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U.S.A.
Culture & History
Personality, Culture, & Identity
The United States is the big kid on the playground who bosses
others around... and he's big enough and powerful enough to do so. For the other
kids and parents at the playground, some see the US as an egotistical bully, others
see him as a growing kid whose body outgrew his maturity, others view him with a
sense of awe and jealousy, and others just don't pay any attention to him, but
as soon as they ignore him he finds a way to get their attention whether that be
by showing off or punching them in the stomach.
No matter what others say, the U.S.A. tends to use his bulk
and power to protect those he loves, beginning with his mother (England)
and his little brother (Canada), despite the fact that
neither of them want or need protection. However these two mean the most to the
U.S.A. and when one of them disagrees with the U.S.A., he is disappointed, stops,
thinks, tries to convince his family otherwise, then continues on his own path with
a bit of shame and sadness.
Because so many kids chose to join the big kid on the playground, the U.S.A. is
now a mix of everyone: every race, every religion, every culture, and every nation.
Some of these people hate each other so divide as others embrace the diversity and
unite. However, no matter the individual, most of the United States
is made up of immigrants and their descendents who have chosen to leave their lives
behind in order to find economic opportunity, gain religious freedom, own land,
have the freedom to start their own business or live out their dream.
Americans prioritize how they identify in thousands of ways from first seeing themselves
as a member of a religious group, by the color of their skin, by their language,
and by their ethnicity to being a member of their city, state, or nation. For so
many cultures, "ambition" is a word of greed and selfishness, for Americans,
it is the story of their history.
History
American history begins with the Native Americans or Indians. These people, which
spoke hundreds of languages and clung to multiple different identities and histories
varied from the nomadic people of the Great Plains to the fishermen and women of
the Pacific Northwest. With the arrival of the Europeans
most of these people were killed by disease, treated as second class citizens, or
(a rare few) intermarried with the immigrating Europeans.
The early European immigrants found themselves in this "New World" for
a number of reasons, from fleeing religious persecution to seeking the fortunes
of gold and silver. As the Indians were pushed further and further west, the
European immigrants found land for the taking, started farms, and soon after
discovered the profit in producing cash crops. Unfortunately, these crops required
a large amount of labor and the population was sparse, so the African Slave Trade
expanded from the Caribbean into modern-day U.S.A.
In 1776 the colonists revolted against the ruling English
crown, protesting their lack of representative rights in Parliament, yet still being
controlled by English laws. After a war, the Americans, with
the help of the French, won independence and their focus
continued to shift towards internal affairs and economic opportunities.
Over the next 150 years the country experienced massive growth through purchase
(Louisiana and Alaska) and war (much of the American
West and southwest from Mexico). However the social atmosphere
in the country also continued to change and fights over slavery and state versus
federal rights eventually led to the American Civil War (1861-1865), which was won
by the north and ended slavery, but not segregation or racism.
After the Civil War, the U.S.A. continued on its path of westward expansion and
faced further social growing pains with huge immigration by Europeans fleeing political
instability or famines, and the former slave population moving from the south to
all parts of the country. With this new labor pool and the help of the industrial
revolution, savvy businessmen used these immigrants as cheap labor, which led to
a series of legal changes to protect the worker, improving the quality of life,
healthcare, communication, and transportation networks.
WWI and WWII forced the U.S.A. onto the international stage
despite their best efforts to remain a hermit. This period proved the U.S.A.'s
power on the international stage and soon the country because a world power and
a leader in innovation from mass production of the car and the production of the
airplane to exploiting the usefulness of mass communication networks like television
and movies.
Today the U.S.A. continues to change and grow as migration
has repeatedly shifted: from abroad to the U.S.A., then from rural to urban, and
finally to suburbia, in which nearly every family has their own house, land, and
car.
Dress & Behavior
There are few dress or behavioral restrictions in the United States.
The only issue to be aware of is that, unlike many beaches in
Europe, nakedness and women going topless is restricted and offenders will
be arrested for public indecency, even if you're only sunbathing face down.
To learn about dining etiquette in the United States, visit
the American Food page.
This page was last updated: July, 2011