American Values and Beliefs

CONSTITUTIONWe the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the gene

THE U.S CONSTITUTION

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union,

establish Justice, insure domestic

Tranquility, provide for the common

defence, promote the general Welfare,

and secure the Blessings of Liberty to

ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United

States of America

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united

States of America: The want, will and hopes of the people

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

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 — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent

of the governed,

— That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of

these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and

to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are

sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed But when a long train of abuses and

usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design

to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security — Such has been the patient sufferance of

these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains

them to alter their former Systems of Government The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an

absolute Tyranny over these States To prove this, let Facts be

submitted to a candid world

From BARACK OBAMA’S INAUGURATION SPEECH

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real They are serious and they are many They will not

be met easily or in a short span of time But know this, America: They will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and

discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to

choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to

generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full

measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given It must be earned Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less It has not been the path for the

fainthearted for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things some celebrated, but more often men and women

obscure in their labor who have carried us up the long, rugged path toward prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

Time and again, these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live

a better life They saw America as bigger than the sum of our

individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or

wealth or faction

This is the journey we continue today We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth Our workers are no less

productive than when this crisis began Our minds are no less

inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year Our capacity remains

undiminished But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow

interests and putting off unpleasant decisions that time has surely passed Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together We will restore

science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age All this we can do And all this we will do

Our challenges may be new The instruments with which we meet them may be new But those values upon which our success depends hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism these things are old These things are true They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history What is demanded then is a return to these truths What is required of us now is a new era of

responsibility a recognition, on the part of every

American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there

is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our

character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain

destiny.

OBAMA’S LETTER TO HIS DAUGHTERS

• Dear Malia and Sasha,

I know that you've both had a lot of fun these last two years on the

campaign trail, going to picnics and parades and state fairs, eating all sorts

of junk food your mother and I probably shouldn't have let you have But I also know that it hasn't always been easy for you and Mom, and that as

excited as you both are about that new puppy, it doesn't make up for all the time we've been apart I know how much I've missed these past two years, and today I want to tell you a little more about why I decided to take our

family on this journey

When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me—about how I'd make my way in the world, become successful, and get the things I want But then the two of you came into my world with all your curiosity and

mischief and those smiles that never fail to fill my heart and light up my day And suddenly, all my big plans for myself didn't seem so important

anymore I soon found that the greatest joy in my life was the joy I saw in yours And I realized that my own life wouldn't count for much unless I was able to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fulfillment

in yours In the end, girls, that's why I ran for President: because of what I want for you and for every child in this nation.

I want all our children to go to schools worthy of their potential—

schools that challenge them, inspire them, and instill in them a

sense of wonder about the world around them I want them to have the chance to go to college—even if their parents aren't rich And I want them to get good jobs: jobs that pay well and give them

benefits like health care, jobs that let them spend time with their

own kids and retire with dignity

I want us to push the boundaries of discovery so that you'll live to see new technologies and inventions that improve our lives and

make our planet cleaner and safer And I want us to push our own human boundaries to reach beyond the divides of race and region, gender and religion that keep us from seeing the best in each other

Sometimes we have to send our young men and women into war and other dangerous situations to protect our country—but when we

do, I want to make sure that it is only for a very good reason, that

we try our best to settle our differences with others peacefully, and that we do everything possible to keep our servicemen and women safe And I want every child to understand that the blessings these brave Americans fight for are not free—that with the great privilege

of being a citizen of this nation comes great responsibility

That was the lesson your grandmother tried to teach me when I was your age, reading me the opening lines of the Declaration of

Independence and telling me about the men and women who marched for equality because they believed those words put to paper two

centuries ago should mean something

She helped me understand that America is great not because it is

perfect but because it can always be made better—and that the

unfinished work of perfecting our union falls to each of us It's a charge

we pass on to our children, coming closer with each new generation to what we know America should be

I hope both of you will take up that work, righting the wrongs that you see and working to give others the chances you've had Not just

because you have an obligation to give something back to this country that has given our family so much—although you do have that

obligation But because you have an obligation to yourself Because it

is only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential

These are the things I want for you—to grow up in a

world with no limits on your dreams and no

achievements beyond your reach, and to grow into

compassionate, committed women who will help build that world And I want every child to have the same

chances to learn and dream and grow and thrive that

you girls have That's why I've taken our family on this great adventure

I am so proud of both of you I love you more than you can ever know And I am grateful every day for your

patience, poise, grace, and humor as we prepare to start our new life together in the White House

Love, Dad

CULTURAL VALUES OF AMERICANS

US middle class values by Edward Stewart

• Form of activity: orientation to action, “getting

things done”, fast pace, on the move, motivation, measurable and visible achievements,

competition.

• Form of social relations: equality, confrontation, informality, cooperation and fair play, the need to

be liked.

• Perception of the world: nature and the physical world should be controlled in the service of

human beings, materialism, progress

• Perception of self and the individual:

independence, self-reliance, individualism

AMERICAN VALUES (from Kohls and Knight)

• Control over environment

• Change as positive

• Control over time

• Equality/fairness

• Individualism/independence

• Self-help/initiative

• Competition

• Future orientation

• Action/work orientation

• Informality

• Directness/openness/honesty

• Practicality/efficiency

• Materialism/acquisitiveness