Expand on the basic values of the American nation. Explain their importance. Expand on the notion "the frontier heritage”, the heroes. What is political correctness?

7 values: material wealth; lack of formality; hard work; individual freedom; self reliance; equal opportunity to succeed; equal competitions;

The heritage of the frontier is still very much alive in the USA today. The frontier spirit is one of the national values of America. The frontier experience began when the first colonists settled on the east coast of North America in 1600s. It ended about 1890 when the last western lands were settled. The American frontier consisted of the unsettled regions of the US, usually found in the western part of the country. Here, both land and life were more rough or rugged and primitive than in the more settled eastern parts. By settling one frontier area after another, Americans moved across the whole continent, about 4,500 km wide. Americans considered the frontier, its life and its people as the best examples of their most important values. The frontier gave many examples of hard work, as forests were cut and towns grew up. There was much adventure on the western frontier. The rush for gold in California, for silver in Montana, and for good land in all the western territories provided endless stories of adventure. The frontiersman depended on himself. He had to build his own house, hunt, look after the farm, make his own clothes and the things which he needed for his home. The hero is a man who is physically strong, tough and rugged because of frontier life, kind and polite to women and children, very independent.

There are 2 types of heroes: of the-early period before the civil war - the main struggle was against the wilderness or the forces of nature.

Daniel Boone. Explored the wilderness in Kentucky in the 1760s and 1770s. in 1778 was captured by Indians, -who were so impressed with his physical strength and skills that made him a member of their tribe. Later he managed to escape. He became a hero because he was a brave man who conquered the wilderness.

The second period - 1860s until the end of the 19th century. The struggle of man against man.

The hero of this period is a strong, tough man who can easily defeat two or three men at one time, a defender of good against evil. Jesse James and Wyatt Earp. Polite correctness: it’s concerned with avoiding attitudes, actions, forms of expression, which suggest prejustice and are likely to offend people. Human being instead of man Miss - miss and missis Afro-American - black Native American – Indian. With limited physical abilities – invalid With limited mental abilities - fool in 1812). The solution was Confederation. The initiators of it - Fathers of Confederation, met in 1864 in Charlestown to work out details. The eventual result was the British North America Act of 1867 which brought about confederation of the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia &New Brunswick. The idea of a federal system with one central government for each of the provinces was accepted by 4 founding provinces. Constitution act in 1867: colonies were welcome to join Canada in the future.

Values– are ideas about what is right and wrong, desirable and undesirable, normal and abnormal, proper or improper in this or that society.

Assumptions– are the postulates, the unquestioned given about people, life and the way things are.

People who grow up in a particular culture share certain values and assumptions. A culture can be viewed as a collection of values and assumptions that go together to shape the way a group of people perceive the world around them.

Many historians believe that all American values emerged from frontier heritage. The words that are dear to all American hearts are: mobility, freedom, individualism, opportunity, energy, pragmatism, progress, renewal, competition.

The basic American values and assumptions comprise:

1. Individual freedom:

The term “freedom” in the American understanding means the desire and ability of all individuals to control their own destiny without influence or interference from government, ruling noble class, church, etc. There is a price, however, to be paid for this individual freedom – self reliance. Americans believe that individuals must learn to rely on themselves, otherwise they risk losing freedom. In practice this means achieving both financial and emotional independence from parents as early as possible (18-21). Since childhood the children are given freedom to make their own decisions and express their opinion, but they are also taught to take responsibility for their opinions and decisions.

2. Equality of opportunity and competition:

Each individual should have equal chance for success, equal rights. Equal opportunities help to ensure that the race for success is fair and that a person from a privileged background does not always win the race. There is a price to be paid for this equality – competition. Americans match their energy and intelligence against that of their neighbours in a competition for success. Competitiveness is encouraged in the American society. They don’t like losers.

3. Material wealth and hard work:

Americans have one of the highest standards of living in the world. People’s status in the American society is frequently measured by how much they own. Material possessions are thought as evidence of hard work of a person and also as evidence of his abilities. Thus Americans strive to improve their financial situation showing by this that they CAN do it, that they are clever and strong enough to make their life better. To be able to afford buying different things one has to work hard. It is normal for Americans to show their friends that one can afford a bigger house or a more expensive car, etc. This symbolizes the financial success of the person s a result of his hard work. Hard workers are idealized and respected.

4. Individualism:

The ideal person, as seen by the Americans, should be independent, self-reliant, individualistic, should stand out from the crowd by doing something first or best, has courage to try something new.

5. Privacy:

Americans assume all the people need some time to themselves or some time alone. Nobody has right to deny a person this time. That’s why, if the parents can afford it, each child will have his or her own bedroom, his or her toys, books, clothes, etc.

6. Time is money:

The desire of the Americans to get the most out of every minute often affects their behavior, making them impatient when they have to wait . As a result of this lots of Americans invent different things to save their time (fast-food restaurants, for instance) or they also buy all kinds of equipment to save time and handle work more efficiently (dish-washers, computers, etc.) They like timetables, schedules, plans, etc. It enables Americans to be productive and efficient, and productivity is highly valued in the US.

7. Informality:

Americans are pretty informal in their behaviour and in their relations with other people. This informality finds expression in everything – their speech (straight-forward questions and remarks, they’d say “hi” to just about anyone), clothes (casual), gestures (energetic), postures (legs on the table). There are no strict status divisions in the USA and a student, for instance, can speak freely to a dean very informally. High officials usually encourage such informality because it makes them closer to people and helps to win their support and respect.

8. Optimism and looking in the future:

History taught Americans to be optimistic and to be always ready to face and solve problems. They don’t look back in the past as a rule, but look ahead, in the future, with optimism and assurance that it will bring positive changes with it if they work on it.

9. Charity and voluntarism:

The Americans are very active in their social life. They organize all kinds of community groups to help poor or disabled people, parentless children, etc. Many of them are volunteers in different organizations, i.e. they work there for free. The fact that they can help somebody, do something for other people gives them the feeling of satisfaction and self-fulfillment and gives purpose to their life.

10.Free choice

A passion for choice is a key value. It implies an absence of political or economic restraint and an opportunity to select from numerous options. Free choice is associated with the chance to escape the problems of the past and to create a new life in the New World

7. Analyze growing antagonism between the North and the South. Examine the chief events of the Civil war, its consequences.

American life was characterized by a growing conflict between the Northern and Southern states. There were millions of black people who were slaves, they exceeded the whites in number. There was a growing rift between the free labour economy of the Northern states and the slave-based plantation economy of the South. In 1808 Congress outlawed the importation of slaves. In 1820,Southern and Northern politicians disputed the issue of whether slavery would be legal in the new western territories Missouri and the Arkansas territory, but it was banned everywhere west and north of Missouri.

Then the western expansion was furthered in 1848 when the USA settled a long-standing border dispute with Canada taking over the southern half of the Oregon Country. Thus America became a truly continental power, stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. In 1850 California was admitted as a free state. Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act which permitted Southerners to recapture slaves who had escaped to the free states.

In 1854 the old issue of slavery in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska was renewed and the quarrel became more bitter. Under the terms of the Missouri Compromise of 1820,the entire region was closed to slavery. In 1857 the Supreme Court passed a decision which denied blacks the rights of American citizens and legalized slavery in the western territories. The country was dramatically moving towards Civil War.

The Republican Party was formed in 1854 as anti-slavery party. It united the industrialist of the North, the free farmers and many inhabitants of the towns. Abraham Lincoln became a leading figure in the party. In 1848 Lincoln was elected a member of Congress. And then in 1860 he won the popular vote and became president of the USA.

On March 4,1861 Abraham Lincoln was swarn in as president of the USA. In his inaugural address, he refused to recognize the secession and appealed to the South to restore the union. But the South turned deaf ears and on April 12 the Civil War(1861-1865) began when the Southerners opened fire on the Federal troops stationed at Fort Sumter in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina. A war had begun in which more Americans would die than in any other conflict before or since. The Northern Army had the support of the industrial north and the people who were against slavery. The main task were to keep the country together and to abolish slavery. On January 1,1863,he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which granted freedom to all slaves. The Southern army or the Confederates won some battles at the beginning of the war, but soon the situation changed. In the summer of 1863 their commander General Lee marched north into Pennsylvania. He met the Union army at Gettysburg, and the greatest battle on American territory took place. After three days of fighting the Confederates were defeated. The northern army took control of the Mississippi Valley and cut the Confederacy in two. In 1864,a Union army under General Sherman marched into the South winning many important victories. General Grant, who commanded another army of the North was also successful in Virginia against General Lee. On April 9,1865 General Lee surrendered to General Grand at Appomattox, and soon all the other forces of the South surrendered. The Civil War was over. It was the most dramatic war on the territory of the USA. America lost more soldiers in this war than in any other-635,000 killed on both sides. It put an end to slavery, which was abolished by the 13^th Amendment to the Constitution in 1965.It is also decided forever that the USA is a single united nation.

The victory of the North contributed to the further development of the United States. The country began to make great progress in the development of industry, trade, agriculture. More and more immigrants began to come to America. In the countryside the settlers could easily get land and start farming. Capitalism began to make rapid progress

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 2275