Kultura USA

Kultura USA, USA

USA – United States of America

total area: 9,8 mln

population: 300 mln

population distribution: 75% people live in cities

the capital: Washington D.C. situated in the Pacific Northwest region of US

major cities: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia

largest states: Alaska, Texas

the smallest state: Rhode Island

the most populate states: California, Texas, New York

mountain ranges:

NORTH-EAST

- New England and Middle Atlantic area

- economically and industrially developed [automobile, steel making]

- crops: tobacco, potatoes

- cattle raising: Baltimore, Boston

- NY – world financial center

SOUTH-EAST

- divided into 2 parts: lowland and upland

- used to be agrarian, now developing

- industries: manufacturing and textiles

- famous for music: country and blues

- crops: cotton, tobacco

- natural resources: petroleum, natural gas

- part of the Sun Belt

- highly religious

MID-WEST

- divided into 2 parts: upper and central

- small towns, huge farms

- most important manufacturing region

- industry: food processing, producer of wheat and diary products, automobile industry,

- cattle raising

- natural resources: iron

- Chicago – center of life stock, trading and mid-packing

SOUTH-WEST

- Spanish speaking population

- industry: manufacturing,

- agriculture: cattle raising, corn and wheat

- natural sources: silver, copper, fuel minerals

- California – the wealthiest state

- Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco

NORTH-WEST

- state less populated except urban areas

- culturally varied region

- covered with forested areas

- industry: manufacturing, lumber, tourism, fishing

- natural resources: copper, gold

- Yellowstone Park in Montana

ALASKA 

- 49th state in 1959

- the largest state, the lowest population

- Eskimos, Indians

- natural resources: oil, fishing, mining, petroleum, extraction, lumber

HAWAII 

- 50th state in 1959

- made up of islands

- crops: sugarcane, pineapples

- Pearl Harbor, Waikiki Beach

PUERTO RICO – self governing unincorporated territory of the US which is the Commonwealth, have US citizenship, not allowed to vote, one representative in Congress

- Appalachian M. [east]

- Ozark M. [interior]

- Rocky M. [west]

the longest rivers: Mississippi, Missouri, Colorado

the great lakes: Superior, Michigan, Huron, Ontario – situated in Michigan

the most fertile land: Middle West – Great Plains “Corn Belt”

the highest point: M. McKinley in Alaska – 6494 m ↑

the lowest point: Death Valley in California – 86 m ↓

climate: temperate

natural resources: iron, gold, black/brown coal, natural gas, oil, copper

popular crops: corn, wheat – south. Texas; cotton – South; apples – North; citrus fruit – California

important city ports: Seattle, New York, Boston, New Orleans

the largest ethnic groups: White - 75%, Black – 12,5%, Hispanics – 12,5%

major religions: Protestant: 56%, Roman Catholics: 28%, Jewish: 2%, Muslim: 1%

MELTING POT – refers to the mixture of nationalities, the way the society was created, exchange traditions, culture, they were melted and created one melting society

Now American society is referred to as Pizza or Salad Bowl – a lot of ingredients but separated and can be easily distinguished

AMERICAN IDENTITY

Freedom – the idea established by the Founding Fathers

Individualism – idea started by T. Jefferson; transcendentalists: Emerson, Fuller, for them strong individual is more effective than a group of weak people

Idealizing what’s practical – comes from times when Americans were moving West

Volunteerism – helping the people around you; 6 out of 10 Americans are volunteers

Psychology of abundance – they believe they’ve got endless sources of everything, using things to the extreme

Nobility – 4-5 times change the place of living, job, house; no problem to change it and start from the beginning

Patriotism – enjoy national patriotism – American flag, stickers everywhere

American Dream – by hardworking you may achieve life in heaven, a better life, develop yourself, you will be noticed and appreciated

AMERICAN CONSTITUTION - the shortest and oldest written constitution of any major sovereign state.

·     

The Principles of Constitution:

1. popular control without majority rule

2. the limitation of governmental power

3. federalism

4. tripartite government

·      was adapted on 4 March 1789

·      consists of: preamble, 7 articles and 27 amendments

·      the first 10 amendments are known as the Bill of Rights

·      defines the three main branches of the government [the Separation of Powers]

- the legislative branch - represented by Congress,

- an executive branch - represented by President,

- a judicial branch - represented by the Supreme Court

·          outlines which powers each branch may exercise

·          reserves numerous rights for the individual states

1st READING – the procedure when a bill is introduced by a senator or representative to the clerk of the House; it is then sent to the Senate or appropriate House committee

FEDERATION – a union comprising the number of partly self-governing states limited by central federal government; the characteristics of federal system:

1.       it gives both the national government and the states the same powers to govern the people directly

2.       it recognizes that the states have certain rights and powers beyond the control of federal government

3.       it guarantees the legal equality and existence of each state that it has a right to equal treatment regardless of its size or population

The Congress consists of two houses:

CHECK AND BALANCE – this system grants each branch of the national government powers to check and balance the actions of the others; e.g. president can veto bills passed by Congress; Congress can override a presidential veto with 2/3 majority votes in each chamber

SEPARATION OF POWERS – the Constitution separates government into 3 branches: legislate, executive, judicial and end separates them into 3 ways:

- source of authority – each branch derives its authority from the Constitution, not from other branches

- selection of officials – top officials in each branch reach office by different procedures

- holding office – officials of each branch hold office for a specific period of time [senator – 6, president – 4, representatives – 2]

RESERVED POWERS – under the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, powers that the constitution doesn’t give to the federal government or forbid the states, are reserved to the people of states

ENUMERATED POWERS – a list of specific responsibilities found in Article 1 Section 8 of the constitution, which enumerates the authority granted to the Congress. Congress may exercise only those powers that are granted to it by the Constitution, limited by the Bill of Rights and the other protection in constitution

CONCURRENT POWERS – powers held by both federal and state powers and may be exercised at the same time within the same territory and in relation to the same body of citizens

IMPEACHMENT – the process by which a legislative body formally makes charges against high governmental official; it doesn’t necessarily mean removal from office, it is only formal statement of charges

6-3-3 PLAN includes:

elementary education in grades 1 to 6,

junior high school in grades 7-9

senior high school in grades 10-12

EDUCATION IN THE US

·      Education in the United States is mainly provided by the public sector, with control and funding coming from three levels: federal, state, and local.

·      The compulsory schooling begins with children at the age of five or six.

·     

SAT – Scholastic Attitude Tests; it Has sections on English lessons and math

ACT – American College Testing; includes: English, math, science

Both tests can be taken at specific dates throughout US; neither of them measures what ss have learnt at school but checks academic attitude in general

·      Children are then placed in year groups known as grades, beginning with first grade and culminating in twelfth grade.

·      School attendance is mandatory and nearly universal at the primary and secondary levels.

·      At these levels, school curricula, funding, teaching, and other policies are set through locally elected school boards with jurisdiction over school districts.

·      The ages for compulsory education vary by state, beginning at ages five to eight and ending at the ages of fourteen to eighteen.

·      The SAT and ACT are the most common standardized tests that students take when applying to college.

·      Post-secondary education, better known as "college" in the United States, is generally governed separately from the elementary and high school system.

MEDIA IN THE US

·   Radio broadcasting began in 1920

·  

PRESS AGENCIES:

AP – The Assosiated Press

UPI – United Press International

·   The first commercial TV broadcast was made in 1951

newspapers: The New York Times, The Washington post, The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times

public affairs magazines: Time, Newsweek, The U.S. News, World Report

popular magazines...