1

The Native Americans and the Immigrants

• American history is closely related to the history of American People and American geography

• Native Americans: Who are they? Where are they from?

• USA is the nation of immigrants. Why?• What do Americans love, hate, want

and believe in?• What ‘s the American charater ? What

features affect their way ?• Why does every American wear a

watch ? (punctuality/ hurry/ time is money)

The Native Americans and the Immigrants:

– The Native Americans living in the north.

– In 1500s, Spain settled in Florida, California, & Southwest & France (The north)

– In 1600s to the birth of the US in 1776, most Immigrants from Europe (majority from England)

• USA is the nation of immigrants. Why?• In 1815, the pop. was 8.4 million;

however, after 100 years later – 35 million immigrants. 1882: 40,000 Chinese; 1900: 30,000 Japanese

2

USA is the nation of immigrants

– The Native Americans and the Immigrants:

• The Native Americans living in the north.

• In 1500s, Spain settled in Florida, California, & Southwest & France (The north)

• In 1600s to the birth of the US in 1776, most Immigrants from Europe (majority from England)

• USA is the nation of immigrants. Why?

• In 1815, the pop. was 8.4 million; however, after 100 years later – 35 million immigrants. 1882: 40,000 Chinese; 1900: 30,000 Japanese

• the American Indians, 10 million Indians populating- the Native Americans, living in America long before the white man.

• the First Native Americans arrived during the last ice-age, approximately 20.000 - 30,000 years ago through the Bering

The name “Indian was first applied to them by Christopher Columbus, (mistakenly)

• the Europeans started to arrive in the l6th- and l7th-century & brought with them diseases that hit the Indians hard).

3

History Immigrants

• the end of the 19th century, It was a massacre in 1890 where Indian warriors, women, and children were slaughtered by U.S. cavalrymen at Wounded Knee, South Dakota.

 • The earliest settlers in America - the

Indians -- migrated from the Orient because of severe climatic changes When glaciers advanced, the sea level blew, and the shallow waters of the Bering Strait became a land corridor which allowed Asians to walk to North America.

• The Pilgrims who landed in Plymouth, MA in 1620 came to America to avoid religious persecution in England and to worship according to their belief. In our time, political persecution has replaced religious persecution as a spur to migration.

• Most 2Oth Century migrations have been caused by tyrannical regimes.

• The Nazis killed millions of Jews and also many others who did flot belong to the so-called “master” race. Those who were lucky escaped to England. France and to North and South America In 1956. Armenia received Hungarian political refugees.

• in the 1970s and 1980s, thousands fled the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia.

• Vietnamese and Cuba People also move for economic reasons. They abandon their homes to avoid starvation or simply to improve their economic status.

• Millions of Irish men and women came to America in the middle of the l9th Century to avoid starvation caused by the potato famine

4

The American charaters 

• ☺ Six basic values :

• * individual freedom• * equality of opportunity• * material wealth• * self-aliance• * competition• * hardwork

• Americans love to try something new newer may be better.

• (punctuality/ hurry/ time is money/ time waits for no one…)

• → save time and handle work efficiently →Americans to buy more machines.

• Materialistic• Straight talks• Pioneering spirits• Desire freedom outside the control from

family.• Loving science and technology• Great consumers• Education• Americans love : comfort, cleanliness, novelty.

5

The American charaters 

• The great American humorist, novelist Mark Twain pointed out the difference between the conservative European and the experimental American :

‘Englishman as a person who does things because they have done before ; and American as a person who does things because they haven’t done before’.

• * USA is not an aristocratic society.• * Equality of opportunity is considered

a basic traditional American value.

• American etiquette :– Not rigid about right or wrong way to

behave . • Ex : Americans become annoyed when a

person pretends to understand but doesn’t really & then creates problems b/c of misunderstanding

if you don’t understand what is said, admit it and ask s/b to repeat or explain.

– Show respect & consideration for others (smile+ thank you + you are welcome!)

• It’s rude to converse with a companion in your native language & leave them standing alone+ feel stupid.

– How to make introductions :• Apology : Pardon me ; excuse me ; I’m

sorry

6

☻ MarriageProverb: “Marriage halves our griefs, double our joys, and quadruples our expenses”

• Contemporary American marriage: husband + wife share financial + domestic responsibilities. (nowadays: annual income at least $40,000)

• Choosing a mate/ a spouse (feeling of love; not arranged by parents)

• How old are they to begin dating? (High school) – blind date?

• Engagement and wedding customs. (groom:26; bride: 24). Some simply go to the City Hall and have a local judge perform the ceremony. (to get a license); medical examinations.

• Divorce and alternative lifestyles Divorce: One of every 4 marriages

ends in divorce. Why? What goes wrong?

☻ Do they consider marriage a casual, unimportant relationships?

No. They expect a great deal from their marriage.

• Some typical Americans think: “ The end one marriage in hope that the next will be happier.”

• Re marriage (reconstituted family) or creation of new ones is very common in USA.

• 4% men & 1.5% women (homosexual) Divorce: whose marriage? Usually

marriages between people with low incomes; limited education or teenagers.

Single parent & Non-traditional families

7

The American life

• ☻The role of the child• “A child-centred culture », parents

are busy earning money → give them more material things to

compensate for the lack of attention.• Children have more freedom (very

young) • Parents want them to have the

development & welfare of them as individuals.

• Children leave home after high school (18 years old)

• Parents (fathers are not rulers of the family), they have social equality between parents & children.

• → Some Americans worry that there is too much democracy in home.

• the Family → the forms of relationships between men and women.

• American families are less stable or lasting.

• Stepfamilies or blended families : complicated & stressful relationships.

• Single parents → 1990s : 1/3 new babies were born to single mothers

• Nowadays, some gays or lesbians have adopting children

• FUN: ( John !quick ! your children and my children are beating up our children)

The role of the Family in society 

8

Family

• « Young children are in daycare centers ; teenagers are often in trouble ; Mothers are at work ; divorced fathers rarely see their children ; widowed grandparents live alone; great grandparents live in nursing houses  »

• Do they care for each other ? Yes, families still give them the most important experiences and values.

• Children : Out-of-wedlock  ; only one-parent

• Many Americans like their independence, enjoy freedom, and do not want to be a burden.

• Most senior citizens choose to move to Sun Belt (S. States) where the climate is milder.

• They live far away ; however, special occasions : birthdays, graduations, marriages, anniversaries, funerals, K-mas ... all re-unite families.

• Who’s the breadwinner ? (in 1940 :15% women working outdoor ; today : 55-60%)

• Who’s in charge ? Americans create : A child-centred culture » so parents spend a great deal of money on the children’s education and hobbies.

• ☻ In sum, family is the best place for children to learn moral values & a sense of responsibility.

9

Where do they live ? What to eat?

– Urban, rural, or suburb…offer advantages of living.

– 2/3 of Americans live in homes/ apartments. But many rent their living quarters.(condos – coops)

– 10 million Americans live mobile homes.

– Americans often live different places in 5-6 years. Why? new job opportunities, pioneering spirit and adventure inspire the move.

Luncheon; brunch; hot dog; cafeteria; barbecue; …

• American flavours: pizza, hamburger, sandwich, roast turkey, French fries, hot dog; ketchup, chicken, sweet sauce, macaroni and cheese and coca/ soda…barbecue

– Having three square meals a day. But most add snacks (quality and quantity)

– Many fast food restaurants: Mc Donalk, KFC…

– The biggest meal of a day: “dinner”

– Doggie bags; take-away-meals;

• Food & drinks: Beer, Soda pop and tonic water Sangria (homemade or already made) Lemonade Iced Tea (sun tea or traditional teabags)

10

Shopping

• Black Friday is the Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the United States often regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shoppingseason,

• similar to Boxing Day sales in many Commonwealth nations. In Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and some states of Australia, Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday,

• Wearing

• People in America wear all kinds of clothes depending on their personal trends, beliefs, backgrounds, or the trends of their peers

• For casualty, blue jeans and neat shirts are worn throughout the America by people in all walks of life.

• On normal days, they both wear shirts or sweaters and jeans or

shorts. 

11

Religious• Are they religious ? Most Americans

think religion very important.(65%)• Freedom of religion in the USA• The belief that individual/ not

organized church/ should be the center of religious life.

• Christianity; Roman catholic; protestant; Jewish; or Atheists

• On the US currency: “In God We Trust.”

• One nation under God.– Protestants: from Europe and

England ( they took away from Catholic)

– Roman catholic, Christians: North USA

– Hindu, Confucianism, Buddhism: from Asia

– Religion provides a personal identity, social contacts, and important rituals.

• (the customs and ceremonies that mark life’s most events: birth, marriage, death)

• Americans believe life after death. Recent survey: 95% of Americans believe in God; 2% never pray.

• Science explained mysteries. • religious people say that one cannot

blame God for the sins committed by people.

• Most believe the afterlife (they never believe in waiting for God to do the job).

For them, faith in God lives side by side with a strong belief in free will & an admiration for self-reliance.

• Americans do not believe in simply accepting misfortune and calling it God’s will.

 →Americans believe that religious freedom must be protected, they have the right to practice his/her religion without the interference by the Government or anyone else.

12

New Year’s Day January 1

Martin Luther King Day third Monday in January

Presidents’ Day third Monday in February

Memorial Day last Monday in May

Independence Day July 4

Labor Day first Monday in Sept.

Columbus Day second Monday in Oct.

Veterans’ Day second Monday in Nov.

Thanksgiving Day fourth Thursday in Nov.

Christmas Day December 25

13

Public holidays

• 1. New Year’s Day: 1st Jan.New Years Eve and New Years Day: New Years Resolutions

• 2. Thanks Giving Day: Thanksgiving dinner almost always includes some of the foods served at the first feast: roast turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, pumpkin pie (the 4th Thursday of November)

• 3. Christmas Day Thanksgiving & Christmas: Christmas shopping is a major activity of many Americans in the month of December.

• 4. Independence Day the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The day of picnics and patriotic parades, a night of concerts and fireworks

14

Other American holidays

1. Easter Day - March 22 and April 25. Children receive Easter baskets filled with candy Easter eggs, chocolate bunnies and jelly beans.

2. Martin Luther King Day (January 15)

3. Presidents’ Day: Presidents’ Day, the third Monday in February.

– the February 22 birthday of George Washington.

– In addition, the February 12 birthday of Abraham Lincoln.

4. Memorial Day: the fourth Monday of every May

5. Labor Day: first Monday of September

6. Columbus Day: the second Monday in October.

7. Veterans’ Day: November 11,

• Other Celebrations

• Valentine’s Day: February 14,

• Flag Day on June 14, 1777.

• Mother's Day : Second Sunday in May

• Father's Day : the third Sunday of June.