culture
What is culture? ''Culture is a learned system of knowledge, behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, values, and norms that is shared by a group of people.'' (CDC. 2010. par 1.) Nowadays, in the United-States the culture is influenced by the diversity of the population that immigrated to the country. What forms the American culture is the influence of other cultures that were brought by its citizens. Originally, the American culture starts by the Western traditions and also with the Native nations, since when the European came to explore America; those nations were already settled on the territory. Throughout the time, there is many other ethnicities that immigrated in the United-States that marked fundamentally the American culture such as the African American culture, the Latin American culture and the Asian American culture. Basically, almost every region of the globe has influenced in a certain way the American culture, since it is a country that was formed by immigrants in search of a better life.
The United-States are described as a ''melting pot'', because different cultures have contributed to create what we can now call the American culture. All of these different cultures added ''flavors'' and new ''colors''. Even if it's mostly cultures from elsewhere that influenced what we can call nowadays the American culture, today American culture influences the whole world, what we can also call the Americanization of the world. (Zimmermann, K-A.2012. par 2.)
The United-States are described as a ''melting pot'', because different cultures have contributed to create what we can now call the American culture. All of these different cultures added ''flavors'' and new ''colors''. Even if it's mostly cultures from elsewhere that influenced what we can call nowadays the American culture, today American culture influences the whole world, what we can also call the Americanization of the world. (Zimmermann, K-A.2012. par 2.)
Western culture
The term Western culture refers mainly to the European countries. It is used to describe the heritage of traditional customs, political systems (democracy), social norms, beliefs and values that are associated with Europe. Western culture is used to explain the roots of countries such as the United-States whose history is fundamentally marked and influenced by European, since the British established colonies in North America. Western culture is characterized by many movements of arts, literature, thinking (philosophy) and traditions that shaped it. Christianity as also played a major role in the Western civilization. (Zummermann, K-A. 2012. par 2-3.)
African american culture
The
African American Culture refers to the legacy of the slavery in the
United-States. This culture finds is roots in Africa, since significant part of
the African American population was brought to America to do forced work. On
the 18th of December 1865, a 14th amendment is added to the American
Constitution that would give the right to vote to the African American
population and they also become equal to the white population inside the law. (Heredote.
2013. Par 10.)
hispanic and latino culture
The Hispanic and Latino culture refers to the Spanish-speaking nations, especially to the people that are from countries that are south to the United-States, such as Mexico, Cuba and Puerto Rico (that nowadays belongs to the United-States). Most of them share the same religion, they are Christian-catholic, and they share the same roots which are from the colonisation of South America by the Spanish and Portuguese. There is also another division that can be made which is the Spanish American culture that represents the people that identify themselves more as from Spanish roots (Spain). (CDC. 2010. par 2.)
Asian American culture
Asian American culture or eastern culture refers to the people that from the countries in the Far East Asia such as China, Japan, Korea, India and Vietnam. The Asian culture just as the Western culture was highly influenced by the religion during the early development of it. Asian Americans have become the fastest growing racial group in the United-States. Asian Americans were more than 12.5 million in 2001, and represented approximately 30 different ethnical group and nationalities. (Kiang, P. 2002. par 5.)
Native american culture
The Native American culture refers to the first nations that were established in America before the European explorations. There were different tribes that lived on the territory of the United-States, such as the Native Hawaiians and Alaskan Natives. The ancestors the first nations are originally from Asia. They came to the territory that is now Alaska more than 12, 000 years ago. Among all people that lived in America by the time there was the European explorations, at least 10 million people lived on the territory that is now the United-States. (history.com. 2014. par 1.)