1.

IMMIGRATION PATTERNS AND ETHNIC COMPOSITION

the population ofthe USA today is about 300 million people

—the story ofthe American people is a story of immigration and diversity
-the US have welcomed more immigrants than any other country: 50 million in all

~today still admits almost 700,000 persons a year

-ALL IMMIGRANTS ARE (NOT) EQUAL!

-racism the United States has been a major issue in the country since before its founding,
in

Historically dominated by a settler society of religiously and ethnically diverse whites, race in the
United States as a concept became significant in relation to other groups. Traditionally, racist
attitudes in the country have been most onerously applied to Native Americans, African Americans
and some "foreign—seeming" immigrant groups and their descendants

-the first American immigrants were intercontinental hunters with their families who were following
animal herds from Asia to America across the Bering Strait 20,000 years ago

>Co|umbus discovered America (The New World) in‘1492 >

mistaking the place where he landed he
named the native people Indians
»during the next 200 years people from European countries followed Columbus across the Atlantic
Ocean native Americans suffered greatly from the influx of Europeans
>

-inthe 19th century, the governments preferred solution to the ”Indian problem” to force tribes to
inhabit specific plots of land called reservations

-poverty and joblessness among Native Americans still exist today today Native Americans run
>

casinos
~the population of Native Americans has lessened in the past centuries with many territorial wars,
and along with the Old World diseases to which they had no immunity built-up
—today Native Americans make approximately 1% ofthe population of the USA

»many American place~names derive from Indian word (e.g. Ohio, Massachusetts, Idahom) I

»lndians taught Europeans how to cultivate crops that are now grown all over the world (tomatoes,
potatoes, tobaccom)
-the English were the dominant ethnic group among the early settlers English became the prevalent
>

language
—”Europe, andnot England, is the parent country of America” settlers from Spain, Portugal, France,
>

Holland, Germany

THE 1ST GREAT WAVE or IMMIGRATION (1840-1860) iii/1' 1

, fl {4' '1’

-in Europe as a whole, famine, poor harvest, rising population, political unrest
—5 million people leaving their homeland each year to the ”Promised Land”
>

-many immigrants from Ireland today there are about 40 million people of Irish descent
>
DURING THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR (1861»1865)

—the federal government helped filling their troops by encouraging immigrants from Europe > in

return for service in the army, immigrants were offered grants of land
eJews came to America in the late 19th century ) today they number over 5 million people

DURING THE LATE 19THCENTURY

-so many people were entering the US that the government established a special port of entry: Ellis
Island in the harbour in New York

-Ellis Island opened in 1892, and closed in 1954 it was the doorway for 12 million people
>

-today is preserved as a part of The Statue of Liberty National Monument

-the Statue of Liberty in the New York harbour was a gift of friendship in 1886 from the people of
France to the people of the United States and is a universal symbol of freedom and democracy more
than 100 years ago
-another important entry to the States was Castle Garden
AFRICAN-AMERICANS

-the flood of African immigrants lasted 17th—19th century they were brought as slaves
>

Vin 1808 importing of slaves became illegal, but the practice of owning slaves continued especially in
the agrarian South
»slaves planted and harvested cash crops and workediin the construction of buildings and roads,
along with performing domestic duties
-the process of ending slavery began in 1861 with the outbreak of the American Civil War

—slaverywas abolished throughout the United States with the passage of the 13th Amendment to the
country’s constitution in 1865 (George Washington was against slavery)
-the abolishment of slavery was a long process
-after the end of slavery the discrimination of African~Americans continued
-there was an internal wave of immigration >African»Americans were moving from the rural South to
the urban North
~in the 1950’s and 1960’s African Americans, led by Martin Luther King, used boycotts, marches, and
other methods of non-violent protest to demand the equal treatment under the law and to end up
the racial prejudice
all races gathered
-a high point of the Civil Rights Movement was when more than 200,000 people of
”1 have a
in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. to hear M. L. King’s famous speech
dream...”

some time after this the US Congress passed laws prohibiting discrimination in voting, education,
employment, housing, and public accommodations
—today,the average income of blacks is lower than that of whites, and unemployment of blacks
remains higher than that of whites
 many black Americans are trapped by poverty in bad neighbourhoods, plagued by drugs and crime
—"affirmative action” — steps that include hiring a certain number of members of black Americans (or
any other minority group) in a certain workplace, or admitting a number of minority students to a
school etc.

-today African-Americans make 12% of the population of America

LATIN AMERICANS

-the Spanish colonization began in the 16th century

—the problem nowadays is the border with Mexico
-Latin Americans make 11% of the population of the USA

—about 50% of Latin Americans in
variety of countries, including El
36% of Hispanics in the States live
Castro regime settled in Florida
the have origins in Mexico, and the other 50% come from a
US
Salvador, and the Dominican Republic
in California, while hundreds of thousands of Cubans fleeing the

this explains the fact that the use of Spanish is widespread all over the cities in America
-in the 20th century there were so many newcomers because ofthat >
in 1924 the Congress passed
the Johnson-Reed Immigration Act
»the United States set limits on how many people from each
country it would admit
this law specifically excluded Asian immigrants because Americans feared that they would take their
jobs
ASIAN AMERICANS

>Asian immigrants came to the States a long time ago but because they were forbidden from owning
land, intermarrying with Whites, owning homes, working in
many occupations, getting an education,
and living in certain parts of the city or entire cities, the Chinese basically had
no other choice but to
retreat into their own isolated communities as a matter of survival
these first Chinatowns at least allowed them to make a living among themselves
-this is where the stereotypical image of Chinese restaurants and
laundry shops, Japanese gardeners
and produce stands, and Korean grocery stores began

vtoday Asian Americans are one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in the
country
about 10 million people of Asian descent live in the States today

-in the 1965 the Immigration and Nationality Act abolished the national-origin
quotas that had been
in place in the United States since the Immigration Act of 1924
-the Act was influenced by the Civil Rights Movement
-preference was given to those whO'had relatives in the States and to immigrants with job skills
which were in short supply in the US

-the hemispheric quotas were set

—many people feel that this act dramatically changed the face of American society by making it a

multicultural nation

-prior to the act, the United States was primarily a nation composed of whites of European descent
and African Americans

-the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service estimates that some 5 million people are living in
the US without permission
-this number growing by about 250,000 a year
vthe problem of illegal immigrants worries native-born Americans and legal immigrants illegal>

«aliens» take jobs from citizens and place a heavy burden on tax-supported social services

»immigrants constantly enrich American communities by bringing aspects oftheir own, native culture
with them

THE MELTlNG POT THEORY

»the melting pot theory is based on the belief that America is onelargé pot of soup

-anyone who comes to the United States assimilates himself or herself to all American belief systems
cultural aspects are blended together to form
—all a new race or culture of people where each
ingredient has sacrificed its original identity
-cultures are thought to now be a "melted” version ofall so that can no longer be easily distinguished

-syndrome of the 2nd generation — immigrants wanted to assimilate, but they were considered
neither Americans nor where they originated from -

—syndrome of the 3rd generation — descendants of immigrants are considered to be true Americans
but are relating to their roots and rediscovering their native customs and language
THE SALAD BOWL lDEA

the perspective that immigrants bring different tastes into one whole, but
»the salad bowl idea gives
each ingredient maintains its original shape and characteristics

CROATIAN IMMIGRANTS AND THE CROATIAN MINORITY |N THE USA

-as all immigrants, Croats came to America chasing the American Dream

-Croats settled mostly in the Aemicout

gulf states 4
:33”
i (lit we
Mug. i‘ mls
*9, w 7}.) ~
\"
W}
A

-it is very difficult to establish when the first Croatian settlers came to the American continent, most
probably it was in the 16th century from Dubrovnik and the coast
-the greatest number of Croatian immigrants came to America from Dalmatia, which is quite
understandable, since they were primarily sailors, and of all Croatians, they had the greatest amount
of contact with the distant world, and thus with the new continent

-the brothers Mato and DominkoKonkendjevic sailed to America in 1520, where after having lived
there for 30 years, amassed a vast fortune of 12,000 gold ducats during the 16th
>
 century, people from Dubrovnik came to the American continent, and some even died here. In
addition, there is a very interesting story about a northern American Indian tribe, which was called
"Croatoan"
amassive immigration to the States was from the 1820's until World War I

~reasons: nojobs, low incomes, political immigration (political refugees), economical problems,...
-their immigration was caused by both political and economic factors at the same time
—economic underdevelopment of Croatia is directly linked to its political situation in the Austro—
Hungarian monarchy, as well as its situation in the first and second Yugoslavia, which makes each
immigrant both of political and economic nature
~main economic reasons are defined as agrarian overpopulation (too
many people on a small piece of
land), the abolition of servitude, falling apart of cooperative societies, bad
years, agrarian crisis, plant
diseases etc.
>the first Croatian settlements were in Mississippiestuary in Louisiana and in California
the first Croatianimmigrants to those places were sailors who left their ships out of economic
reasons and also because ofthe news and rumours about war in Europe, various contagious diseases
on ships, bad conditions ofthe ships, etc.

'there was already a considerably large group of them 1835 that easily assimilated and started
in
working in the fields of commerce and catering industry these men usually married American
>

women, which greatly contributed to theirfast and easy assimilation

—from the middle of the 19th century a lot of Croats were involved in the oyster business
»Croats mostly settled in parts ofthe States that resembled Croatian soil and climate
-the great majority of them, at least in the first centuries of immigration, came to the western coast
of America, primarily to California, where many of them, in a very short time became
very wealthy
and respected members of the American community

-there is sometimes mentioned that there were Croatian sailors on Columbus's voyages in the 16th, >

17th, 18th century many Croats sailed on Spanish ships they would come there as merchants and
>

stayed there
-the 19th century saw the beginning ofa greater immigration ofCroatians from all Croatian provinces
(which at that time were divided among many countries: Austria, Hungary, Italy...)
—Croatian priests soon followed the immigrants to the new land in order to make it somewhat easier
for their fellow countrymen. Little by little, and with great difficulty, these priests found the Croatian
communities and began to establish Croatian parishes, so that, in this way the Croatian immigrants
could feel a connection to their homeland in the far away land ofAmerica
—
van Ratkay — a nobleman from Croatia that went to America because of his beliefs and his will to
help; the earliest well-known Croatian missionary was a Jesuit named lvan Ratkaj, who arrived in
Mexico already in 1680, and worked among the Indians of Northern Mexico and due to his early
death, he never made it to California
~Ferdinand Konscak —at the beginning ofthe 18th century spent the greater part of his missionary life
in California> by the middle of the century he established
many new missions among the American
Indians and among them he was extraordinarily beloved he was perhaps the most famous
>

missionary of his time, and he established some missions that even today are well known on the
West Coast discovered that California was a peninsula (not an island) and made a detailed map of
>

the region
eJosip Kundek was the 3rd well known Croatian missionary arrived in America at the beginning of
— >

the 19th century he established new missions and worked primarily with the German Catholics in a
>

diocese that included Indiana and a part of Illinois, including Chicago

>
1839 he established a new city and called it Jasper, and in 1843 he established Celestine, both of
In
course with parishes i he was everywhere where there were Germans and in this way he became the
first Croatian in Pittsburgh and New Orleans in 1957it was founded Eathei’s Kundek Day
>

-George Prpich — lives in Cleveland and has a big role in promoting Croats in the USA book: “The >

Croatian Immigrants in America"

>Edward Ifkovich — in his book ”Anna Marinkovich” tells a story of a Croatian family in chase oftheir
American Dream

-Antonio Mazzanovich — was an odd figure that came to the States in the 19th century at the age of
11 and accepted to fight in the Civil War chasing —Geronimo

, served in campaigns against the Apache lndians in 1881 he was a member ofGeneral George
>

Crook's Camp Association, Arizona Pioneers Historical Society and Life Companion of the Order of
lndian Wars of the United States, Washington DC.
—
born on Lesina (Hvar), Province of Dalmatia, Austria, (now Croatia) April 30, 1860

-at the age of eight years emigrated to America, landing at Castle Garden, New York, in October,
1868 his stay here was brief, for on December 24,1868, he arrived to San Francisco, California, the
>

gateway to the ‘Wild and Woolly West‘

—enlisted inthe army as a musician, January 29, 1870, at San Francisco and was discharged at the
request of his father Lorenz Mazzanovich, to enable him to assist in the support of the family
-considered himself to be the youngest soldier, probably , that ever enlisted in the Regular Army,
being but nine years and nine months of age at the time of enlistment
~ during the Modoc Indian War of 1872 and 1873 was considered too young to go to the front
-his second enlistment occurred February 10, 1881, At San Francisco, California ) he was assigned to
Troop M, Sixth Calvary, and was transferred to the band of that regiment on March 1, 1881, and to
Troop T, same regiment, August 11, 1881
- was discharged on July 10, 1882, at Fort Grant, Arizona Territory, because of disability
- theMazzanovich family were musicians upon coming to San Francisco in 1868.

-A Mazzanovich was a volunteer musician in the Slavonian Rifles,

L. lst Company, Louisiana
Volunteers, and Confederate Army of 1861
-Apache Campaign: During 1881 it was reported that the White Mountain Apaches were getting
ready to go out on the warpath and that trouble would likely ensue. Meantime affairs at the White
Mountain Apache reservation were becoming more and more serious. One of their medicine men,
known as Nokay~de~Klinne, was going from camp to camp on the‘rersen/atjon, telling the Indians that
 on August 31, 1881, all the Indians who had died would return to earth
again. They were holding
dances nightly for three months. The medicine man
attempted escape, but was shot with three
bullets through head. In a short time pandemonium seemed to have broken
loose. All the Indians on
the reservation joined the hostiles and started on the warpath. They surrounded
the Fort, opened
fire, cut the Government telegraph wire, and Fort Apache was cut off from all
outside
communication
-Mazzanovich's Troop broke camp and started for the Gila River, which
was running high. An Indian
scout brought the news that Chiricahua apache, led by Geronimo had
gone on the warpath. Later,
the Troop was informed that Chiefs Nana and Geronimo returned to the
reservation. It was agreed
that the Indians were to be given rations prior to surrender. In Mazzanovich's
own words the
following is related: "About three PM. they were all out of sight, although
we could see the smoke of
their campfires coming up from behind a hollow in the foothills.
Shortly thereafter, Geronimo rode
into camp with halfa dozen braves, and asked Lieutenant Overton if he
could allow him one hour
more, as he wanted to see if the tribe got what was coming to them. Three o'clock
was the time that
had been agreed upon as the time for surrender. The Lieutenant
wired Colonel Carr for instructions. I

happened to be standing alongside Geronimo’s pony and when old rascal

was not looking, tried to I

nip one of the silver trinkets which dangled from his buckskin
saddlebag: but Ifailed, as he caught me
in the act. Geronimo was a fine
specimen ofthe Apache Indian, with high cheekbones, a very
determined face, straight mrout'h, thin lips. On this occasion he was all 'dolled
up' in his best, with a
long war bonnet, the feathers of which trailed down on each side of his
pony. At four o'clock
Geronimo had not shown up. '

-Deadly Combat with Apaches: Mazzanovich in his own words relates the battle "This
was the first
time that was ever under fire, and in the excitement lost
my can of peaches and side of bacon.
I
I

Then came another volley! Fortunately, no one was hit, but

some of the leaden missiles seemed to
come mighty close -too close for real comfort. There we were a fine group! I know had a I
creepy
feeling and expected to be sent to the 'happy hunting grounds'almost
any second.
onunded: Finally a bullet struck me in
the tight about the knee. The pain was terrible. was afraid
I

to look down or feel the wound, but imagined that the blood was trickling down
my leg. was I

trembling like a leaf, and so dry that it seemed as if could drink a gallon of water. When finally
I
I

made an investigation, discovered that had been hit by a

spent bullet! In fact, the slug was lying on
I I

top of the gravel at my feet. The scar is still with me to this day, and every time look at it am
I I

reminded of my first fight with the Indians.

-The Saloon: Mazzanovich later ran a saloon in a mining town called
Shakespeare, about three miles
from Lordsburg, New Mexico. During another Indian uprising in 1885, he
joined the New Mexico
rangers. It is indeed unusual to find an Indian fighter, frontiersman, saloonkeeper, ranger and
cowboy by the name of "Mazzanovich", but not again so strange when the story of the hardy
Dalmatian pioneer in the West is researched and made a of the American
part West.
Gambling: As a last remark of all remarkable pioneers: "Mention is made of gambling. don't want
I

to hold this against me; for in the days when the Empire of the West was in the
making, conditions
and the standards of morals were very different from those of the
present day.
Gambling was no more thought of against a man than going to the theatre, dancing,
or any of the
other conventional modern forms of amusement. have seen what rattlesnakes and
gambling can
I
doto men. My warning to our future generation included every form of gambling. Never attempt to
get something for nothing.
-Mark Rabassa —a Croat introduced the apple industry inPajaro Valley’f and grew figs, apples,
plums...

-Croats today still have lower paid jobs

-the recognition of the Republic of Croatia helped the Croatian minority to get equal treatment with
other ethnic groups in the States

2. GEOGRAPHY AND REGIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE USA

a surface of approximately 10 million km2 ) enormous landscape that goes through 4 time zones
-the USA is a country in North America that extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean,
and shares land borders with Canada and Mexico

-the United States is the world‘s 3rd largest country by total area, and the third largest by land area
alone, after Russia and Canada
-its contiguous portion is bounded by the North Atlantic Ocean to the east, the North Pacific Ocean
to the west, Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Canada to the north

the state of Alaska also borders Canada, with the Pacific Ocean to its south, the Arctic Ocean to its
north, and the Bering Strait to the west
—the state of Hawaii occupies an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, southwest of the North American
mainland

due to its large size and wide range of geographic features, it contains examples of nearly every
global climate ,

-the climate is temperate in most areas, tropical in Hawaii and southern Florida, polar in Alaska,
semiarid in the Great Plains west of the 100th meridian, Mediterranean in coastal California and arid
in the Great Basin; its comparatively generous climate contributed (in part) to the country's rise as a
world power, with infrequent severe drought in the major agricultural regions, a general lack of
widespread flooding, and a mainly temperate climate that receives adequate precipitation
6 MAIN REGIONS:

1. New England

—is made up of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island
~the smallest region; from the 17th to the 19th century was the country’s cultural and economic c

centre
-the first settlers here were English Protestants ) the town meeting in which citizens gathered to
discuss issues of the day

ofthe region became shipbuilding, fishing and trade with the economic growth,
»the mainstays >

Boston became the financial heart of the nation

—top ranking universities: Harvard, Yale, Brown

 2. The Middle Atlantic

New York, Newlersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland

-New York and Pennsylvania became centres of heavy industry

early settlers were mostly farmers and traders, and this region was like a bridge between North and
South

»New York is still today the biggest city in the U.S.

3. The South

from south to Florida and west as far as central Texas, includes West Virginia, Kentucky,
Virginia
Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas,
Louisiana, and parts
of Missouri and Oklahoma

—perhaps the most distinctive and colourful American region

-an agrarian region >growing tobacco and cotton, there were large
plantations which required many
labourers (slavery was spread throughout the entire South!)
-southern towns and cities legalized and refined the practice of racial
segregation
4, The Midwest

-Michigan, lndiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, parts of Missouri, North

Dakota, South
Dakota, Kansas and eastern Colorado
»a cultural crossroad

-it’s known asthe nation’s breadbasket fertile soil made possible to grow cereal
crops such as
>

wheat, oats and corn

-most of the Mississippi is flat the river acted as a regional lifeline
>

Great Lakes
5._The Southwest

-western Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and a part of California

—the weatherdrier, the population
is is dense, and there is big number of Spanish Americans and
Native Americans)

-a strong influence of the magnificent Grand Canyon; there is also the Monument Valley
>Monument Valley is a Navajo Nation tribal park, straddling the border of
north-easternArizona and
south-eastern Utah of the Colorado Plateau it preserves the Navajo
way of life and some of the
>

most striking and recognizable landscapes of sandstone buttes, mesas and spires in the
entire
Southwest
The Colorado River >
dams and irrigation system
—Las Vegas — renowned as one of the world’s centres of gambling
6. The West

-comprises Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, California, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, Washington,
Alaska and Hawaii

considered as the last frontier >

a region of scenic beauty on a grand scale; all of its 11 states are
mountainous
-the federal government owns and manages millions of hectares of undeveloped land
~these areas are used for recreation, and commercial activities
~Alaska — the northernmost state, is a vast land, known for it oil resources
-Hawaii ~the only state where Asian Americans outnumber residents of European stock
-Los Angeles and Hollywood > film industry

-California — the most populous state of all

»Yeilowstone National Park

PAJARO VALLEY {10V ,5. , ,, ,

-located on the Central California Coast, Pajaro Valley runs from the Coast Range to the Sea or as it’s
known, the Monterey Bay. Comprised of some of the best agricultural farm land in the world, the
Pajaro Valley supplies Lettuce, Strawberries, Apples and cut flowers to name a just few of the crops
grown here.
-the city of Watsonville is located almost in the middle ofthe Pajaro Valley with the following
communities scattered about the Valley: Freedom, Pajaro, Salsipuedes, Corralitos, Aromas, Las
Lomas, Pajaro Dunes, and La Selva Beach. Moss Landing is on the edge ofthe Valley, and is
sometimes included as part of the Valley.
vrunning almost down the centre ofthe valley is the Pajaro River. During the winter months, it can
become quite a raging and sometimes flood threatening beast. The rest of the year, if you wander
along the river, it looks to be dry, but don’t let it fool you, it merely goes underground, to reappear
further downstream.
from the City of Watsonville Website comes this bit of info: "‘Explorers with the first Portola
expedition in 1769 reported seeing a large straw-stuffed bird at one river‘s mouth and decided to
name the river after the Indian symbol: Rio Del Pajaro, or River of the Bird."
-the centre of the river bed, also performs anotherjob besides that of a river. Way back in the Valleys
history, when the counties of the state of California were laid out, the powers that be back then
decided to set the Santa Cruz/Monterey county line as the centre of the river bed. They never
realized that in the short histow of the counties that the river would change its course in several
locations. So there is a spot or 2 where the opposite county is on the opposite side ofthe river.
 3. BRIEF HISTORY OF THE USA

~the first Europeans to reach North America were Icelandic Vikings

-the lst successful English colony was founded in Jamestown, Virginia in 1607
—thePilgrims were the first English colonists to permanently settle in New England in what is now
known as Massachusetts and on September 16, 1620 the ship "Mayflower” set off from Plymouth,
England on it journey to the New World

1620 the Puritans founded the Plymouth Colony (later became Massachusetts), the
>in
lst colony in
New England Puritans hoped to build an ideal community
>

by 1733 English settlers had founded 13 colonies along the Atlantic Coast
>13original colonies: Virginia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, NewJersey, New York, Maryland,
Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Georgia

-the early colonists lived concurrently under 2 governments: their own local units and the imperial
rule ofthe British

-soon afterwards England became to cause troubles to the new colonies imposed new taxes, the >

colonists resented the taxes and resisted the quartering the soldiers
—a
group of patriots in 1773 rebelled against the tax on tea this event is known as the Boston Tea
>

Party: disguised as Indians, they boarded British merchant ships and dumped tea into the Boston
harbour
—thiswas a cause for the Revolutionary War or the War for independence (1775 ~1783) in 1776 the >

Continental Congress adopted the Declaration on Independence (the author is Thomas Jefferson,
which later became president in 1801) ,

Warfor independence was ended with the Treaty of Paris 1783, by which England recognized
>the
American Independence

-George Washington was the w’ar’s military heroand America’s first president
-Th0mas Jefferson as president purchased the Louisiana Territory from France, doubling the size of
‘

the USA
-Abraham Lincoln (elected president in 1860, assassinated in 1865), a foe ofslavery, 11 states left the
Union and proclaimed the themselves an independent nation: The Confederate States of America
(South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas,
Tennessee and North Carolina) the American War had begun
>

l
,

THECIVlLWAR(1861-1865) subsclq WE»

r A1
K *C
l
was
’ ,

U
-the greatest war in the American history this > is also the only conflict that the Americans actually
consider to be a war
the Civil War was actually fought to keep a nation together
 the blacks were fighting for
-in this war, civil rights, and the lndians for the land they were just
>

taken advantage of
—this war was fought between the urban North and the agrarian South
~the Confederate Army did well in the early part of the war generals Lee and Grant
>

fin 1863 General Lee met the Union army in Gettysburg the largest battle ever fought on American
>

soil; General Grant captured the city of Vicksburg

»with the skills ofthe generals and their soldiers, the Confederates surrendered
the Civil War was the most traumatic episode in the American history

—outcome of the War: 1) end to slavery, 2) the country was not a collection of semi-independent
states but an indivisible whole
generals: The Union Arm — Ulysses Simpson Grant; The Confederate Army - Robert E. Lee

-a few years after the Civil War, the United States became an industrial power

the lst transcontinental railroadwas completed in 1869; the petroleum industry prospered
(Rockefeller became one of the richest men in the world)

~industrialization brought with it the rise of organized labour in 1886 the American Federation of
>

Labour was founded and it was a coalition of trade unions for skilled labourers

~in 1867 (Andrew Johnson’s presidency) Alaska was purchased from Russia

Spain and the United States went in war in 1898 >when the war was over, the United States gained
a number of possessions from Spain: Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Guam

»later they acquired the Hawaiian Islands >

became a state in 1959 and so did Alaska

-in the beginning of the 20th century the Progressive Movement arOSe to’reform society and
individuals through government action

‘World War — 1914 Woodrow Wilson urged a policy of strict American neutrality but that
| >

eventually changed with German submarines bounding all ships the US. enters the war >

Vin 1919, W. Wilson helps to draft the peace treaty in Versailles League of Nations >

-in 1920 women get to vote

—the 1920’s: -the age of Prohibition and gangsters (Al Capone)

-the age ofjazz and silent movies

-in the end of the 1920's the Stock Market Crash
> in 1929

-the age of great depression: Franklin Delano Roosevelt and ”The New Deal”
»withinthe historic Hundred Days, Roosevelt rushed through Congress a great number of laws to
help economy recover opening of publicjobs (road construction, public buildings...)
>

-The New Deal did not end the Depression, although the economy improved
eWorld War ll ofthe United States with the attack on Pearl Harbour on December 7, 1941
—the entry
>
the United States entered the war against Japan and all its allies, Germany and Italy
eDvday — landing in Normandy

-agreat influence of the United States on the end of the war: President Harry Truman ordered the
use of atomic bombs against the cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima
~The Cold War —the period of conflict, tension and competition between the United States and the
Soviet Union and their allies from the mid-19405 until the early 19905

the main U.S. allies were Western Europe, Japan and Canada
the main Soviet allies were Eastern Europe and (until the Sino»Soviet split) China
-throughout the period, the rivalry between the two superpowers was played out in multiple
arenas:military coalitions; ideology, psychology, and espionage; military, industrial, and technological
developments; costly defence spending; a massive conventional and nuclear arms race; and
manyproxy wars
-North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) —April 1949 ) alliance between United States, Belgium,
Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and the
United Kingdom

4945-1970 — a long period of economic growth

—the Bay of Pigs Crisis in 1962 (President Kennedy)

-July 1969 — Neil Armstrong became the first man on moon’s surface

THE VIETNAM WAR(1959v1975)

was a military conflict in present day Vietnam occurring from/1959 to April 30, 1975

-the conflict was a successful effort by the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV or North Vietnam)
and the indigenous National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam to unify Vietnam as a
communist state, defeating the South Vietnamese Republic of Vietnam (RVN). To a degree, the
Vietnam War was a ”proxy war" between the US. and its Western allies on the side of the RVN, with
the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China supporting the DRV on the other
—as a result ofthis it is often considered part of the Cold War
* The Indian Wars— Geronir’no,’General Custer, Sitting Bull”.
* The Korean War ~fought in Korea North Korea influenced by China invaded South Korea, which got
>

the support of the States

'

WARS WHICH WERE NOT FOUGHT ON THE AMERICAN SOIL:

The Spanish — American War, World War l, the Korean War, Vietnam War, Desert Storm
THE lst CENSUS
-The census is performed by the United States Census Bureau. The first census after the American
Revolution was taken in 1790; there have been 21 federal censuses since that time. The next census
was taken in 2010. A detailed page on the most recent census can be found at United States Census,
2000.

4. NATIONAL CELEBRATIONS

-Americans share 3 national holidays with many countries: Easter Sunday (on Easter Monday, the
American president holds an annual Easter egg hunt on the White House lawn for children),
Christmas Day and New Year’s Day
~the celebrations of national origins: Thanksgiving and the Fourth ofJuIy

THANKSGIVING DAV

is the fourth Thursday in November; the holiday dates back in 1621 when the Puritans after a rough
winter, in which half of them died, turned to Indians for help and the Indians taught them how to
plant corn and other crops the next fall the harvest was successful and the Pilgrims wanted to give
>

thanks by holding a feast; to this day the Thanksgiving dinner almost always includes some of the
foods served at the first feast like roast turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes and pumpkin pie.
THE 4THOF JULY/INDEPENDENCE DAY

-honours the nation's birthday: signing the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776; it is a day of
picnics and patriotic parades, night of concerts, fireworks, and the flying of the American flag

6 OTHER UNIQUELYAMERICAN HOLIDAYS:

1.Martin Luther King Day— a great American becauseof his efforts to winrcivil rights for all people,
celebrated on the 3rd Monday ofJanuary (national holiday)
2. President’s Dav— celebrated onthe 3rd Monday in February (joined the birthdays of Abraham
Lincoln and of George Washington), to embrace all past presidents

3. Memorial Day — celebrated on the 4th Monday of May, this, holiday honours the dead (it originates
from the Civil War)

4. Labour Day—the lst Monday of September, honours the nation’s working people; it marks the
end of summer vacation and the beginning ofa new school year
5. Columbus Day— 2nd Monday in October; the day Columbus landed on America
6.Veterans Day—established to honour Americans who served in World War 1; 11th November;
now honours veterans of all wars in which US has fought

5. THE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES

1. GEORGE WASHINGTON 1789-1797

-because of his central and critical role in the founding of the United States, Washington is referred
to as father ofthe nation
-his devotion to republicanism and civic virtue made him an exemplary figure among early American
politicians
 -today, Washington's face and image are often used as national symbols ofthe United States; the use
of his image on the onevdollar bill and the quarter—dollar coin

2. JOHN ADAMS 1797-1801

*was a politician and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. He served both as
that nation's first Vice President (1789—1797), and as its second President

3. THOMAS JEFFERSON 1801—1809

»the single most influential event of his administration was the purchase of Louisiana from Napoleon
Bonaparte in 1803 >this acquisition more than doubled the size ofthe US.
he was the leader of 5 men that composed the Declaration of Independence in July 1776 the
>

celebration of the Fourth ofJuly

4. JAMES MADISON 1809-1817

-is known as the "Father of the Constitution"

-in 1788, he wrote over a third of the Federalist Papers, still the most influential commentary on the
Constitution
leader in the first Congresses he drafted many basic laws and was responsible for the first ten
»as a
amendments to the Constitution, and thus he is also known as the ”Father of the Bill of Rights"

5. JAMES MONROE 1817-1825

acquisition of Florida
-the profession ofthe Monroe Doctrine (1823), declaring U.S. opposition to European interference

6. JOHN QUINCY ADAMS 1825-1829

7. ANDREW JACKSON 1829-1837

-the founder of the modern Democratic Party; the eponym of the era ofJacksonian democracy

8. MARTIN VAN BUREN 1837-1841

was a key organizer of the Democratic Party, and the first president who was not of English, Irish, or
Scottish descent
*he is also the only president not to have spoken English as his first language, but rather grew up
speaking Dutch

9. WILLIAM HARRISON 1841-1841

10. JOHN TYLER 1841-1845

11. JAMES POLK 18454849
12. ZACHARY TAYLOR 1849-1850

13. MILLARD FILLMORE 1850-1853

14. FRANKLIN PIERCE 1853-1857

15. JAMES BUCHANAN 1857-1861

16. ABRAHAM LINCOLN 1861-1865

the 16th President of the United States (1861 to

~was an American politician elected from Illinois as
1865), and the first president from the Republican Party; assassinated in 1865
-to achieve his main goal of preserving the Union, Lincoln first ended slavery in the Confederacy
through his Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 >then, in 1865, Lincoln secured passage of the
Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to abolish slavery forever; he took personal charge of
Reconstruction, seeking to speedily re~unite the nation through a_policy of generous reconciliation
»his life and influence have made him an icon of cherished American political freedoms and
aspirations
-on January 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation that declared forever
free those slaves within the Confederacy — accepted in 1865

17. ANDREW JOHNSON 1865-1869

>his conciliatory policies towards the South, his hurry to reincorporate the former Confederates back
into the union, and his vetoes of civil rights bills embroiled him in a bitter dispute with the Radical
Republicans
-the Radicals in the House of Representatives impeached him in 1868, but he was acquitted by a
single vote in the Senate he was the first United States president to be impeached
>

18. ULYSSES GRANT 1869-1877

19. RUTHERFORD HAYES 1877-1881

20. JAMES GARFIELD 1881-1881

21. CHESTER ARTHUR 1881-1885

22. GROVER CLEVELAND 1885-1889

23. BENJAMIN HARRISON 1889-1893

24. GROVER CLEVELAND 1893—1897

25. WILLIAM MCKINLEY 1897—1901

 26. THEODORE ROOSEVELT 1901-1909

-he became President after the assassination of President William McKinley. Roosevelt was a
Progressive reformer who sought to move the dominant Republican Party into the Progressive camp
-he distrusted wealthy businessmen and dissolved 4O monopolistic corporations as a "trust buster"

-he was the first American to be awarded the Nobel Prize, winning its Peace Prize in 1906, for
negotiating the peace in the Russodapanese War

27. WILLIAM TAFT 1909-1913

28. WOODROW WILSON 1913-1921

»leading intellectual of the Progressive Era

»he was an advocate of racial segregation and military interventions in foreign countries

»lnthe late stages of the war he took personal control of negotiations with Germany, especially with
the Fourteen Points and the Armistice; he went to Paris in 1919 to create the League of Nations and
shape the Treaty of,Versailles, with special attention on creating new nations out of defunct empires
29. WARREN HARDING 1921-1923

~usually ranked as one of the most unsuccessful American presidents

30. CALVIN COOLIDGE 1923—1929

»herestored public confidence in the White House after the scandals of his predecessor's
administration, and left office with considerable popularity
—important role during the Boston Police Strike
31. HERBERT HOOVER 1929—1933

32. FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT 1933-1945

elected to four terms in office, he served from 1933 to 1945, and the only U.S. president to have
is
served more than two terms. A central figure of the 20th century, he has consistently been ranked as
one of the three greatest U.S. presidents

-during the Great Depression of the 19305, Roosevelt created the New Deal to provide relief for the
unemployed, recovery of the economy, and reform ofthe economic system. His most famous
legacies include the Social Security system and the regulation of Wall Street
-his aggressive use of an active federal government reenergized the Democratic Party

-Roosevelt built the New Deal coalition that dominated politics into the 19605

33. HARRY TRUMAN 1945-1953

-Truman's presidency was eventful in foreign affairs, starting with victory over Germany, the atomic
bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the surrender ofJapan and the end of World War II, the
founding of the United Nations, the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe, the Truman Doctrine to contain
Communism, the beginning of the Cold War, the creation of NATO, and the Korean War
 34. DWIGHT "IKE” EISENHOWER 1953-1961

an American soldier and politician, who served as the 34th President of the United States
-in 1951 he became the first supreme commander of NATO
-as President he ended the Korean War, kept up the pressure on the Soviet Union during the Cold
War, made nuclear weapons a higher defence priority, launched the space race, enlarged the Social
Security program, and began building the Interstate Highway System.
35. JOHN F. KENNEDY 1961-1963

born in 1917 in Brookline, Massachusetts; assassinated in November 1963

-the only Roman Catholic to be elected President of the United States as of 2006
-graduated cum laude from Harvard with a degree in international affairs in June 1940

-J. F. Kennedy married Jacqueline Lee Bouvier in 1953

»in1960, Kennedy declared his intent to run for President of the United States. In the Democratic
primary election, he faced challenges from Senator Hubert H. Humphrey of Minnesota, Senator
Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas, and Adlai Stevenson, the Democratic nominee in 1952 and 1956, who
was not officially running but was a favourite write-in candidate

in his presidency asked the nations of the world to join together to fight what he called the
"common enemies of man; tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself"
—Kennedy‘sdecorations in World War II included the Purple Heart, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal,
and the World War II Victory Medal; he was honourably discharged in early 1945

~major events during his presidency included the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the
building of the Berlin Wall, the Space Race, early events of the Vietnam War, and the American Civil
Rights Movement
Cuba and the Bay of Pigs Scandal

-in hopes of overthrowing the leftist Castro regime, Kennedy and his young cabinet drew the Bay of
Pigs operation

-on April 17, 1961, Kennedy gave orders allowing the previously planned invasion of Cuba to
proceed; with support from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), in what is known as the Bay of Pigs
Invasion, 1,500 U.S.-trained Cuban exiles, called "Brigade 2506", returned to the island in the hope of
«
deposing Fidel Castro; however, the CIA proceeded to allow the troops to go even though Kennedy
did not authorize air support; by April 19, Castro's government had captured or killed most of the
invading exiles and Kennedy was forced to negotiate for the release of the 1,189 survivors
-after 20 months, Cuba released the captured exiles in exchange for $53 million worth of food and
medicine

the incident was a major embarrassment for Kennedy, but he took full personal responsibility for the
debacle
 Cuban Missile Crisis

-The Cuban Missile Crisis began on October 14, 1962, when American U—Z spy planes took
photographs ofa Soviet intermediate—range ballistic missile site under construction in Cuba America
>

would soon be posed with a serious nuclear threat

-here Kennedy faced a dilemma: if the U.S. attacked the sites it might lead to nuclear war with the
U.S.S.R.; if the U.S. did nothing, it would endure the perpetual threat of nuclear weapons within its
region—in such close proximity that if the weapons were launched pre-emptively, the U.S. may have
been unable to retaliate

another fear was that the U.S. would appear to the world as weak in its own hemisphere many
>

military officials and cabinet members pressed for an air assault on the missile sites, but Kennedy
ordered a naval blockade in which the U.S. Navy inspected all ships and he began negotiations with
the Soviets
-he ordered the Soviets to remove all “defensive" material that is being built off the Cuban island >

without doing so, the Soviet people would face a navaljg‘lockadejas well as Cuba, A week later, he
and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev reached an agreement: Khrushchev agreed to remove the
missiles while the U. S. publicly promised never to invade Cubaand also secretly promised to remove
US ballistic missiles from Turkey within six months
-following this incident, which brought the world closer to nuclear war than at any point before or
since, Kennedy was more cautious in confronting the Soviet Union

-as one of his first presidential acts, Kennedy created the Peace'Corps. Through this program,
Americans volunteered to help underdeveloped nations in areas such as education, farming, health
care and construction
Kennedy and the Vietnam War
—Kennedy used limited military action to contain the spread of communism; determined to stand firm
against the spread of communism, Kennedy’s policy included political, economic, and military
support for the unstable South Vietnamesegovernment which included sending 18,000 military
advisers and U.S. Special Forces to the area; Kennedy also agreed to the use of napalm, defoliants,
free.fire zones and jet planes
7U.S.involvement in the area continually escalated until regular US forces were directly fighting the
Vietnam War in the next administration (the next administration was of Lyndon Johnson)

-In 1963, SouthVietnamese generals overthrew the Diem government, by assassinating Diem.
Kennedy sanctioned Diem's overthrow. One reason for the support was a fear that Diem might
negotiate a neutralist coalition government which included Communists, as had occurred in Laos in
1962
-it remains a point of controversy among historians whether or not Vietnam would have escalated to
the point it did had Kennedy served out his full term and possibly been re-elected in 1964
—theWest Berlin Speech -the Berlin Wall separated the West and East Berlin, the latter beingIn
control of by the Soviets, On June 26, 1963, Kennedy visited West Berlin and gave a public speech
criticizing communism Kennedy used the construction of the Berlin Wall as an example of the
>

failures of communism
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

-troubled by the long—term dangers of radioactive contamination and nuclear weapons proliferation,
Kennedy pushed for the adoption ofa Limited or Partial Test Ban Treaty, which prohibited atomic
testing on the ground, in the atmosphere, or underwater, but did not prohibit testing underground
-the United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union were the initial signatories to the treaty
>
Kennedy signed the treaty into law in August 1963

-Kennedy called his domestic program the "New Frontier“ it ambitiously promised federal funding
>

for education, medical care for the elderly, and government intervention to halt the recession

The Civil Rights Movement

Athe turbulent end of state-sanctioned racial discrimination was one of the most pressing domestic
issues of Kennedy‘s era

-the US Supreme Court had ruled in 1954 that racial segregation in public schools would no longer
be permitted However, many schools, especially in southern states, did not obey the Supreme
>

Court's injunction Segregation on buses, in restaurants, movie theatres, bathrooms, and other
>

public places remained Kennedy supported racial Integration and civil rights
>

Space Program

-Kennedy was eager for the United States to lead the way in the space race
»he launched the Apollo Project, which had the goal of landing an American man on the moon before
7

the end of the decade

-Kennedy and his wife “Jackie" were very young in comparison to earlier Presidents and first ladies,
and were both extraordinarily popular in ways more common to pop singers and movie stars than
politicians, influencing fashion trends and becoming the subjects of numerous photo spreads in
popular magazines
~President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas while on a political trip through Texas
~officia| investigations have repeatedly determine _LeeHarvey Oswald was the assassin ofJFK, but
critics allege that Oswald acted as part of a conspiracy or was not involved at all and was framed.
Kennedy‘ 5 assassination is considered to be a defining moment in U.S. history due to its traumatic
impact on the nation as well as on the political history ofthe ensuing decades, his subsequent
branding as an icon for a new generation of Americans and American aspirations, and for the mystery
and conspiracy allegations which surround it

-Kennedy came thirdfi(behind Martin Luther King, Jr and Mother Teresa) in a Gallup list of the most
admired people ofthe twentieth century
36. LYNDON B. JOHNSON 1963-1969

»a major leader of the Democratic Party and as President was responsible'for designing his Great
Society, comprising liberal legislation including civil rights laws, Medicare (health care for the
elderly), Medicaid (health care for the poor), aid to education, and a major "War on Poverty‘

simultaneously, he escalated the Vietnam War, from 16,000 American soldiersIn 1963 to 550, 000In
early 1968
 37. RICHARDkNlXON 1969-1974

-the only US. president to have resigned from office his resignation came
> in the face of potential
impeachment related to the Watergate scandal
Watergate Affair (1972)
~the term Watergate has come to encompass a large array of illegal and secret activities undertaken
by Nixon or his aides during his administration

~the burglarizing of the Democratic Party national headquarters in the Watergate apartment
complex in Washington, DC.
-in 1972, police apprehended five men attempting to break into and wiretap Democratic party
offices; with two other accomplices they were trialled and convicted in January 1973 all seven men >

were either directly or indirectly employeesof President Nixon s reelection committee, and many
persons including the trialjudge, Joth. Sirica, suspected a conspiracy involving higher— echelon
government officials
-when the scandal broke out, Nixon admitted that he had been aware of the Watergate cover»up
shortly after the break-in occurred and that he had tried to halt the FBI's inquiry into the break»in
38. GERALD FORD 1974-1977

-Republican Party
-the first person appointed to the vice presidency under the terms of the 25th Amendment ) upon
succession to the presidency, Ford became the only person to hold that office without having been
elected either President or Vice President
39. JIMMY CARTER 1977—1981

considered the mildest American presidentiDemocratic Party

-he is the earliest living president and second-oldest living United States president
40. rtoNALo néAéANdsm-msg

-the oldest person ever to be elected President ofthe United States before entering politics Reagan
>

was a successful Hollywood and television actor, head ofthe Screen Actors Guild and a spokesman
for General Electric
-in 19605 had become a conservative Republican

credited with restoring America's power and prosperity after a period of stagflation
—Reagan is in the
wake ofthe Watergate scandal and the withdrawal from Vietnam

-after suffering from Alzheimer' 5 disease for at least a decade, he diedIn 2004 at the age of 93'In Bel-
Air, California, heIS the second longest- lived president'In U. S. history,just behind Gerald Ford by 45
days
41. GEORGE H. BUSH 1989-1993

perhaps best known internationally for leading the United Nations coalition
~is in the 1990— 1991
Gulf War

-the only President to have been CIA director

42. BILL CLINTON 1993-2001

-originates from Arkansas

vduring Clinton' 5 presidency the United States experienced the longest periodof economicexpansion
in its history

in 1998, he became the second president to byimpeachegby the United States House of

Wm
Representatives I as a result of allegations that he had lied during grand jury testimony regarding his
sexual relationship with a young female White House intern, Clinton was the
second U.S. president to be impeached by the House of Representatives (the other being Andrew
Johnson) he was subsequently acquitted by the United States Senate and remained in office to
>

complete his term

Clinton was a New Democrat politician and was mainly responsible for the Third Way philosophy of
governance that came to epitomize his two terms as president
-since leaving office, Clinton has been involved in public speaking and humanitarian work he>

created the William J. Clinton Foundation to promote and address international causes, such as
treatment and prevention of HIV/ AIDS and global warming
-today lives in New York and practices law in Harlem

-Hil|ary Rodham Clinton is the Senator of New York, belongs to the Democratic Party the first
>

female senator to represent New York

—is often called a "dove” i she is pro—choice

43. GEORGE W. BUSH 2001-2008

writ"

/
erunning as a self- described ”war In the midst ofthe Iraq war, [6] Bush won re electionIn

2004 after a heated general election campaign against SenatorJohn KerryIn which President Bush' 5
prosecution ofthe Global War on Terrorismand the lraq war became central issues
-President Bush'sdeclaration of the Global War on Terror would become the most controversial
aspect of his presidency
-according to polls ofjob approval rating, his popularity reached record heights after September 11,
but later drastically declined, due to his perceived poor handling of the Iraq War
/’ 7/‘\\
:Condoleezza Rice— the Secretary of State, and the second in the administration of President George
W Bush to hold the office, she succeeded Colin Powell
first African American woman, second African American (after Powell), and second woman (after
—the

Madeleine Albright) to serve as Secretary of State

-Condo|eezza Rice was Bush‘s National Security Advisor during his first term

~0ften called the‘rfflfiawk’f’)

//
PRESIDENTS THAT WERE IN THE OFFICE FOR 2 TERMS:

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, Ulysses S.

I
Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S.
Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton,
George W. Bush, Barack Obama

Ijie
 6. SYMBOLS OF THE UNITED STATES

-there are many symbols that represent the United States of America. Some of the most popular
ones are: the Stars and Stripes (the
US/Tlag‘), the Great Seal ofthe USA, the baldfigle (our national
bird), the Washington Monument, the Lincoln
Whe
ofI
US Capitol, the White House,
Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, th StatLTe FifirtV‘(a gift from France), the Gateway Arch (in
St. Louis Missouri), Mount Rushmore (63%“ a’m‘ofifiain
on in South Dakota), the Alamo, The Star
Spangled Banner (the national anthem ofthe USA), The Pledge of Allegiance, Yankee Doodle, Uncle
Sam (a cartoon figure designed by Thomas Nast), the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Jefferson
Memorial, Gettysburg, Monticello, Mount Vernon, the Golden Gate Bridge...
THE WHITE HOUSE

-for two hundred years, the White House has stood as a symbol ofthe Presidency, the United States
government, and the American people
-the official home and principal/Workplage of the President of the United States of America the >

house is built of white-painted Wéndstone in the late Georgian style and it is located at 1600
Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, Dc. on the Potomac River

Jacqueline Kennedy, wife of PresidentJohn F. Kennedy, directed the most extensive and historic
redecoration ofthe house in its history
/’—~\
-the White House ComplexIs protected by the United StatchretService/And the United States
Park Police

THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES

.s. /»"————\\\
-the flag of the United States consists onequal horizontal stripesof red (top and bottom)
\‘flfl.
alternating with white, with a blue rectangleIn the canton bearinéfismall, white, five pointelfiars ’

-the 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 US. states and the 13 stripes represent the original
Thirteen Colonies that rebelled against the British crown and became the first states in the Union

»many citizens understand the flag to represent th

Constitution and its Bill of Rights
rem and@§
and perhaps most of‘a‘lme a sym
guaranteed'In the U S.
of individual and personal
l

liberty as set forthIn the Declaration of Independence

THE GREAT SEAL OF THE UNITED STATES

-is used to authenticate cegain documents issued by the United States government
a bald eagle with its wings outstretched; from the eagle's perspective, it holds a bundle of thirteen
arrows in its left talon, (referring to the thirteen original states), and an olive branch, (having thirteen
leaves and thirteen olives), in its right talon, symbolic respectively of war and peace

(W’\
the eagle has its head turned towards the olive branch, symbolizing a preference for peace. The
eagle clutches the motto "E Pluribus Unum", "Out of Many, OE), in its beak; over its head there
appears a “glory" with thirteen mullets (stars) on a blLFfie’ld/F
 \//
I
"‘V’UNCLE SAM’L/‘I
\
Uncle Sam is a national personification of the United States, with the first usage of the term dating
from the War oTfifi-and'the first illustration dating from 1852

he is often depicted as a serious elderly man with white hair and a goatee, dressed clothing that
in

recalls the design elements of the flag of the United States—for example, a top hat with red and

/A‘
white stripes and white stars on a blue band, and red and white pants

NATIONAL ANTHEM

”‘The Star:_S pangled Banner"Is the national anthem of the United States of America

-recognized for official use by the United States Nav (1889))and theWhite House (1916), and was
made the national anthem by a Congressional resolution on 3 March 1931

—although the song has four stanzas, only the first is commonly sung today
MOUNT RUSHOMORE

~the mountain itself was originally named after Charles E. Rushmore, a New York lawyer investigating

A
mining claims in the Black Hills in 1885

the carving began in 1927

m
.the presidents were selected on the basis of what each symbolized. GeorgKWafshIngtDn/represents
the struggle for
‘(L’nc/gn for his ideas /
'Qfififii’homafifyn
Kffalr;
the 20th century role of the United States in
the idea ofgovermblthe people. Abraham
Roosevelt for
ualityand the permanent union of the states, and Theodore

THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL

-is a United States Presidential Memorial built to honour President Abraham Lincoln
THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE

-was the largest suspension bridge in the world whenit was completed in 1937 and has become an
internationally recognized symbol of San Francisco and America

\,
flQU‘TE 6E

Route 66, (also known as Route 66, The Main Street of America, the Mother Road and the Will
-S.
Rogers Highway) was a highway in the US. Highway system
did
»one of the original federal routes, US 66 was established on November 11th, 1926, though signs
not go up until the following year it originally ran from Chicago, Illinois through Missouri, Kansas,
>

Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California before ending at Los Angeles for a total of
2,448 miles(3,939 km)
-Route 66 underwent many improvements and realignmentsi Most of those affected the total
mileage somewhat One of those resulted in the movement of the endpoint from Los Angeles to
Santa Monica. Contrary to common belief, Route 66 never ran to the ocean.

-Route 66 was a major path of the migrants who went west, especially during the Dust Bowl of the
1930s, and supported the economies of the communities through which the road passed. People
became prosperous due to the growing popularity of the highway, and those same people later
fought to keep the highway alive even with the growing threat of the new Interstate Highway
System.
US 66 was officially decommissioned (that is, officially removed from the United States Highway
System) on June 27, 1985 after it was decided the route was no longer relevant and had been
replaced by the Interstate Highway System portions of the road that passed through Illinois, New
>

Mexico, and Arizona have been designated a National Scenic Byway of the name "Historic Route 66".
It has begun to return to maps in this form.

H,/“/\\
7. EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES

4he®lfightj®fiffected the educational system vew much

-the American educational idea has been to offer equal opportunity for education for all citizens the >

“\m‘
education ofeach student is not equal, not even today

»evew American is entitled to an education school attendance is compulsory for all children

Vfl
>

-students attend schools to hours a dew,.. 5 days a ek for 9 months each year from September to
June
7
.
e1 NIAfi ~'\
public education from kindergarten through grade 12 (elementary school) is tax-supported, n0
tuition us required
about 85% of American children attend public schools the other 15% choose to pay tuition to
>

attend private schools

EDUCATION SYSTEM IN THE UNITED STATES:

-Nursery school ,“l— 13> 1

Kindergarten ['7 /)/V

Elementary school (6
~4eyear high school: junior/ senior high school

HIGH EDUCATION:

-Undergraduate studies (Bachelor’s Degree)

-Graduate studies (Master’s Degree)

—Postgraduate studies (Doctor’s Degree)

—educational opportunities in the United States are highly varied >

high school at the same grade level
do not have the same courses

-which courses a student takes depends on his abilities and future goals, but also on the course
offerings of the school
»besides colleges and universities, there are small arts colleges which grant specialized degrees such
as in ballet, film-making, acting...
» the diversity in course offerings and standards result of no national education system in the U.S.
>

Yrif. E
‘ (“V 3'
Ll'fit
,
(1:1 ML"
,
education standards and requirements differ from state to state but although there > is no national
curriculum, certain subjects are generally taught in all public schools

almost every elementary school: penmanship, science, mathematics, music, art, physical education,
language arts and social studies

emost secondary schools: English, mathematics, science, social studies, and physical education;
elective courses

general education and vocational training

~vocational training = studying a profession, not going to college

-community colleges and universities (universities are usually bigger than colleges, and primarily
offer a larger scope of subject)
TH E SAT

~the SAT is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States i the SAT administered
is

by the private Educational Testing Service (ETS) in the United States and is developed, published, and
scored by the College Board
\
~colleges and universities, charge tfim‘, no matter
_
if they are private or public students often have
. .
>

to work while studying or run for a sc olarship

vinequalities in education: more money is spent for the education of a child living in a wealthy district
than a child living in a poor community >that is why government participates in school financing with
10%-15%

71965 — Lyndonéflso‘n made the lst major contribution of tederal aid for education
7"Great Society”»”an idea ofgreater equality and less poverty; providing remedial schooling for
children from poor families
—theEconomic Opportunity Act (provides money for adult literacy programs and pre-school
education for poor children) and the Higher Education Act (offers government scholarships to needy
'
students)

8. OUTSTANDING FIGURES AND CASES IN THE UNITED STATES

CONCEPCION PICCIOTTO

Concepcion Picciotto (1945? —), also known as Conchita or Connie, has lived in Lafayette Square on
the 1600 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, in Washington, Dc, across from the White House since June
1, 1981 in protest of nuclear arms.

-born Concepcion Martin in Vigo, Spain, she immigrated to the United States at the age of 18. She
worked in New York at the Spanish consulate; she fell in love with an Italian businessman and
married him at 21‘ However, a bitter separation and custody battle cost her her own home, her
daughter and herjob.
 JIM CROW LAWS

the Jim Crow Laws were state and local laws enacted in the Southern and border states ofthe
United States and enforced between 1876 and 1965

they mandated "separate but equal” status for African Americans. reality, this led to treatment
In
and accommodations that were almost always inferior to those provided to white Americans.

~the Jim Crow period orthe Jim Crow era refers to the time during which this practice occurred >the
most important laws required that public schools, public places and public transportation, like trains
and buses, have separate facilities for whites and blacks

BROWN vs. THE BOARD OF EDUCATION

-Brown vs. Board of Education was not simply about children and education

-an 8—year-old girl had to carry a heavy burden, but managed to make a breakthrough in black people
civil rights

a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court which explicitly outlawed racial segregation
of public education facilities (legal establishment of separate government—run schools for blacks and
whites), ruling so on the grounds that the doctrine of ”separate but equal” public education could
never truly provide black Americans with facilities of the same standards available to white
Americans

before the Brcyvn’case, schools for blacks were not only separated but unequal
allowing blackfldren to attend
several blocksaway from their home the@d not having to leave for the black school

wc/R': NATIONALASSOCIATIONFOR THEADVANCEMENTOF COLORED PEOPLE (1909)

-is one of the
oldest and most influential civil rights organizations in the United States founded by a
diverse group on February 12, 1969‘
vits name, retained in accord with tradition, is one of the last surviving uses of the term "coloured
people,"
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. (1929— 1968)

January 15,19 —April 4, 1968

-was a famous leader of the American civil rights movement, a political activist, and a Baptist minister
-in (EAL King becamethe youngest man to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (for his work as a
peacemaker, promoting nonviolence and equal treatment for different races)

—onApril 4, 1968,
gh ______ _J
\ ““R— )
/
-famous§peech: ”I Have a Dream... in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington

mwv
br. King was assassinated inEemphi, Tennesseei)

-in 1986, Martin Luther King Day was established as a United States holiday

-the Letter from Birmingham Jail or Letter from Birmingham CityJail, commonly but incorrectly
rendered Letter from a Birmingham Jail, was an open letter written on April 16, 1963 by Martin
Luther King, Jr., an American civil rights leader. King wrote the letter from the cityjail in Birmingham,
Alabama, after a peaceful protest against segregation. The letter is a response to a statement made
 by eight white Alabama clergymen on April 12, 1963 titled "A Call for Unity" which agreed that social
injustices were taking place but expressed the belief that the battle against racial segregation should
be fought solely in the courts and not taken onto the streets a way of non'violent protest
>

eln Birmingham, Alabama, the spring of 1963, King‘s campaignitgegg‘sggiegation at lunch

in

counters and in hiring practices drew nationwide attention when police turned dogs and fire hoses
on the demonstrators King was jailed along with large numbers of his supporters, including
>

hundreds of schoolchildren; his supporters did not, however, include all the black clergy of
Birmingham, and he was strongly opposed by some ofthe white clergy who had issued a statement
urging African Americans not to support the demonstrations.

-from the Birmingham jail King wrote a letter ofgreat eloquence in which he spelled out his
philosophy of nonviolence

an African American civil rights activist and seamstress whom the U.S. Congress dubbed the ”Mother
of the Modern-Day Civil Rights Movement"

-famous for her refusal on December @933 obey bus driver James Blake's demand that she
@s‘h her seat to a white man her subsequent arrest and trialfor this actrof civil disobedience
>

triggered the Miggtggmew‘cott, one of the largest and most successful mass movements
against racial segregation in history, and_launched Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the organizers of

”or?
the boycott, to the forefront of the civil rights movement.
" "t" earned her
role in American 1A\»-~
‘
K111.
her history an iconic status In AmerIcan culture, and her actions have
_

left an enduring legacy for civil rights movements around the world
\
\
/
//J
MALCOLM x en’s-1965)

’.\
during his life, Malcolm went from being a drug dealer and burglar to one of the most prominent
black nationalist leaders in the United States; he was considered by some as a a? yr of/lsla and a
. ,
champIon of equalify" ,
‘

\’X
-as a militant leader, Malcolm X

K seIf-reliance, and identity politics

advocatedb/lagkpride, economic __1__.,_,_
_M
he ultimately rose to become a world-renowned African American/PamAfricanist and human rights
activist ) a foe to Martin Luther King Jr, who advocated non-violent methods of protest
2‘,
~the "X" in his surname is meant to symbolize the rejection of ”slave names” and the absence of an

f\\
inherited African name to take its place
(RED? GIULIANI \

th
\LKVN
fame as a United States Attorney prosecuting high-profile cases including ones
Agained his first
against organized crime
-served as Mayomfflew York City from 1994 to 2001, where he gained credit fO'Krgducinglcrime
/ —~
and

\
improving the quality of life in the city

gained nati/ormattention for his leadership role during and after the September 11, 2001 attacks on
the WTrade®Qat
A} led him to be named Time’s 2001 Person of the Year [and receive an
honorary knighthood for Queen Elizabeth
»Republican Party
ll]
NANCY FIELD S |

‘current Speaker of the United ,/

States/law of Representatives
following the Democra ‘c’Party's majority win in the 2006 Congressional elections, Pelosi became
the first womanyand first Italian American in US. history to hold the office
~no woman‘éever been closer to the US. presidency
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

federal criminal investigative, intelligence agency, and the primary investigative arm ofthe
-is a
United States Department ofJustice ,
-a nationwide organization founded /1908> i
K”
—the motto ofthe bureau is "Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity"
CHARLES MANSON (1932-?)
~Manson has spent most of his adult life in prison, initially for offenses such as car theft, forgery,
credit card fraud and pimping
»in the late 19605, he migrated to California, wanting to become a musician; instead, he befriended
the young, disenfranchised people he met and began calling them his “Family"> he ordered them to
kill movie actress S
mefiwife
preg%t—at’the
of the Polish movie director Roman Polanski), who was eight and
a half months time
-he was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder he is serving a life sentence in California’s
>

Corcoran State Prison, and will be up for parole in 2007 at the age of 73

-Manson has always maintained his innocence of the Tate»LaBianca murders

%
1922—1969)

-an American novelist, writer, poet, and artist; a part of the Beat Generatign
,
x,
=,/«<-’/'
the Road”;: -autobiographica| work, written as a stream of consciousness and based on the
Q1_~__./
spontaneous road trips of Kerouac and his friends across mid-century America, is often considered a
defining work ofthe post-war Beat Generation that was inspired byjazz, poetry, and drug
experiences
NORMAN ROCKWELL (1894-1978)

-an famous American artist that tended toward idealistic or sentimentalized portrayals of American
life—this has led to the often-depreciatory adjective "Rockwellesque"

JESSE JACKSON (1941-?)

«an American politician, civil rights activist during the Civil Rights movement, and Baptist minister
JAMES DEAN (February 8, 1931 — September 30, 1955)
James Byron Dean was an American film actor.

-Dean's mainstream status as a cultural icon is best embodied in the title of his most cited role in
Rebel without a Cause his enduring fame and popularity rests on only three films, his entire starring
>

output ' ‘ i s '

'
 ~method acting acting in a natural way
>

»he was the first person to receive a posthumous Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and
\\ "we“,,7,,V,f.,.,ifi/—_"
remains the only person to have two such nominatlons posthumously
,

-3 movies: East of Eden, Rebel without a Cause, Giant

JOSEPH MfCARTHY /—\ x

-On 9th February, 1950, Joseph McCarthy, a senatorfrom Wisconsin, made a speech claiming to have
a list offlfipeopie in the State Department that were known to be members of the American
\__l,t
Communist Party (late he reduced this figure to 57)...
/—’\
iM'cEEhyism is the term describing a periodgf‘inxte'nsganti-Communist_siu_spicflignéin_theUnited
mteuhat lasted-roughly fFr’ofnflthe
Iat@to the‘latmm derives from US. Senator
Joseph McCarthy, a Republican of Wisconsin The period of McCarthyism is also referred to as the
Second Red Scare, and coincided with a period of increased fears of Communist influence on
American institutions and espionage by Soviet agents.

F
(,ITH'E’ FREEDOM Rfimx J

/
»the Freedom Rides were a series of nonviolent, direct demonstrations performed in 1961 as part of
the US. rights movement

"\
civil
,

»volunteers, African American and white, many of whom werécollege students, called Freedom
Riders, rode in interstate buses into the segregated southern United States to test the 1960 United
States Supreme Court decision Boynton v. Virginia, (1960) 364 US. 454, which outlawed racial
segregation in interstate transportation facilities, including bus stations and railroad terminals
—a total of 436 Freedom Riders were arrested for trespassing, unlawful assembly, violating state and
local Jim Crow laws, etc.

-allbut a very small number were sponsored by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) while the
others belonged to the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) they followed on the >

heels of dramatic "sit-ins" against segregated lunch counters conducted by students and youth
throughout the south beginning in 1960

/J
THE BEflviCS (THE BEAT GENERArTlgflLflW "W

-the Beat Generation was a group of AmericarQr/ite’rs who came to prominence in the late 9505/
and early 1 6f)

-Jack@0n the Road (1957), Allen Ginsberg‘s Howl (1956), and William S. Burroughs' Naked
Lunch (1959) are often considered their most important works
» a literary movement whichrejected the western society
- they were not involved in politics as much as the hippie“;

dressed

A dark colours, experimented with drugs ”Young Angry Men”

- in >

’ l/THE HIPPIES
1., L

5
’

developed from the Beat Generation; lived in communes

- basically advocate, tried to change the world, involved in politics

~cluring the Vietnam War,
,
\
Wdam/
AAAAA

was’very much involvedIn the hippie movement protesting

against it

-their motto: ”Make love, not war!"

L»/\,C
»more turned to nature and spirit; less materialism

-their symbol of peace developed in UK

-”San Francisco" by Scott Mackenzie a hippie song

>

»”Flower Children” ) gave flowers to people 4

WADE-IN
-’/ I"
{typo
q '7

bxrdtéi) , fl
,

new
"7- ”.
125” LHL
v") «27c
{1
so:
C

»the phrase stands for the meaning of black people going on white»only beaches >
literally it means to
walk on water

FAMOUS AFRO-AMERICAN WRITERS

-Robert Hayden, Sterling Brown, Rita

.fi' ‘
Lucille Clifton, Paul L. Dunbar, Jean
DovfIVlaymg—eloii,
Toomer, Nikki Giovanni, Langston Hughes, Commemn, Gwendolyn Brooks, Claude McKay, Anne
Spencer, Arna Bontemps, June Jordan, Quincy Troupe, Alice Walker, AmiriBaraka, Audre Lorde,
Marcus Garvey, Etheridge Knight, James Weldon Johnson, Frances E.W. Harper...

Ku KIMX KLAN (KKK)

-the original KKK was founded after the end of the Civil War by 6 educated middle ClassConfederate
veterans in December, 18@I\Pulaski, Minisge’e/
-the society adapted their name from the Greek word kuklos ("circle")
-advocated white supremacy, white power, anti—
Semitism, racism, anti Catholicism, homophobia and
nativism

often used terrorism, violence and acts of intimidation (e.g. cross burning)

10. POLITICAL PARTIES AND ELECTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES

1. The Democratic Party

2. The Republican Party
3. Minor politicalparties (generally referred to as ”third parties") exist in the USA, but their
candidates are rarely elected to office
THE’BE’IWJEATIC PARTY
Kw/z/
~founded by Thomas ersorfiin 1792 and called the Democratic—Republican Party
rthe name Democratic Party was adopted during the presidency of Andrew Jackson
~symbol: th,{£d€ri€i(Andrew Jackson = "Andrew Jackass”)
-since 1890’s the‘Democratic Party has favoured liberal positions

-the Party believes that government should play a role in alleviating poverty and social injustice;
opposed to the use of torture against individuals apprehended and held prisoner by the military
ofthe U.S.;
//""T " "“x
the allow same»sex marriagesleven though there are divided members) and all agree that
discrimination on groundbfflso‘meone’s sexual orientation is wrong, and oppose to any kind of
discrimination

-the Democratic Party is PRO-CHOICE 2 women are free and have the right to choose whether they
will keep the baby or do an abortion, all women should have access to birth control (the support of
public funding of contraception of poor women) THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT INTERFERE lN
>

ABORTION DECISION

-emphasizes the necessity of strict penalties for offenders and protection of victims of domestic
violence
—theDemocrats are strongest in the Northeast, upper Midwest and the Great Lakes Region and in the
bigger cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles,Boston, and Washington DC.

THE REPUBLlCAN PARTY

-founded Abraham Lincoln and a group of his followers and is often referred to as the
in 1856 by
GOP; Grand Old Party

vsymbolz actually adopted elephant as their symbol

this party is more socially conservative and economically libertarian
-opposed to abortion and homosexuality: a strong Christian evangelical Republican movement
-emphasize on the role of corporate and personal decision making in fostering economic prosperity
-“Reaganomics" —theory popularized by Ronald Reagan with the reduced income tax rates to
increase the GDP growth private spending is more efficient than government spending
>

generally strongly support gun ownership rights

—favour to reduce illegal immigration to the U.S.; opposed to granting amnesty to ”illegal aliens”
Pagainst stem-cell research and universal healthcare

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

—The President and the Vice President are elected together in a Presidential election

the President, is elected indirectly by the people, through electors of an electoral college
-e|ectors (depends on the number and to avoid the direct election of the president) in the beginning
voted for whom ever the popular votes did too

the number of senators + the number of members of the House of Representatives

>Electora| College gives a collective vote to a person-

-in modern times, the electors virtually always vote with the popular vote ( popular votes 2 votes
that each person gives to the candidate; these are the votes that individuals give to a person) of their
state.
 11. SEPARATION OF POWERS AND THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS

the early American way of life encouraged democracy

-the Declaration of Independence in 1776 proclaimed that all men are created equal and have the
right to "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”
THE CONSTITUTION (1787)
»isthe supreme law of the United States of America; it was completed in 1787 and adopted in its
original form on September 23, 1788 by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
and later ratified by the people in conventions in each state in the name of "We the People"

-has a central place in American law and political culture and t is the oldest constitution for a federal
system in use
-states that the Church must not interfere in state matters
~the national government is divided into 3 branches
-these 3 branches by the separation ofone another get in the position of gridlock basically, they >

cannot do anything by themselves, they all have to agree on whatever issue is the case
1. THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH (THE CONGRESS)

-the Congress — the highest body in the USA

45% of women in the Congress

-the Congress is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate
-H0use of Representatives -members are elected on a 2-year term and have to be at least 25 years
old and be an American citizen for at least 7 years

-the number of members varies accordingly to the population/of the state

-each member represents a district of his home state and the number of districts is determined by
census each 10 years
-in all, there are 435 representatives in the House + 3 independent candidates
Nancy Pelosi — the speaker of the House of Representatives
THE SENATE

—each state has 2 senators, regardless of the population, which means that there are 100 senators in
the Senate
-senators are elected on 6-year term
to become a law, a bill must past both the House and the Senate >
once both bodies have passed the
same version of a bill, it goes to the president for approval
2 THE EXECUTIVE (HEADED BY THE PRESIDEND

-the president ofthe US together with the vice president is elected to a 4-year-term

a president may be elected to only 2 terms >the president of US. is the most powerful person in the
world
 \
BlLL OF RIGHTS
,K W*\
___7

/
»the 1Q amendments’dded to the Constitution because ofthe misgivings during the ratification of
ConstItution
—therights that it guarantees the freedom of SEER/the freedom ofiihew the freedom of
are:K_\
assembly, the free exercise of@on,the freedom efItIon,- the people’ 5 right to keep and bear
toEti/
(6mm
\_/ the rights to be free of unreasonable search and seizure, cruel and unusual pumshment T7
and compelled self- incrimination
_

‘
MW ’

vthe of Rights also restricts Congress’s power by prohibiting it from making any law respecting
Bill

establishment of religion and by prohibiting the federal government from depriving any person of
life, liberty, or property without due process of law

—incriminal cases, it requires indictment by grand jury for any capital or "infamous crime,”
guarantees a speedy public trial with an impartial and local jury, and prohibits double jeopardy