PEOPLE OF THE USA

Lecturer: Hong Thi Phuong Anh

 RACE & ETHNICTY
DEFINITIONS
1. Race: a group of people who share similar and distinct
physical characteristics.

2. Ethnicity: a category of people who identify with each

other based on common language, ancestral, social,
cultural, or national experiences.
 RACE & ETHNICTY IN THE USA
“The county in which I grew up, in the south-central part of the State,
was typical. On Sunday we could drive to a Norwegian church and
listen to a sermon in that language, or to a Danish or a Swedish
church. We could go to the French Catholic settlement in the next
county and hear a sermon in French, or into the Bohemian
township and hear one in Czech, or we could go to church with the
German Lutherans.”
-- Novelist Willa Cather (1913)
• The United States has a racially and ethnically diverse
population.
• However, the racial and ethnic diversity that foreign
visitors experience while in the United States depends
very much on the part or parts of the country they visit.
 92% European 96% European
ancestry ancestry

94% European
ancestry

European
cestry
 28% African-
37% African- American
American

38.8% Hispanic-
Latino
• Although the U.S. has often been called a “melting pot”
(or, more recently, a “salad bowl,” a mosaic, or a “stir-fry”)
of many different cultural and religious groups, the
dominant image of the U.S. portrayed by American
movies and television is that of a relatively
homogeneous society.
• Although racial and ethnic minorities have long played a
role in shaping American society, their cultural values
have not always been recognized and rarely have been
valued.
• Their influence on mainstream U.S culture has grown
considerably over the past few decades, however, and
seems likely to increase.
CLASS DIVISION IN THE USA
 CLASS DIVISION IN THE USA
• The disparity between rich and poor has widened since
the 1980s as the economic boom helped the richest group
get astonishingly richer, the middle class get a little richer,
and the poor get significantly poorer.
• In America, despite wide disparities in income, the vast
majority consider themselves to be middle-class.
• Almost no one outside the foreign press ever thinks or
speaks in class terms, except the rich, perhaps – and
intellectuals.
• Americans can see that there are rich and poor people,
but they usually will deny or play down the reality of social
classes.
 Rags-to-riches: the American myth
The myth conveys 3 basic messages:
1. Each of us is judged solely on her or his own merits;
2. We each have a fair opportunity to develop those merits;
3. Ultimately, merit will win.

 Everyone can rise above his/her station in life.

 Rags-to-riches: the American myth
The myth suggests that success in life has nothing to do
with pedigree, race, class background, gender, national
origin, sexual orientation—in short, with anything beyond
our individual control.

 American individualism and belief in equal

opportunities.
This myth seems encouraging, but is in fact, problematic,
because it leads people to assuming whoever doesn’t fair
well simply isn’t trying hard enough.

The myth encourages people to ignore racial inequality and

people that truly need help.
 Rural and Urban division
Rural Americans Urban Americans

often favor a return to are more likely to support

- traditional, - real gender equality in families,
- disciplined, - to have a looser moral code,
- strictly moral,
- patriotic, and - to be uneasy with too many open
displays of patriotism, and
- religious family values. - to describe themselves as “non-
religious.”
RELIGION IN THE USA
 RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
“Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof [...]”
--First Amendment to the US Constitution
(1791)
 Christianity
and its presence in American life
• The large majority of those practicing a religion in America
are Christians
• While the government does not officially lend its power
and authority to the Christian viewpoint, Christian
traditions and holidays do enjoy special standing in the
society.
 Christianity
and its presence in American life

• Whether or not they consider themselves religious,

Americans are likely to turn to a religious official to
perform the ceremonies associated with marriage and
death.
 Christianity
and its presence in American life
Even though the American Constitution calls for separation
of church and state, there are conspicuous examples of
religious symbols and activities in public life.
 Christianity
and its presence in American life
• American coins bear the words, “In God we trust.”
• The pledge of allegiance Americans say to their flag
refers to the United States as a nation “under God.”
• Each session of the U.S. Congress, Supreme Court, and
some other official bodies opens with an invocation (that
is, a prayer for divine guidance).
 Christianity
and its presence in American life
• Candidates for and holders of elective office at the
national and sometimes the state level are expected to
announce their religious views and demonstrate their
participation in religious activities.
 The Protestant Heritage

• Although many Protestant denominations exist in the US

today, all of them share a common heritage that has been
a powerful force in shaping the values and beliefs of
Americans: the value of self-improvement.
 The Protestant Heritage
• The achievement of material success is probably the
most widely respected form of self-improvement in the
US.
 The Protestant Heritage
• American Protestantism encourages the idea of gaining
wealth with hard work and self-discipline, believing that
the capacity for self-discipline is a holy characteristics
blessed by God.
Creating a good climate for the industrial growth of the
US.
 “The Protestant work ethic”, or “the Puritan work ethic”
 Coming up next
1. The Government and Politics
• A division of power(*)
• A competitive system
• The people’s involvement (*)
2. The Power of the Media
 Presentations
Group 9: In what ways is political power divided in the
USA?
Group 10: In what ways can US citizens participate in
country political decisions?