Society of the United States

This article serves as an overview of the customs and culture of the United States; for the "popular (pop) culture" of the United States, see arts and entertainment in the United States.

The culture of the United States is a Western culture, and has been developing since long before the United States became a country. Its chief early influence was British culture, due to colonial ties with the British that spread the English language, legal system and other cultural inheritances. Other important influences came from other parts of Europe, especially countries from which large numbers immigrated such as Ireland, Germany, Poland, and Italy; the Native American peoples; Africa, especially the western part, from which came the ancestors of most African Americans; and young groups of immigrants. American culture also has shared influence on the cultures of its neighbors in the New World.

The United States has traditionally been known as a melting pot, but recent academic opinion is tending towards cultural diversity, pluralism and the image of a salad bowl rather than a melting pot. Due to the extent of American culture there are many integrated but unique subcultures within the United States. The culutral affliations an individual in the United States may have commonly depend on social class, political orientation and a multitude of demogrpahic charateristics such as race, ethnicity, sex and sexual orientation. The strongest influences on American culture came from northern European cultures, most prominently from Germany, Ireland and England. It is, however, paramount to remember that there are great differences within American culutre which should therefore under no circumstance be seen as one large homogenous subject.

Further information: Cultural history of the United States

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The above image gives a rough idea of where sociologists believe American mainstream culture to have its foundations.

Attitudes

It is important to bear in mind that the United States of America is highly diverse. It is difficult to indentify a single American attitude, or American style for the simple reason that the country is so complex.

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The Declaration of Independence

The United States was founded in the late 18th century and as such, a great deal of American culture is couched in the ideals of the Enlightenment. Examples of this influence are reflected in the following: the Declaration of Independence's mission statement, which secures life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; the French Revolution's ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity; and the national motto, E pluribus unum ("From many, one").

Another primary influence on American culture is the ongoing influx of new immigrants, many of whom have fled persecution or oppression in their home countries, and are seeking freedom (including religious freedom) and economic opportunity. This leads to the rejection of totalitarian practices, another widespread American attitude.

By and large, Americans value the ideals of individual liberty, individualism, self-sufficiency, altruism, equality of opportunity, Judeo-Christian morals, free markets, a republican form of government, democracy, populism, pluralism, feminism, and patriotism.

Society and economic attitudes

Further information: Social structure of the United States

There is a close relationship between America's political and economic traditions. It is widely believed that the individual pursuit of self-interest leads to the best result both for the individual and for society as a whole. It has been a successful formula for both economic success and optimal political function for many. The precise amount of individual economic freedom that Americans should have is often debated, with the (usually relatively slight) differences in opinion marking the major differences between political parties. The end result, however, is that the U.S. economy has become the largest on earth, with most of its citizens enjoying comparatively high living standards.

The fact that the United States is the largest English-speaking marketplace allows firms to compete across the country and to enjoy economies of scale (cost reductions that arise from the huge scale of manufacturing) that reduce prices and benefit consumers. The relatively uniform commercial culture, with many large stores or "chains" operating nationwide, produces a commercial atmosphere that is relatively homogeneous throughout the country. The population of the United States tends to be centered in large cities, in marked contrast to the demographics of a century ago, when the country was quite agrarian.

The United States is generally skeptical or hostile toward socialist and communist ideologies, but some of the related movements, such as the labor movement, became a defining part of America's heritage after the New Deal. The American process of Judicial Review caused the United States to be less affected by socialist ideas and policies in the 20th century than was Europe, because the Supreme Court overturned much labor legislation which in the European countries remained law.[1] The McCarthy Era and the Cold War as a whole demonstrated a deeply felt hostility to communism, which, especially at that time, was perceived as anti-individualist, undemocratic, and essentially anti-American. They are also evidenced in aspects of social policy (for example, the absence of a national health care system and the constant controversy about the size and role of the government, especially the federal government, in individuals' lives and in states' laws).

The American tradition of free-market capitalism has led the populace (and their leaders) to generally accept the vicissitudes of the free market and the continuous alterations to society that a changing economy implies, although social and economic displacement are common. The result is a flexible, profit-oriented socioeconomic system. Of course it should be noted that when compared to non-western countries, espcially those who are not yet fully developed, the US does have a considerable well-fare safety net.

Relationship to other countries/cultures

Perhaps as a result of being such a large single market/culture, some believe that Americans are relatively insulated and uninterested in the culture or political developments of other countries. America is one of few nations that has resisted changing to the metric system. Comparatively few books from non-English European countries or Asia are translated for sale in the United States. Imported films are generally less successful than domestic though there are exceptions, including Japanese anime and the British comedy phenomenon Monty Python, imported television shows are generally rarely successful outside of PBS and Discovery Channel. Remakes of foreign shows are increasingly common, as emphasized by the popularity of the American versions of The Office and Queer as Folk; in these cases, the show is often rewritten and localized with American actors cast in the place of their British counterparts. Relatively few foreign films and television programs produced abroad are broadcast on non-ethnic stations with dubbing or subtitling). The show Survivor was originally a Swedish show called "Robinson" (taking its name from Robinson Crusoe).

Americans also tend to travel to other countries less than citizens of European countries, partly because intercontinental travel from the United States typically entails much further distances than for Europeans, resulting in much higher travel costs. The average American worker has fewer vacation days than the average European (10-15 rather than the European average of around 20). America's vast size also enables its citizens to go great distances, and see a variety of places, without leaving the country. For example, one can travel within the continental United States from a near-tropical climate (e.g. Southern Florida) to a mid-continental climate (Minnesota). California alone offers a large coastline, snow-capped mountains, prairies, and deserts within a single state. Lifestyles, food, and culture also tend to differ within the different regions.

Social class

Main article: Social structure of the United States

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An example of class model regarding the social structure of the United States. This particular model was introduced by William Thompson and Joseph Hickey in Society in Focus in 2005.

Social class is the perhaps most influential cultural influence on persons in the United States. Nearly all culutral aspects of mundane interations and consumer behavior in the US are guided by a person's location within the country's social structure. While, American society is commonly devided into three or five socio-economic classes, there may be many more distinct groups that could be identified as consitituing social classes. Social class is generally described as a combination of educational attainment, income and occupational prestige. There are, however, no clearly defined class boundaries and the nature of any class limits remains arbitrary.

"It is impossible to understand people's behavior... without the concept of social stratification, becuase class position has a pervasive influence on almost everything that we think or do. Our religious beleifs are affected by class. So is political affiliation... the foods we eat, the clothes we wear, and the television shows we watch. Even the most trivial matters are influenced by class, such as the colors we paint our homes and the names we give our pets." -William E. Thompson & Joseph V. Hikcey, Society in Focus, 2005.

Even though most Americans today identify themselves as middle class, American society and its culutre are considerablely more fragmented. If applied to include the majority of Americans, the term middle class would include white collar professionals such a economists with a median income of $72,000 alongside medical assistants with a median income of $24,610 American society is generally divided into five social classes, each with its own sub-culutre. The most commonly idnetified classes are the upper class which consists of multiple corporate and social elites, the upper middle class which consists of highly educated white collar professionals, the middle middle class which largely consists of so called "para-professionals" (Thompson & Hickey, 2005) with some college education or a Bachelor's degree, the working class (or lower middle class) which includes closely supervised clerical pink and blue collar workers, and the lower class which consists of those with the lowest incomes, lowest educational attainments and least prestigous occupations.

Body contact and expression

In most regions of the U.S., public displays of affection, as well as significant expression of emotion, were historically disapproved of and discouraged prior to the mid-20th century. Such attitudes have seen considerable change, however, with the cultural revolutions of the 1960s and 70s. There is considerable variation with respect to attitudes, mostly generational in nature, and while Americans are not generally as demonstrative as, say, Latin Americans or Southern Europeans, they are considerably more so than, for instance, the Northern Europeans or the Japanese, have been historically. Noticeable regional differences in norms of social expression also exist. For example, it is generally acceptable in the socially liberal Northeast (especially among younger Americans) for a female to candidly discuss sexuality and certain aspects of sexual behavior in conversation among friends, while such expression is usually recognized as socially taboo in the more genteel South. Likewise, in the South it is acceptable to smoke and/or chew tobacco, but these activities are confined to private spaces such as the home. Smoking and chewing tobacco is considered unhealthy and distasteful in the more health-conscious Northeast and West Coast, where smoking is prohibited in virtually all public places, but smoking along sidewalks seems even more prevalent than in the South, where it is considered rude to do so.

In terms of attitudes toward nudity and the body, Americans are considerably more reserved than Europeans or the Japanese. Certain topics related to bodily functions might be regarded as mildly inappropriate in Europe, however they will often be strongly taboo in the United States. Nudity in the context of bathing among strangers of the same sex, for example, is regarded with much more suspicion in the United States than it is in, for example, Japan or most parts of Europe. Americans put a high value on privacy of their bodies. Nudity among family members, even in daily contexts of dressing or bathing, is discouraged much more in the United States than most other cultures.

Names

The citizens and many other residents of the United States refer to themselves and each other as Americans, and to their country as the United States or as America. Non-Hispanic Americans understand, and may say, "the Americas" with the meaning of the two major continents of the Western hemisphere, but generally will resist using "America" in that sense, despite that designation's familiarity to Spanish speakers. While to many foreigners "Yankees" is synonymous with the American people, Americans almost always use the term for the sports team, for New Englanders, New Yorkers, or with reference to those living in the northeastern U.S. in contrast to Southerners. The major exception to that is Americans' occasional ironic usage of "Yankee" (or especially "Yank", construed by Americans as a British usage), in attempting to convey either striving to transcend American parochialism, or resignation to the failure of any such striving. "The States" is a term generally used when referring to the country from an overseas or Canadian vantage point. In the same context, something or someone that is "back in the States" may be referred to as being "Stateside." "The US" or "The U.S." is a casual, short-hand term.

When discussing the American Civil War, Americans use the phrase "the Union" to refer to the states that remained under the control of the federal government in Washington and did not secede to join the Confederate States of America. The phrase is also occasionally used in contemporary discussions of American federalism and states' rights. Immediately after the American Civil War and for a generation afterward, the entire country was then referred to as "the Republic". This nineteenth century usage has since declined, except when invoking issues of civics and governance, such as in the Pledge of Allegiance uttered by school children and in town meetings.

Fairly formal terms, still short-hand, evoking patriotic observances (possibly with irony) are "U.S.A." or "U.S." (with or without the periods, and usually with "the"); a more marked version is "the U. S. of A." The official name of the nation, the "United States of America," is very formal and is most often used in formal government documents, pledges, or ceremonies, but not in colloquial conversations. It is more common to hear the shortened phrase "United States" or simply "America."

Intra-national allegiances

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San Francisco's Chinatown

Because of the size and large population of the country, America is often described as a nation of joiners who tend to self-associate with non-familial groups. Individuals tend to perceive themselves as "free agents" rather than bound by family or clan ties .

Group allegiances are sometimes regional, but can also be related to a professional or fraternal organization. For example, residents of North Carolina are proud to be "Tar Heels," Indiana residents are "Hoosiers" and Texans are notorious for an especially prominent state pride often compared to nationalism. There also still exists some enmity between states on different sides of the civil war, with each region having a stereotypes associated with it.

Many cities have a strong sense of civic identity, often reinforced by an innocuous but deeply felt rivalry with another local city. An example of such a rivalry exists between the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, another one with two similar sized Texas cities of Dallas, Texas and Houston, Texas. In the Northeastern United States, many cities, particularly Philadelphia and Boston, have strong rivalries with New York, based on the latter's size and influence.

Recent immigrants tend to congregate with other immigrants from their country of origin, often establishing neighborhoods (sometimes called ethnic enclaves) in cities with popular names like "Chinatown", "Poletown", or "Little Italy." Second- and third-generation descendants of immigrants tend to have looser affiliations with their ethnic groups.

America has tens of thousands of clubs and organizations, and if a group has a charitable or service orientation, Americans may volunteer their time through those groups. Examples of these groups include the Rotary Club, the Boy Scouts of America, Little League, etc.

Food

A hamburger is a famous food in the United States.

Main article: Cuisine of the United States

The types of food served at home vary greatly and depend upon the region of the country and the family's own cultural heritage. Recent immigrants tend to eat food similar to that of their country of origin, and Americanized versions of these cultural foods, such as American Chinese cuisine or Italian-American cuisine often eventually appear. German cuisine also had a profound impact on American cuisine, especially the mid-western cuisine, with potatoes and meat being the most iconic ingredients in both cuisines. Dishes such as the hamburger, pot roast, baked ham and hot dogs are examples of American dishes derived from German cuisine.

Families that have lived for a few generations in the U.S. tend to eat some combination of that and the food common to the region they live in or grew up in, such as New England cuisine, Midwestern cuisine, Southern cuisine, Tex-Mex cuisine, and Californian cuisine.

Around the world the United States is perhaps best known for its numerous and successful fast food franchises. Such chains, including McDonald's, Burger King, and Kentucky Fried Chicken are known for selling simple, pre-prepared meals of foods such as hamburgers, French fries, soft drinks, fried chicken, and ice cream. Though undeniably popular, such food, with its emphasis on deep-frying, has been criticized by dietitians in recent decades for being unhealthy and a cause of obesity. It has thus become somewhat of a stereotype to associate American cuisine with obesity and junk food, for in reality, fast food represents only a tiny fraction of available American cuisine.

Popular culture

Main article: Arts and entertainment in the United States

The American state of California (especially the Hollywood region) is home to a thriving motion picture industry, with prominent film studios such as Warner Brothers, Paramount, and MGM creating dozens of multi-million dollar films every year that are enjoyed around the world. American actors are often among the world's most popular and easily identified celebrities. It's worth noting that Hollywood also tends to attract many immigrant actors and directors from around the world, many of whom, such as actor Russell Crowe or director Ang Lee become just as famous and successful as American-born stars.

The United States was a leading pioneer of T.V. as an entertainment medium, and the tradition remains strong to this day. Many American television sitcoms, dramas, game shows and reality shows remain very popular both in the US and abroad. Animation is a popular US entertainment medium as well, both on the large and small screen. The characters created by Walt Disney and Warner Brothers animation studios remain very popular. In music, the United States has pioneered many distinct genres, such as country and western, jazz,rock music, hip hop, and gospel. African-American cultural influences play a particularly prominent role in many of these traditions.

Technology and gadgets

Main article: Technological innovations of the United States

Americans, by and large, are often fascinated by new technology and new gadgets. There are many within the United States that share the attitude that through technology, many of the evils in the society can be solved. Many of the new technological innovations in the modern world were either first invented in the United States and/or first widely adopted by Americans. Examples include: the lightbulb, the airplane, the transistor, nuclear power, the personal computer, and online shopping, as well as the development of the Internet . The iPod, the most popular gadget for portable digital music, is also American.

By comparison with Japan, however, only a small fraction of electronic devices make it to sale in the US, and household items such as toilets are rarely festooned with remotes and electronic buttons as they are in Asia.

Automobiles

Main article: Passenger vehicles in the United States

Automobiles play a great role in American culture, whether it be in the mundane lives of private individuals or in the areas of arts and entertainment. Lower energy and land costs favor the production of relatively large, powerful comfortable cars, of which the Ford Crown Victoria is one of the last surviving examples. The culture in the 1950s and 1960s often catered to the automobile with motels and drive-in restaurants. Americans tend to view obtaining a driver's license as a rite of passage, and outside of dense urban areas such as New York City, most Americans of all ages and genders expect to own and drive cars.

Drugs

The drug culture of the United States is distinguished sharply between legal, illegal and prescription drugs. The three main legal drugs are alcohol, tobacco and caffeine. The use and sale of illegal drugs such as marijuana, heroin and cocaine carries heavy penalties (see Controlled Substances Act); the U.S. expends significant resources in combatting the enterprises that produce and import such commodities, in what is termed the War on Drugs. Nevertheless, illicit drugs remain immensely popular. Antidepressant drugs are widely prescribed, as are stimulants such as Ritalin, a methylphenidate used to improve concentration.

Alcohol

The sale and consumption of alcohol was banned completely for a period in the first half of the 20th century (Prohibition); today, alcohol is legal but restricted (for example, in many places stronger beverages may only be purchased from specialist shops). The drinking age, 21 in most places, is widely enforced and there is little tradition of consumption of alcohol in a family context. Some American (particularly Californian) wine is highly regarded, as is bourbon, a type of whiskey with roots in the state of Kentucky. Most beer consumed in the US is mass-produced rice lager, and is regarded by the international community as being "watery" and lacking in flavor. In the 1990s, a variety of smaller, local brewing companies carved out profitable niches for themselves by producing more robust, upmarket brews. Many foreign brands of beer, such as Heineken and Becks, have a strong presence in the American market. Today, many Americans celebrate the Mexican holiday of Cinco de Mayo, in part due to a massive publicity campaign by Corona beer.

Tobacco

Pipe smoking and cigarette smoking have decreased sharply among Americans in recent years. There is a strong correlation between smokers and educational levels, with tobacco use at only 10 percent among the college educated and rising to 40 percent among high school dropouts . Users smoke cigarettes; a fraction smoke cigars or pipes.

Smoking is permitted in increasingly few public places and places of business. Those who persist in the habit must often resort to smoking outside. Some cities and even some states, such as Ohio, California, New York, New Jersey, Utah, Washington, Florida, Rhode Island, Georgia, Montana, Massachusetts, and Indiana prohibit smoking in public establishments.

Recently, Middle Eastern Americans have begun to introduce hookah smoking to the American audience, with hookah lounges becoming increasingly popular in urban areas, and some Americans purchasing their own hookahs and hosting hookah parties as well.

Caffeine

Coffee is used as a stimulant and in a social context. America's take on the coffee shop has proved particularly successful, with Starbucks becoming a huge success. Caffeine isn't usually viewed in the same light as other drugs, and is rarely seen as a serious health hazard. This is reflected in the fact that caffeine is often an ingredient in candies and beverages marketed toward children.

Sports

An Army-Navy basketball game in 2004

Main article: Sports in the United States

American sports are quite distinct from those played elsewhere in the world. The top three spectator team sports are baseball, American football and basketball, which are all popular on both the college and professional levels. Baseball is the oldest of these. The professional game dates from 1869 and had no close rivals in popularity until the 1960s; though baseball is no longer the most popular sport it is still referred to as the "national pastime." Also unlike the professional levels of the other popular spectator sports in the U.S., Major League Baseball teams play almost every day from April to October. American football (known simply as "football" in the U.S.) attracts more viewers within the country than baseball nowadays; however, National Football League teams play only 16 regular-season games each year, so baseball is the runaway leader in ticket sales. Basketball, invented in Massachusetts by the Canadian-born James Naismith, is another popular sport, represented professionally by the National Basketball Association.

Most residents along the northern tier of states recognize a fourth major sport - ice hockey. Always a mainstay of Great Lakes and New England-area culture, the sport gained tenuous footholds in regions like the Carolinas and Tampa Bay, Florida in recent years, as the National Hockey League pursued a policy of expansion.

The top tier of stock car auto racing, NASCAR, has grown from a mainly Southern sport to the second-most-watched sport in the U.S. behind football. It has largely outgrown a previously provincial image; it is now avidly followed by fans in all socioeconomic groups and NASCAR sponsorships in the premier Nextel Cup division are highly sought after by hundreds of the U.S.'s largest corporations.

Unlike in Europe, Africa, and Latin America, soccer has a relatively small following, and is mostly popular in the more international cities with large immigrant populations, like New York and Los Angeles. Generally few non-Hispanic American adults appear to be attracted to soccer as spectators, but the sport is widely played by children of affluent backgrounds (giving rise to the "soccer mom" stereotype). Dramatic growth in youth participation has fueled the national team's steady rise in caliber of play over the last two decades of the 20th century and the 2000s. Almost as many girls as boys play youth soccer in the U.S., contributing to the women's national team becoming one of the world's premier women's sides.

The extent in America to which sports are associated with secondary and tertiary education is unique among nations. In basketball and football, high school and particularly college sports are followed with a fervor equaling or exceeding that felt for professional sports; college football games can draw six-digit crowds, many prominent high school football teams have stadiums that seat tens of thousands of spectators, and the college basketball championship tournament played in March draws enormous attention. For upper-tier schools, sports are a significant source of revenue. Though student athletes may be held to significantly lower academic requirements than non-athletes at many large universities, minimum standards do exist.

The U.S. is also known for endorsing of many newer or less popular sports, such as paintball, lacrosse, volleyball, etc.

Fashion

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An "aloha shirt," popular in Hawaii and temperate western states

Dress was moderately formal until the 1960s, when a revolution took place that stressed casual and informal, and in the Western tradition of pants and a shirt. Exceptions are major cities such as New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, where many residents wear expensive stylish clothes. Social and business situations may call for tailored suits or other more elegant outfits. Tuxedos and evening dress occasions have become much less common since 1960. The top hat vanished in 1960, along with most other millinery. Skirts and dresses are often worn by women. Men of Scottish or Irish descent wear kilts as part of celebrations such as parades, or as part of a family reunion tradition. Jeans, a T-shirt (or a hoody ) and athletic shoes come close to being a "national uniform".

Types of clothing worn often have something to do with which region of the country people live in. Some Texans and residents of the Southwest dress in boots and hats in a style typically associated with traditional cowboys. In the region from New England to New Jersey, preppy style clothing is popular. In the South, people sometimes dress more casually, and often their clothes are more modest, although formality in certain contexts is valued.

The greatest variations in dress are related to climate. Easterners generally tend to dress more formally than Westerners, though this is also closely connected with cultural history as well. Residents of northern states wear heavy sweaters, warm, water-resistant boots, stocking caps and heavy coats or down parkas in the cold season. In Hawaii, the Aloha shirt as an acceptable item of wear by men has received formal approval by the state legislature. In beach areas and places with relatively warm and consistent climates, especially California, Hawaii, and Florida, skimpy or revealing clothing is considered acceptable in all but the most formal settings. Cowboy hats, Western boots and large silver belt buckles are found in southwestern and western regions of the United States, particularly Texas and Arizona. However, many from the Southern United States dress in the aforementioned jeans and t-shirt.

The trend toward informality has increased among many segments of society. For instance, students at colleges and universities are often noted for wearing flip flops or thong sandals as well as pajamas to class.

Education

Main articles: Education in the United States and Educational attainment in the United States

In the American educational system children are required to attend school from the age of five or six. Students typically graduate from high school at age eighteen although many states allow students to drop out at age sixteen. The public education systems vary from one state to another but generally are organized as follows:

• Age 5: Kindergarten
• Ages 6-11: Elementary school. Children start in grade 1 and advance to grade 5 or 6.
• Ages 11-14 or 12-14: Junior high school or middle school (usually grades 6 or 7 through grade 8 or 9).
• Ages 14-18: High school (usually grades 9-12 or 10-12).

A system also becoming more popular is 4-year schooling segments. Such as:

• Ages 6-9 (Grades 1-4) Elementary.
• Ages 10-13 (Grades 5-8) Middle.
• Ages 14-17 (Grades 9-12) High/secondary.

The entire span of primary and secondary education, from Kindergarten to grade 12, is often abbreviated in the US as K-12 or K12, which in spoken American English is rendered as "K through 12" or "K 12." Additionally, many children attend schools before they reach the age of five. These preschools are often private and not part of the public educational system although some public school systems include preschools.

Public education

Public education in the United States is provided by the individual states, not by the federal government (except in the limited circumstances of public schools on military bases, provided for the dependents of members of the armed services). All states provide public school education from kindergarten through Senior year of high school (12th grade) free of charge (except for 15 school districts in New Hampshire which do not offer kindergarten); further, the federal government does not establish a standard nationwide curriculum. Rather, the curriculum is typically established by state educational departments or local school districts, and teachers in many districts may have wide discretion to determine what is taught in the classroom.

Most states have adopted reforms based on the Outcome-based education movement. Rather than the traditional approach that all students would be expected to achieve at different levels, the focus of education would be to increase achievement, and insure through testing that all graduates must achieve one high standard, though some critics argue such a goal is not realistic. As of 2005, there is increasing state and federal pressure to quantify teaching efficacy using results from standards-based tests (cf. No Child Left Behind), which tends to lead to a more uniform curriculum. This trend toward educational standardization, which has been attributed with a concomitant decline in flexibility in teaching, and other reforms—such as the use of whole language methodology for teaching reading in primary school, instead of the more traditional phonics-based approach—promoted in recent years have been controversial. Another controversy has arisen over the adoption of new math standards which many critics charge has largely omitted the teaching of basic arithmetic as it has been understood over history rather than merely improve understanding. Other criticisms of recent educational trends include an increasing lack of post-secondary scholarships and subsidies.

Funding of the public school systems is most often provided primarily at the local level, with money obtained from county or city property taxes used to fund the public schools (in conjunction with additional funds from the state and federal governments).

Private education

Private school education in the United States at the primary and secondary levels generally receives little or no governmental support in the form of direct funding or subsidies, although non-profit bodies running private schools may receive favorable tax status. Conversely, because of the constitutional prohibition regarding governmental establishment of religion, most private religious schools are in fact barred from such direct governmental support.

Most of the private institutions have traditionally been religious institutions funded by, for example, Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish communities. Some private secular schools, military schools, and multi-lingual schools also exist. Private secular and multi-lingual elementary and secondary education may cost $10,000 to $20,000 per year per student in large metropolitan areas, placing these schools out of reach of all but the wealthiest of middle- and upper-class families. However, many of these schools provide academic scholarships and need-based assistance. Religious schools vary in price, from nearly free to costs on par with private secular schools. Poorer families may send their children to these lower-priced schools for a religious education, or because they consider the schools better than the available public schools. Homeschooling is allowed in all states (with varying degrees of regulation) and is an alternative for a small minority of households. The motivation for home schooling is often religious or political. Many times, home schooling is used because of particular sports.

Higher education

Cambridge's Harvard University is the oldest institution of higher education in the U.S.

The United States leads the world in higher education , with many foreign elites choosing to educate their children there. The United States boasts more than 1,500 universities, colleges, and other institutions of higher learning. Almost all institutions of higher learning in the United States use the German system of designation for academic degrees. Common postgraduate degrees are master's degrees, Ph.D.s, and specialized professional degrees such as a J.D. for a lawyer, an MBA for a businessperson, a Pharm.D. for a pharmacist or an M.D. for a physician.

As with the lower level public education system, there is no national public university system in the United States; each state has its own public university system. There are also many privately run colleges, universities, and trade schools, some of them religiously affiliated. State university tuition ranges from nearly free on up, but is generally significantly lower than at private schools, and is often lower for state residents than for out-of-state students. The U.S. federal government provides some federal grants and loans for higher education to many families. Most universities offer academic scholarships and need-based aid; however, many students assume some of the cost of their own education through work and loans. Students seeking officership in the United States Military may enroll in ROTC courses at most colleges and universities, or in one of service academies, such as West Point or Annapolis.

Language

Main article: Languages in the United States

The primary, although not official, language of the United States is English. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, more than 97% of Americans can speak English well, and for 81% of the population, it is the only language spoken at home. There is no official language.

Other languages that are considered to be important to U.S. culture include:

• Spanish because of the proximity of and immigration from Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries of the Caribbean and Central and South America, as well as the cultural crossover of the borderlands,
• the native Hawaiian language, and other native languages with large numbers of speakers (such as Navajo)
• Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Tagalog (Filipino language) due to immigration from the countries where those languages are spoken, and
• French, in Louisiana (a former French colony, where Cajun French is spoken), and in northern New England, home to many French Canadian immigrants in the past and which is also influenced by neighboring Acadian-Canadian culture.

There are more than 300 languages besides English which can claim native speakers in the United States—some of which are spoken by the indigenous peoples (about 150 living languages) and others which were imported by immigrants. Creoles native to the United States include Gullah and Cajun, both spoken in the Southeast. American Sign Language, used mainly by the deaf, is also native to the country.

There are four major regional dialects in the United States—northeastern, south, inland north and midlands. The Midlands accent (considered the "standard accent" in the United States, and analogous in some respects to the received pronunciation elsewhere in the English-speaking world) extends from what were once the "Middle Colonies" across the Midwest to the Pacific states.

Religion

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, the Roman Catholic seat of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles

Main article: Religion in the United States

Historically, the United States' religious tradition has been dominated by Protestant Christianity, but this tradition coexists in a public sphere where religious plurality and secularism are the norm. For example, the United States Constitution enshrined individual freedom of religious practice, which courts have since interpreted to mean that the government is a secular institution, an idea called "separation of church and state".

While the many Christian sects have the most adherents, many other faiths are also popular and growing in numbers. No one religion holds sway over the entirety of the population. "Culture wars" often have roots in religious differences, but religious violence is virtually nonexistent and roundly condemned by religious as well as non-religious individuals. Americans as a whole attend religious services more often than do their peers in most Northern European countries. In fact, the U.S. is rare among industrialized nations in that most of its citizens consider themselves religious. It is not, however, as religious as many of its neighbors in the New World.

According to the 2001 American Religious Identity Survey (ARIS), 76.5% of United States residents, or 159 million people, identify themselves as Christians; 13.2% or 27.5 million identify as non-religious or secular. Other faiths represented include the 1.3% (or 2.8 million) of U.S. people who identify themselves as Jewish; 0.5% (1 million) who identify themselves as Muslim; 0.5% (1 million) who identify themselves as Buddhists; 0.5% (991,000) who identify as agnostic; 0.4% (902,000) who identify as atheist; 0.4% (766,000) identify as Hindu; and 0.3% (629,000) who identify as Unitarian Universalist.

According to the same study, the major Christian denominations (making up the vast majority of faiths actively practiced in the United States) are (in order): Roman Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Pentecostal (aka Charismatic or Evangelical), Episcopalian, Latter-Day Saints, Church of Christ, and Congregational.

According to other studies, as reported by the Statistical Abstract of the United States, Americans' self-reported religious affiliations are 56% Protestant, 27% Roman Catholic, 2% Judaism, 1% Orthodox Christianity, 1% Mormon faith, 5% "other specific" religion, and 8% "other" or "did not designate." Some 68% of Americans are members of a place of worship, and 44% attend that place of worship regularly.

Work and jobs

An American highway in Atlanta, Georgia

Most people commute to work using automobiles rather than mass transit (the New York Metropolitan Area is a notable exception); the effect of the automobile on the United States and its prominence in American life cannot be overestimated. Most jobs are based on a 40-hour work week; typically five days (Monday through Friday), eight hours per day. By law, after 40 hours, employers must pay overtime which is 150% their normal wage, although many workers are exempt, including almost all who work for a biweekly salary instead of an hourly wage. On holidays, some companies pay double. The United States has minimum wage laws requiring a minimum wage for many employees, though a number of employment sectors are excluded. Minimum wage differs from state to state; some states have higher minimum wages than the wage mandated by the federal government.

According to equal opportunity labor laws, employers are not allowed to discriminate based on race, gender, religion, political convictions, family situation, marital or parental status. In addition, applicants need not provide photos or personal information on these topics, however drug tests and criminal background checks are sometimes required. Employees must pay federal and state income tax to the government. In most cases, employees are not allowed to attend work after drinking alcohol or to drink alcohol during work. Exceptions include some restaurant jobs, bars and business meetings.

Vacations are usually two weeks, but unlike in most developed countries, there is no legal minimum. Other company benefits may include sick days and/or personal days. The common retirement age is roughly 65, with many retiring either earlier or later, depending on their personal finances and their job statisfaction. Some Americans, especially professionals continue part-work such as teaching community college classes after retirement. Others continue to work past 65 due to their job statisfaction. US companies often offer benefits such as health and dental insurance, and life insurance. In addition, the benefits can often include the employee's family as well. A few companies provide various lessons for free, such as relaxation to improve their work performance. However, most benefits are not mandated by law, and there is a large range of wages, compensation and benefits in different types of jobs. Generally, the most physically demanding jobs such as construction and farm labor are the least well compensated. Compared to most European systems, work culture in the USA seems to be much harder for employees. For example, there is less paid vacation, paid sick days, maternity leave and benefits for parents.

Housing

Immediately after World War II, Americans began living in increasing numbers in the suburbs, belts around major cities with higher density than rural areas, but much lower than urban areas. This move has been attributed to many factors such as the automobile, the availability of large tracts of land, the convenience of more and longer paved roads, the increasing violence in urban centers (see white flight), and the cheapness of housing. These new single-family houses were usually one or two stories tall, and often were part of large contracts of homes built by a single developer. The resulting low-density development has been given the pejorative label "urban sprawl." This is changing, however. "White flight" is reversing, with many Yuppies and upper-middle-class, empty nest Baby Boomers returning to urban living, usually in condominiums, such as in New York City's Lower East Side, and Chicago's South Loop. The result has been the displacement of many poorer, inner-city residents. (see gentrification). American cities with housing prices near the national median have also been losing the middle income neighborhoods, those with median income between 80% and 120% of the metropolitan area's median household income. Here, the more affluent members of the middle class, who are also often referred to as being professional or upper middle class, have left in search of larger homes in more exclusive suburbs. This trend is largely attributed to the so called "Middle class squeeze," which has caused a starker distinction between the statistical middle class and the more privileged members of the middle class. In more expensive areas such as California, however, another trend has been taking place where an influx of more affluent middle class households has displaced those in the actual middle of society and converted former middle-middle class neighborhoods into upper middle class neighborhoods.

Romantic relationships

Couples often meet through religious institutions, work, school, or friends. "Dating services," services that are geared to assist people in finding partners, are popular both on and offline. The trend over the past few decades has been for more and more couples deciding to cohabitate before, or instead of, getting married. The 2000 Census reported 9.7 million different-sex partners living together and about 1.3 million same-sex partners living together. These cohabitation arrangements have not been the subject of many laws regulating them, though some states now have domestic partner statutes and judge-made palimony doctrines that confer some legal support for unmarried couples.

Marriage laws are established by individual state. Same-sex marriage is currently legal only in Massachusetts. Two other states, Connecticut and Vermont, allow same-sex couples access to state-level marriage benefits with civil unions. In many states, it is illegal to cross state lines to obtain a marriage that would be illegal in the home state. Married couples typically reside in their own dwelling.

Marriage ceremonies

The typical wedding involves a couple proclaiming their commitment to one another in front of their close relatives and friends and presided over by a religious figure such as a minister, priest, or rabbi, depending upon the faith of the couple. In traditional Christian ceremonies, the bride's father will "give away" (hand off) the bride to the groom. Secular weddings are also common, often presided over by a judge, Justice of the Peace, or other municipal official.

Divorce

Divorce, like marriage, is the province of the state governments, not the federal government. Divorce laws vary from state to state, but no-fault divorce on the grounds of "irreconcilable differences" is now available in all states except New York (whose nearest equivalent requires a one-year separation).

Prior to the 1970s, divorcing spouses had to allege that the other spouse was guilty of a crime or sin like abandonment or adultery; when spouses simply could not get along, lawyers were forced to manufacture "uncontested" divorces. The no-fault divorce revolution began in 1969 in California; South Dakota was the last state to allow no-fault divorce, in 1985. State law provides for child support where children are involved, and sometimes for alimony.

According to data collected by the US Center For Disease Control's National Center For Health Statistics, the US divorce rate average in 1900 was .7 per 1,000 residents. The US divorce rate gradually rose through most of the 20th century to a high point, in 1981, of 5.3 per 1,000 and has been declining since. The US average divorce rate in 2004 was 3.7 per 1,000.

The divorce rate is calculated independently of statistics on marriage rates. Rates for marital success - or failure - are sometimes calculated by a simple ratio of yearly marriage rates per 1,000 compared to yearly divorce rates per 1,000, but that method is inaccurate according to an April 19, 2005 New York Times story entitled "Divorce Rate: It's Not As High As You Think":

"The method preferred by social scientists in determining the divorce rate is to calculate how many people who have ever married subsequently divorced. Counted that way, the rate has never exceeded about 41 percent, researchers say. Although sharply rising rates in the 1970s led some to project that the number would keep increasing, the rate has instead begun to inch downward."

During the 1990s, unpaid child support came to be seen as a major contributor to the growth of federal welfare programs. Congress partially federalized child support law to make it easier for custodial parents to locate noncustodial parents and seize their wages and assets.

Death rituals

Grave markers at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York

Main article: Funeral § Funerals in contemporary North America

Deaths are generally thought to be an occasion for grieving by the majority of Americans. Funerals are held to honor the "passing away" of the individual. Unlike many other cultures, even that of neighboring Mexico, death is looked upon by most Americans as a much greater sadness, and is dealt with in a much more subdued manner. Nonetheless, the majority of Americans do not express the same high degree of emotion as would be found in some other cultures, such as those of Southern Europe and the Mediterranean. Whereas some cultures may celebrate the passing of an individual with music which the deceased enjoyed or wearing colors that were favorites of the dead acquaintance, in the United States, the death of a loved one is typically seen as a time to mourn deeply, wearing all black, and making the pain and sadness that one is feeling known. However, certain segments of American culture, such as residents of New Orleans, have historically been associated with a very different attitude toward funerals, such as that embodied in the Jazz funeral tradition.

The deceased person is typically placed in a coffin and are generally embalmed and often displayed in a chapel or funeral home for a day or two (occasionally longer) before being buried in the ground. Most adherents of Judaism, however, do not have their loved ones embalmed. Cremation, an increasingly common practice, involves the burning of the body to ashes, which are then stored in an urn or scattered over a site or location significant to the deceased.

Unlike some countries, where the body remains in the cemetery only for a limited period of time—e.g., 20 years—in the United States there is typically no limit .

Gender roles

Since the 1970s, traditional gender roles of male and female have been increasingly challenged by both legal and social means. Today, there are far fewer roles that are legally restricted by one's sex. The military remains a notable exception, where women may not be put into direct combat by law. Asymmetrical warfare, however, has put women into situations which are direct combat operations in all but name.

Most social roles are not gender-restricted by law, though there are still cultural inhibitions surrounding certain roles. More and more women have entered the workplace, and in the year 2000 made up 46.6% of the labor force, up from 18.3% in 1900. Most men, however, have not taken up the traditional full-time homemaker role; likewise, few men have taken traditionally feminine jobs such as receptionist or nurse (although nursing was traditionally a male role before the US Civil War).

Family arrangements

Nuclear family living patterns

Beginning in the early 20th century, the two-parent family known as the nuclear family was the predominant American family type. Children typically live with their parents until they go away to a college or university, or until they are able to support themselves. Children typically leave their family homes in their mid-20s. While young adults who live with their parents are viewed as hangers-on (a perception that may be the result of from a long national tradition of individualism), this perception appears to be changing as more Americans come to understand the effects of steeply rising costs of living, especially on the young. Thus, many young adults now remain with their parents well past their mid-20s. This topic was a cover article of TIME magazine in 2005. Exceptions to the custom of leaving home in one's mid-20s do occur, especially among Italian and Hispanic Americans, and in expensive urban real estate markets such as New York City [2], California [3], and Honolulu [4], where monthly rents commonly exceed $1000 a month.

In the early to mid-20th century, the father typically was the sole wage earner and the mother was the children's principal caregiver. Today, often both parents hold jobs and provide parental care. Dual-earner families are the predominant type for families with children in the US. Increasingly, one of the parents has a non-standard shift (that is, a shift that does not start in the morning and end in the late afternoon). Before they start school, adequate day care of children is necessary for dual-earner families; many private companies and home-based day care centers fulfill this need. Increasingly, corporate sponsorship of day care is occurring, as well as government assistance to parents requiring day care. Many working class families, however, fail to qualify for government assisted healthcare but fall short of being middle class and thus cannot afford quality day care.

Single-parent living patterns

Single-parent households are households consisting of a single adult (most often a woman) and one or more children. These types of households have been increasing in number and, today, the majority of black households are single parent households. For whites, Hispanics, and other races, the predominant family household is still the two-parent family. Although the United States has a larger number of single-parent households than it did in the past, countries such as the U.K. have a higher percentage of single-parent households than the United States .

In the single-parent household, one parent typically raises the children with little to no help from the other. This parent is the sole "breadwinner" of the family and thus these households are particularly vulnerable economically. They have higher rates of poverty, and children of these households are more likely to have educational problems.

Regional distinctions

See also: List of regions of the United States

Variations

Variations in the majority traditions occur due to class, racial, ethnic, religious, regional and other groups of people. Cultural differences in the various regions of the United States are explored in New England, Mid-Atlantic States, Southern United States, Midwestern United States, Southwest United States, Western United States and Pacific Northwestern United States pages. See also Culture of Puerto Rico and Culture of Hawaii.

Rural living patterns

The population of rural areas has been declining over time as more and more people migrate to cities for work and entertainment. The great exodus from the farms came in the 1940s; in recent years fewer than 2% of the population lives on farms (though others live in the countryside and commute to work). Electricity and telephone, and sometimes cable and Internet services are available to all but the most remote regions. As in the cities, children attend school up to and including high school and only help with farming during the summer months or after school.

Suburban living patterns

Tract housing in Kentucky near Cincinnati, Ohio

About half of Americans now live in what is known as the suburbs. The suburban nuclear family has been identified as part of the "American dream": a married couple with children owning a house in the suburbs. This archetype is reinforced by mass media, religious practices, and government policies and is based on traditions from Anglo-Saxon cultures.

One of the biggest differences in suburban living is the housing occupied by the families. The suburbs are filled with single-family homes separated from retail districts, industrial areas, and sometimes even public schools.

Urban living patterns

Aside from housing, which may include more apartments and semi-attached homes than in the suburbs or small towns, the major difference from suburban living is the density and diversity of many different subcultures, as well as retail and manufacturing buildings mixed with housing. Urban residents are also more likely to travel by mass transit, and children are more likely to walk or bicycle rather than being driven by their parents.

See also

• American exceptionalism
• American studies
  • American Studies in Britain
• Americanization
• Nacirema
• America 24/7
• American middle class
• American dream
• Social structure of the United States
• Westernization

External links

• Customs & Culture in the US
• Social institutions in the United States
• Life in the USA: The Complete Guide for Immigrants and Americans
• Portrait of the USA
• Guide to American culture and customs for foreign students (US Army Intelligence)
• Culture, Hedonism & Lifestyle