line as in Europe, they could lose their riches in a short period of time. Therefore, the entire population joined in the task of increasing the nation's material abundance as quickly as possible. This endeavor Americans took on, now shows up in Americans judging themselves by materialistic standards, which isn't seen as a mark of weak morality, but as a sign of them feeling proud for what they've got through hard-work.
In the early stages American society most Americans thought of themselves as producers rather than consumers. However, the mass advertising that was possible with the invention of the radio brought a change of paradigm - entertainment shows were accompanied by commercials. Later TV surpassed the Radio as the main outlet for advertising. Today it's estimated that the average American sees about 50,000 commercial a year.
[9.3] What American consumers like
Americans are particularly fond comfort, cleanliness, novelty and convenience.
It's believed that their love of comfort has to do with the hardships they had to go through during the tough times of the frontier. Perhaps the pioneers thought they had had enough of that and at some point wanted their lives to be radically easier.
Cleanliness might come from the Puritans, a Protestant church group whose members stressed the need to cleanse the body of dirt and of all evil tendencies. The saying "cleanliness is next to godliness" reflects that how Americans feel about having not only their bodies clean, but also their clothes, their houses, their cars, and even their pets.
As for novelty, it might come from their pride in their inventiveness. They like to see changes in cars, clothing, and products for the home. Advertisements encourage people to get rid of old stuff, and replace them with new things, regardless of whether the old stuff still works or not.
Finally, convenience is what makes them purchase labor-saving devices such as dishwashers, food processors, microwave ovens, etc. Their desire for convenience also created the concept of fast-food, the take-out services and even prepacked food ready to cook.
[9.4] An abundance of technology
Technology has changed the way people watch television, entertain themselves. Some years ago, the free networks NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox used to occupy the attention of the majority of Americans, but now cable and satellite TV are more popular. On the other hand, Internet have disputed television as the main source of entertainment, as users now see their computers as a TV, DVD and CD player combined. Internet is also a major source of news, information and even a shopping place.
[9.5] The challenges of technological revolution
[9.6] The ever-expanding pie?
Americans always practiced the belief that their material wealth was unlimited and so there would never exist the issue of rich people taking up a little bit too much of the pie and leave the poor with too little to get by. This way of seeing things resulted for the most part in good things, such as the fact that it made them very optimistic and reduced the conflict between the rich and the poor.
[9.7] Or the decline of the American abundance?
In recent years the United States has gone through some recessions that has made Americans re-think their idea of unlimited natural resources. In the 80s and 90s the rich got richer and the poor got poorer. Many Americans now have to worker harder than their parents did to have the same standard of living. Now the reality is that working fifty or sixty hours per week might not suffice to afford the price of housing.
[9.8] The characteristic of American business
To Americans business come down to two words: private and profit. They are owned and operated by private individuals in order to make a profit.
[9.9] How business reinforces other values
Americans generally appreciate business institutions because they're firmly based on the ideal of competition. Competition is a value that opens up opportunities of progress and prosperity, but most importantly it protects the most basic values of freedom, equality of opportunity and hard-work.
Competition protects freedom in the sense that there's no monopoly to power. Where there's a business making profit, there's going to be another trying to be a notch ahead. It's also believed to strengthen the ideal of equality of opportunity; competition is equated to a race, where every body has a chance to win, but only the swiftest person with succeed regardless of social class. Finally, this value also encourages hard work. If two people run a business, the one that works harder is going to be more successful than the one who doesn't.
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