American belief and values

context of traditional American values
• Individual freedom and self-reliance
• Equality of opportunity and competition
• Material wealth and hard work

traditional values
When the 21th century began, the US had
the greatest diversity of racial, ethnic,
cultural and religious groups due to the large
immigration.

traditional values
Racial and ethnic diversity: 6 racial and ethnic
categories
Latin American
Asian American
African American
White American
Native American
Native Hawaiian

traditional values
Cultural diversity
– America is called the
melting pot.
– Contrary to common
belief, America is actually
not a ‘melting pot’. It’s a
‘salad bowl’.

traditional values
Religious diversity
– Religion plays a very important role
and influence to the culture,
social life and politics.
– The US has a religious
diversity.

traditional values
Traditional American values
– The chance for individual freedom
– Equality of opportunity
– Material wealth
– Self-reliance
– Competition
– Hard work

context of traditional American values
• Individual freedom and self-reliance
• Equality of opportunity and competition
• Material wealth and hard work

A gift of France to
America
• Famous symbol of
freedom
Statue of Liberty (1886)

Historic decision:
Earliest settlers came to
North American => escape
the controls
1776, the British colonial settlers
declared independence and
overthrow the kings
1789, they separated church
=> limited power of church.
Profound effect on
American character
shaping

Impacts of historic decision:
– Created a climate of freedom => on individual
By freedom, Americans mean the desire and the ability
of all individuals to control their own destiny without
outside interference from the government, a ruling
noble class, the church, or any other organized
authority.

Roles of individual freedom:
– The most basic of all the American values.
– Attracting immigrants to America
+ Having no controlling of government and
church
+ New nation, “promise land”

Examples:
– People can express their own ideas and
opinions freely (at school, in public, etc.)
– People can choose any kind of lifestyle they
want.

result of individual freedom => rely on
themselves or lose freedom.
• Example:
By the age of 18 or 21 => independence from
parents
 part-time jobs => pay for cost of attending
colleague
 improving: “stand on their own feet” – be
independent and manage their live without help
of other

do not want to be dependent
Losing
freedom
Losing
respect of
peers
Dependence
May weaken the American character

America, receiving
financial support is
allowed.
Never be admired.
Lose the respect of
peers.

the homeless inspire sympathy but also concern

American
life’s
mainstream
Power
Respect
Individuals must be seen as
self-reliant

context of traditional American values
• Individual freedom and self-reliance
• Equality of opportunity and competition
• Material wealth and hard work

and Competition
• Immigrants to the US believe that everyone
has the chance to succeed
• People are free from excessive political,
religious, and social control
• One reason is the lack of a hereditary
aristocracy

and Competition
• No formal class system exists in the US
• Their social class would determine how
successful they could be
• They would not have to compete with rich
and powerful noble families

and Competition
• Many immigrants were very successful in
the US – regardless of their background
• This lead to the idea of equality of
opportunity
The more I advanced in the study of American society,
the more I perceived that … equality of condition is the
fundamental fact from which all others seem to be
derived.
Tocqueville

and Competition
• “Equality of opportunity”
– Each individual has an equal
opportunity for success
• “Success” is the main goal of American
life
• An “ethical” rule (similar to “fair play”)

and Competition
We… wish to allow the humblest man an
equal chance to get rich with everybody else.
When one starts poor, as most do in the race
of life, free society is such that he knows he
can better his condition; he knows that there
is no fixed condition of labour for his whole
life.
Abraham Lincoln

and Competition
• The downside of equality of opportunity
is competition
• Americans see life as a race to
succeed – with winners and losers
• They have a duty to try

and Competition
• The downside of
equality of
opportunity is
competition
• Americans see life
as a race to
succeed – with
winners and losers
• They have a duty to
try

and Competition
Pressure of
competition
is part of all
Americans’
lives

and Competition
• Competition is
encouraged at an
early age
(especially in
sports)

and Competition
The
pressures
begin in
childhood
and continue
until
retirement
from work.
People who
like to
compete are
more
successful
and energetic.
The pressure
People who
don’t compete
well are seen
as misfits

context of traditional American values
• Individual freedom and self-reliance
• Equality of opportunity and competition
• Material wealth and hard work

hard work
• Some people view America
has the land of opportunity
with its incredibly abundant
natural resources
They describe America is
“The American dream”
 The aspiration to material
wealth was one of the main
reasons why immigrants
came to the United States.

hard work
Why acquiring
and maintaining
a large number
of material
possession is of
great importance
to most
Americans?
Acceptable measure
of success
Acceptable measure
of social status

hard work
Americans rejected the Europeans system of
hereditary aristocracy and titles of nobility to
judge their social status.
Americans judge the social status by quality and
quantity.
Social status is ranked from being in lower class
to being in higher class

hard work
The phrase “going from rags to riches”
Is evidence for Americans believed that they could end
poverty and have a chance to do wonderful things.
Americans need to work hard to looking for ways to
have better life.

hard work
These immigrants managed to create a good life
for themselves
• Have strong economic and family networks
• Adapt to American business and society.
 how people can succeed through hard work,
and all people have the potential to live happily

hard work
Americans have paid a
price for the material
wealth is hard work
 Hard work plays a
major part in most
people success

hard work
A good example of how American people tried
to contribute to social life will set women of
those times.
 They took care
of the household
and kids
 They dealt with a
small home
business
The true
American spirit
and desire to
work hard and be
rewarded
materially