美国文化American culture的课件

TheAmericanCulture

OutlineReviewaboutlastclassBriefHistoryofUSCharacterofAmericansThinkaboutAmericanpopulation:RaceandethnicityAmericanflagFivesymbolsofAmericancultureListsomemajorcitiesDemographicinformation美利坚合众国(UnitedStatesofAmerica)从大西洋到太平洋，几乎横跨整个北美洲大陆，仅次于俄罗斯、加拿大和中华人民共和国，排名第四。310millionpeopleasofOctober2010,andisprojectedtoreach400millionby2039and439millionin2050U.S.CensusBureau

PopulationprojectionsRace/ethnicity20102050Whites79.5%74.0%Non-HispanicWhites64.7%46.3%85%/1960Hispanics/Latinos(ofanyrace)16.0%30.2%AfricanAmericans12.9%13.0%AsianAmericans4.6%7.8%FlagStars=the50StatesStripes=the13coloniesFivefamoussymbolsofAmericancultureAmericanhistoryWhofoundNorthAmerica?When?OtherimportanteventsinAmericanhistory?NamesofsomeAmericanpresidents?ChristopherColumbus

(c.31October1451–20May1506)wasanavigator,colonizer,andexplorerHeinitiatedtheprocessofSpanishcolonizationwhichforeshadowedgeneralEuropeancolonizationofthe"NewWorld".ColonialperiodAfteraperiodofexplorationbypeoplefromvariousEuropeancountries,Spanish,Dutch,English,French,Swedish,andPortuguesesettlementswereestablished.TheAmericanRevolutionaryWar(1775–1783)orAmericanWarofIndependence

TheDeclarationofIndependence

INCONGRESS,JULY4,1776

THEUNANIMOUSDECLARATIONOFTHETHIRTEENUNITEDSTATESOFAMERAICAWeholdthesetruthstobeself-evident,thatallmenarecreatedequal,thattheyareendowedbytheirCreatorwithcertainunalienableRights,thatamongtheseareLife,LibertyandthepursuitofHappiness.我们认为下述真理是不言而喻的：人人生而平等，造物主赋予他们若干不可让与的权利，其中包括生存权、自由权和追求幸福的权利。Thattosecuretheserights,governmentsareinstitutedamongthem,derivingtheirjustpowerfromtheconsentofthegoverned.Thatwheneveranyformofgovernmentbecomesdestructiveoftheseends,itistherightofthepeopletoalterortoabolishit,andtoinstitutenewgovernment,layingitsfoundationonsuchprinciplesandorganizingitspowersinsuchform,astothemshallseemmostlikelytoeffecttheirsafetyandhappiness.为了保障这些权利，人们才在他们中间建立政府，而政府的正当权利，则是经被统治者同意授予的。任何形式的政府一旦对这些目标的实现起破坏作用时，人民便有权予以更换或废除，以建立一个新的政府。新政府所依据的原则和组织其权利的方式，务使人民认为唯有这样才最有可能使他们获得安全和幸福。乔治·华盛

GeorgeWashington(1789—1797)

JohnAdams1797－1801约翰·亚当斯（1735年10月30日－1826年7月4日）是美国第一任副总统（1789年－1797年），其后接替华盛顿成为美国第二任总统。亚当斯亦是独立宣言签署者之一，被美国人视为其中一位开国元勋。他的长子约翰·昆西·亚当斯后当选为美国第六任总统。AmericanCivilWarTheAmericanCivilWar(1861–1865),alsoknownastheWarBetweentheStatesElevenSouthernslavestatesformedtheConfederateStatesofAmerica,alsoknownas"theConfederacy."LedbyJeffersonDavis,theConfederacyfoughtagainsttheUnitedStates(theUnion)GonewiththewindGettysburgAddress

byAbrahamLincoln,Nov.19,1863Fourscoreandsevenyearsagoourfathersbroughtforthonthiscontinentanewnation,conceivedinlibertyanddedicatedtothepropositionthatallmenarecreatedequal.Nowweareengagedinagreatcivilwar,testingwhetherthatnationoranynationsoconceivedandsodedicatedcanlongendure.Wearemetonagreatbattlefieldofthatwar.…MartinLutherKing,Jr.(January15,1929–April4,1968)

CivilrightsmovementAugust28,1963MartinLutherKing:Ihaveadream"Ihaveadreamthatonedaythisnationwillriseupandliveoutthetruemeaningofitscreed:'Weholdthesetruthstobeself-evident,thatallmenarecreatedequal.'""Ihaveadreamthatmyfourlittlechildrenwillonedayliveinanationwheretheywillnotbejudgedbythecoloroftheirskin,butbythecontentoftheircharacter.""IhaveadreamthatonedayontheredhillsofGeorgiathesonsofformerslavesandthesonsofformerslaveownerswillbeabletositdowntogetheratatableofbrotherhood."WorldWarIand1920sIndustrializationJointheWWIin19171920businessboomHenryFord1929economiccrisisGreatDepressionandWorldWarIINewDeal

富兰克林·罗斯福

FranklinD.Roosevelt(1933—1945)ColdWarTheColdWarprimarilybetweentheUSAandtheUSSRafterWorldWarTwo.manymajorcrisesoccurred-theCubanMissileCrisis,Vietnam,HungaryandtheBerlinWallbeingjustsome.约翰·F·肯尼迪JohnF.Kennedy(1961—1963)ColdWarRichardMNixonRonaldReaganRecentpresidentsPresidentBarackObama'sInauguralAddressWeremainayoungnation.

ButinthewordsofScripture,thetimehascometosetasidechildishthings.

Thetimehascometoreaffirmourenduringspirit;tochooseourbetterhistory;tocarryforwardthatpreciousgift,thatnobleideapassedonfromgenerationtogeneration:

theGod-givenpromisethatallareequal,allarefree,andalldeserveachancetopursuetheirfullmeasureofhappiness.TheAmericanDreamLandofopportunity(1)individualfreedomofchoiceinlifestyles(2)equalaccesstoeconomicabundance(3)thepursuitofsharedobjectivesmutuallyadvantageoustotheindividualandsocietyCharacterofAmericansWhatcomestoyourmind?个人主义(individualism)个人主义是美国文化的核心。个人隐私(privacy)个人进步“独立”与“合作”

independenceandcollaboration

美国人有强烈的自我意识和独立意识.

但美国人又十分重视合作精神，他们遵循“少数服从多数”的原则.数字与价值

numbersandvalue美国文明中，物质文明占很大的比重。美国人倾向于以数量来评价几乎所有一切事物。

务实

bepractical,downtoearth美国人思想观念中的数量观念很大程度上反映了他们的务实精神。

“金钱”与“精神”

money

andspirit

在美国，金钱是衡量一个人成功与否的重要尺度，但美国也并不是“一切向钱看”的社会，绝大多数的美国人信奉宗教，以基督教(Christianity)为主。宽容性

tolerance美国是个移民之国美国人的文化习俗中形成了较高程度的宽容性（tolerance），对异质文化和不同评议持容忍、可接受的态度。“多民族融合”与“种族歧视”

meltingpotandracialdiscrimination美国是一个多民族的大熔炉(meltingpot)//saladbowl

但是隐形的种族歧视依然存在。批判精神

becritical对权威质疑，挑战。

爱搞实验

experimental美利坚民族性格中，爱搞实验是她的一个重要特点。美国都被看作是“机遇之地”（landofopportunity），因而可以在那里展开实验从深层意义上讲，美国人爱搞实验的秉性和由之衍生的开拓精神都源于美国人的乐观主义思想。美利坚民族性格中滋生出了强烈的事业开拓精神。美国人乐意向新事物进行挑战。他们厌恶因袭守旧的观念，标新立异

daretobedifferent美国人可能是世界上最热衷于、也善于标新立异的民族。

GodwasleftoutoftheConstitutionbutwasfurnishedafrontseatonthecoinsofthecountry.

－Americanhumor

宗教与信仰

religionandbeliefquestionsWhatdoyouknowaboutreligionintheUnitedStates?DomanyAmericansbelieveinGod?WhatreligionismostpopularintheUnitedStates?DoAmericanshaveanationalreligion?HowhasreligionshapedAmericanvalues?WhatarethemainreligiousproblemsinAmericanlife?WhataresomeofthemajorreligiousbodiesandtheircharacteristicsintheUnitedStates?Muslim 穆斯林教Taoism 道教Confucianism儒教Shintoism 神道教HowreligiousareAmericans?93%ofAmericanssaytheybelieveinGod87%ofAmericansareChristians46%attendchurcheveryweekoralmosteveryweek63%thinkthatreligioncananswerallormostoftoday’sproblems68%claimthattheyareamemberofalocalchurch7%saytheyhavenoreligiouspreferenceorbeliefsThereasonsforAmericanstobesoreligiousReligioninAmericahasneverbeenidentifiedwithanoppressiveordominantsocialclassorsetofpoliticalinstitutions.Mostpeoplewanttoidentifythemselveswithdominantvalues,andgoingfreelytothechurchofone’schoiceisawayofdoingso,andofgainingacceptanceinthefaceofasubtledemandforconformity.Thechurchisaplacewherepeoplecanmeetotherswithwhomtheywouldliketomakefriends.ReligiouspreferenceintheU.S.Protestant 新教59%Catholic 天主教27%Judaism 犹太教2%EasternOrthodox东正教1%Other4%None7%TenrecognizablegroupofdenominationsRomanCatholic 罗马天主教EasternOrthodox 东正教LiberalProtestant 自由新教ConservativeEvangelical 保守新教Holiness 教皇教Pentecostal-Charismatic 五旬节教派Judaism 犹太教Islam 伊斯兰教BuddhismandHinduism 佛教，印度教NativeAmericanReligions 土著美国宗教Factorsintheshaping

ofAmericanreligiouspatternsImmigration 移民Proselytism 宗教劝诱Denominationalism 宗派主义Religiousfreedom 宗教自由TheProtestantHeritage:

Self-Improvement

AlloftheProtestantdenominationsshareacommonheritagethathasbeenapowerfulforceinshapingthevaluesandbeliefsofAmericans.OneofthemostimportantvaluesassociatedwithAmericanProtestantismisthevalueofself-improvement.Protestantismencouragesastrongandrestlessdesireforself-improvement.Self-Improvement

Theneedforself-improvement,onceestablished,reachesfarbeyondself-improvementinthepurelymoralorreligioussense.Itcanbeseenincountlessbooksthatexplainhowpeoplecanbehappierandmoresuccessfulinlifebyimprovingeverythingfromtheirvocabularytotheirtennisgame,oreventheirwholepersonality.Booksofthistypeareoftenreferredtoasself-helpbooks.Theyarethenaturalproductsofacultureinwhichpeoplebelievethat"Godhelpsthosewhohelpthemselves."MaterialSuccess,HardWork,

andSelf-DisciplineThe

achievementofmaterialsuccessisthemostwidelyrespectedformofself-improvementintheUnitedStates.SomeoftheearlyEuropeanProtestantleadersbelievedthatpeoplewhowereblessedbyGodmightberecognizedintheworldbytheirmaterialsuccess.AmericanProtestantismhasneverencouragedtheideaofgainingwealthwithouthardworkandself-discipline.Protestantsalsobelievedthatthecapacityforself-disciplinewasaholycharacteristicblessedbyGod.VolunteerismandHumanitarianismTheProtestantideaofself-improvementincludesmorethanachievingmaterialgainthroughhardworkandself-discipline.Itincludestheideaofimprovingoneselfbyhelpingothers.Individuals,inotherwords,makethemselvesintobetterpersonsbycontributingsomeoftheirtimeormoneytocharitable,educational,orreligiouscausesthataredesignedtohelpothers.Thephilosophyissometimescalledvolunteerism,o