The dominance of England over other nations in the UK? There is, perhaps, an excuse for the people who use the word England when they mean Britain. It cannot be denied that the dominant culture of Britain today is specifically English.
Ôn tập phần tự luận Văn hóa 1) The dominance of England over other nations in the UK? There is, perhaps, an excuse for the people who use the word 'England' when they mean 'Britain' It cannot be denied that the dominant culture of Britain today is specifically English The system of politics that is used in all four nations today is of English origin, and English is the main language of all four nations Many aspects of everyday life are organized according to English custom and practice But the political unification of Britain was not achieved by mutual agreement On the contrary, it happened because England was able to assert her economic and military power over the other three nations (see chapter 2) Today, English domination can be detected in the way in which various aspects of British public life are described For example, the supply of money in Britain is controlled by the Bank of England (there is no such thing as a 'Bank of Britain') Another example is the name of the present monarch She is universally known as 'Elizabeth II', even though Scotland and Northern Ireland have never had an 'Elizabeth I' (Elizabeth I of England and Wales ruled from 1553 to 1603) The common use of the term 'Anglo' is a further indication (The Angles were a Germanic tribe who settled in England in the fifth century The word 'England' is derived from their name.) When newspapers and the television news talk about 'Anglo-American relations', they are talking about relations becween the governments of Britain and the USA (and not just England and the USA) In addition, there is a tendency in the names of publications and organizations to portray England as the norm and other parts of Britain as special cases Thus there is a specialist newspaper called the Times Educational Supplement, but also a version of it called the Times Educational Supplement (Scotland) Similarly, the umbrella organization for employees is called the 'Trades Union Congress', but there is also a 'Scottish Trades Union Congress' When something pertains to England, this fact is often not specified in its name; when it pertains to Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, it always is In this way, these parts of Britain are presented as something 'other' 2) British’s attitude: being different, love of animals, love of nature * Being differnet: The British can be stubbornly conservation about anything which is perceived as a token of Britishness In these matters, their conservatism can combine It is, for example, very difficult to imagine that they will ever change from driving on the left- hand side of the road to driving on the right It doesn’t matter that nobody can think of any intrinsic advantage of driving on the left Why should they change just to be like everyone else? Bristain has so far resisted pressure from business one hour behind; and it continues to start its financial year not, as mother countries at the beginning of the calendar year but rather at the beginning of April Systems of measurement are another example For decades now, British authorities have been promoting the scales that are used near everywhere else in the world (which in Britain are known collectively as the 'metric system') But they have had only partial success It only in the twenty-first century that people in Britain have become accustomed to buying petrol for their cars in litres or have started Lo understand the TV weather forecasters when they mention a temperature on the Celsius scale (and many still have to 'translate' it into Fahrenheit see chapter 3) British people continue to measure distances and themselves using scales of measurement that are not used anywhere else in Europe (How tall? How far? How heavy?) British manufacturers are obliged to give the weight of their packaged goods in kilos and but many also give the equivalent in pounds and grams, ounces because they know that the latter are more likely to mean something to people In fact, this last aspect of measurement has become a celebrated public issue in Britain In 2001, two greengrocers in the north-east of England were prosecuted by their local government authority for selling their fruit and vegetables by the pound The case attracted huge national publicity They became know as the 'metric martyrs' A Metric Martyrs Fund was set up and received so many donations that it was able to hire the country's best lawyers Since then, the fund has supported many other traders who have fallen foul of the law regarding weights and measures But the issue at stake for the fund is not just pounds and ounces In 2002, it defended a restaurant which was threatened with prosecution for the opposite reason not for refusing metric measures but for using them! British law stipulates that draught beer must be sold in pints or parts thereof, but this was an Austrian themed restaurant and so the beer was sold in one litre mugs In 2006, the fund supported a brewing company over the same matter What drives the Metric Martyrs Fund and its supporters, then, is not principally a love of British habits of measurement or a hatred of EU regulations in particular; it is a (characteristically British) hatred of conformist regulations in general *Love of natural: Britain was the first country in the world to appoint a government- sponsored conservation body (the Narure Conservancy, in 1949) and it was in Britain that the first large green pressure group was founded (the World Wildlife Fund in 1961, now the Worldwide Fund for Nature) This is not a coincidence Ever since they became a nation of ciry dwellers, the British have had a reverence for nature and anidealized vision of the countryside To the Brıtish, the countryside has almost none of the negative associations which it has in some countries, such as poor facilities, lack of educational opportunities, unemployment and poverty To them, the countryside means peace and quiet, beaury, health, and no crime Indeed, having a house 'in the country' carries prestige - see The prestige of the countryside Most of them would live in a country village if they thought they could find a way of earning a living there Ideally, this village would consist of thatched cottages (see chapter 19) built around an area known as the 'village green' Nearby there would be a pond with ducks on it Nowadays, such a village is not actually very common, but it is a stereotypical picture that is well-known to the British Some history connected with the building of high-speed rail links through the channel tunnel (see chapter 17) is indicative of the British attitude On the continental side of the tunnel, communities battled wirh each other to get the new line built through their town It would be good for local business But on the English side, the opposite occurred Nobody wanted the rail link near them! Communities battled with each other to get the new line built somewhere else Never mind business they wanted to preserve their peace and quiet (That is one reason why the high-speed link on the British side was completed so much later.) Perhaps this love of the countryside is another aspect of British conservatism The countryside represents stability Those who live in towns and cities take an active interest in country matters and they regard it as both a right and a privilege to be able to go 'into the country' when they want Large areas of the country are official 'national parks' where almost no building is allowed There is an organization called the Ranmblers' Association to which more than a hundred thousand enthusiastic country walkers belong It is in constant battle with landowners to keep open the public 'rights of way' across their lands Maps can be bought which mark the routes of a youth hostel The Youth Hostels Association is a charity whose aim is 'to help all, especially young people of limited means, to a greater knowledge, love and care of the countryside' all the public footpaths in the country When they cannot get into the countryside, many British people still spend a lot of their time with 'nature' They grow plants Gardening is one the most popular hobbies in the country, and gardening programmes on radio and TV are also very popular When in 2002, a well-known TV gardener called Alan Titchmarsh had his own series, sales of basic gardening tools such as rakes rose by 50% Indeed, all he had to was advise the use of a particular implement and within days they had sold out across Britain The Garden Industry Manufacturers' Association had to ask the BBC for advance warning about what would be mentioned in the following week's show! Even those people who not have a garden can participate Each local authority owns several areas of land which it rents very cheaply to these people in small parcels On these 'allotments', people grow mainly vegetables *Love of animals: Rossendale Memorial Gardens in Lancashire is just one of more than a hundred animal cemeteries in Britain It was started by a local farmer who ran over his dog with a tractor He was so upset that he put up a headstone in its memory Now, Rossendale has thousands of graves and plots for caskets of ashes, with facilities for every kind of animal, from a budgie to a lioness As in America, many people are prepared to pay quite large sums of money to give their pets a decent burial The British tend to have a sentimental attitude to animals Half of the households in Britain keep at least one domestic pet Most of them not bother with such grand arrangements when it dies, but there are millions of informal graves in people's back gardens Moreover, the status of pets is taken seriously It is, for example, illegal to run over a dog in your car and then keep on driving You have to stop and inform the owner But the love of animals goes beyond sentimental attachment to domestic pets Wildlife programmes are by far the most popular kind of television documentary Millions of families have 'bird tables' in their gardens These are raised platforms on which birds can feed, safe from local cats, during the winter months There is even a special teaching hospital (called Tiggywinkles) which treats injured wild animals Perhaps this overall concern for animals is part of the British love of nature Studies indicating that some wild species is decreasing in numbers become prominent articles in the national press In 2000, for example, The Independent offered a prize of £5,000 for the first scientific paper which established the reason for the decline of the Thousands of people are enthusiastic bird-watchers This peculiarly British pastime often involves spending hours lying in wet and cold undergrowth trying to get a glimpse of a rare species 3) The roles and values of British monarch - Roles: What, then, is the monarch's role? Many opinions are offered by political and legal experts Three roles are often mentioned First, the monarch is the personal embodiment of the government of the country This means that people can be as nasty as they like about the real government, and can argue that it should be thrown out, without being accused of being unpatriotic Because of the clear separation berween the symbol of government (the Queen) and the actual government, changing the government does not threaten the stability of the country Other countries without a monarch have to use something else as the symbol of the country In the USA, for example, one of these is its flag, and to damage a copy of the flag is actually a criminal offence Second, it is argued that the monarch is a possible final check on a government that is becoming dictatorial Just supposing the government managed to pass a bill through Parliament which was obviously terribly bad as well as being unpopular, the monarch could refuse the royal assent Similarly, it is possible that if a Prime Minister who had been defeated at a general election were to ask immediately for another dissolution of Parliament (so that another election could take place), the monarch could refuse the request and dismiss the Prime Minister Third, the monarch has a very practical role to play By being a figurehead and representative of the country, Queen Elizabeth Il can perform the ceremonial duties which heads of state often have to spend their time on This way, the real government has more time to get on with the actual job of running the country - Values: However, all these advantages are hypothetical It cannot be proved that only a monarch can provide them Other modern democracies manage perfectly well without one The real importance of the British monarchy is probably less to with the system of government and more to with social psychology and economics (The economic argument) The monarchy gives British people a symbol of continuity, and a harmless outlet for expressions of national pride It provides a focus of reverence for those people who have a tendency to hero-worship Even in very hard times, Britain has never looked like turning to a dictator to get it out of its troubles, and the grandeur of its monarchy may have been one reason for this Occasions such as the state opening of Parliament, the Queen's official birthday and royal weddings, as well as everyday ceremonial events such as the changing of the guard, help to make up for the lack of pageantry in people's lives (There is no countrywide tradition of local parades in Britain.) In addition, the glamorous lives of 'the royals' provide a source of entertainment that often takes on the characteristics of a soap opera The separation of Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1992, for example, was accompanied by vast amounts of discussion far beyond the possible political implications, even in the more 'serious' newspapers Since the Princes 'Wills' and 'Harry' grew up, most of the press has been more interested in their love lives than in the implications of their military roles in Iraq and Afghanistan Characteristics of pubs in Britain - The local pub plays an important role in almost every neighborhood - and pubs, it should be noted, are predominantly for the drinking of beer and spirits Indicative of this role is the fact that it is commonly referred to as 'the local' and people who go there are often known as 'regulars' - Pubs have become a bit less distinctive in the last thirty years They used to serve almost nothing but beer and spirits and only things to eat you could get were 'bar snacks' such peanuts and crisps These days, you can get wine, coffee, and hot food at most of them as well This has helped to widen their appeal - One of their notable aspects is that pubs is no waiter service People have to go to the bar and fetch their drinks themselves People can get up and walk around whenever they like – it is like being in their own house People who work in pubs are expected to know regular customers and to chat with them when they are not serving someone - A notable aspect of British pubs is their frequent appeal to the idea of tradition For example, each has its own name, proclaimed on a sign hanging outside, always with oldfashioned associations For example, ‘’The Duck of Cambridge’’, ‘’The Bricklayer’s Arms’’, ‘’The Sheep Shearers’’, ‘’ The Bull’’… Moreover, most pubs look as if they are several hundred years old with old design and small windows 5) British attitude to food It seems that Britain people simply don’t care enough to bother * In the society + There’re no “restaurant culture” nor a “cafe society” + People just want to eat up quickly and are not interested much in quality Attitudes to food + Little effort is made to make the hamburgers tasty because nobody expects them to be + The coffee is horrible not because British people prefer it that way but because they don’t go to a cafe for a delicious, slow cup of coffee-they go there because they need caffeine * At home: Food and drink given little attention The coffee often as bad as it is in the cafe Meals tend to be eaten quickly and the table cleared Parties and celebrations are not normally centered around food When the British pay attention to food, it is most frequently not to appreciate it but to consider its health implication - The range of plants and animals which they will eat is rather narrow British consider eating wild animals and domestic animals is exotic Today the country’s supermarket shelves are full of the spices and sauces 6) Features of public schools in Britain Historically, stereotypical public schools: • are for boys only, from the age of 13 onwards, most of whom attended a private 'prep' (preparatory) school beforehand • take fee-paying pupils (and some scholarship pupils who have won a place in a competitive entrance exam and whose parents not pay • are boarding schools (the boys live there during term-time) • are divided into 'houses', each 'house' being managed by a 'housemaster •make some of the senior boys ' prefects', which means that they have authority over the other boys and have their own servants (called 'fags'), who are appointed from amongst the youngest boys •place great emphasis on team sports •enforce their rules with the use of physical punishment •are not at all luxurious or comfortable However, this traditional image no longer fits the facts These days, there is not a single public school in the country in which all of the above features apply, and some of them not apply anywhere There have been a fairly large number of girls' public schools for the last hundred years, and by now most public schools are mixed sex Many schools admit day pupils as well as boarders, and some are day schools only; prefects no longer have so much power or have been abolished; fagging has disappeared and so has physical punishment; there is less emphasis on team sport and more on academic achievement; life for the pupils is more physically comfortable than it used to be 7) A school day in Britain It starts around a.m and finishes between p.m and p.m., or a bit later for older children It includes a lunch break which usually lasts about an hour and a quarter, where nearly half of all children have lunch provided by the school (Parents pay for this, except for those who are rated poor enough for it to be free Other children either go home for lunch or bring sandwiches.) On the other hand, it is a full five-day week (there is no half day) and holiday periods are short (The school year) 8) Thanksgiving day in America Thanksgiving Day, annual national holiday in the United States and Canada celebrating the harvest and other blessings of the past year Americans generally believe that their Thanksgiving is modeled on a 1621 harvest feast shared by the English colonists (Pilgrims) of Plymouth and the Wampanoag people The American holiday is particularly rich in legend and symbolism, and the traditional fare of the Thanksgiving meal typically includes turkey, bread stuffing, potatoes, cranberries, and pumpkin pie With respect to vehicular travel, the holiday is often the busiest of the year, as family members gather with one another Plymouth’s Thanksgiving began with a few colonists going out “fowling,” possibly for turkeys but more probably for the easier prey of geese and ducks, since they “in one day killed as much as…served the company almost a week.” Next, 90 or so Wampanoag made a surprise appearance at the settlement’s gate, doubtlessly unnerving the 50 or so colonists Nevertheless, over the next few days the two groups socialized without incident The Wampanoag contributed venison to the feast, which included the fowl and probably fish, eels, shellfish, stews, vegetables, and beer Since Plymouth had few buildings and manufactured goods, most people ate outside while sitting on the ground or on barrels with plates on their laps The men fired guns, ran races, and drank liquor, struggling to speak in broken English and Wampanoag This was a rather disorderly affair, but it sealed a treaty between the two groups that lasted until King Philip’s War (1675–76), in which hundreds of colonists and thousands of Native Americans lost their lives The New England colonists were accustomed to regularly celebrating “Thanksgivings,” days of prayer thanking God for blessings such as military victory or the end of a drought The U.S Continental Congress proclaimed a national Thanksgiving upon the enactment of the Constitution, for example Yet, after 1798, the new U.S Congress left Thanksgiving declarations to the states; some objected to the national government’s involvement in a religious observance, Southerners were slow to adopt a New England custom, and others took offense over the day’s being used to hold partisan speeches and parades A national Thanksgiving Day seemed more like a lightning rod for controversy than a unifying force Thanksgiving Day did not become an official holiday until Northerners dominated the federal government While sectional tensions prevailed in the mid-19th century, the editor of the popular magazine Godey’s Lady’s Book, Sarah Josepha Hale, campaigned for a national Thanksgiving Day to promote unity She finally won the support of President Abraham Lincoln On October 3, 1863, during the Civil War, Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday, November 26.The holiday was annually proclaimed by every president thereafter, and the date chosen, with few exceptions, was the last Thursday in November President Franklin D Roosevelt, however, attempted to extend the Christmas shopping season, which generally begins with the Thanksgiving holiday, and to boost the economy by moving the date back a week, to the third week in November But not all states complied, and, after a joint resolution of Congress in 1941, Roosevelt issued a proclamation in 1942 designating the fourth Thursday in November (which is not always the last Thursday) as Thanksgiving Day As the country became more urban and family members began to live farther apart, Thanksgiving became a time to gather together The holiday moved away from its religious roots to allow immigrants of every background to participate in a common tradition Thanksgiving Day football games, beginning with Yale versus Princeton in 1876, enabled fans to add some rowdiness to the holiday In the late 1800s parades of costumed revelers became common In 1920 Gimbel’s department store in Philadelphia staged a parade of about 50 people with Santa Claus at the rear of the procession Since 1924 the annual Macy’s parade in New York City has continued the tradition, with huge balloons since 1927 The holiday associated with Pilgrims and Native Americans has come to symbolize intercultural peace, America’s opportunity for newcomers, and the sanctity of home and family Days of thanksgiving in Canada also originated in the colonial period, arising from the same European traditions, in gratitude for safe journeys, peace, and bountiful harvests The earliest celebration was held in 1578, when an expedition led by Martin Frobisher held a ceremony in present-day Nunavut to give thanks for the safety of its fleet In 1879 Parliament established a national Thanksgiving Day on November 6; the date has varied over the years Since 1957 Thanksgiving Day has been celebrated in Canada on the second Monday in October 9) What is American dream and how to achieve it? John Kenneth White, in The Values Divide: American Politics and Culture in Transition, observes that in spite of all the changes in the nation's population, economy, and culture, the behaviors and values of Americans have remained remarkably constant: Americans still love their country and believe that they can accomplish almost anything A recent poll found 91 percent who agreed with the statement, "Being an American is a big part of who I am." Only 11 percent said they would like to emigrate elsewhere Frenchman Clotaire Rapaille captured this unique aspect of American patriotism: "America is not a place It is a dream." In understanding the relationship between what Americans believe and how they live, it is important to distinguish between idealism and reality American values such as equality of opportunity and self-reliance are ideals that may not necessarily describe the reality of American life Equality of opportunity, for example, is an ideal that is not always put into practice In reality, some people have a better chance for success than others Those who are born into rich families have more opportunities than those who are born into poorer families Inheriting money does give a person a decided advantage Race and gender may still be factors affecting success, although there are laws designed to promote equality of opportunity for all individuals And, of course, new immigrants continue to face challenges unique to their situation The fact that American ideals are only partly carried out in real life does not diminish their importance Most Americans still believe in them and are strongly affected by them in their everyday lives It is easier to understand what Americans are thinking and feeling if we can understand what these basic traditional American values are and how they have influenced almost every facet12 of life in the United States The six basic values presented in this chapter-individual freedom, self-reliance, equality of opportunity, competition, material wealth, and hard work-do not tell the whole story of the American character Rather, they should be thought of as themes13 which will be developed in our discussions on religion, family life, education, business, and politics These themes will appear throughout the book as we continue to explore more facets of the American character and how they affect life in the United States 10) Describe six traditional values: individual freedom, Self-reliance, Competition, Equality of opportunity, Material wealth, Hard work a Individual Freedom and Self-reliance: The earliest settlers came to the North American continent to establish colonies which were free from the controls that existed in European societies They wanted to escape the controls placed on many aspects of their lives by kings and governments, priests and churches, noblemen and aristocrats.' To a great extent, they succeeded In 1776, the British colonial settlers declared their independence from England and established a new nation, the United States of America In so doing, they defied? the king of England and declared that the power to govern would lie in the hands of the people They were now free from the power of the kings In 1789, when they wrote the Constitution for their new nation, they separated church and state so that there would never be a governmentsupported church This greatly limited the power of the church Also, in writing the Constitution they expressly forbade titles of nobility to ensure that an aristocratic society would not develop There would be no ruling class of noblemen in the new nation The historic decisions made by those first settlers have had a profound effect on the shaping of the American character By limiting the power of the government and the churches and eliminating a formal aristocracy, the early settlers created a climate of freedom where the emphasis was on the individual The United States came to be associated in their minds with the concept of individual freedom This is probably the most basic of all the American values Scholars and outside observers often call this value individualism, but many Americans use the word freedom It is one of the most respected and popular words in the United States today By freedom, Americans mean the desire and the right of all individuals to control their own destiny without outside interference from the government, a ruling noble class, the church, or any other organized authority The desire to be free of controls was a basic value of the new nation in 1776, and it has continued to attract immigrants to this country There is, however, a price to be paid for this individual freedom: self-reliance Individuals must learn to rely on themselves or risk losing freedom Traditionally, this means achieving both financial and emotional independence from their parents as early as possible, usually by age eighteen or twenty-one It means that Americans believe they should take care of themselves, solve their own problems, and "stand on their own two feet." Tocqueville observed the Americans' belief in self-reliance in the 1830s: “They owe nothing to any man, they expect nothing from any man; they acquire the habit of always considering themselves as standing alone, and they are apt to* imagine that their whole destiny is in their own hands” This strong belief in self-reliance continues today as a traditional basic American value It is perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of the American character to understand, but it is profoundly important Most Americans believe that they must be self-reliant in order to keep their freedom If they rely too much on the support of their families or the government or any organization, they may lose some of their freedom to what they want Often adult children return home to live with their parents because of economic conditions or a failed marriage Parents are usually happy to help out, but most members of the family expect this to be a short-term arrangement When people are dependent, they risk losing freedom and they may also lose the respect of their peers Even if they are not truly self-reliant, most Americans believe they must at least appear to be so In order to be in the mainstream of American life-to have power and/or respect-individuals must be seen as self-reliant Although Americans provide a lot of financial support to people in need through charities or government programs, they expect that help to be short-lived Eventually, people should take care of themselves Although receiving financial support from charity, family, or the government is allowed, it is generally not admired Some people believe that such individuals are setting a bad example, which may weaken the American character as a whole The sight of beggars on city streets and the plight? of the homeless may inspire sympathy but also concern, for the same reason b Equality of Opportunity and Competition The second important reason why immigrants have traditionally been drawn to the United States is the belief that everyone has a chance to succeed here Generations of immigrants have come to the United States with this expectation They have felt that because individuals are free from excessive political, religious, and social controls, they have a better chance for personal success Of particular importance is the lack of a hereditary aristocracy Because titles of nobility were forbidden in the Constitution, no formal class system developed in the United States In the early years of American history, many immigrants chose to leave older European societies because they believed that they had a better chance to succeed in America In “the old country,” the country from which they came, their place in life was determined largely by the social class into which they were born They knew that in America they would not have to live among noble families who possessed great power and wealth inherited and accumulated over hundreds of years The hopes and dreams of many of these early immigrants were fulfilled in their new country The lower social class into which many were born did not prevent them from trying to rise to a higher social position Many found that they did indeed have a better chance to succeed in the United States than in the old country Because millions of these immigrants succeeded, Americans came to believe in equality of opportunity When Tocqueville visited the United States in the 1830s, he was impressed by the great uniformity of conditions of life in the new nation He wrote, “The more I advanced in the study of American society, the more I perceived that equality of condition is the fundamental fact from which all others seem to be derived” It is important to understand what most Americans mean when they say they believe in equality of opportunity They not mean that everyone is—or should be—equal However, they mean that each individual should have an equal chance for success Americans see much of life as a race for success For them, equality means that everyone should have an equal chance to enter the race and win In other words, equality of opportunity may be thought of as an ethical rule It helps ensure that the race for success is a fair one and that a person does not win just because he or she was born into a wealthy family, or lose because of race or religion This American concept of “fair play” is an important aspect of the belief in equality of opportunity President Abraham Lincoln expressed this belief in the 1860s when he said, “We wish to allow the humblest man an equal chance to get rich with everybody else When one starts poor, as most in the race of life, free society is such that he knows he can better his condition; he knows that there is no fixed condition of labor for his whole life” However, the price to be paid for this equality of opportunity is competition If much of life is seen as a race, then a person must run the race in order to succeed; a person has the responsibility to compete with others, even though we know not everyone will be successful If every person has an equal chance to succeed in the United States, then many would say that it is every person’s duty to try The pressures of competition in the life of an American begin in childhood and continue until retirement from work Learning to compete successfully is part of growing up in the United States, and competition is encouraged by strong programs of competitive sports provided by the public schools and community groups Competitive sports are now popular with both men and women The pressure to compete causes Americans to be energetic, but it also places a constant emotional strain on them When they retire, they are at last free from the pressures of competition But then a new problem arises Some may feel useless and unwanted in a society that gives so much prestige to those who compete well This may be one reason why older people in the United States sometimes not have as much honor and respect as they have in other, less competitive societies In fact, generally speaking, any group of people who not compete successfully—for whatever reason—do not fit into the mainstream of American life as well as those who compete and succeed c Material Wealth and Hard Work The third reason why immigrants have traditionally come to the United States is to have a better life—that is, to raise their standard of living For the vast majority of the immigrants who came here, this was probably the most compelling reason for leaving their homeland Because of its incredibly abundant natural resources, the United States appeared to be a land of plenty where millions could come to seek their fortunes Of course, most immigrants did not “get rich overnight,” and many of them suffered terribly, but the majority of them were eventually able to improve upon their former standard of living Even if they were not able to achieve the economic success they wanted, they could be fairly certain that their children would have the opportunity for a better life The phrase “going from rags to riches” became a slogan for the “American Dream.” Because of the vast riches of the North American continent, the dream came true for many of the immigrants They achieved material success and many became very attached to material things Material wealth became a value to the American people Placing a high value on material possessions is called materialism, but this is a word that most Americans find offensive To say that a person is materialistic is an insult To an American, this means that this person values material possessions above all else Americans not like to be called materialistic because they feel that this unfairly accuses them of loving only material things and of having no religious values In fact, most Americans have other values and ideals Nevertheless, acquiring and maintaining a large number of material possessions is still of great importance to most Americans Why is this so? One reason is that material wealth has traditionally been a widely accepted measure of social status in the United States Because Americans rejected the European system of hereditary aristocracy and titles of nobility, they had to find a substitute for judging social status The quality and quantity of an individual’s material possessions became an accepted measure of success and social status Moreover, as we shall see in the religion chapter, the Puritan work ethic associated material success with godliness Americans have paid a price, however, for their material wealth: hard work The North American continent was rich in natural resources when the first settlers arrived, but all these resources were undeveloped Only by hard work could these natural resources be converted into material possessions, allowing a more comfortable standard of living Hard work has been both necessary and rewarding for most Americans throughout their history Because of this, they came to see material possessions as the natural reward for their hard work In some ways, material possessions were seen not only as tangible evidence of people’s work, but also of their abilities In the late 1700s, James Madison, the father of the American Constitution, stated that the difference in material possessions reflected a difference in personal abilities As the United States has shifted from an industry-based economy to one that is serviceor information-based, there has been a decline in high-paying jobs for factory workers It is now much more difficult for the average worker to go from rags to riches in the United States, and many wonder what has happened to the traditional American Dream As the United States competes in a global economy, many workers are losing their old jobs and finding that they and their family members must now work longer hours for less money and fewer benefits When the economy weakens, everyone suffers, and there are greater numbers of the working poor—those who work hard but have low-paying jobs that not provide a decent standard of living and may not provide health insurance and retirement benefits, and many have to rely on some outside assistance Most Americans,however, still believe in the value of hard work Most believe that people should hold jobs and not live off welfare payments from the government There have been many efforts to reform the welfare system so that people would not become dependent on welfare and stop looking for jobs to support themselves Limitations have been put on the number of years a family can remain on welfare, but the system still has many problems One of the most critical problems is the cost of health care in the United States and the fact that many employers no longer offer health insurance to their employees It is often the children who suffer most, particularly in families of the working poor Another issue is government benefits to immigrants and immigrant children; many of these families are living in poverty 11 Three greatest American Presidents and their contributions - Abraham Lincoln: Abraham Lincoln (/ˈlɪŋkən/;[2] February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American statesman and lawyer who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865 Lincoln led the nation through the American Civil War, the country's greatest moral, constitutional, and political crisis He succeeded in preserving the Union, abolishing slavery, bolstering the federal government, and modernizing the U.S economy - Franklin D Roosevelt: Franklin Delano Roosevelt (/ˈroʊzəvəlt/,[1] /-vɛlt/;[2] January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945 A member of the Democratic Party, he won a record four presidential elections and became a central figure in world events during the first half of the 20th century Roosevelt directed the federal government during most of the Great Depression, implementing his New Deal domestic agenda in response to the worst economic crisis in U.S history As a dominant leader of his party, he built the New Deal Coalition, which defined modern liberalism in the United States throughout the middle third of the 20th century His third and fourth terms were dominated by World War II, which ended shortly after he died in office - George Washington: George Washington (February 22, 1732[b] – December 14, 1799) was an American political leader, military general, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797 Previously, he led Patriot forces to victory in the nation's War for Independence He presided at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, which established the U.S Constitution and a federal government Washington has been called the "Father of His Country" for his manifold leadership in the formative days of the new nation 12 Give examples of some successful American businessmen - Mark Zuckerberg, one of the most recognised names in tech, built Facebook into the world’s largest social network Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard in 2004, during his sophomore year, to work on Facebook full-time and remains its CEO to this day He is now worth an estimated $86.3 billion - The billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, dropped out of Harvard to focus on building his company Proving that degrees aren’t always necessary, Bill Gates was consistently named the world’s richest man between 1995 and 2017, when he was overtaken by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos - The billionaire founder of Dell Computers, Michael Dell, started his company from the comfort of his college dorm room at the University of Texas After earning nearly $200,000 in his first year he dropped out aged 19 to work on the business full-time - Steve Jobs is another household name that will always wave the flag for college dropouts The late billionaire co-founder of Apple Inc and Pixar dropped out of Reed College to start Apple after just months – and we don’t need to tell you how well that worked out for him 13 Describe current national American flag - The flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S flag, is the national flag of the United States It consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton (referred to specifically as the "union") bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows, where rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternate with rows of five stars The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 states of the United States of America, and the 13 stripes represent the thirteen British colonies that declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain, and became the first states in the U.S [2] Nicknames for the flag include the Stars and Stripes,[3][4] Old Glory,[5] and the StarSpangled Banner 14 The three main reasons why immigrants have traditionally been drawn to the U.S - The three traditional reasons why immigrants have been drawn here are the desire to have three rights: 1) the chance for individual freedom - The idea of individual freedom stems from the early immigrant experience: the Pilgrims, for example, went to North America to be able to practice their own religion freely (Never mind that they didn’t want others to practice other religions!) Many others followed them to America for related reasons: to escape restrictive societies or persecution, for example, or to be able to own their own land 2) equality of opportunity - The second important reason why immigrants have traditionally been drawn to the United States is the belief that everyone has a chance to succeed here Generations of immigrants, from the earliest settlers to the present day, have come to the United States with this expectation They have felt that because individuals are free from excessive political, religious, and social controls, they have a better chance for personal success Of particular importance is the lack of a hereditary aristocracy 3) material wealth (the American Dream) - The third reason why people came to US, was to become richer In Europe there were limited opportunities to get a a good job and work your way up the ladder In USA the opportunities were without limits Many of them suffered terribly, but most of them were eventually able to improve their standard of living Over time, most Americans became obsess material wealth (materialism) Even though owning a lot of material goods, is a part of the american dream, Americans does not like to be called materialistic To say that a person is materialistic means that they value material possession above everything else