We don't have problems understanding ourselves. We have problems understanding our interactions with others. See yourself as another sees you and you will begin to understand their viewpoint
Preface
The development of a culture in the United States has been a winding road of interactions between differing, oftentimes opposing cultures and races from the first footfalls of Europeans upon the American continent’s shores. Each group of settlers and immigrants have brought their own unique perspectives and underlying values to the table. Many of these perspectives have been incorporated into the mainstream way of life, many others however, have been dismissed and discarded as either foreign or outright dangerous. The patterns that have emerged from this interaction of cultures and peoples define who we are today as Americans, not a homogenous amalgam of those who came before us, but an inter-connected group of varied cultures living within the same system of democracy. Whether for good or bad, our collective interaction has defined our reference set of values and norms in our interpersonal and cultural development.
The patterns that define the macroculture of the United States are deeply rooted in the intercontinental strife and politics of Europe, Africa, and Asia prior to the colonization of North America. The developing European empires and their social, cultural, commercial and religious differences set the stage for intercultural interaction and development for the next 400 years in North America. These groups religious bigotry’s (Protestant vs. Catholic vs. Islamic…), social inequalities (noble vs. peasant), and outright greed all combined to contribute to and define our unique American experience...
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...ities and privileges to all members of society, regardless of class, race or religious belief. It is the hope that all people can live the American dream of equality and prosperity.
References
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2) E.D. Hirsch, Jr. (1987). Cultural Literacy. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, MA.
3) Margaret Connell Szasz. (1988). Indian Education in the American Colonies, 1607-1783. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, NM.
4) J. R. Pole. (1993). The Pursuit of Equality in American History, revised edition. University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA.
5) Gorton Carruth. (1993). The Encyclopedia of American Facts and Dates, (ninth edition). Harper Collins Publishers, New York, NY.
Scott, Wilbur J. “The Equal Rights Amendment as Status Politics.” Social Forces 64, no. 2 (1985): 499-506, accessed February 12, 2012. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2578653.
... The United States of America has come to mean many different things to many different people. At the very heart of the "American dream" are the twin ideas of freedom and equality. This nation was founded on the republican principles of justice for all, friendship with all nations, and entangling alliances with none.
Eibling, Harold H., et al., eds. History of Our United States. 2nd edition. River Forest, Ill: Laidlaw Brothers, 1968.
Edward, Rebecca and Henretta, James and Self, Robert. America A Concise History. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2012.
Special to The New,York Times. “Women Seek Equal Rights.” New York Times (1923-Current file): 19. Jan 06 1960. ProQuest.Web. 20 Jan. 2014
Web. 23 Dec. 2013. Murrin, John Et al. Liberty, Equality, Power: A History of the American People. Boston: Cangage Advantage, 2012.
Divine, Robert A. America past and Present. 10th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education/Longman, 2013. 245. Print.
Stephanie Coontz’s, David Brook’s, and Margaret Atwood all discuss American cultural myths in their respective essays “The Way We Wish We Were,” “One Nation, Slightly Divisible,” and “A Letter to America.” All three authors elaborate on specific cultural myths, whether it is about an ideal family, an ideal lifestyle, or an ideal country as a whole. As a result of analyzing the three texts, it is clear that the authors critique Americas image in their own was. As well as elaborate on why the realistic view of the United States is being squelched by major cultural myths.
Following the 1890’s, the world began to undergo the first stages of globalization. Countries and peoples, who, until now, were barely connected, now found themselves neighbors in a planet vastly resembling a global village. Despite the idealized image of camaraderie and brotherhood this may seem to suggest, the reality was only discrimination and distrust. Immigration to new lands became a far more difficult affair, as emigrants from different nations came to be viewed as increasingly foreign. In the white-dominated society of the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the only way to truly count oneself as American was to become “white”. For this reason, the idea of race, a socially constructed issue with no real physical basis, has become one of the most defining factors which shape immigration and assimilation in the United States.
... An American History of the World. 4th ed. of the book. W.W. Norton, 2012, 671. 2.)
George Browm Tindall, David Emory Shi. American History: 5th Brief edition, W. W. Norton & Company; November 1999
The struggle for equal rights has been an ongoing issue in the United States. For most of the twentieth century Americans worked toward equality. Through demonstrations, protests, riots, and parades citizens have made demands and voiced their concerns for equal rights. For the first time minority groups were banding together to achieve the American dream of liberty and justice for all. Whether it was equality for women, politics, minorities, or the economy the battle was usually well worth the outcome. I have chosen articles that discuss some of the struggles, voyages, and triumphs that have occurred. The people discussed in the following articles represent only a portion of those who suffered.
3. Divine, Breen, Fredrickson, Williams, eds., America Past and Present Volume II: since 1865 sixth edition (New York: Longman 2002).
John A. Kirk, History Toady volume 52 issue 2, The Long Road to Equality for African-Americans
Scott Jardine, 2007, “Managing risk in construction projects – how to achieve a successful outcome – an article”, PricewaterhouseCoopers.