Cultural Profile of the United States of America

Cultural Profile of The United States of America

BACKGROUND OF THE COUNTRY

The United States of America or commonly referred as United States (U.S) and America is the world’s oldest democracy, the only super power, the single largest economy, the leader of the free world, the biggest influence on global pop culture and the most diverse country in the world. The country has long been home to so many people of different races and ethnicity from all over the world and is described as a place where dreams are made and where one can be successful in what they pursue.

The United States of America is the world's third largest country in size and nearly the third largest in terms of population. Located in North America, the country is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. Along the northern border is Canada and the southern border is Mexico. There are 50 states and the District of Columbia.

A BRIEF HISTORY

The colony of Jamestown from Britain was organized to seek gold and a passage to Asia in 1607. Jamestown ended up finding huge success in producing tobacco, which would be the main cash crop of the Southern states for many years to come. However, labor shortages caused some of the people there to use indentured servants as a source of free labor. When Nathaniel Bacon incited a rebellion, planters saw the potential in slavery: helpless, cheap people without arms which are the Native Americans.

Under the King of Britain’s control, the land was divided into three distinct regions which are called New England (Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Connecticut), New Middle Colonies (New York, Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania), and The Southern Colonies (Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia).

The failure of Britain to establish an equal system in the three regions and the slavery problem that grew had led to a rebellion. With more taxes and unpopular decisions by the crown, rebellion started to grow more and more favourable to many Americans with Virginia and Massachusetts emerged as hotbeds of rebellion.

The American Revolution carried on until July 4, 1776 when the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence from Britain. In May 1787, 55 delegates met in Philadelphia to discuss about establishing a new government and claiming their independence.  Many other elements of the American government were decided upon, and remained flexible because an amendment process was built into the fundamental workings of the government. Each state eventually agreed to the Constitution, with most of the greatest leaders of the time supporting it. The first president was elected in 1789, and it was George Washington, with John Adams serving as vice president.

DEMOGRAPHICS

The United States has an extremely diverse population.  According to 2001 Census figures, the population measured nearly 285,000,000 people which means that the United States has the third-largest population in the world, right behind China and India.

In terms of ethnicity, the United States consists of 83.5% white (including Hispanic/Latino), 12.4% black, 3.3% Asian, and 0.8% Amerindian.

The United States does not have an official language, but English is spoken by about 82% of the population as a native language. The variety of English spoken in the United States is known as American English; together with Canadian English it makes up the group of dialects known as North American English. Spanish is the second-most common language in the country, spoken by almost 30 million people (or 12% of the population).

The United States practices free exercise of religion with Christianity being the main. According to a 2014 survey, 70.6% of adults identified themselves as Christian, Protestant denominations accounted for 46.5%, while Roman Catholicism at 20.8%. The total reporting non-Christian religions in 2014 was 5.9% which include Judaism (1.9%), Islam (0.9%), Buddhism (0.7%), Hinduism (0.7%).

The American family structure has shifted from a nuclear and extended family structure to a more complex and less “traditional” structure. According to a Pew Research Center analysis of American Community Survey (ACS) and Decennial Census data, less than half (46%) of American kids younger than 18 years of age are living in a home with two married heterosexual parents in their first marriage compared to 73% in 1960. The share of children born outside of marriage now stands at 41% and 34% of children today are living with an unmarried parent.

EDUCATION SYSTEM

The education system in the United States is somewhat different from most systems in other countries. In the United States, the federal government does not operate public schools. Each of the fifty states has its own Department of Education that sets guidelines for the schools of that state. Public schools also receive funding from the individual state, and also from local property taxes. Public colleges and universities receive funding from the state in which they are located. Each state's legislative body decides how many tax dollars will be given to public colleges and universities.

Generally, school districts are divided into elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools. Elementary schools are composed of students in kindergarten and grades 1-5. Most children attend kindergarten when they are five-years-old. Children begin 1st grade at age six. Middle school is composed of students in grades 6-8 and high school contains grades 9-12.

AMERICAN CULTURE, CUSTOMS, AND ETIQUETTES

American culture encompasses the customs and traditions of the United States. There are few elements that are prevalent in the country that differentiates them with other countries.

The United States is sometimes described as a "melting pot" in which different cultures have contributed their own distinct "flavors" to American culture. As the country is described as the country of immigrants, nearly every region of the world has influenced the American culture, making it the one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world.

Friendliness

Americans value friendliness and informality and embrace them as part of their culture. They tend to not wait to be introduced, will begin to speak with strangers as they stand in a queue, and sit next to each other at an event. Sometimes Americans are so informal to the point of other people especially outsiders may perceive them as being very direct or even rude.