United States Today

The United States Today

• Identify patterns in the population by interpreting maps and data

• Categorize elements of American culture by region

• Describe how examples of the culture of the United States impact the rest of the world

• Cuisine

• Dense

• Fusion

• Megalopolis

• Metropolitan Areas

• Population Density

• Sparse

​Objectives/Goals

​Vocabulary

​Essential Question: How is the culture of the United States a result of its diverse population?

Population Diversity

• Push Factors of Immigration

  • Better education

  • Religious freedom

  • Political freedom

  • Fleeing war or conflict

  • Job Employment

  • Better living conditions

• United States Diversity

  • 1500 racial and ethnic groups

  • Highest number of immigrants in the world

• Positives of Immigration Diversity

  • Diverse Workforce

  • Cultural Diversity

  • Ethnic Enclaves: small clusters of ethnic groups that live near other groups of the same ethnic group

Reorder

Examine the map of countries' number of foreign-born citizens living in the United States in 2017, and drag the countries listed to sort them from the largest total population living in the U.S. to the smallest total population living in the U.S.

• South Korea

• Iran

• Argentina

• Australia

• Uganda

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​Division in the United States

• Politics

  • The US is a two-party system (Democrat and Republican)

  • Political Polarization: politicians view the political party that stands the best chance of winning

    • This means fewer new, opposing perspectives

    • This leads to less communication

Religion​

• Most Common Religion in the US: Protestant (a form of Christianity)

  • Other religions are represented in America

• Immigration brought religions to America

• Religious Freedom in the US.

• Religious Pluralism

​Architecture

• Human-Environment Interaction: where in the United States people live impacts the architecture (buildings) in the United States

• New England

  • Cape Cod Style - Found in the Cape Code region of New England, inspired by an English home; fireplace in the middle of the home.

• Midwest

  • Ranch style - one story, larger house due to more land available

• Southwest

  • Historic Pueblo, used adobe bricks to absorb heat during the day and release heat at night

Population Density: the number of people or species withing a certain area

• Dense (heavily populated) Population Density: Northeast and Great Lakes

  • Industries and Employment

• Growing Population Density: Pacific Coast and Southwest

  • Weather and employment

• Sparse (lightly populated) Population Density: Great Plains and Central US

  • Farming and Ranching

Open Ended

• The Population of the US can be the densest around and near water.

• Why do you think this is the case?

Populated Areas

• Metropolitan Areas: Cities

  • Job diversity, food supply, water supply, entertainment

• Megalopolis: a grouping of individual large cities clustered near each other

  • Bosnywash Megalopolis: Within 400 miles, you can find New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C.

• Metropolitan Area Disadvantages

  • Pollution (smog, car exhaust) can travel internationally

​Language

• English is the main language in the US.

  • 350 different languages

  • Urban cities have more language diversity

• Endangered Languages: languages that are in danger of being forgotten

  • 193 (mostly Indigenous languages)Item

• The US is quickly becoming a bilingual nation

Family Life​

• High Standard of Living

• Multi-income homes

• Choices and Opportunities

• Housing Options

• Diversity

Cuisine: style of cooking food

• Regional Cuisine

  • Southwest = Tex-Mex

  • California = fusion (combining) of Asian with Mexican and American cuisine

  • South = Soul Food

• Fast Food and Take Out

  • Easy food service

  • Quick and Reliable food

• American Diet

  • High in sodium, calories, fat and sugar

  • High levels of heart disease and diabetes

Arts in America

• Jazz: a blend of African rhythms, European harmonies, and improvisation to create music

  • "Black Classical Music"

• Soul, Blues, and Rock 'n 'Roll

• Dance

  • Ballet, Hip Hop, Break Dance

• Cultural Landmarks: locations known around the world; rich in history and culture

​Famous Landmarks

Sports and Leisure

• Spectator Sports

  • American football, baseball, basketball, soccer, etc.

• Outdoor activities based on region

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