United States of America is multi ethnic and multicultural society with fair share of ethnic, religious, and social demographics. Not only does the American culture merge of several cultural fitures, it is also a dominant culture in U.S. Here in this paper, we are going to discuss the deplete of this big culture, its history and its importance in current society. Welcome to a series that takes place in the belly of the beast of American culture.
The History of American Culture
American culture: its history dates back to centuries, therefore the USA has become the link connecting different and sometimes opposite cultures. Different people from America have their roots from different cultures from Europe including the English, Dutch and the Spanish. African slaves later on other immigrants who came from Asia, the Middle East and Latin America brought in more color and rich taste into the American culture puzzle. Today the history is rather diverse andาต_tive that has lead to a rather rich multifaceted culture.
The Role of Language
Language is important in American culture. Spanish is used within the United States on account of the large Hispanic population in the United States. In terms of vocabulary and idioms as well as in terms of the pronunciation there are the differences between American and British English. Subsequently, with surge in the number of immigrants from different culture and origin, the United States of America has emerged as a multilingual country which undoubtedly adds color to the otherwise juggernaut of its structure.
Customs and Traditions
America and Americans have learnt and adapted their customs and traditions over the years from different parts of culture. Holiday like Thanksgiving, Fourth of July and Halloween are evidence that depict American culture and traditions with origin from Europe but have different manifestation within the American culture. Other practices include things like tipping and these are very culturally Americanized things that we have in America.
The Arts
Arts in America have developed early during the American Revolution and have grown over the years. American art consists of a large number of practices in different fields that include music, art, theater, as well as literature. The greatest provided some information on the famous musicians from America such as; Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, and Beyoncé. The United States also has many famous ST artist like Georgia O’Keefe and Jackson Pollock to mention but a few. Literature in America can be traced back from the black Siouxsie of Poe, continental of Morrison and iceberg of Hemingway.
Sports and Recreation
Sport and recreation are indispensable components of the American way of life. Americans love sport, baseball, football and even hockey. These sports develop their culture and followers and games are a point of identity or celebration in many communities. In addition the United States enables citizens to enjoy many leisure and recreational activities including hiking, sking and water rafting.
Food and Cuisine
American food is actually a blend of many other foods from over the world and hence American food is unique and new in taste. Fast foods are as popular in the United States as the country has numerous worldwide renowned fast food chains. The foods that are unique to the various regions within the United States are multiple as they comprise Creole and Cajun food from New Orleans, seafood food from from New England and Tex-Mex food. Further, American chefs have knowledge and receive many Michelin stars; They have become famous figures by achieving innovative culinary techniques.
Media and Entertainment
The media and entertainment Industry in the United States is among the biggest and most important industries in the globe. America exported its movies, TV Shows, songs and owns world pop culture for most of the last 50 years. Featuring glamorous movies that invade theaters all over the world and the reality shows that have flooded the global entertainment market, the US an entertainment giant. It can be also said that this global impact has to due with the United States’ arts and creativity tradition, as well as its special way to handle the media and entertainment industry.
Education
Education plays a significant role in the United States since the country attributes great importance to both, formal and informal education. The American education system is full of many fine universities and colleges such as Harvard university, Yale university, and Princeton University. Also, the importance of people having education has been given in addition to general formal education because there are so many institutions that offer adult education as too.
Values and Beliefs
This paper is devoted to the set out of the values and beliefs that enable the American community to stay true to its history and the Constitution. America has long been associated with individualistic, liberal, and an open economy. These have been demonstrated in the political as well as the social frameworks of the country, as well as the individual lives of its people. It is also known to believe in individualism like hard work, equal opportunity and sometimes democracy.
The dominant culture as evident in the United States consists of micro cultures that blend to form a unique large culture. American culture had impact on the world, and it considers traditions, language, customs, arts, and values. Discussing the specifics of American culture allows recognizing how diverse and rich this country is and its people in particular. Happy exploring!
