Civilization 1
Unit 1: introduction: Understanding the culture of the United States
The capital of the United States: Washington D.C.
Why is it located where it is?
It was actually a planned city (not naturally grown). They needed to have a capital city. To
find a balance (compromise) they asked two states (1 northern and 1 southern state) to
donate land. They wanted to be completely in depended.
Residence* act (1790):
• Officially ‘An act for establishing the temporary and permanent seat of the
Government of the United States’.
• Federal law à location of capital
- Until then: federal government located in New York City
- Now: located along the Potomac River on the East Coast
- States of Maryland and Virginia donated land: 100 km2
• U.S. Constitution* (1787)
- District under the exclusive jurisdiction* of the US Congress* (not a part of any
U.S. state!)
- Originally no voting rights!
o Still no representation in Senate
o In 1961 23rd Amendment: vote in Presidential elections
- *Residence = verblijfplaats van een staatshoofd
- *Constitution = grondwet
- *Jurisdiction= rechts- of ambtsgebied: rechtsgebied
- *U.S. congress = de wetgevende macht van de regering van de U.S.
- *Amendment = voorstel voor wijziging in wet
Washington D.C. à named in honour of President George Washington (first president of
the U.S., 1789 – 1797)
,What does D.C. stand for?
• District of Columbia à Christopher Columbus
• Name (Columbia)
1) Columbia is the female national personification of the United States
2) Historical and poetic name used for the USA (‘freedom’)
• Inspired the names of many persons, places, institutions… à Columbia River,
Columbia University…
Main ideas
1) What are two important factors that affect life in the US?
Size and ethnicity
2) What is the heading for the section that discusses the history of immigration in the
US?
A nation of Immigrants
3) What is cultural pluralism?
The principle that people of different races, religions and political beliefs can live
together peacefully in the same society
4) What is the main idea of the section headed Making Generalizations about American
Beliefs?
It’s difficult, but possible.
5) What relationship is there between the quotation and the beginning of the chapter,
the introduction (first 2 paragraphs, and the conclusion (paragraph 25 and 26) of the
reading?
Overall focus of the book: American culture/values and how studying them help you
understand your OWN culture.
,Map: United States of America
, Unit 2: traditional American values and beliefs
Reliant Being dependent on someone
Constitution A set of basic laws, principles that a
democratic country is governed by
Welfare Money paid by the government to people
who are very poor, sick, not working…
Foundation A basic idea, principle
Ethical Relating to principles of what is right or
wrong
The declaration of Independence (1776)
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty
and the pursuit of Happiness.
Understand main ideas (p.38)
The introduction section on p. 32 à what does this paragraph tell you about the
structure of the text?
• A: introduction
• B, C, D: 3 sections containing 3 pairs of 2 values (6 in total)
• E: conclusion
1. The context of traditional American values: racial, ethnic, religious
and cultural diversity
1. The United States has great diversity, but it also has a national identity.
- Great diversity: native Americans, Spanish settlers, French missionaries, black
slaves and of course the British colonists
à whose culture provided the language and the foundation for the
political/economic systems that developed in the US
à most Americans recognized this diversity as a fact of life. Accepting
diversity was the only practical choice.
2. What hold the United States together is a common set of values that makes
them American
à John Zogby
,3. Individual freedom and self-reliance
1. The early came to the North American continent for individual freedom – the
most basic of all the American values.à example: free from king (independence
from England in 1776)
- They wanted to escape the controls placed on many aspects of their lives by
kings and governments, priests and churches, noblemen and aristocrats
- 1776: declaration of Independence = individual freedom
à free from the power of kings
à power in hands of the people
- 1787: they wrote the Constitution for their new nation
- Individual freedom: desire + right of all individuals to control their own
destiny à no interference from the government etc.
2. The price for individual freedom is self-reliance à example: achieving financial
and emotional independence from parents as early as possible.
- = individuals must be self-reliant in order to keep their freedom
à take responsibility
à financial/emotional independence from their parents
- Today: a traditional American value
à even if they are not truly self-reliant, Americans believe they must at least
appear to be so
à for example: return to live home after a failed marriage. Most members of
the family expect this to be a short-term arrangement.
3. Equality of opportunity and competition
1) Immigrants have always come for equality of opportunity – the belief that
everyone should have an equal chance to succeed thereà example: the
American concept of “fair play” is an important aspect of the belief in equality
of opportunity
- Chance to succeed:
à the lack of hereditary aristocracy (gebrek aan: titles that can be passed on
to the children of the titleholder)
à no formal class system: titles of nobility (adelijke titels) are forbidden
à immigrants determined by social class in their ‘old country’
- Meaning = equal chance to success
à everyone should have an equal chance to enter the race and win = ethical
rule
à “fair play”
2) The price for equality of opportunity is competition à example: students in
higher education need to be the best to get admitted into university.
- Pressure of competition starts in childhood until retirement from work
à learning to compete successfully is part of growing up
à competition is encouraged
, - The pressure to compete causes a constant emotional strain on them
à when they retire, they are free from the pressures of competition
à new problem arises: some may feel useless and unwanted in society
à not competing = not fitting in the mainstream = not much honour and
respect
4. Material wealth and hard work
1. Immigrants have traditionally come for material wealth – the chance for a
higher standard of living à example: famous millionaires are living in the
United States such as Elon Musk
- Immigrants come to the US to have a better life
à reason USA? Because of its incredibly abundant natural resources
à the phrase “going from rags to riches” became the slogan for the
“American Dream”
- The dream came true for many immigrants
à achieved material success and many became very attached to material
things
- Materialism = a word that most Americans find offensive à means that this
person values material possessions above all else
à material wealth = traditionally been a widely accepted measure of social
status in the US
à Because Americans rejected European system of hereditary aristocracy
and titles of nobility, they had to find a substitute for judging social status.
- The Puritan work ethic associated material success with godliness
2. The price for material wealth is hard work à example: The North American
continent was rich in natural resources when the first settlers arrived, but all
these resources were undeveloped. Only by hard work could these natural
resources be converted into material possessions.
- Material possessions = natural reward for hard work
- As the US has shifted from an industry-based economy to one that is service-
or information-based there has been a decline in high-paying jobs for factory
workers
à it is now much more difficult for the average worker to go from rags to
riches in the US à many wonder what has happened to the traditional
American Dream?
5. American values and the state of the American dream
1. Many Americans believe that with hard work their dreams of success can
happen/come true
- American dream = by working hard, parents can enable their children to have
a better life when they grow up à the ideal of upward mobility still exists in
America
