Pre-Colonial (before 1607)
More than 20,000 years ago, a group of wanderers from Asia traveled through North America to Central and South America, and these people were the ancestors of the Indians. When Columbus discovered the New World, there were about 20 million Indians living in the Americas, about 1 million of them in what is now Canada and the north-central United States, and the majority of the rest in what is now Mexico and the southern United States. About 10,000 years ago, another group of Asians, migrated to the northern part of North America, this is the later Eskimos. The first white people to come to the Americas were probably the Vikings, a group of adventurous fishermen who are thought to have traveled to the east coast of North America about 1,000 years ago. Colonial Period (1607-1753) In 1607, a group of about 100 colonists founded James Town on Kissapick Beach, the first permanent British colony in North America. Over the next 150 years, a large number of colonists, mostly from England, but also from France, Germany, Holland, Ireland and other countries, came to settle along the coast. In the middle of the 18th century, 13 British colonies were formed, with their own governments and parliaments under British sovereignty. These 13 colonies were characterized by differences in climate and geography, which resulted in differences in economic patterns, political systems and attitudes.
Independence Movement (1754-1783)
By the middle of the 18th century, a rift had developed between the British colonies in America and Britain. The expansion of the colonies led to a certain self-awareness of the persecution of the British, and the idea of independence. In 1774, delegates from 12 states gathered in Philadelphia for the so-called First Continental Congress, hoping to find a reasonable way to settle the issue peacefully with Britain, but the king insisted that the colonies had to submit unconditionally to the king and be disciplined. In 1775, the war was ignited in Massachusetts, and in May, the Second Continental Congress was convened, which strengthened the determination for war and independence, and issued the famous Declaration of Independence, which gave a good reason for the war, and which was the key to the final victory. In 1781, the U.S. Army won a decisive victory, and in 1783, the U.S. and Britain signed the Treaty of Paris, ending the War of Independence.
Formation of a new government (1784-1819)
The success of the Revolution gave the American people the opportunity to express their political ideas in the form of legislation. In 1787, a federal convention was held in Philadelphia, in which Washington was elected president, and they adopted the principle that the powers of the central government were general, but must be carefully defined and stated, and they also accepted the fact that a national government must have the power to tax, coin money, regulate commerce, declare war, and conclude treaties. In addition, in order to prevent the central government from becoming too powerful, they adopted Montesquieu's doctrine of equalization of powers, i.e., three branches of government with equal cooperation and checks and balances, i.e., the three powers of the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary were to be reconciled with each other, and the checks and balances were to be maintained so that none of them would dominate the other.
Westward Expansion (1820-1849)
Early in the 19th century, thousands of people moved westward across the Appalachian Mountains, some of the pioneers moving to the U.S. border, and even into the Mexican territories and into Oregon, between Alaska and California. The pioneers were brave and diligent in their search for a better life westward.
North-South Conflict (1850-1869)
The causes of the Civil War were not only economic, political, and military, but also ideological. The Civil War exposed America's weaknesses. It tested the very existence of this country. It was only after this test that the United States was on the road to becoming a centralized, modern nation. The economic and political conflict between the North and the South over the slave issue, where the South's main approach to national politics was to protect and expand the interests represented by the "Cotton and Slave" system, and the Northern states, which were primarily centers of manufacturing, commerce, and finance, and which did not need to depend on slaves for their production, was a longstanding one. In the early 1860s, eleven Southern states seceded from the Union and formed a new government, while the North said it would pay any price for unity. In 1861, the Civil War broke out, a bloody American face-to-face battle that lasted four years, devastating the South and leaving deep scars. In 1865, the North was victorious, a victory that not only restored American unity, but also meant that slavery was never again practiced in any part of the country.
Industrialization and Reform (1870-1929)
Industrialization began in the United States in the early 19th century and matured after the Civil War. In the less than 50 years between the Civil War and World War I, she went from a rural **** and country to an urbanized one. Machines replaced manual labor, and products proliferated. A national railroad network improved the flow of goods. Many new inventions were introduced in response to popular demand. The banking sector provided loans, which contributed to the expansion of industrial and commercial operations. The 30-year period from 1890 to 1917 is known as the "Progressive Era." In 1914, a world war broke out, and in 1917, the United States was finally caught up in the maelstrom of the Great War and attempted to take on a new role in the world. In
World War II (1930-1959)
The Great Economic Panic, which affected not only the United States, but also the rest of the world, left millions of workers unemployed, farmers forced to give up their farmland, factories and stores closed, and banks collapsed, creating a depression. In 1932, Roosevelt was elected president, he advocated that the government should take action to end the economic panic, although the new government solved many difficulties, but the U.S. economy still until the Second World War, only to wake up. After the Second World War, the United States and the Soviet Union, relations deteriorated, respectively, in the military, political, economic, propaganda, intensified preparations, as in wartime, this state of affairs, known as the "Cold War".
In the mid-1970s, the economy recovered for a time, but by the end of the 1970s, inflation had returned. In 1976, the bicentennial of the founding of the United States was celebrated nationally. April 12, 1981, the United States successfully launched the "Columbia" space shuttle, bringing mankind into another new era of space. In 1985, Reagan was reelected president, and the United States was about to begin a new chapter in the ever-changing history of human development.
Culture
Language
While the United States does not have an official language, English is the de facto national language. According to 2003 statistics, approximately 214.8 million (81.6%) of the population over the age of five speak only English at home. English is the most common language of communication, and a certain level of command of English is one of the requirements for immigrant naturalization. Some Americans have called for English to be elevated to the status of an official language, and 27 states have passed local laws to ensure English's official status; three states recognize other languages as having parallel status to English: French in Louisiana, Hawaiian in Hawaii, and Spanish in New Mexico. In addition to English, languages with more than 1 million speakers include Spanish (29.7 million), Chinese (2.2 million), French (1.4 million), Tagalog (1.3 million), Vietnamese (1.1 million), and German (1.1 million). In addition to these major languages, 336 other languages are spoken in the U.S., 176 of which are native to the region.
Education
In the United States, the administration of education is the responsibility of state or local governments, not the federal government. However, the federal government's Department of Education can exert a degree of influence by controlling education funds. Students are legally obligated to attend public schools from kindergarten through grade 12; usually, graduation is at age 18, but many states allow students over age 16 to leave school. In addition to attending public schools, parents can choose to homeschool their children or send them to parochial or private schools. After high school, students have the option of attending a public or private college. Public colleges receive funding from the federal or state government, as well as from other sources, but most students still have to repay student loans after graduation. Tuition at private universities is usually higher than at public universities. Many students will enter the workforce or military to earn tuition before enrolling in colleges and universities, and the U.S. military and many private companies subsidize higher education tuition for staff.
The average level of education in the United States is so high that the United Nations' Economic Indicators Survey ranks the U.S. as number one in the world. There are currently 76.6 million Americans in education (from kindergarten through college). Many institutions of higher learning in the United States are also very competitive, both public and private. The U.S. accounts for 168 of the world's top 500 universities and 17 of the top 20. There are about 3,600 colleges and universities across the United States, so the ones that manage to squeeze into the top 50 in the national college rankings are the prestigious ones. And the most famous six (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, and Stanford University), because they are not only the most difficult to apply for, and in each of the national or world university rankings can be into the top 10; more than 80% of the U.S. Nobel Prize winners have been in one of the six major universities to study or work. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is known as "the world's best technical university", and Harvard University is recognized as the best in the United States in the fields of literature, history and medicine.
Religion
The U.S. government does not keep an official registry of Americans' religious beliefs, but a 2001 survey of private citizens showed that 76.7% of American adults identified themselves as Christians, 52% identified themselves as belonging to a specific Protestant denomination, and 24.5% as Catholics, even though there are fewer, such as Judaism (1.4%) and Mormonism (1.3%), Judaism (1.4%), Mormonism (1.3%), and a variety of other religions have had a profound impact on American culture. However, 14.2 percent of those surveyed identified themselves as having no particular religious affiliation.
The U.S. has one of the most religious climates of any developed country, with a 2004 Gallup poll showing that some 41 percent of Americans attend religious services at least once a week (a rate several times higher than in European countries: 15 percent in France, 7 percent in the U.K., and 25 percent in Israel). The national distribution is very different, though. For example, people attend religious services more in the South and the Bible Belt of the Midwest and less in the Northeast and the West Coast. In the Southern states, Baptists are the largest denomination, followed by Methodists, while Catholicism is dominant in the Northeast and a large swath of the Midwest, where much of the population is descended from immigrants from Catholic regions of Europe (such as Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Poland) or from immigrants from other parts of North America (such as Quebec and Puerto Rico). Much of the rest of the U.S. Christian population is a mix of many denominations. Although most American Christians adhere to Protestant Christianity, because Protestants tend to belong to a variety of different denominations, the Catholic Church has the largest number of members.
The United States guarantees the right to freedom of religion, and the government has a system of separation of church and state that does not support or oppose any one religion. But religion is quite active in American politics. Most U.S. presidents have professed to be Protestant Christians, and only a few presidents in the early years of the nation were natural theists, and one other was a Catholic.
Health
The United States has some of the most advanced medical and health care technology in the world, with large numbers of people from many different countries traveling to the United States each year to receive better medical care, and countless medical technologies and innovations invented in the United States. But the U.S. also faces a number of public **** health problems: more than a quarter of the population is obese, smoking is a problem, and AIDS is a concern.
Unlike other Western countries, the U.S. government does not have a system of universal health care because it believes that the individual (not society) should take responsibility for itself. Health insurance is provided through private contracts, and for those who cannot afford it, the federal government funds and the state-run Medicaid[3] program allows them to have access to basic health care, but many still do not have access to comprehensive health care. Private charities and insurance companies play an important role in health care spending. Health insurance is part of employee benefits in the United States and is legally mandated in many cases. Also, hospitals are required to provide emergency care regardless of the patient's ability to pay. The cost of medicine is the biggest contributor to personal bankruptcy in the United States. On the other hand, the country invests huge amounts of money in research at federal agencies like the National Institutes of Health.
Music
The sheer variety and style of music in the United States is a reflection of the cultural potpourri that characterizes the country. World-famous musical genres such as rock and roll, rhythm and blues, jazz and country music all originated in the United States. At the beginning of the 20th century, recorded pop music from the U.S. was gradually spread around the world, and some U.S. pop music can be heard almost everywhere in the world.
The history of American music can be traced back to the traditional religious music of the early Native Americans, with the arrival of large numbers of immigrants from European countries adding Christian choral and musical scores to American music. Each subsequent wave of immigrants brought music from different regions, cultures and specialties. Large numbers of African Americans also brought traditional music with African characteristics, and much of the American popular music that began to emerge in the late 1800s was derived from the blues of these African Americans, as well as the gospel music that began to develop in the 1920s. African American music became the roots of American popular music, mixing European and indigenous musical components. The United States also has a large amount of folk music as well as music from immigrants such as Ukrainian, Irish, Scottish, Polish, Mexican, and Jewish. Many American cities and towns have also developed independent regional music. Large cities such as Detroit, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, as well as countless smaller cities, have developed their own musical styles.
Literature
As in all other countries, American literature has been shaped by its unique history of development. In its early years, the United States was formed by a series of British colonies on the East Coast, and thus the tradition of American literature is more closely related to that of English literature. However, as history has progressed and as waves of immigration have continued, the character and breadth of American literature has expanded beyond that of English literature.
In the earliest colonial period, American literature was dominated by themes that celebrated the benefits of the New World for both the colonists and the European mother country. Religious controversy was also a subject. With the outbreak of the Revolutionary War and the independence of the United States, the political writings of men such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine had a great literary and political impact and spawned a sense of independence for the new nation. Thomas Jefferson, who wrote the Declaration of Independence and later became President of the United States, is also considered one of the most gifted writers of early America. With the War of 1812 and the desire for an independent literary identity, more new, distinctly American writers such as Edgar Allan Poe emerged. The conflict over slavery and the ensuing Civil War also had a profound effect on American literature. By the end of the 19th century, as a result of industrialization and the end of the pioneering period, American literature had moved away from its original frontier literature, and Mark Twain became the first major writer not born on the East Coast to pioneer Native American literature. British writer Maugham considered Herman Melville's Moby-Dick one of the world's top ten literary masterpieces, placing it even higher than the likes of Mark Twain.
Entering the twentieth century, the social transformations brought about by industrialization led to the development of a more diverse and complex American literature. Ernest Hemingway reflected people's disgust with World War I. In 1925, Fitzgerald published A Little Biography of a Tycoon, which represented the American dream of the 1920s before the Great Depression. Black literature, Southern literature, and modern literature also emerged during the same period. After World War II, when new generations, and new racial, regional, and social identities emerged that were very different from those of previous generations, a great deal of immigrant literature and an emerging feminist literature became part of American literature.
Film, Television, and Theater
Not all American culture has its origins in other countries, and the birth and development of the motion picture is American in origin. British-born American cinematographer Eadweard Muybridge made the first movie of a running horse. Since then, the film industry in the United States has begun to develop at a rapid pace, and Hollywood, California has become a major town for the development of human cinema. Most of the innovations and developments in film technology originated in Hollywood, and Hollywood films have become one of the main representatives of American culture. In the 1920s, the United States produced an average of 800 regular films a year, and Charlie Chaplin's comedies, Gone with the Wind, based on the novel Gone with the Wind, and Superman spread to almost every continent and country, becoming household names and symbols of the United States. The export of these movies also made huge economic profits for the United States. In addition to movies, the cartoon technology pioneered by Disney also originated in the United States.
The United States was also one of the first countries in the world to develop and popularize television technology. Today, there are thousands of television stations in the U.S. Television is a part of American culture and life, and the love of television is one of the few ****ing characteristics of most Americans. The American people use television to learn about current events at home and abroad, and to watch movies, games, cartoons, and soap operas. 99% of American households have at least one television set, and the vast majority of households also have two.
The American Dream
The so-called American Dream is the belief that a better life can be achieved through hard work in the United States, that is, that people must work hard, have courage, be creative, and be determined to prosper, rather than relying on a particular social class and the assistance of others. Often this represents economic success or an entrepreneurial spirit. Many European immigrants traveled to the United States with the ideals of the American Dream in mind. Although some have criticized the American Dream for overemphasizing the role of material wealth as a measure of triumph and happiness, many Americans do believe that this opportunity for success is not found or present in other countries of the world. Because, unlike most other countries, there is considerable economic freedom in the United States and a limited role for government, this makes the United States a socially mobile society in which anyone can work their way to the top. From the time of America's independence until the end of the 19th century, vast tracts of land were uninhabited and unowned, and could be occupied, invested in, and reclaimed by anyone who wished to do so. By the time of the Industrial Revolution, America's vast natural resources and advanced industrial technology made rapid social mobility possible, and this trend continues to grow every day.
According to historians, America's rapid economic development and industrial expansion was not only due to the abundance of natural resources in the United States, but also to the fact that all people had the opportunity to acquire wealth through their own endeavors. The American dream has been the main attraction for people from all over the world to immigrate to the United States - past and present. Today, more than a million people become legal U.S. citizens each year, making it the most popular country in the world.
Overview of U.S. Education and Culture
Education in the United States is an important part of American society and culture. American education is shaped by its understanding of a certain social culture, which in turn contributes to the formation and development of that social culture. Americans believe that society requires a high degree of participation by people from all walks of life, and that people can better understand and participate in society only if they are well educated. In other words, people must be well educated in order to develop their vocational skills and to take responsibility in social life and work.
In the United States, it is generally recognized that everyone has a right and a duty to be educated. Each state has laws that make school attendance mandatory. All children up to the age of 16, unless they have a severe disability, must be in school. Eighty percent of children in the United States have access to secondary education, and 50 percent of high school graduates are able to enroll in institutions of higher education.
Some schools in the United States are public. Public schools are supported by local finances and run by local officials. Private schools generally charge fees and are not directly managed by the community. There are two types of private schools: religious schools and non-religious schools.
Religious schools are supported by religious organizations and make up the majority of private schools. Non-religious private schools are mainly secondary schools or colleges.
Public schools are responsible for educating 88% of American children. Public schools in the United States are characterized by four features: local governance, freedom from religious influence, coeducation, and financial support. Each state elects or appoints a state board of education, which is responsible for formulating guidelines and policies on education. Religious programs are not taught in public schools. Since U.S. public schools are not affiliated with any religious denomination, children of all religious beliefs attend classes together. This non-religious public education has allowed people with different backgrounds to form a ****same culture.
In order to favorably prepare students for future work and life, schools in the United States prioritize the practicality of teaching. According to Dewey's philosophy, the most useful knowledge is that which can be applied. This viewpoint has y influenced American educators. They do not want to teach useless things that will soon be forgotten; they want to develop ideas and skills that will create useful, responsible, and happy people.
All types of education in the United States place a high value on student participation. Discussion and questions are encouraged at all times during class. The level of classroom participation is included in the end-of-term grade. In the classroom, teachers not only provide students with food-knowledge, but also teach them the skills they need to learn how to get food on their own through practical exercises. Students have ample time to organize their own extracurricular activities.
The United States has long led the world in higher education, at least in terms of numbers: in 1825 there were still only two universities in Britain - Oxford and Cambridge - yet at this time the United States had more than 50 colleges, despite its small population. Now there are more than 2,000 universities, colleges, or other similar educational institutions, large or small, public or private, known or unknown, in the United States, in addition to junior colleges, teachers' colleges, and a few special schools. Higher education in the United States is still growing at a rapid rate and has long since far surpassed that of Europe.
The earliest universities were established by private philanthropic institutions, mostly religious. Harvard, Yale, and Princeton are all private universities. Every state has at least one university within its borders, and larger states have dozens of campuses. Some state universities are comprehensive and can offer all types of education, but there are also some highly specialized colleges, such as colleges of agriculture. Recently some such colleges have been converted to comprehensive universities. Each state university offers educational opportunities to residents of the state free of charge or for a low fee, but of course the cost of books and living expenses are paid for during the course of study. Some universities are supported by larger towns and cities, and some formerly private universities are now partially or wholly supported by towns and cities. Larger private universities have many advantages - a long tradition of history and a long standing reputation. They continue to raise huge amounts of money through alumni associations.
Tipping and etiquette
About tipping
It is customary to tip after receiving service in the United States. It may not be customary for Chinese people. In West Coast cities, many put the tip on the bill. Tipping is a reward for labor, and there are a lot of people who do this for a living, so it's important to tip.
Open-door attendants, airport porters
$1-2 per piece of luggage, and when it rains hard to get a cab, tip $1 when you get one
Restaurant dining
Fifteen to 20 percent of the purchase price is an appropriate amount to tip after the meal, but it can be reduced when the restaurant is charging a service fee. Also, give the bartender $1 per drink at the bar.
Taxis
Tip 15% of the total amount. Give at least $1. Increase accordingly for large numbers of people or luggage.
Airport minibuses
Groups of $1 to $3 are available, but buses that follow a specific route are exempt from tipping.
Hotel baggage handlers
A piece of luggage $ 1.
Gatekeepers
If it is a simple question do not tip, but if you ask him to help you buy a more difficult to buy a ticket, then according to the degree of difficulty of the tip $ 10, 20, 30
Cleaning people
If it is to call the person who came is generally the cost of services
Sightseeing buses
Large sightseeing buses for 1-day tours or special tours $1-2, minivans for 1-day tours $5
Basic etiquette
The U.S. is a multiracial country with many differences in customs, religions, and cultures. Therefore, you need to be more careful when you come into contact with people. At the same time, observing public **** etiquette is a must. A little carelessness might lead to litigation. This is American society.
Say "Sorry" or "Pardon" when you bump into someone
Say "Excuse me" when you give someone trouble or ask them to get out of the way. "
Wait in line at the post office and public **** places. Except for supermarkets though.
Smoking is generally prohibited in public **** places. If you want to smoke, don't forget to ask the people around you, "May I smoke? When riding in elevators, etc., let women, especially older women, go first.
Give your seat to the elderly and pregnant women!
Don't close the door when the toilet is not in use in a private house
No matter what the occasion, say "Hi" or "Good Morning"
When you are in a bar or other place where drinking is permitted, carry identification. Carry identification, and in almost all states the drinking age is 21 or older
Drinking must be done in restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and other places where alcohol is permitted. Drinking in parks or while walking is strictly prohibited
Smoking is prohibited in the U.S., except in accustomed smoking areas and while walking
In the U.S., some restaurants are very strict about dress code and casual wear is not allowed, especially in high end restaurants, so it is a good idea to check the dress code when you make reservations
In the U.S., some restaurants are very strict about dress code, and some restaurants are very strict about dress code.