AN INTRODUCTION TO BRITISH AND AMERICAN CULTURE
PART: US (FRANK ALBERS)
Exam: only multiple choice for the USA part!!
Some chapters we have to study on our own – there are blue squares with words you need to
know! Potential exam questions will be taken from that
Some video’s that help with the self-study
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz1cStYSoGs
INTRODUCION
The sixties – rise of a counter culture (of the young people joined political debates)
Starting point: there has never been one American Culture
- It was an attempt to create a culture of differences (in a scale that never happened in Europa)
- Native Americans: people we used to call “Indians” – change in the term to not offend the
people
Changing the name of people do not change the history of the people
Very sloppy term: “you should call us American Indias” – Native Americans can
sometimes be seen as “people who were born in America”
THE EARLY DAYS
EUROPEANS AND NATIVE AMERICANS
Issues/ point of conflict between Europa and America
Health:
- America and Europa had very different immune systems
- Half of Native Americans died because of new diseases (after the contact with Europeans)
Land/ trade:
- Pushing Native Americans from their land in order to get raw materials
- Land was something sacred and should be respected . “it was given by God” (religion)
- Europeans always entertained an instrumental view of nature – opposite of Native Americans
views
- Different visions of nature clashed
Religion:
- Europeans believed in a personal God and thought God favoured white people over other
people
- Native Americans were pantheists: everything in nature is suffused in a godly order God is
everywhere (e.g. killing a fly was the same as killing a human)
Indian Reservation system
- We should “claim” the land natives live on and exploit it for ‘our gain”
- Europeans were first helped by Native Americans, because they do not know anything about
plants
1
, - Native Americans resisted and were put in a limited stretches of land and were left alone
(Native Americans got a dead piece of land)
1830: Indian Removal Act (Andrew Jackson)
- Forced the Indians to walk al the way to a place that was going to be reserved for Native
Americans (Oklahoma)
- The supreme court blocked this act – and Andrew Jackson ignored that decision (first time)
- Was the first effort to clear “his land” of Native Americans
The Trail of Tears
- Congress passed the Indian Removal Act, which forcibly removed thousands of American
Indians from their homelands in the southeastern United States. They were relocated to an
area of land then known as Indian Territory, now the state of Oklahoma. This event = the Trail
of Tears.
- Many people perished during their walk to Oklahoma
1890: Wounded Knee
- The end of the collective multi-century series of conflicts between colonial and U.S. forces
and American Indians, known collectively as the Indian Wars. It was not however the last
armed conflict between Native Americans and the United States.
- White people sprayed fire on children and women during a religious festival
- Black hill: religious place that the Native Americans wanted to keep
- Contracts have been made – there was not one contract that the white people did not break
COLONIAL AMERICA
- The first settlement by white people in America was in Florida, St. Augustin, by Spanish
speaking people
- Invasion form both sides – from Florida and east cost
Some important dates
- 1619: first African labourers as indentured servants (= people who were brought to America
to work for white slaveowner with a promise that they would be set free after some years –
people who wanted to travel to America but did not have money and got the opportunity to
build their own life after some years of working)
- 1620: Pilgrims (separatists, Mayflower) = complete disaster; The pilgrims aboard the
Mayflower were separatists and were fed up with Europe – wanted to start a new life in the
new country
- 1630: Puritans (reformers, Arbella) John Winthrop’s sermon – did not die out
Unlike the pilgrims were reformers and not separatists (= we are gods last gift to
humanity and we have to set an example culture that then can be planted in parts of
Europe too)
America was not founded as a democracy – some people will be rich and other will be
poor (because God made it that way)
2
, Key terms
Patricians vs. plebeians
- Patricians = the upper class, people such as wealthy land owners would be in the patricians
group.
- Plebeians = the lower class which would be normal people
“All men were created unequal”
- A face-to-face society: society where people try to explain everything in terms of personal of
characteristics or relationships – tried to explain everything in individual actions “Who is to
blame?”
- Defamation: taking away someone’s good name
Defamation cases: court cases where they clear their name when someone calls them
e.g. a thief but they are not
- Friendship: Americans were individuals thinking they would be able to do things on their own
the English hierarchical structure (contradiction between England and America) they
needed to learn to rely on their neighbour
- Husbandry: to husband = to farm; an economic factor; someone who did well at the farm
- Book accounts: people were tight to one another and wrote everything down so they knew
who owed them what
- Proprietary wealth: people who owned a lot of money increased their wealth by all kinds of
money deals with people less wealthy than themselves. It was better than real estate
because there was so much room and land.
- Patronage: Judged were just men belonging to the most “important” and respected families
of town. They were paid a percentage of....... -> the more parking tickets I make people pay,
the more I get paid. Sort of on commission? patriarchal nature – men who were respected
were seen as “judges”
THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE
- 1763
End of the War of Independence also known as the Seven Years’ War
- George Genville: chancellor, man with financial mind
Discovered that the border patrols were costing more then they were bringing in => not
smart capitalism
Wanted to make the colonies pay for the British military expenses
- Introduced the following acts: (made to make money of the colonies – it all backfired)
1764: Sugar Act
Imposed duties on sugar and molasses, which hurt colonial merchants and increased
resentment.
1765: Stamp Act (replaced February 1766)
Required colonists to buy special stamped paper for legal documents, sparking
widespread protest.
May 1773: Tea Act (privileged in the East India Company)
People from India could sell their tea directly to the people and bypass the retail
stores
The retailers went on strike because they needed the tea to earn money
3
PART: US (FRANK ALBERS)
Exam: only multiple choice for the USA part!!
Some chapters we have to study on our own – there are blue squares with words you need to
know! Potential exam questions will be taken from that
Some video’s that help with the self-study
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz1cStYSoGs
INTRODUCION
The sixties – rise of a counter culture (of the young people joined political debates)
Starting point: there has never been one American Culture
- It was an attempt to create a culture of differences (in a scale that never happened in Europa)
- Native Americans: people we used to call “Indians” – change in the term to not offend the
people
Changing the name of people do not change the history of the people
Very sloppy term: “you should call us American Indias” – Native Americans can
sometimes be seen as “people who were born in America”
THE EARLY DAYS
EUROPEANS AND NATIVE AMERICANS
Issues/ point of conflict between Europa and America
Health:
- America and Europa had very different immune systems
- Half of Native Americans died because of new diseases (after the contact with Europeans)
Land/ trade:
- Pushing Native Americans from their land in order to get raw materials
- Land was something sacred and should be respected . “it was given by God” (religion)
- Europeans always entertained an instrumental view of nature – opposite of Native Americans
views
- Different visions of nature clashed
Religion:
- Europeans believed in a personal God and thought God favoured white people over other
people
- Native Americans were pantheists: everything in nature is suffused in a godly order God is
everywhere (e.g. killing a fly was the same as killing a human)
Indian Reservation system
- We should “claim” the land natives live on and exploit it for ‘our gain”
- Europeans were first helped by Native Americans, because they do not know anything about
plants
1
, - Native Americans resisted and were put in a limited stretches of land and were left alone
(Native Americans got a dead piece of land)
1830: Indian Removal Act (Andrew Jackson)
- Forced the Indians to walk al the way to a place that was going to be reserved for Native
Americans (Oklahoma)
- The supreme court blocked this act – and Andrew Jackson ignored that decision (first time)
- Was the first effort to clear “his land” of Native Americans
The Trail of Tears
- Congress passed the Indian Removal Act, which forcibly removed thousands of American
Indians from their homelands in the southeastern United States. They were relocated to an
area of land then known as Indian Territory, now the state of Oklahoma. This event = the Trail
of Tears.
- Many people perished during their walk to Oklahoma
1890: Wounded Knee
- The end of the collective multi-century series of conflicts between colonial and U.S. forces
and American Indians, known collectively as the Indian Wars. It was not however the last
armed conflict between Native Americans and the United States.
- White people sprayed fire on children and women during a religious festival
- Black hill: religious place that the Native Americans wanted to keep
- Contracts have been made – there was not one contract that the white people did not break
COLONIAL AMERICA
- The first settlement by white people in America was in Florida, St. Augustin, by Spanish
speaking people
- Invasion form both sides – from Florida and east cost
Some important dates
- 1619: first African labourers as indentured servants (= people who were brought to America
to work for white slaveowner with a promise that they would be set free after some years –
people who wanted to travel to America but did not have money and got the opportunity to
build their own life after some years of working)
- 1620: Pilgrims (separatists, Mayflower) = complete disaster; The pilgrims aboard the
Mayflower were separatists and were fed up with Europe – wanted to start a new life in the
new country
- 1630: Puritans (reformers, Arbella) John Winthrop’s sermon – did not die out
Unlike the pilgrims were reformers and not separatists (= we are gods last gift to
humanity and we have to set an example culture that then can be planted in parts of
Europe too)
America was not founded as a democracy – some people will be rich and other will be
poor (because God made it that way)
2
, Key terms
Patricians vs. plebeians
- Patricians = the upper class, people such as wealthy land owners would be in the patricians
group.
- Plebeians = the lower class which would be normal people
“All men were created unequal”
- A face-to-face society: society where people try to explain everything in terms of personal of
characteristics or relationships – tried to explain everything in individual actions “Who is to
blame?”
- Defamation: taking away someone’s good name
Defamation cases: court cases where they clear their name when someone calls them
e.g. a thief but they are not
- Friendship: Americans were individuals thinking they would be able to do things on their own
the English hierarchical structure (contradiction between England and America) they
needed to learn to rely on their neighbour
- Husbandry: to husband = to farm; an economic factor; someone who did well at the farm
- Book accounts: people were tight to one another and wrote everything down so they knew
who owed them what
- Proprietary wealth: people who owned a lot of money increased their wealth by all kinds of
money deals with people less wealthy than themselves. It was better than real estate
because there was so much room and land.
- Patronage: Judged were just men belonging to the most “important” and respected families
of town. They were paid a percentage of....... -> the more parking tickets I make people pay,
the more I get paid. Sort of on commission? patriarchal nature – men who were respected
were seen as “judges”
THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE
- 1763
End of the War of Independence also known as the Seven Years’ War
- George Genville: chancellor, man with financial mind
Discovered that the border patrols were costing more then they were bringing in => not
smart capitalism
Wanted to make the colonies pay for the British military expenses
- Introduced the following acts: (made to make money of the colonies – it all backfired)
1764: Sugar Act
Imposed duties on sugar and molasses, which hurt colonial merchants and increased
resentment.
1765: Stamp Act (replaced February 1766)
Required colonists to buy special stamped paper for legal documents, sparking
widespread protest.
May 1773: Tea Act (privileged in the East India Company)
People from India could sell their tea directly to the people and bypass the retail
stores
The retailers went on strike because they needed the tea to earn money
3
