American Studies Summary
Ch. 1 + Ch. 2 ‘’American Identity’’
Core themes: American Identity, Different types of culture, The way the
country is divided (geographically and culturally)
America is a meritocracy = The social-economic position of every individual is based on his or her
merites (verdiensten).
In America, everyone can start over and everyone is free to pursue their own potential, but they have
to do it on their own.
The American Dream is connected with individualism and liberty.
- People are encouraged to follow their own dreams.
- People value personal freedom and dislike (government) interference.
These beliefs are captured in the Declaration of Indepence and the US Constitution.
- Checks and Balances
- Bill of Rights
Declaration of Independence
Statement adopted by the Continential Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen
American Colonies, then at war with Great Britain, regarded themselves as independent states, and
no longer a part of the British Empire.
Instead, they now formed a new nation – The United States of America.
The Declaration is considered as a major statement on human rights, particulary its second sentence:
‘’We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness.’’
This has been called ‘’one of the best known sentences in the English language’’, containing ‘’ the
most potent and consequential words in American history.’’
It became a moral standard to which the USA should strive.
The view was notably promoted by Abraham Lincoln, who considered the Declaration to be the
foundation of his political philosophy.
The principles of the nation (human dignity and rights to freedom, justice and opportunity) are
contained in the Declaration.
,U.S Constitution (Grondwet)
The supreme law of the U.S.A
Was adopted on September 17, 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and ratified (bekrachtigd) by
conventions in 11 states.
It went into effect on March 4, 1789
The first three Articles of the Constitution establish the rules and separate powers of the three
branches of the Federal Government.
A legislature branch = the bicameral Congress
An executive branch = led by the President
A federal judiciary branch = headed by the Supreme Court
This is called Checks and Balances, to make sure that no branch has more power than the other
branches.
The last four Articles frame the principle of federalism.
The tenth Amendment confirms its federal characteristics.
Federalism = A system of government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a
central governing authority and constituent political units (such as states)
In the U.S.A, it’s the evolving relationship between state governments and the federal government of
the United States.
The first ten amendments ratified by ¾ of the States in 1791, are known as the Bill of Rights.
There are four kinds of culture, according to Mauk & Oakland:
- Ethnic Culture
- Religious Culture
- Political-Legal Culture
- Economic Culture
Ethnic Culture
Background plays a big role.
Most Americans descend from immigrants, and many hold on to their origins as a key aspect of their
identity.
The country has always been multi-cultural, though not necessarily harmonious.
- The effects of colonial settlement
Largely composed of British arrivals, who shared North America with indigenous Native-
American communities and other Europeans, such as the French and Spanish.
, These people gradually assimilated other early European settlers into a white, mainly Anglo-
American, Protestant dominant culture.
They were responsible for promoting many of the new nation’s political, social, constitutional
and religious institutions, which produced a mainstream American identity and set of values
whose impact is still felt.
Their political principles
- Democracy
- Grass-roots sovereignty (independence of the people)
- Skepticism about government.
Their social values
- A belief in individualism
- a Protestant work ethic (working hard in this life to be rewarded here and in the next)
- The Rule of Law (respect for and acceptance of legal rules applicable to all individuals
irrespective of status or wealth)
- The importation of African Slaves
They have affected public life different times in US history, but they have also experienced
difficulties of integration to the existing society.
Due to:
- Language problems
- Social position
- Cultural practices
There have been conflicts and racial tensions between settled groups, Native Americans,
African Americans, and immigrants, which sometimes erupted into violence.
This created nativism = discrimination towards others by the majority indigenous population.
- Large-scale immigration on US Culture
In 2008, the foreign-born share of the population was about 13 % (50 million people).
The biggest minority population is Latino, they are found in:
Southern states, such as Florida, New Mexico, Texas and California
Cities, such as New York and Los Angeles
In smaller towns throughout the country.
The US Census Bureau estimates that white people (66% of the people in 2008) will make up
less than half of the total in 2042.
By 2050, non-Whites will account for 54% of the population and non-Latino Whites for 46%
and will include increasing numbers of people who classify themselves as mixed-race.
This change will be caused by:
- Immigration
- Higher birth rates among ethnic minorities
- Intermingling of races
- An ageing white population with lower birth rates.
,There is a dominant group, the White Anglo-Saxon Protestants.
Critics claim that the heart of the USA continues to lie in the conditioning effects of these original
European settlers.
They are like the first ‘’Americans’’.
Religious Culture
At least as important as ethnic background.
The founders were Protestants, hoping to build a perfect society.
The source of American Exceptionalism = The proposition that the U.S is different from other
countries in that is has a specific world mission to spread liberty and democracy.
Despite the official separation of church and state, religion plays a huge role in society.
It can bring people together or drive them apart.
America bucks international trends through religious revival.
Political-Legal Culture
Diversity creates a need for pluralism.
The nature of the political-legal culture has been largely shaped by:
The central place of law and the Constitution in American life
- Unity is (party) created by the constitution, it is meant to be the glue that keeps America(ns)
together.
The restrictions that the Constitution places upon politics
The fact that Americans believe in minimal government, especially at the federal level
The perceived need to produce consensual (widely agreed) national policies.
America’s national motto: E Pluribus Unum Out of many, one
Civil religion is also used as a unifying force
Ex. Thanksgiving
The Pledge of Allegiance = An expression of loyalty to the federal flag and the republic of the USA (a
song)
Economic Culture
The economy is based on individualism and free entreprise.
- Competition is encouraged and success is celebrated.
Emphasis on liberty and personal responsibility
- Survival of the Fittest? (natural selection) (het recht van de sterkste) by Darwin.
This cultural dimension creates tension and debate.
,Americans have historically been sceptical of Big Business (large-scale, corporate-controlled,
financial or business activities)
As well as Big Government, a term that is generally used by political conservatives (a
government or public sector that they consider to be excessively large, corrupt and
inefficient, or inappropriately involved in certain areas of public policy or the private sector.)
- The Healthcare debate
Has been a political issue for many years, focusing upon increasing coverage,
decreasing the cost and social burden of healthcare, insurance reform, and the
philosophy of its provision, funding, and government involvement.
Obama campaigned heavily on accomplishing health care reform, legislation was
enacted in March 2010.
- Occupy Wallstreet (OWS)
A protest movement that began on September 18, 2011, in Zucotti Park, located in
New York City’s Wall Street financial district.
The main issues raised by OWS are social and economic inequality, greed, corruption
and the perceived undue influence of corporations on government (particulary from
the financial services sector)
The OWS slogan, we are the 99% refers to income inequality and wealth distribution
in the U.S between the wealthiest 1% and the rest of the population.
Pluralism and Unity
The political-legal culture and economic system are meant to create unity.
- Do they?
- Can they?
- Can all Americans be one?
There are different theories (see Ch. 1)
A melting pot vs. a salad or stew.
Melting pot = the assimilation of different ethnic groups into a shared, Anglo-
American-based identity or ‘melting pot’.
Salad or stew = because of the splits in opinion about traditional/fundamental American
values, the USA should more realistically be regarded ethnically, culturally and ideologically
as a ‘mosaic, salad bowl, pizza, or ‘stew’ mix rather than a melting pot.
However while the melting-pot model of America has been rejected in some quarters, the
metaphors of salads and stews nevertheless imply that variety and difference should
somehow be incorporated into a larger ‘American’ whole.
These metaphors also suggest a certain acceptance of cultural and ethnic pluralism in
American society.
, The difficulty lies in defining what the common core identity should be.
There are also reasons to suggest irreconcilable differences.
- Rich vs. Poor
- Liberal vs. Conservative
Ch. 2 The Country
The diversity of American Life is affected by geography.
America is a big place with a large population.
- An area of 3,615,122 square miles
- Island possessions in the Carribean and the Pacific add another 11,000 square miles to
American territory.
There are 50 sovereign states, and different regions have different histories, cultures and industries.
- 48 states lie between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and between Canada and Mexico
- 2 states (Alaska and Hawaii) lie in the north-west corner of the continent and the Pacific
Ocean, resepectively.
It has a varied landscape (everything from deserts to mountains to jungles) that continues to play a
role. The variety is the most pronounced feature of the country.
- Industry and economy
- Local culture
- Attitudes towards the landscape and (use of) resources
Exploiting its natural resources had depleted reserves, caused extensive pollution and shown
a wastefulness that has led to dependence on resources from other nations, although the
country’s own natural riches remain a main support of its economic life.
Environmentalist movements and public concern since the mid-1800s have successfully
lobbied for a huge national environment.
The use of natural resources has become a matter of balancing priorities among overlapping
environmental, economic and cultural interest groups.
Regions
Approached from the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico, the country’s first land formation:
- The Atlantic Plain
A costal lowland stretching from New England to the middle of Texas.
A narrow coastal strip in the north, the plain gradually widens to include large parts of the
southern states.
It’s soil is mostly poor but includes a fertile citrus-growing region and the Cotton Belt in the
south, which have both been intensively developed for commercial farming.
The Plain’s most important natural wealth is found along and in the Gulf, where much of the
nation’s crude-oil and natural-gas reserves are located.
Water pollution from industrial development in the North and the commercial fertilizers and
oil-drilling in the South are the most serious threats to the Plain’s environment.
, Even though environmentalist’s protests, drilling for petroleum off the East Coast has
become a more serious alternative.
As the nation strives for energy independence, politicians consider exploiting all available
resources and distributing the environmental costs across the country.
The Piedmont and Fall Line
Inland from the Atlantic Plain, the land rises to the Piedmont.
- A gently rolling fertile plateau
- Along the eastern edge of the Piedmont is the fall line, where rivers running down to the
Atlantic from waterfalls.
- When water power was used for grain and textile mills, America’s first industrial cities grew
up along the northern fall line near the coast.
Appalachia
The Piedmont rises to the Appalachians, much-eroded mountains from Canada to Alabama
that separate the eastern seabord from the interior.
- These mountains, the Appalachian plateau, and the rugged ridge and valley country to their
west delayed European invasion and settlement.
- Although the Appalachians and the upland sub-regions contain minerals, only iron, building
stone and coal are found in large quantities.
- The coal deposits in Pennsylvania and West Virgina, in the area called Appalachia, are among
the world’s largest and once provided fuel for developing industry in the north-east, and the
Great Lakes region as well as for heating homes across the nation.
- Today, Appalachia is among the nation’s most depressed area because ‘cleaner’ gas oil and
atomic energy have partially replaced coal. Producing and using these newer energy sources,
however, has also been identified as the main cause of air pollution and acid rain.
‘Clean’ use of coal is under development and is one of the environmentally friendly
technologies the Obama administration promises to support.
Central Lowland and Ozarks
West of the Appalachian highlands lies the Central Lowland, a vast area stretching from New
York state to central Texas and north to Canada, which resembles a huge, irregular bowl
rimmed by the Great Lakes and highlands.
- The iron ore in one of these, the Mesabi Range at the western edge of the Lakes, transported
inexpensively over the Great Lakes to the coal of Appalachia, made the development of
America’s industrial core possible. This industrial ecology was the backbone of the nation’s
economic expansion and claimed priority over environmental concerns until many of its
‘smokestack’ factories proved unable to compete on the global market in the 1970s.
- The Central Lowland is not entirely flat. The glacial moraine, an area of rocky territory with
many lakes, runs along a line just north of the Ohio and Missouri rivers. On both sides of the
moraine, the lowland has a table-like flatness except near rivers that have dug gorges.
- The lowland also varies in rainfall and temperature. Rainfall decreases towards the west,
resulting first in a change from forests mixed with fields to the prairies, where trees are rare.
, - From north to south, the long winters of the Upper Midwest change to the snow-less winters
of the gulf states.
- The natural resources of the Central Lowland, which is often called the nation’s breadbasket,
are its soil and fossil fuels.
- The fields of oil and gas in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas were the nation’s most important
domestic supply until reserves in Alaska were tapped.
- Across the lowland the increase in large-scale agribusiness in recent years has produced
intense efforts to deal with unwanted side effects, including polluted water supplies from
plant fertilizers and insecticides and the leakage of concentrated animal feed and sewage
from industrial pig, chicken and freshwater fish farming.
The Great Plains and Colorado Plateau
Farther west, the high prairie grass changes to short grass at the 20-inch (50 centimeter)
annual rainfall line where the Great Plains begin.
- The Great Plains is a band of semi-arid territory almost 500 miles wide between Canada and
Mexico.
- The plain rise so gradually towards the west that large parts of the region appear to be
utterly flat.
- Most of the plains, however, are broadly rolling, and parts of the northern plains are cut up
into spectacular gorge and ridge country called ‘’badlands’’
- The buffalo grass of the plains make them excellent for ranching, but some areas, watered by
automated artesian wells or irrigation, are now high-yield farm country.
- The Plains’ mineral wealth, mainly low-grade brown coal, is extracted through
environmentally damaging strip-mining, which grows in economic viability as the world price
of oil rises.
Rockies
From the western edge of the Great Plains to the Pacific coast, a third of the continental United
States consists of the Cordillera mountain chains (The Rockies and the Pacific Ranges) and the basins
and plateaus between them.
Near the Southern Rockies’ western slopes is the Colorado Plateau, a maze of canyons and mesas,
the most famous of which is the Grand Canyon.
Surrounding the Plateau is the desert Southwest. Valleys and plains rather than mountains occupy
much of the Middle Rockies.
The Wyoming Basin has provided a route through the mountains, from the Oregon Trail that
pioneers followed to the inter-state highways of today.
In the Northern Rockies are vast wilderness areas and the Columbia Basin, which is etched by the
remarkable canyons of the Snake and Columbia rivers.
The western arm of the Cordillera consists of two lines of mountains with a series of valleys between
them.
In from the coast are the highest peaks, including active volcanoes.
The inland valleys contain much of the West Coast’s population and economic activity, from
Washington’s Puget Sound to the Willamette Valley of Oregon and California’s Central Valley.
