The Investigation of the American Culture

Culture: The American Culture

What is culture ?

"Culture encompasses religion, food, what we wear, how we wear it, our language, marriage, music, what we believe is right or wrong, how we sit at the table, how we greet visitors, how we behave with loved ones, and a million other things.“

Because of this, the United States is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world. Nearly every region of the world has influenced American culture.

The United States is the third largest country in the world with a population of more than 325 million.

A child is born every 8 seconds, and a person dies every 12 seconds.

American cuisine was influenced by Europeans and Native Americans in its early history. Today, there are a number of foods that are commonly identified as American, such as hamburgers, hot dogs, potato chips, macaroni and cheese, and meat loaf. "As American as apple pie" has come to mean something that is authentically American.

There are also styles of cooking and types of foods that are specific to a region. Southern-style cooking is often called "American comfort food" and includes dishes such as fried chicken, collard greens, black-eyed peas and corn bread. Tex-Mex, popular in Texas and the Southwest, is a blend of Spanish and Mexican cooking styles and includes items such as chili and burritos, and relies heavily on shredded cheese and beans.

Jerky, dried meats that are served as snacks, is also a food that was created in the United States, according to  NPR .

Clothing styles vary by social status, region, occupation and climate. Jeans, sneakers, baseball caps, cowboy hats and boots are some items of clothing that are closely associated with Americans. Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors and Victoria Secret are some well-known American brands.

American fashion is widely influenced by celebrities and the media, and fashion sales equal around $200 billion per year, according to a paper published by  Harvard University  in 2007. More and more Americans are buying fashion, electronics and more online. According to the Census Bureau, U.S. retail e-commerce sales for the first quarter of  2017 totaled around $98.1 billion .

In addition to Native Americans who were already living on the continent, the population of the United States was built on immigration from other countries.

  U.S. culture has also been shaped by the cultures of Native Americans, Latin Americans, Africans and Asians.

The United States is sometimes described as a " melting pot " in which different cultures have contributed their own distinct "flavors" to American culture. Just as cultures from around the world have influenced American culture, today American culture influences the world. The term Western culture often refers broadly to the cultures of the United States and Europe.

Many holidays are celebrated only in the United States. Americans celebrate their independence from Britain on July 4.  Memorial Day , celebrated on the last Monday in May, honors those who have died in military service. Labor Day, observed on the first Monday in September, celebrates the country's workforce.  Thanksgiving , another distinctive American holiday, falls on the fourth Thursday in November and dates back to colonial times to celebrate the harvest. Presidents' Day, marking the birthdays of George Washington and  Abraham Lincoln , is a federal holiday that occurs on the third Monday in February. The contributions of veterans are honored on Veterans' Day, observed on Nov. 11. The contributions of civil rights leader  Martin Luther King Jr.  are remembered on the third Monday in January.

The United States is a sports-minded country, with millions of fans who follow football, baseball, basketball and hockey, among other  sports . Baseball, which was developed in colonial America and became an organized sport in the mid-1800s, is known as America's favorite pastime, although its popularity has been eclipsed by football for the past three decades, according to the  Harris Poll .

The way people "melt" in the United States differs. "Different groups of immigrants integrate in different ways."

"For example, in the United States, Catholic Spanish-speaking communities might keep their language and other cultural family traditions, but are integrated in the urban community and have embraced the American way of life in many other ways."

The Northeast, South, Midwest, Southeast and Western regions of the United States all have distinct traditions and customs. Here is a brief overview of the culture of the United States.

There is no official language of the United States, according to the U.S. government. While almost every language in the world is spoken in the United States, the most frequently spoken non-English languages are Spanish, Chinese, French and German. Ninety percent of the U.S. population speaks and understands at least some English, and most official business is conducted in  English . Some states have official or preferred languages. For example, English and Hawaiian are the  official languages in Hawaii . 

  Cry Me a (Very Old) River

Three of the world’s five oldest rivers flow in the United States: The New, the Susquehanna, and the French Broad Rivers are each hundreds of millions of years old.

The President You Don’t Want to Mess With

The only American president who was an executioner: Grover Cleveland. As sheriff of Erie County, New York, he hanged a murderer.

Thanks to the Firemen

Case in point: Slightly more than 69 per cent of firefighters in the United States are volunteers.

The Highest Court in the Land

Finally, the real acme of the American justice system? That would be the basketball court on the fifth floor of the Supreme Court building. It’s known as the Highest Court in the Land.

A Nation of Do-Gooders

According to the World Giving Index, Americans are the most likely people in the world to  help a stranger .

A Whole Lotta Pizza

Meanwhile, Americans sell enough pizza every day to cover 100 acres.

Nearly every known religion is practiced in the United States, which was founded on the basis of  religious freedom . About 71% of Americans identify themselves as Christians, according to information gathered by the  Pew Research Center , a nonpartisan research group, in 2017. The research also found that about 23% had no religious affiliation at all and around 6% of the population is made up non-Christian religions. 

The number of people who identify with no religion seems to be decreasing. According to the  Pew Research Center,  this category is expected to drop from 16% in 2015 to 13% in 2060.