The Culture Of The United States Essay

Many people come to the United States for freedom and to live out the American dream.What is happening is many people are trying to “fit” in with the American ways that they lose a lot of their own culture by assimilating into the American society.By losing your culture you lose a part of yourself.Knowing about your history and learning about other people’s history can give you a greater understanding of other ethnic groups and in some ways enrich your life.By preserving your culture and learning about others, it will help you to understand people better.If more people did this communication would be better between the vast ethnic groups.And by learning all of this you learn a lot about yourself and who

Many argue that America has very little of its own culture, or that we never had an identity to begin with. On the contrary, America has a distinct patriotism and pride that has stuck with it since the day they won their independence. Many cultures have fled from their own countries and come to it for refuge- similarly to the way the British colonists had originally fled to America in the hopes of religious freedoms and liberties. America may have many different cultures rather than one specific culture, but this has added to its identity, rather than taken away from it.

Social inequality stems from many facets of life and mindsets reproduced continuously in America. The main backbone of systematic inequality is formed off of race, gender and class, which all contain crucial aspects that further oppress those subjected to inequality in various aspects of life. The resources-schools, occupations, invested parents- around one fuels the opportunity in their lives, a concept highlighted by Malcom Gladwell, in his book, Outliers. Situations one are brought up in or uncontrollable genetic aspects can very easily restrain their opportunities. Racial discrimination, gender roles and inferiority and the lack of fluidity in the low and working class push inequality, which simultaneously influencing the rich and privileged.

Over the past 100 years, the United States has changed the way it views other cultures including more respect, equality, and freedom for all people. As much as America has grown, has America really changed that drastically? Across the nation and world, cultural differences still exist, misunderstandings continue, and fighting persists. Recent attacks within the United States that are similar to the conflicts between the Japanese and Americans in the early 1900’s include the 9/11 attack, the bombing at the Boston Marathon, and the mass shooting in Orlando.

How does one define American culture? Is it the freedom and equality? The mixed religions and races? Is it a compilation of all cultures of the world? All of these qualities do define American culture. Although the nation’s forefathers established the cultural roots of the United States of America, its culture has changed over time. American culture is something unique and highly dynamic. The American culture developed as a result of immigrant settlers from all points of the world bringing in their own culture to this nation. The diversity, both culturally and ethnically, comprise the nation, but at what point does all this diversity become a problem? America’s cultural identity of freedom, equality, and diversity could soon be modified to the extreme by a massive influx of new immigrants who could become the majority of the nation. America, known for its cultural diversity, is on the verge of losing its cultural identity due to lack of restrictions with regards to immigration, the nation’s accommodating mentality towards immigrants and their culture, and racial stereotype inclination among people in the country.

An American’s identity is characterized not by an individual's religion, race, and culture, but by how they use their freedom and how they . The United States culture and identity developed long ago when early settlers and immigrants came to the states for  new lifestyles and mostly for religious freedom. American’s identity was built off of the settlers and immigrants who set the standards of who we are. America is made off of a diverse platform of race, religious, ethnic groups, and social class. All of these people are Americans. We look to be different, but we share the ability to welcome others of different backgrounds into our lives.

The moment I wake up in the morning thinking that my day would be exactly as I expect it, shaped of beliefs, values, morals, and the views on diversity, means that it would be a great day. However, I can’t only thank these sources for whom I am, my own personal experiences and feelings have had a huge impact on my cultural views. I’m a sport loving player, who was raised in a small town in Cuba, Pinar Del Rio. In 2009, I completed my journey from my home country, to the land of freedom “United States”, but it has always been of major importance to not forget my roots, and to remember my cultural heritance. And like any other immigrant, it is very important to assimilate and try to fit in the American culture.

I grew up in a small town, which was highly populated with individuals of Basque descent. My grandfather severed in the military and was stationed in Basque Country. Despite the large Basque population surrounding me, I knew very little of the culture and traditions commonly found within the Basque Country. “The homeland of the Basque people, commonly called the Basque Country, is located on the Bay of Biscay at the western end of the Pyrenees mountain range, straddling the border of France and Spain. The nearly 8,000-square-mile Basque Country is divided into seven administrative districts, four in Spain and three in France. Basque culture is distinctive from that of the rest of Spain in many ways” (Thomas, par. 1). This assignment has allowed me the privilege to interview and spend time with Maria Begona Narvaiza-Peck. I was able to experience the Basque culture through conversation, photographs, museum, and meals.

Americans in our society have far reaching effects on our religious and symbolic behaviors through mass culture and media. Religious freedom and the acts of it influence us as Americans and as a society. It is the basis on which America was formed through mass culture. Societal effects have intensified not only in America, but around the world and the pressure to believe another’s religion have strongly increased. Since America was attacked on September 11 2001, our public perception towards the Muslim religion have since changed.

My birth parents separated when I was too young to remember. Growing up, I never knew my father, but was always told of his shortcomings. Both my parents were born and raised in two Nebraska towns not even a mile apart. My father met my mother while he was home on leave from the Marine Corp. I figured they both wanted to escape the familiar monotony of the heartland, so they ran off to California and eloped. I was born shortly after on June 13, 1985 at Tri City Hospital in Oceanside, California. From what I could find, I am mostly German descent from both sides of my family. My mother’s side descended from prominently Volga Lutherans, while my father’s side is the more traditional Rhineland Germans. Most of Nebraska’s culture is heavily German

I am a part of the Polish culture, a culture which is very much related to food. The most I’ve felt proud about my culture was when I worked and went to a Polish food festival during every Labor Day weekend called Taste of Polonia. It is hosted by a Polish culture center called Copernicus Center. I worked there last summer which I helped with maintenance (which I scraped paint thinner off walls and ripped out weeds out of the ground) and my dad (which I stuffed envelopes with letters and did PhotoShop). It was fun, but the most fun I had at Copernicus was at Taste of Polonia. There was Polish music (which can be soothing and annoying at the same time) and delicious Polish food. Since my dad works there, I got unlimited food due to the amount

The United States of America has a dark, shameful past that deals with the mistreatment and enslavement of African Americans. For centuries, the black body was only seen as a product; never seen as a human being slaves’ bodies became an economic resource that was expendable. The slave master could do anything to their property without fear of breaking the law. The practices that were used gave rise to a deep problem in the African American community that is still prevalent in today’s society. Slavery was about “stolen bodies working stolen land. It was an engine that did not stop, its hungry boiler fed with blood.” (Whitehead 117)

In today’s world, the United States of America only accounts for about 5% of the total global population. Quite surprisingly, compared to the global population, the United States still accounts for over 23% of the world’s amount of incarcerated peoples, therefor giving the United States first place in the running for the largest amount of incarcerated people. The reasons the United States incarceration rates are so high is driven by the disproportionate incarceration of minorities. The chances of an African American being incarcerated are six times greater than a Caucasian person. If that number doesn’t seem that high to you, then take into account that for every ten Caucasians there are about sixty African Americans incarcerated. You can also look to the right to get an idea of the large difference as well. Historically speaking, the United States laws have demonstrated its discrimination towards African Americans within the criminal justice system, and can date back to the laws and practices against Africans American’s like slavery and Jim Crow Laws. This is not always the simple discrimination you think of when you think of a white officer pulling over two vehicles, one with a white guy and one with a black guy, for the same violations, and giving the white guy a warning and the black guy a ticket. The justice systems discrimination goes quite deeper than that. Many believe slavery is to blame for such discriminatory penal practices today, as “embedded racism in the

American culture refers to the traditions and practices of the people of the United States. Culture comprises of the nature of buildings, religion, music language and marriage. The population of the United States is more than 320 million people making it the most culturally diverse country in the globe. Books such as Crabgrass Frontier, Manifest Destination and Muscular Christianity are important sources of information about American culture. This paper is a reflection on the methods that these books use in providing information about the evolution of the US culture. The paper examines the relationship between these three sources and ways they challenge or inform an understanding of the American society during the late 19th and early 20th century. There is an analysis of the efficiency of the issues tackled by these books in influencing the contemporary discourse surrounding American culture. The major argument of this paper is that Crabgrass Frontier, Manifest Destination and Muscular Christianity provide reliable information about the evolution of the US culture and they supplement each other through the use of relevant examples.

The United States of America being the third largest country in the world with more than 315 million inhabitants, consists of multicultural societies with ethnically diverse population. Since there are a lot of foreigners, the US culture has evolved in such a way accepting and tolerating other foreign cultures. US is very much influenced by protestant work ethics according to which people believe in themselves and their efforts to attain the goal of self-actualization and success. The rich diversity in the culture brought by foreigners, prevailing values of protestant ethics, hard work etc. have helped US to emerge as a superpower in the past years. Nearly every religion had its impact on US culture in one way or the other. The