American Culture

Chapter 1:
Understanding the
Culture of the United
States
Life in the United States

 Some questions about America are easy to

answer, for example:
– What is life like in America?
– What kind of houses do Americans live in?
– What kind of food do Americans eat?
– What are American customs?
Life in the United States

 Questions that are harder to answer are:

– What do Americans believe in?
– What do Americans value most?
– What motivates Americans?
– Why do Americans behave the way they do?
Life in the United States

 Two important facts about America:

1. America is VERY large
2. America has great ethnic diversity (people
from many different places)
 These two facts can help you understand
American culture
USA Taiwan
9,372,610 sq km 36,179 sq km
Life in the United States

 Ethnic Diversity is probably the most

important factor influencing American Life
 All Americans, except Natives, came from
foreign countries.
 Early settlers came from Spain
 Later settlers came from Northern Europe –
becoming the dominant culture
A Nation of Immigrants

 Over time, immigrants came from many

different countries including:
– China
– Japan
– Central, Eastern, Southern Europe
 Gradually, they became part of the dominant
American culture
A Nation of Immigrants
 The diversity of immigrants was written about
in plays:

America is God’s Crucible, the great Melting-

Pot where all the races of Europe are melting
and re-forming…. Germans and Frenchmen,
Irishmen and Englishmen, Jews and
Russians – into the Crucible with you all! God
is making the American!
- Israel Zangwill 1908
A Nation of Immigrants

 The term “Melting Pot” is used to describe

the mixing of different races and cultures in
America
 Despite this, the dominant culture (of
Northern Europe) has survived.
 However, it has been altered by new
immigrants settling in America
A Nation of Immigrants

(Immigration Act 1924 – 1965)

A Nation of Immigrants

 The Immigration Act of 1924 put a quota on

the number of immigrants that could come
from each country – it favoured people from
Northern and Western Europe
 This system was used until 1965, when
immigration began to rise again (including
illegal immigration)
A Nation of Immigrants

 Today, fewer immigrants are coming from

Europe.
 The descendants of early Eurpeans settlers
have inter-married with other cultures
 They no longer identify with their “home”
country
A Nation of Immigrants

 Most new immigrants are from Latin America

(South & Central America)
 These “Hispanics” have settled mainly in the
South and West of America
 Many of these people speak Spanish as a
first language
A Nation of Immigrants
Cultural Pluralism in the U.S.

 “Cultural Pluralism” is the principle that

different cultures can live together peacefully
 This means that immigrants keep their own
culture, but are still considered “American”
 Cultural pluralism is more accepted today
than it was in the past (e.g. multi-lingual
exams, the census, etc)
 Diversity of the American Population
2000 Census
SUBJECT NUMBER PERCENT
One race 274,595,678 97.6
White 211,460,626 75.1
Black or African American 34,658,190 12.3
American Indian and Alaska Native 2,475,956 0.9
Asian 10,242,998 3.6
Asian Indian 1,678,765 0.6
Chinese 2,432,585 0.9
Filipino 1,850,314 0.7
Japanese 796,700 0.3
Korean 1,076,872 0.4
Vietnamese 1,122,528 0.4
Other Asian 1,285,234 0.5
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 398,835 0.1
Native Hawaiian 140,652 0
Guamanian or Chamorro 58,240 0
Samoan 91,029 0
Other Pacific Islander 2 108,914 0
Some other race 15,359,073 5.5
Cultural Pluralism in the U.S.

 Even though many Americans maintain their

ethnic heritage, the number of interracial
marriages is increasing.
 “The Tiger Woods” effect:
– Caucasian (white)
– Black
– Indian
– Asian
Cultural Pluralism in the U.S.

 Many ethnic groups are sensitive about what they

should be called:

Black  African-American 
Indian  Native American / American Indian 
Hispanic  Latino 