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CLIFFS NOTES FOR AMERICAN CULTURE AND SOCIETY CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1 The United States of America has The Atlantic Ocean in the East, the Pacific Ocean in the West , Canada in the North, and Mexico.

CLIFFS NOTES

FOR AMERICAN CULTURE AND SOCIETY

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1 The United States of America has:

● The Atlantic Ocean in the East, the Pacific Ocean in the West , Canada _ in the North, and Mexico in the South

● 50_ states: 48_ contiguous states, 2_ noncontiguous states Hawaii and _Alaska_

● 1 federal district: Washington, District of Columbia_ (the capital)

● Several territories and island possessions

● _330 million_ people

2 Two significant factors that affect American culture are: (Para 3)

● Its immense size of the US_

● Different _climates_, lifestyle

● Its great ethnic diversity , including:

● Native Americans

● Europeans

● Hispanic

● Latino Americans _

● Black or African Americans _

® Cultural _pluralism_

3 A nation of immigrants (Para 7)

Melting pot is the term used to describe American culture because the

dominant American culture has survived and successfully_absorbed vast

numbers culture of immigrants throughout its history

4 The 21st-century immigration pattern (Para 11-12)

● The percentage of _white_ Americans from Europe is growing smaller

● More than half of all the new immigrants are from _Latin America_

® _white Americans of European descent _ communities grow

CHAPTER 2

TRADITIONAL AMERICAN VALUES AND BELIEFS

1 Traditional American values (Para 5)

Six basic values that have become traditional American values:

Individual

Freedom

Self-Reliance

Equality of

opportunity

Competition

Material wealth Hard-work

2 Individual Freedom & Self-reliance (Para 6-7-9)

● In the Constitution, the early settlers decided on:

®The separation of _Church_ and _State_

®No _aristocractic_ society, no ruling class of noblemen

● By _limit the power of the government_ and the _churches_, the early settlers:

®Create a climate of freedom_ emphasizing on the _individual_

Ø Individual _freedom_ (individualism)

● As a price, individuals must learn to rely on _themselves_ or risk

_losing_ freedom

®Americans must achieve financial and emotional _independence

3 Equality of Opportunity & Competition (Para 13-15-16-18-31)

● Lack of a _hereditary_ aristocracy (Para 13,15)

®People from low social class can still rise to social positions

● Each individual should have an _equal_ chance for success (Para 31-16)

®Americans see life as a _race_ for success

®“ _fair_ play”

● As a price, a person must with other people (Para 31-18)

®“ Winner (honored)_” vs “ Losers (dishonored) ”

®The _pressures_ of competition in the life of an American begins in childhood and continue until retirement from work

4 Material wealth and hard work

● Most immigrants come to the US to have a better life and raise their _standard of living (32-21)

®The American Dream: “From rags to _riches_”

● Acquiring and maintaining _a large number of _ _material possessions_

is very important to most Americans (22-23)

● Material wealth is a widely accepted measure of _ _social status_ in the US

● As a price, Americans must godliness _ (33)

®Material wealth = the natural _reward_ for hard work and evidence of their _abilities_ (24)

5 The American Dream (34-28-29)

In understanding American culture, it is important to distinguish between idealism _ and reality _, when keeping in mind how American ideals still influence almost every facet of life in the US

CLIFFS NOTES

FOR AMERICAN CULTURE AND SOCIETY

CHAPTER 3

THE AMERICAN RELIGIOUS HERITAGE

1 Freedom of Religion in the US (Para 1)

● Americans believe in _individual freedom_

○ Believe in the _right_ of individuals to practice their own religion

○ Religious freedom must be protected

● Great ethnic diversity

○ _religious_ _pluralism_

● The separation of _Church _ and _State _

○ Forbid the US from ever establishing an _official faith,or a national church _

2 Christianity in the US (Para 3)

● The majority of Americans are _Christians_

○ More than half are _Protestant_

● The Catholic faith was first brought to North America by the _Spanish_

in the 1500s

● In the 1600s, Protestant European settlers, most from _England , began establishing colonies in the east coast

3 Religious Diversity in the US

● Americans believe the _individual_, not the _organized church_, should

be the center of religious life (Para 22)

● Encourage a _tolerance_ and acceptance of _all faiths_

● Develop religious diversity ® religious diversity is _growing_ (Para 26)

○ The number of _Protestants_ is declining

○ More people strongers faiths

○ New religious organization emerge

○ More young Americans are attracted to _Eastern_ religious

teachings

○ They are looking for a belief system that will help them _grow and improve_ as individuals, and not interested in participating in a religion out of _duty_

CHAPTER 4

THE FRONTIER HERITAGE

1 The impact of the American Frontier (Para 1-3)

● The frontier has been particularly important in shaping American

_values _

● The frontier experience began when the first colonists settled on the east coast _ in the 1600s

● It ended about 1890_ when the last western lands were settled

● The American frontier consisted of the relatively unsettled_ regions in the west_ of the US

● They came to believe that it was their destiny to control all the land

○ _Manifest_ _Destiny_

● Many Americans still see the frontier people and beliefs as inspiring examples of traditional American values (Para 5)

○ Hard work

○ _Competitiveness_ and sense of adventure

○ _ Individualism _

○ Self-reliance

○ _Equality of opportunities

● Americans tend to view the frontier settler as the model of the _free_ individual, because the frontier settlers had more freedom from

government_ controls (Para 7)

CLIFFS NOTES

FOR AMERICAN CULTURE AND SOCIETY

CHAPTER 5

THE HERITAGE OF ABUNDANCE

1 A history of abundance

● America has been criticized as a “_throw-away_” country, where there is

so much abundance that people are viewed as _wasteful_ (Para 1)

● This abundance is the gift of _nature_ When the European settlers

arrived in North America, they found a continent with: (Para 2)

· Rich, fertile farmland_

· Abundance of _trees_and _animals_

· _small_ population

· great _undeveloped_ _natural_ resources

● This abundance is increased due to equality of opportunity (Para 5)

· in a nation such as the US, wealth and _social position_ were not determined by birth _ (Tocqueville)

®American desire to _increase_ their personal _wealth_ and material _comforts_

®Increase the nation’s material _abundance_ as quickly as possible

®Love of material things was seen as a _virtue_, a positive incentive to _work hard_ and a _reward_ for successful efforts (Para 7)

®American people judge themselves and other people by _materialistic standards _

2 From Producers to Consumers (Para 9)

● In the 1700s and 1800s, most Americans thought of themselves more as _producers_, like farmers and workers

● Since the 20th century, Americans began to think of themselves as

_consumers than as producers_

● Mass media, such as radio and _television_, enable _mass_ _advertising_

to reinforce the American’s _self-image_ as a consumer

3 Effects of Mass Advertising (Para 11-12)

● Sponsors_ have some control over the content of TV _programs_

● Advertising techniques are used to _change_ Americans’ attitudes,

behavior, and _beliefs_

● People are persuaded to _consume_ more and more products

● Consumerism is the reason for American huge _economic_ development

4 What American Consumers like:

● Comfort (Para 13)

● Cleancliness_

○ Commercials for soap, shampoo, deodorants, mouthwash, etc

● _ Novelty _ (Para 16)

○ Inventing new products and _improving_ old ones

○ Using _credit_ card—“buy now, pay later”

● Convenience

● Labor-saving devices (Para 17-18)

● _Fast-food_ restaurants and _take-out_ services

● Convenience food that are packaged _ ready to cook, or are even _precooked_

®Products are designed and advertised as such (Para 20)

®Reflect the American busy lifestyle

5 An Abundance of Technology (Para 21-22-14)

● Technological revolution

● New technologies have increased the _hectic pace_ of life in the US

· Change television viewing _habits_

®From traditional broadcast networks (NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox) and public

TV stations*

®To _cable and satellite TV (such as HBO)

· Change the way to get entertainment and _information

®Personal computers and the Internet

®People no longer depend on major resource _ for news,

information, and goods for sale

* Public television has no _advertisements_, and programs are paid for by _contributions from viewers _ and government grants

6 The Decline of American Abundance? (Para 30-31-32-33-34-36)

● During the US’ first 200 years, Americans were always _optimism about their wealth and abundance

● This belief was based on their experiences

○ greatly _reduced the conflict between the rich and poor

○ gave strong _support to basic national values like freedom, self-reliance, equality of opportunity, competition and hard work

● Over the last few decades, Americans realize their material abundance might have a limit _

○ the energy crisis and economic recession

○ the rising _ cost of all things

○ the declining number of high-paying jobs in factories _

○ Minority _ populations are often hit the hardest

● Many Americans must _work harder _ than their parents did to have the same standard of living But even that is not enough

○ Americans are becoming less _wasteful and more

protective of their _environment

CLIFFS NOTES

FOR AMERICAN CULTURE AND SOCIETY

CHAPTER 7

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS IN THE US

1 A suspicion of strong government (Para 1)

The ideal of the _free individual led to American deep

suspicion _ of the government

Many Americans believe that the bigger and stronger the government _ becomes, the more dangerous it is to their individual _

freedom _

2 The organization of the American Government (Para 3-4-5-7-11-12)

● The US Constitution _ is the supreme law of the US It

established the framework for the American Government

● The provisions of the Constitution are more concerned with keeping the government from doing evil _ than with _enabling it

to do good

● The national government is divided into THREE separate _ branches, balancing each other through the system of checks _ and balances _

The legislative branch

( Congress _)

The

executive

_ branch (Presidency)

The judicial branch (Federal _courts _)

Location The _Capital The _White

House

The _Supreme_ _ Court

Role Makes _ the laws

Both houses must

_agree on all

legislation before it goes to the

president

Enforces the laws

May prevent

_ a bill passed by Congress from becoming law

_Interprets _ _ the laws

- Settle dispute

- Determine if a law is

Constitutio n _

tion

The

_Senate

The House of _Representative s _

Headed by the _president_

_

Headed by the _Supreme Court

Includes lower national court

Election 100

Senators_

_

_2_ Senators

each state

Every _6_

years

435 _Representative s _

divided among the 50 states by _Representative

s _

Every _2_ years

Elected Indirectly

_ through the _electoral college

Every _4_

years

No election Justices are

- appointed by the President

- approved by the Senate

The system of checks and balances prevents any branch of the US government from abusing its power

3 Bill of Rights (Para 9)

● Is part of the Constitution _

● Is designed to protect specific individual rights and freedoms from government interference

● Eg: freedom of expression, freedom of religious worship, fair criminal procedure, etc

4 The Political parties (18-19-20-23-34-37)

Two main

parties

_Democratic_ Party (the Democrats)

Republican Party (the Republicans)

Political

view

Government should do _more_

to solve _social problems_

● Make more _regulations_

● Spend more on _economic_ security and _welfare_ state

● _Big_ government

Government should not _interfere_ in people’s lives

● Make less regulations

● give American business more _freedom_

● _Small_ government

Voters ● poorer and less-privilegedAmericans

● _ethnic minorities and other nonwhite

_

● women’s rights groups

● is supported by bussiness_ groups

● anti-government Americans

Members The _Liberal_ (left_-wing) the _Conservative_

(right_-wing)

5 Special Interest Groups (Para 26-30-32-33)

● Are often called “lobbying/pressure_ groups”

● Are formed by _American_ with similar special interest groups_ to more effectively _influence_ the actions of government

● Eg: the NRA, labor unions, farm groups, ethnic groups, etc

● Government and politics are based on reaching compromises with a large numbers of groups and pleasing as many as possible

● Interest groups have enormous _effect_ on politicians by voting and contributing large sums of _money_ to _election_ campaigns Sometimes this effect is harmful to the United States