American Culture v. Nicaraguan Culture

A lot of people recognize that Nicaragua and the United States are two different countries, but they don't really know how different they truly are. The health care system, the education, lifestyle and human rights in Nicaragua are very different from the United States. Nicaragua is located in Central America and is known for having active volcanoes and sharks swimming in fresh water, but Nicaragua is also known for being the third poorest country in the world and a country who has suffered many wars, catastrophic earthquakes and devastating hurricanes.

Most Nicaragua people don't live an extravagant life, some of them don't have access to healthcare, and poverty is often Nicaragua biggest enemy and an impediment towards a much brighter future. The United States is a country known for its independence, freedom and perhaps power. United States is a country where equal opportunities are respected, people can study what they like, good services are given, and everyone enjoys life with a purpose of becoming successful while achieving many personal goals.

The American dream may not necessarily be fame, wealth or a avis home but a good education, access to healthcare and the freedom to practice any religion you want or none at all. In the United States there are no limitations, people can dream big, people can find their true identities without being criticized or beaten down and people don't have to pay their debts with Jail time but instead they are giving the opportunity to file bankruptcy and start all over again.

Order custom essay American Culture v. Nicaraguan Culture with free plagiarism report

450+ experts on 30 subjects Starting from 3 hours delivery

Get Essay Help

The health care in Nicaragua is under-funded with many limitations, vulnerable to epidemic outbreaks, poor quality of care, staff shortages in remote clinics, difficult access to medications, under-equipped hospitals, there is lack of quality service and advance medical equipment. The hospitals are not well maintained and hygiene practices are not strictly followed so people can acquire infections or other sicknesses while at the hospital. Doctors and nurses receive wages that barely cover their most basic necessities of life and sick people are often sent home without being able to receive treatment, see or speak to a doctor.

I remember that at the age of eight I had the worst case of lice, it was so bad and so severe that I was taken to the capital located in Managua, the capitol of Nicaragua, after waiting for hours and hours at the hospital waiting area my grandmother and I never got the chance to see a doctor and end up going home. On our way home we stopped by a pharmacy and consulted the pharmacist for some treatment against lice, unfortunately the pharmacy did not have anything that my grandmother could afford since she only had 5 CORBA's which in U.

S. Dollars is equal to 19 cents. At that point I understood the meaning of being hopeless and limited. The only remedy and the only option my ornamented had was to use a cockroach killer spray that nearly killed me. I am lucky to be alive but luckier to know that something like that will never happen in the United States and will never happen to my young children. Here in the United States if someone is sick, they are welcome in the hospital at any time and the treatments are available.

Nicaragua worry about the availability of treatments and medications because most of the time they are not available or are very expensive. The reality is that since health care is limited and under-budget, the healthcare response are underpaid and sometimes they do not provide high quality, compassionate care. Advanced diagnostic methods and machines are missing in almost every hospital in Nicaragua and therefore many diseases and conditions are not properly treated and diagnosed.

On the other hand, the United States offers good quality hospitals with high-quality services including proper hygiene practices and advanced medical equipment to everyone which allows proper identification of diseases; this, however, is not free. In fact, it is very expensive and those without insurance will have a very expensive hospital bill but will receive retirement regardless. Nevertheless, there are lots of options that allow people to get treated. For example, Midi-Cal and Medicare are great programs that help individuals get proper health care.

In addition, most health care personnel are well paid and therefore commit to provide a high quality care to all their patients regardless of their financial background. Like the health care system, in Nicaragua you must pay for public education, schools are not well equipped, the majority of students often bring their own chair to sit and many will struggle with homework for lack of school materials. Teachers in Nicaragua can actually hit the students if they don't do well in class and due to financial struggles many young kids will never get to experience going to school or learn how to read.

This means that there is a lower possibility that they can study and earn a degree or dream of having a successful career. Even if a child is able to obtain an education in Nicaragua they may not have the good fortune to get a Job since Jobs in Nicaragua are hard to find. On the contrary in the United States, the education is free in public schools and financial aid is available if you want to attend college. If a student has the money or the help to pay for college, they can study whatever they want. Americans have the freedom to apply to any Job they want and wherever they want.

I had a friend that came to the United States over 18 years ago or so, she is also from Nicaragua and can actually tell you what poverty really is. She wanted to be a dental hygienist even though her teeth were not the best looking teeth due to poor dental care in Nicaragua but that did not stopped her. When she arrived in this country she was determined to succeed and go to school. Couple of years ago Gem Toronto, my dear reined, the Nicaragua girl that barely knew how to spell graduated top of her class as a dental hygienist and her teeth look better than ever.

She will always love Nicaragua as much as I do but will forever be grateful to be in the United Sates where her educational goals and dream came true. L, never thought I would be as lucky as Gem but my determination to learn English and my dream of being a successful paralegal I accomplished because I live in a country where dreams do come true if you work really hard. Nicaragua are not lucky in the aspects of humans' rights because it does not exist for them. Nicaragua lack freedom of expression, they have to be careful of what they say.

For example, they cannot express how they feel about their president, Daniel Ortega, if they do they could be beaten or lose their Jobs. People in Nicaragua do not have a right or a saying in the decisions the president makes or the right to know where funds to build new schools or hospitals go. Instead the government steals from the poor. Even if you vote for a decent candidate to the presidency of Nicaragua the elections are corrupt. I remember one of the former presidents in Nicaragua, Arnold Leman, was stealing o much money from Nicaragua it became so obvious that he was investigated and in deed he was.

The last elections in Nicaragua were a huge scandal since Daniel Ortega was paying people for their votes. In contrast, the United States has freedom for everyone to express themselves and achieve their dream in any way as long as they are not breaking any law. Every citizen can vote for the president they like and express what they think about anyone. Also, there are no secrets about what happens in the country regarding crimes or changes or funds. News about the country or any other countries is open to everyone who likes to be informed

Nicaragua and the United States are countries that are so different. The health care system, the education and the human rights are the three main characteristics that a human lives by. Most services in Nicaragua are not free and they are low quality. Nicaragua do not have the guarantee that they will be treated in hospitals like they should be, study what they want, or Just have any rights. The United States does provide accessible access to health care and the services are good and people have equal rights and opportunities.

The best part of all about living in the United States is hat you can dream, you can be whatever you want to be, you can speak freely without fear, your opinion counts and you can thrive without limitations. I know that coming to this country was the best decision of my life. I have always dream of obtaining a degree and attend law school and I know I will succeed, Just the simple fact that I can call this country my own makes me feel determine and ready to conquer over any challenges ahead. I will forever love Nicaragua but I am forever thankful to have a beautiful life and a bright future in the United States of America.

American and African Culture

The African American culture includes different cultural traditions of African-American communities. It is more famously named as the Black culture. According to McKinnon, The United States Census Bureau the African Americans as people who have origins in any of the Black race groups that came from Africa. Before the Civil War, the Africans were held as slaves in America.

As slaves, their rights to exercise and practice their cultures and traditions were restricted. Nevertheless, there were some traditions that were kept alive up to the day of their liberation after the Civil War until it was recognized to build and identity as African American Culture. The way of survival of such traditions was to blend with some of the elements of the culture in America or the American Culture.

This paper serves as a descriptive essay that shall include the following aspects of the African American Culture; Meanings of colors; Social Customs; Concept of Time; Clothing and Food; Religion; Marriage, Birth, Death (whether there are special rituals associated with any of these); Holiday; Ethical values; Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication. The African American Culture is also a mixture of other cultures because as salves, the Africans needed to blend with the American Culture in order that their culture may survive.

It also has blended with the European culture due to the influence of European culture to American Culture. The survival of the African American Culture is a symbol in itself that speaks of the persistence of the Africans to liberate them from slavery and eventually establish an identity of their own through their cultures and traditions. Meanings of colors Use caution when teaching about color symbolism. Symbolism of colors vary from culture to culture.

Color is considered one of the most useful and powerful design tools you have. People respond to different colors in different ways, and these responses take place on a subconscious, emotional level. In African American culture, black has long been associated with death, while white is believed to signify life and purity. In the African American culture, the black has also come to suggest sophistication and formality. Americans generally associate trust stability with the color blue. Social Customs and Ethical values

The Social customs in the African American culture includes a variety and form of slave based custom since they have been enslaved for a long time. The social customs involves the social and political issues where the African Americans continue to struggle. Before the Civil War, the African slaves were not given the right to vote, but when the Voting Right’s Act was passed, African Americans then were allowed to vote and elected in public office. Another aspect of the social custom of the African Americans is their concept of family.

Due to the chattel slavery that was practiced before in America, it was rare for slave families to be sold apart from each other as separate sales. Nevertheless, after the years of slavery, the families of African Americans became a recognized unit of the society, which serves as the backbone in organizing a community. The nature of the families and communities built by African Americans are patriarchal but women are also recognized to help in the raising of the family. Mutual aid is also practiced by extended families through childcare, emotional, and economic support.

African Americans have close family ties thus; it is easy for the older generations to pass on their cultures and traditions to the new generations who in turn will pass such to the future generations to come. The younger members of the family also put a high regard for their elders that they themselves take care of their elders instead of opting for private care. This strong ties of the African American families keeps their family together thus creating a stronger society. Concept of Time

The African American concept of time is still based on their being once a slave who are compelled to wake up early before sunrise to get to work and then sleep late at night after fixing all that is needed for tomorrow’s work. The African Americans have always been hardworking. For the African Americans who were raised from the doom of slavery, time is a very important concept to success. Clothing The clothing of the African Americans has been influenced by the modern fashion and West African traditional clothing to create a uniquely African American traditional style. The best-known African textile is the “Kente Cloth”.

According to an article on African traditional clothing, “Kente cloth is woven in colorful and festive patterns that are present in many different varieties which were genuinely made by Ashanti and Ewe who came from Ghana and Togo that which according to history, it was fabric that are used to make the clothes for the royalties during the early times until it eventually became a common clothing for the African Americans that ranges from casual t-shirts to formal bow ties and cummerbands, and also head ties for women. ” Food Food for the African Americans is one way of bringing a family together.

The traditional cook out is one of the most renowned heritage of the African American families. This is a once a week event where families gather and simply cook the best food for their family just at their backyard. After which they enjoy themselves with simple cocktails and listening to soulful music with soulful dances. According to the History of Soul food, “the gardening cultivation and use of many agricultural products in the United States, such as yams, peanuts, rice, okra, sorghum, grits, watermelon, indigo dyes, and cotton can be draw from African impact.

Such African American foods manifest ingenious replies to racial and economic repression. Under slavery, African Americans were not permitted to eat better cuts of meat, and after liberation, many frequently were too underprivileged to manage to pay for them. Soul food, a hearty cuisine generally related with African Americans in the South, makes ingenious use of low-priced products acquired through farming and substinence hunting and fishing. Pig intestines are boiled and sometimes pound and fried to make “chitterlings”.

Ham hocks and neck bones offer seasoning to soups; bean and boiled greens. Other common foods, such as fried chicken, and fish, cornbread and hoppin john are simply prepared. ” Religion “While African Americans practice a number of religions, Protestant Christianity is by far the most popular. ” “Additionally, 14% of Muslims in the United States and Canada are African American. ” A river baptism in New Bern, North Carolina near the turn of the 20th century. “The religious culture of African American Christians is known as the Black church.

During slavery, many slaves were stripped of their African belief systems and typically denied free religious practice. However, slaves managed to hang on to some practices by integrating them into Christian worship in secret meetings. These practices, including dance, shouts, African rhythms, and enthusiastic singing, remain a large part of worship in the Black church. Black churches taught that all people were equal in God's eyes and viewed the doctrine of obedience to ones master taught in White churches as hypocritical.

” “Instead the Black church focused on the message of equality and hopes for a better future. ” “Before and after emancipation, racial segregation in America prompted the development of organized Black Denominations. The first of these was the AME Church founded by Richard Allen in 1787. ” “A Black church is not necessarily a separate denomination. Several predominantly Black churches exist as members of predominantly White denominations. ” “Black churches have served to provide Blacks with leadership positions and opportunities to organize that were denied in mainstream American society.

Because of this Black pastors became the bridge between the Black and White communities and thus played a crucial role in the American Civil Rights Movement. ” On the other hand, “generations before the advent of the Atlantic slave trade, Islam was a thriving religion in West Africa. Slaves in the Americas were often forcibly converted to Christianity and while first-generation slaves were often able to retain their Muslim identity, their descendants were not. In the decades after slavery, some Black leaders sought to provide freed slaves with self-esteem and an opportunity to reconnect with their Islamic roots.

The best known of these movements is the Black Nationalist and Black supremacist Nation of Islam founded by Wallace Fard in 1930 and lead by Elijah Muhammad from 1934. But much like Malcolm X, who left the Nation of Islam in 1960, many African American Muslims now follow traditional Islam. ” Marriage, Birth, Death (are there special rituals associated with any of these? ) The bride in an African American wedding refers to the tradition of Yoruba. This very spiritual service reflects the depth of the African family by the sharing of gifts and love. The ceremony process may begin about a month before the wedding with a spiritual reading.

Elements of the actual ceremony may include a Libation (a prayer with an offering, usually water or liquor offered by an elder). This ritual calls upon and asks God's blessing and the blessings of ancestral spirits. The groom verbally seeks permission from the bride's mother to marry her daughter. Gifts are presented to the brides’ family symbolizing the ability of the groom to take care of this woman. They are accepted by the bride's father. Other elements of the ceremony may include a tasting and explanation of spices, prayers, exchange of rings.

A great celebration follows. Holiday The African Americans are festive in nature that they like other ethnic groups celebrate holidays and commemorate events in honor of their heroes and patrons. One of the most famous African American Holiday is the Black History Month, which is a month long celebration where they commemorate their experiences of slavery until their emancipation from oppression. This includes the birthdays of Frederick Douglass, and Abraham Lincoln who were the considered African American heroes during the Civil War.

Another holiday is the Martin Luther Day in commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. he was also one African American Hero who they owe their liberation. Kwanzaa is a colorful festival invented by an activist named “Maulana” Ron Karenga in 1966 as intended to be an alternative for the celebration of Christmas. Moreover is the Emancipation Day where they celebrate their freedom from slavery in the United States. Finally is the Malcolm X Day, which is an event to commemorate the achievements of Malcolm X, another nationalist during the civil war. Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication

Generations of hardships imposed on the African American community created distinctive language patterns. Slave owners often intentionally mixed people who spoke different African languages to discourage communication in any language other than English. This, combined with prohibitions against education, led to the development of pidgins, simplified mixtures of two or more languages that speakers of different languages could use to communicate. “Examples of pidgins that became fully developed languages include Creole, common to Haiti, and Gullah, common to the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia.

” African American Vernacular English is a type variety (dialect, ethnolect and sociolect) of the American English language spoken by some African Americans that shares some grammatical and orthographically features with Creole and West African languages. While AAVE is academically considered to be a legitimate dialect, it is often viewed by teachers and other members of the middle-class, regardless of race or ethnicity, as either slang or the result of a poor understanding of the English language. ” References

Berlin, Ira. Many Thousands Gone: The First Two Centuries of Slavery in North America. Cambridge, Mass. : Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1998. Equiano, Olaudah. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or, Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself. Edited by Shelley Eversley. New York: Modern Library, 2004. Morgan, Philip D. Slave Counterpoint: Black Culture in the Eighteenth-Century Chesapeake and Lowcountry. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1998. Wood, Peter H.

Black Majority: Negroes in Colonial South Carolina from 1670 through the Stono Rebellion. New York: Knopf, 1974; New York: Norton, 1975. James A. McMillin Wrapped in Pride: Ghanaian Kente and African American Identity. National Museum of African Art. Retrieved on May 17, 2007. A History of Soul Food. 20th Century Fox. Retrieved on 2007-06-02. Jonsson, Patrik (February 06, 2006). Backstory: Southern discomfort food. The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved on 2007-06-02. The Study of African American Religion. Harvard University. Retrieved on 2007-06-01.

American Muslims Population Statistics. Council on American-Islamic Relations. Retrieved on 2007-05-22. Maffly-Kipp, Laurie. African American Religion, Pt. I: To the Civil War. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved on May 15, 2007. Maffly-Kipp, Laurie F. (May 2001). The Church in the Southern Black Community. University of North Carolina. Retrieved on May 21, 2007. Maffly-Kipp, Laurie F. (May 2001). The Church in the Southern Black Community. University of North Carolina. Retrieved on May 21, 2007. Amazing grace: 50 years of the Black church.

Ebony (April 1995). Abdul Alkalimat and Associates. Religion and the Black Church, 6th, Introduction to Afro-American Studies, Chicago: Twenty-first Century Books and Publications. Huda. African-American Muslims. About. com. Retrieved on 2007-06-02. Eisenberg, Carol (January 22, 2005). Black Muslims seek acceptance from fellow Americans, adherents. The Seattle Times. Retrieved on 2007-06-02. Dale, Maryclaire (August 9, 2003). African Religions Attracting Americans. African Traditional Religion. afgen. com. Retrieved on 2007-06-02.

American Core Cultural Values

I grew up in a very liberated yet bonded family. Mom and Dad are working, my siblings have their own worlds, and I am busy with school. However, we still find time to sit and relax and chat every night, and know the latest in each and everyone of us. I am also raised in a wonderful community which I call my second home. I met a bunch of people, of different tongue and color, whom I consider friends; and neighbors, who burst out of their houses ready to greet you with a warm smile.

For me, everyday is a new day – learning new things, getting excited with minute things, seeing beauty in the world. Since then and now, America has changed a lot – it has dramatically transformed from something so simple, into a great nation of complexity. This often make me stand, gaze in oblivion and ponder – of the diverse American values, a hundred or so cultural diffusion if not acculturation, countless experiences, rich and unique history, are there any left native to us?

Are there values that we can proudly call “heraldic” and “ours” since time immemorial? I discover many, but for the purpose of this paper, I will focus on four American core values I found significant and got to live with since I was born – Individualism, Time Management, Equal Opportunity and the so-gone issue on Racism. At a very young age, I was trained by my workaholic parents to stand on my own feet which simply began with learning to dress myself alone, to tie my shoe lace, to prepare my school bag and cook my own breakfast.

I was trained to be responsible with my actions, words and decisions that if failures arose, I have no one to blame but myself. I grew up having sense of being an individual – independent, resourceful, hardworking. I tend to be self-reliant, not giving myself much attachment to other people except for social purposes. I had envision myself to be this or that person, or to have this or that belongings and I strive (and is still striving) to reach the goal that I have designed and formulated.

Like most of my co-citizen, I want to be known not as the son of Paul Miller or a brother of Louise Brown – I want to be known as a separate, unattached entity named Robert Walden. Like the Africans, the Americans live with the value of Individualism – a concept which stresses human independence and the importance of individual liberty in terms of morality, politics, economics and society. It opposes the general concepts of communism, holism, socialism and the likes which view communal relationship as more important than individuality. Being self-reliant, Americans believe in the ability of the “self.

” One is responsible for himself, and most likely, you won't find a person who will generally lend a hand to you, because as an individual, with determination and own way of thinking, you are expected to seek solution or find someone else who can aid you. Americans also have a very strict work ethic. As most of us notice, American businesses are most likely to stick to deadlines and seldom would it be extended for an individual's sake. Often, when an employee arrived late, the employer wouldn't scrutinize the former since he has nothing to do with it and the employee is responsible for his tardiness.

Also, businessmen strongly value the concept of “healthy” competition. Americans believe that competition brings out the best in an individual, and in this case, in a business. Having a “free market” economic system, companies are strongly encouraged to compete resulting to the lowering of product prices while increasing its quality, thus, the concept of “free enterprise. ” Not only in the workplace is competition highly visible – it is as well a common value at school. Students also do compete – they study well, participate in class activities, etc.

Seeing other students doing the same way make them strive even harder so they would end up being the best among the rest. If schools award and honor students who have worked harder than the others, companies also reward those who showed industry and dedication, especially those employees who achieved the greatest goals. The state promotes liberty and equality, not just of the individual but of all aspects of life – from the family to the society, from local government to the entire city, from a single entity to a nation.

Liberty is defined as the condition that provides an individual to act according to his own will, giving him the freedom from external compulsion. This again falls to the initial value of individualism – one being solely responsible for himself. The combination of these two ideals refines an American to act and work efficiently and in the most practical way. From liberty resurface the concept of equality. Americans regard “equality” as significant, if not, vital for the nation's survival, and the citizens' harmonious relationship. To quote paragraph 2 of the US Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed (US Congress, 1776). But the pursuit of equality in the United States took many years of efforts and struggles from different social groups – innumerable bullets soared in the air, blood flooded the countryside, protests and social movements impaired the hearing of those who wouldn't listen.

Racism has, ever since the coming of the “colored” people, been the most debatable and undying issue in American history. The entry of the Blacks during the “Slave Trade” commenced the years of discrimination since they came primarily to work in the plantation, construction sites and other brawn activities that require strength and endurance. As workers, they were viewed lowly by the society – as inferior to their professional office activities. But as the society slowly becoming liberated in ideas and open to changes and transformation, so are the people's behavior and attitude towards their so called “other people. ”

This understanding resulted to the dawn of the concept “equal opportunity,” another significant American value that has been continuously advocated by the U. S. Government. Equal opportunity is said to be synonymous with racial harmony – the elimination of all forms of violence and discrimination between different races, thus, giving everybody equal access to politics, economy, spirituality, and other common necessities and needs. One way to promote such ideal is by creating and passing laws that prohibits, for instance, job discrimination and elevates the international understanding of human rights and human rights violations.

Some laws and provisions against job discrimination are discussed and incorporated in the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; and Civil Rights Act of 1991. The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (or EEOC) enforces these and other laws related to the protection of people from job alienation, particularly those of non-American race. Before, I found it really difficult to befriend other nationalities, as personally, I have no idea on how to approach them in utmost respect.

However, feeling at ease in a diverse and complex environment that I grew up with gave me the courage (and in some way, disciplined me) to act normally with and treat other races in a manner that I would want them to treat me. And as such, it is now a taboo to see a White man cursing and pouncing on a Black man simply because of the latter's color. Lastly, what I regard as among the most important values of the Americans is their reverence with time. Cliche as it may seem, but the quotation, “Time is Gold” is an understatement.

For Americans, time is more than precious – it is almost “invaluable” in the sense that you can't add-on value to time. They have this attitude of maximizing the day so as to make themselves a productive person in as many hours as possible. In that case, it is normal to see most Americans, even students my age, working in a cafeteria, gasoline stations, and the like so that, while learning, they are as well earning. Being time-oriented, wasting time is a “no no! ” In a signboard hanging along a commercial avenue I passed through reads, “Being early means being on-time.

Being on-time means coming late. And coming late means being dead! ” As we value time for being productive, so as to relax and pamper ourselves. Most Americans, especially those with better jobs, spend their year working as hard as they can so that by the time of vacation, they have more money to spend and a lot more time to reward themselves with a luxurious and satisfying vacation. We don’t just work to earn, we work to have fun. An Asian friend once told me that it’s really difficult to understand an American – or to grasp the core of a true-to-the-blood American.

I ask him why and told me that the country is too diverse and totally mixed-up. American culture is too complex that it seems like its entire culture is a result of the mixing of this and that foreign culture, he added. Again, it made me wonder – are we really that hard to understand, or don’t we really have a “trademark” that would particularly identify us? This paper prove them wrong. And I've proven them wrong. Americans have their own identity, and treasure a set of values they call their own. What I've discussed in this paper are but some of our core values, which in my opinion, are the most vital of all.

I may have not fully exercised some of these values now but I intend to when the right time and avenue comes. Entertainment media has successfully portrait the life of a true American through the many local and international films. However, what foreign viewers grasp is our more obvious character, that is, being liberated in words, actions and decisions. We practice and enjoy liberty that it almost overflow or over portrayed in movies. Liberated is equated to Americans. But we are more than just being liberated.

We are more than a bunch of people who have our own free-will. We are not simply those Whitemen who exhibited liberty for the sole reason of being free. We are more than what they thought of us. In one word, we are “deeper. ” Still in doubt? Just read this paper again and you'll surely understand what I mean. Works Cited Smedley, Brian D. and Alan Jenkins. All Things Being Equal: Instigating Opportunity in an Inequitable Time. New York: The New Press, 2007. US Congress. The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America. Retrieved on 15 April 2008 at

British Influence in American Culture

To this day, the influence of early British colonists can be felt in multiple facets of American life. This is far more than can be said for the limited authority manifested in present day American culture in regard for Spanish colonialism and subsequent influence. Perhaps the most glaring of influences credited to the country of Great Britain, is the fact that the English language remains the official form of communication throughout the whole of the country.

Although Spanish is spoken extensively, currently with nearly 31 million speakers in the United States, this only accounts for approximately ten per cent of the population, whereas English accounts for nearly a full hundred per cent. Further support for the claim comes in the form of the country’s religious practices. Although the presence of a myriad of religions is a reality in America, by and large, Protestantism has been the focal point for many of its citizens, a direct result of British Anglicanism.

Of all the religious bodies which were brought from the Old World to the New during the entire colonial period, none received so much assistance from the mother country in gaining a foothold in America as did the Church of England . Additionally, it is possible to look to the architecture of most American homes to establish the root influence responsible for them. Although more popular in the American southwest than in other regions, the so-called Spanish style can only account for roughly 7 per cent of designs.

The Tudor style, of British origins is far more popular in the U. S. Bibliography. Religion in Colonial America, William Warren Sweet. Cooper Square Publishers, 1965, NY. Colonial America, Richard Middleton. Blackwell Publishers, 1996, Cambridge, Masachusetts. American Colonies and the British Empire 1607-1763, Kenneth M. Stampp. Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1834, NY. American Colonies, Alan Taylor. Viking Publishers, 2001, NY. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. HTTP://www. wikipedia. org

Don't let plagiarism ruin your grade

Run a free check or have your essay done for you

Check my essay Hire Writer