Inhaltsfeld 2:
American Dream
American beliefs & values:
Fundamental, inalienable and God-given rights
- Liberty: personal and religious freedom
- Strive for happiness
➔ Personal and material success and wealth
➔ Optimism and belief in „anticipated success“
➔ Individuality/ individual ways of pursuing ones dreams and realizing ones goal
- Equality
➔ Equal rights for men and women
➔ Equal rights for people from different ethnicities and social background
- Life
➔ Leading a secure life protected by the law, government and military
Patriotism
- Importance of national symbols (eg the Statue of Liberty, the Declaration of Independence, USA flat,
etc.)
- Strong identification with one’s nationality and pride in being American
Puritanism/ Protestant work ethic
- The puritan belief that hard work, thrift, discipline, self-improvement and responsibility lead to worldly
success and prosperity and that this is a sign of God’s benevolence and grace
- Continuous and active participation in society and entrepreneurial endeavors
- Believing that one is exceptional, a member of „Gods chosen people“, following a divine providence
(Manifest Destiny)
- Belief in authority as a means of protectiong the personal rights of the people
An open and dynamic society
- Being generally open to now ideas and inventions (progress)
- Being generally open to immigrants of any nationality, provided they contribute positively to the
country
- Different concepts of how to integrate immigrants:
➔ The melting pot: people are melted together, they are expected to give up their original culture
and identity and are transformed into homogeneous „american culture“
➔ The salad bowl: national, ethnical and cultural patterns/habits are kept distinct by the immigrants
ehile they are loosely integrated into the „American culture“
American Dream
American beliefs & values:
Fundamental, inalienable and God-given rights
- Liberty: personal and religious freedom
- Strive for happiness
➔ Personal and material success and wealth
➔ Optimism and belief in „anticipated success“
➔ Individuality/ individual ways of pursuing ones dreams and realizing ones goal
- Equality
➔ Equal rights for men and women
➔ Equal rights for people from different ethnicities and social background
- Life
➔ Leading a secure life protected by the law, government and military
Patriotism
- Importance of national symbols (eg the Statue of Liberty, the Declaration of Independence, USA flat,
etc.)
- Strong identification with one’s nationality and pride in being American
Puritanism/ Protestant work ethic
- The puritan belief that hard work, thrift, discipline, self-improvement and responsibility lead to worldly
success and prosperity and that this is a sign of God’s benevolence and grace
- Continuous and active participation in society and entrepreneurial endeavors
- Believing that one is exceptional, a member of „Gods chosen people“, following a divine providence
(Manifest Destiny)
- Belief in authority as a means of protectiong the personal rights of the people
An open and dynamic society
- Being generally open to now ideas and inventions (progress)
- Being generally open to immigrants of any nationality, provided they contribute positively to the
country
- Different concepts of how to integrate immigrants:
➔ The melting pot: people are melted together, they are expected to give up their original culture
and identity and are transformed into homogeneous „american culture“
➔ The salad bowl: national, ethnical and cultural patterns/habits are kept distinct by the immigrants
ehile they are loosely integrated into the „American culture“
