The United States

The United States

The American People

308,745,538 residents in 2010

Third largest nation in the world

A nation of nations

The Native Americans

Came from Asia

40,000 years ago

10 million Native
Americans in the 15th
century

Today: 0.8% of the

total population (2.5
million)

The Native Americans

Western states:
California,
Oklahoma, Arizona,
New Mexico

1/3 on reservations
others mostly in
cities

Major problems:
- poverty
-unemployment

The British

13 % of population

Started settling in
1600s

British culture was

the foundation on
which America was
built

African-Americans

12% of population

1620-1820: 8 million
slaves brought from
Africa

200 years of slavery

100 years of
segregation

African-Americans

Major problem:
poverty and its
bad effects

South, cities of
the Northwest
and Midwest

Immigrants from Northern

and Western Europe

Immigration began in the

1820s

Reason: to escape poverty,

war, discrimination

Immigrants from Germany

(17%), the UK (13%),
Ireland (11.9%),
Scandinavia (3.9%)

Midwest

Immigrants from Southern

and Eastern Europe

1870s 1930s; after

1960s

Reason: poverty and

discrimination

Immigrants from
Italy (5.6%), Greece,
Poland, Russia

Serbian Americans

170,000

Chicago the Serbian

stronghold in America

1893 the first

Serbian parade in
Chicago

Hispanic Americans

15,8% of total population

3 main groups:
- Mexican Americans
(Texas and California)
- Puerto Ricans (New
York)
- Cuban Americans
(Florida)

The fastest growing

group of immigrants

Asian Americans

5% of population

Since 1960s

California, Hawaii,
New York and
Texas

Melting Pot vs. Mosaic

Melting pot
immigrants
should adopt
American culture

Mosaic
Americas
strength lies in its
diversity

The Political System

Indirect

democracy
people rule through
representatives they
elect

The Constitution
The

supreme law of
the USA

Written

in 1787

Amendments

Three Branches of Government

system of checks and balances

Legislative branch makes laws

Congress

The House of
Representatives
(435 representatives)

The Senate
(100 senators)

Executive branch administers the

laws

President

Vice President

Cabinet, executive departments and agencies

President of the USA

Barack

Obama

Since 2009

Vice President of the USA

Joe

Biden

Secretary of State

John

Kerry

Judicial branch interprets laws

Federalism

Each individual state has its own government

There is also federal, or national, government

State and local government

Each state has its own constitution

State governments are also divided into legislative,

executive and judicial branches

The leader of a state is the governor

Below the state level: county and city governments

Two-Party System
Republican

party

(upper-class,
conservative)

Democratic

party

(working class, liberal)

Economy
Free

enterprise
system: private
businesses compete
against one another
with relatively little
interference from the
government

Religion

Separation of church
and state
No official religion

Christians 76%
Other 5.5%
Non-religious 15%

The Family

The American family

has changed

Dual-earning families
Single-parent and other
non-traditional families

Generation gap

Elementary and High School

From age 7 to 16: compulsory

education

90% attend public schools

10% attend private schools

School year: September June

Advanced Schooling

Community / junior colleges (2

years)

Colleges and universities (4

years)

Public and private

Culture
The US is an international centre of
culture
Cultural centres: New York, Boston,
Washington, Chicago, San Francisco,
Los Angeles

High Culture

Popular Entertainment

Leisure

Holidays

New Years Day

January 1st

Martin Luther King,

Jr. Day
3rd Monday of January

Presidents Day
3rd Monday of February

Memorial Day
Last Monday in May

Independence Day
July 4th

Labor Day
1st Monday in September

Columbus Day
October 12th

Halloween
October 31st

Thanksgiving
4th Thursday of November

Christmas
December 25th