1. Give examples of American diversity. How did it originate?

The United States have racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity. It all originated when
European settlers arrived in America, which had already been inhabited by Native
Americans. New arrivals were from Spain, France, Germany, Britain, and Netherland. Slaves
were brought from Africa. All those countries brought with them their religion, language,
culture and customs.
2. How can you define an American? What six basic features constitute the American
character?
Six features:
- Individual freedom
- Equality of opportunity
- Material wealth
- Self-reliance
- Competition
- Hard work

American is a person born in America and living according to six basic traditional American
values like: Individual freedom, equality of opportunity, material wealth, self-reliance,
competition and hard work.

3. Why did the earliest settlers/immigrants come to America? give examples.

They came to establish colonies that were free from the Europeans societies’ rules. They
came to escape the power of the church and king, aristocratic societies and governments.

4. How do Americans understand freedom/individualism? How is it connected with the

frontier history?
By freedom Americans means:
- The desire and ability to control your own destiny,
- No interference from the government, church, a ruling noble class, and other authorities

It connects to the frontier history because when the declare the independence in 1776 and
overthrew the king of England, this desire to be free of control was a basic value of a new
nation. They also wrote it in to their constitution in 1789, stating that church and the state
would be separated so there would never be a government-supported church. They also
forbade titles of nobility so there would be no ruling class of nobility in the new nation.

5. What is the price to be paid for individual freedom? Define it.

Self-reliance is a price that need to be paid for individual freedom. Self-reliance means being
financially and emotionally independent, it is an ability to care for yourself and solve your
own problems.
6. How is self-reliance perceived by American nowadays?
Most Americans believe that they must be self-reliant in order to keep their individual
freedom. Individuals have to be seen as self-reliant to be respected and have power. Taking
financial support from the government is allowed but never admired, and people who take
them perceived as those ones who set bad example for others.
7. Define equality of opportunity. Why do Americans believe in it? What price do they have
to pay for it?
Equality of opportunity it is a belief that everyone has an equal chance to be successful in
America.
Americans believe that every individual should have an equal chance to enter a race for
success and win it. In that way the race is fair for everyone. It doesn’t matter are you from
wealthy family or not, what religion do you practice. It is the same for all individuals. But
being in that race have consequences, like competition, which in return put a lot of pressure
and stress on those who are in the race.

8. Give examples of the pressures of competition in the lives of Americans?

- competition with others throughout their life, from childhood to retirement

- during growing up children learn to compete
- strong programs of competitive sports are present at schools and in community goups

9. Why are older people not respected in the American society as much as in the other
societies?
Because after retirement they don’t have to compete, so they may be considered as useless
or unwanted in a competitive society.

10. Why did material wealth become a value to the American people? Give two reasons.
- material goods were a measure of social status and success
- material possessions were the natural reward for their hard work

11. What is the price to be paid for material wealth? Define it and give examples. 
It is a hard work. The hard work was necessary to convert natural resources from newly
discovered land into material possessions which allowed to arise the standard of life. Hard
work was the way to become rich and showed people’s abilities.

12. Explain the difference between idealism and reality when it comes to American values.

Give examples.

Idealism is to take equality of opportunity and self-reliance for granted in real life.
Reality is the confrontation of ideas in life.

Example: people born in rich families have a better chance for success, white Americans,
men and former immigrants have better opportunities than the Black Americans, women
and present immigrants.

13. How does American patriotism differ from European patriotism?

American patriotism is associated with little attachment to place. They are more proud of
nation (national symbols) than region and are more focused on historical events and idea of
freedom.

European patriotism is the love of the land and identification with a homeland.
14. Define: voluntarism,  psychology of abundance,  mobility

Volunteerism - is a private, unpaid, spontaneous interpersonal help that is organized when a

problem or need arises

Psychology of abundance is an American belief in inexhaustibility of the nation’s resources,

it came from a history when explorers came to a new land full of all natural resources and
began exploiting them believe that they would never end.

Mobility – moving from place to place with the sense of optimism hoping to start new life or
make a fresh start, it’s possible as American is the nation of immigrants with little
attachment to place.

15. Define: the Declaration of Independence, the Founding Fathers, the Bill of Rights, ‘a land of
plenty,’ ‘going from rags to riches,’ ‘the American Dream’

Declaration of Independence – it is an American document that was written by Thomas

Jefferson on July 4, 1776, and that announced the separation of 13 North American British
colonies from Great Britain.

The Founding Fathers - political activists who signed the Declaration of Independence in
1787 participated in the American Revolution as Patriots, i.e. opponents of the Loyalists.
Among them were Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Alexander
Hamilton, James Madison, Samuel Adams, John Adams, and Thomas Paine.

The Bill of Rights is the first 10 Amendments to the US Constitution, they guaranteed
fundamental civil liberties and freedoms.

“a land of plenty” – a definition of America rich in natural resources where everyone could
make a fortune.

“going from rags to reaches” - to start your life very poor and then later in life become very
rich – the slogan for the great American Dream, it was about immigrants

“the American Dream” - is the belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or
what class they were born into, can attain their own version of success in a society where
upward mobility is possible for everyone. The American Dream is achieved through sacrifice,
risk-taking, and hard work, rather than by chance.