John Winthrop states that America is to be a “city on a hill” a shining light for all to see, a wise quote from a wise man showing his pride in his country. America is still like this for numerous reasons. We stand out from many places because America is a focal point for many different races, religions and people from every walk of life. Some may think that America is no longer that great place, even though America isn't that ideal place in some ways ,we stand out in different aspects. By standing out it is both positive and negative, it gives us some security while also making us a larger target for rival countries. Three major examples as to why America is still this shining city on the hill our expansive military, acceptance of religion and incredible independence. One main reason why America is still the “city on the hill” is our expansive …show more content…
Jared Keller states in his article What Makes America so Optimistic?, an article directed towards the American public “Religious values are deeply embedded in every aspect of American life, including the cultural emphasis on hard work as a metric of self-improvement” (Keller). This shows that americans still take pride in their religion no matter their race or their wealth. With religion as an importance it unifies our country even though we don't all believe in the same higher power, we all have the same consistency in religious practices. Even though religion brings this country together it also causes social division and minorities, which cause separation and hatred which can bleed into war within America and other countries like the holocaust. But we have not had any major wars caused by religion in quite a few years. Religion is more accepted now among society which brings America closer unlike many other single based religion countries. Religion is only one of the many factors as to why America is still a shining city on the
America today still maintains the separation of church and state, an idea that was founded by some of the earliest colonists.... ... middle of paper ... ... William Penn, Quaker and founder of Pennsylvania, soon after wrote the Pennsylvania Charter of Privileges and Liberties, a constitution for the colony of Pennsylvania, which enabled the people to freely practice their religion of choice without fear of government punishment. American colonies were clearly established with the intent to all live together with Christian beliefs, but with so many interpretations and versions of the same religious scripture, freedom to practice whichever adaptation feels right became most important in colonial life. And as a safe haven for those who were persecuted in their home countries, America truly flourished as a place for the religiously tolerant.
Religion has ingrained itself into mainstream American politics. The current Reform Party and many portions of the Republican party platforms evidence this.
Religion is closely tied to events like the Protestant Reformation and other religious movements. The Protestant Reformation of the 1500’s started a decade long battle over religion. During this conflict, religious balance transferred between Protestantism and Catholicism. Spain and Ireland were dominantly Catholic. England was Protestant. The discord between religious beliefs led to confiscation of land and developed hatred between leaders which carried over into the development of America (Kennedy Cohen, 2013).
America is different from other places, it always has been. The reason why is that America has a vast variety of “.people from different nations, accustomed to different forms and habits of government, speaking different languages, and different in their modes of worship.” America is an immense melting pot. Together they all help America strive in every field of technology, work, and life because of all of these differences. Thomas Paine’s characterization of America does not hold true today.
Eck, Diana L. A New Religious America: How a "Christian Country" Has Now Become the World's Most Religiously Diverse Nation. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2001. Print
The history of America actually begins in Europe, during a time of political tyranny and religious persecution, under an oppressive monarchy. Religious persecution began during the reign of King Henry VIII (1509-1547), as the king directed the establishment of a national church, and declared himself the presiding official. Subsequently (1558-1603), King Henry’s daughter, Queen Elisabeth, firmly solidified the “Church of England,” ensuring conformity of religious pursuit to the established doctrines of the Anglican Church. By the early 1600s, as the Bible became widely available to the average citizen, a public outcry demanded religious reform, and a return to less structured forms of worship. A group, labeled “Separatists,” believed the Church of England was beyond reform, and aimed to establish new congregations, basing worship, and church organization, on Biblical doc...
America: land of the free and home of the brave. Stretching from coast to coast, it’s a nation that claims liberty and justice for all – but what really makes America so great? Is it the astonishing skyline of New York City, a skyline that exemplifies all that we’ve accomplished? Is it the abundance of popular culture and fame produced in the shiny, dream-making city of Hollywood? Maybe it’s the way our ancestors victoriously conquered the fertile, prosperous land that once belonged to the now seemingly forgotten indigenous people.
Overall, when looking at the American Revolution and the actors who played a role in its creation, it is plain to see that religion had an impact and influential stance in the founding of the nation. The heart of dissent was entrenched in the colonies before there was a revolution and the practices of religious tolerance, freedom, democracy, and liberty were found in several organizations and churches. It would only be time until the members of the several churches and organizations would bleed over their spiritual justifications into the realm of politics and nation building. The United States owes a lot of praise to the pilgrims and religious founders of this nation, for without their ideals and changes, this country might not be in existence today.
America has been named the "melting pot" of the world. It houses many different cultures, nationalities, ideas and religions. There are Christians, Jews, Catholics, Buddhists, Mormons, Hindus, Spiritualists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Islamic, plus many more. America is unique in that all these religions are represented in a nation that is only 200 years old. And America has upheld, throughout history, that the freedom and equality of religion is extremely important in order for this nation to function as a free nation. The foundations of America were set as a result of England's persecution; more specifically, England's religious persecution. The colonists wanted to create a nation that allowed people to be free. They desired to speak what they wanted to speak, do what they wanted to do, and practice what they wanted to practice... without the government watching their every move. Thus came religious freedom.
American exceptionalism is a term suggesting that America was the best or superior; it was a term saying that it was different than any other place. Winthrop talks about the city upon the hill, which suggests America being a model or setting an example for other countries. We were supposed to be a beacon of liberty and freedom. During the founding of America, America was different than any other place. At its founding America was exceptional because it was different in the way people interacted with each other, different in the way the government worked, and different in its aspirations. The ideology of America has changed making it where America is no longer exceptional.
Just like in Europe and many other parts of the world, religion has been on the decline for many years now in America. From the historical point of view, religion in America is very different from what it was in Europe. The first amendment of the American constitution forbids the state to establish an official church of the state. In other words, secularization is the very premise that America is built upon. In many European countries it is the complete opposite as in for example Sweden where the state church has played a huge role for centuries, and where the church was separated from the state only a few decades ago
Early America was a place for anyone to live their life the way that they wanted, as it is now, but back then this was a new concept. Much of this idea comes from the freedoms obtained by living here. Many other countries in the world had many freedoms, but not as numerous as they were in America shortly after the country was founded. Americans during the late 1700's and early 1800's embraced their freedoms and became leaders and expanders, and what we now consider the founders of many present-day cities and towns. One thing that has been present throughout the generations of people living in America, is the desire to set themselves apart from other nations. This want was supplied to the American people in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. These two documents gave the American people everything they needed to set them apart from the rest. Based on the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, America was able to create an identity including freedom, religion, and individuality that is very unique to this country.
Today America is one of the wealthiest, strongest, and hardworking countries in the world. It has a population of over three hundred million and growth rate of 0.97% annually. America has made many great contributions to the world politically and scientifically by inventing the telephone, discovering electricity, inventing planes, putting a man on the moon, and much more. America has grown and multiplied over time and it is still increasing. Even though today America stands apart from other countries, it was built from nothing but scrap.
America was founded on the idea of freedom. This, of course, includes religious thought, and Americas are free to believe as they want. Americans have always had the freedom to worship as they please in a peaceful manner. Such a right has never been infringed upon (on the federal level that is) and in this way the American culture is free. To reiterate, humankind has had difficulty predicting the future of religion in America; but it can be seen where the religious population is going into the future and the impact it has in our culture, and the culture to come. Only time will tell the truth behind the future of religion in America.
Urbanization is the process of becoming a city or intensification of urban elements. Since modernization, the meaning of urbanization mostly became the transformation that a majority of population living in rural areas in the past changes to a majority living in urban areas. However, urbanization differs between the developed and developing world in terms of its cause and the level of its negative outcomes. Korea, as one of the developing countries, experienced what is called ‘ overurbanization,’ and it experienced a number of negative consequences of it, although it could achieve a great economic development by it. This paper examines how urbanization differs between the West and the rest of the world, the characteristics and process of urbanization in Korea, problems sprung from its extreme urbanization, and government policies coping with population distribution.