In so doing, they defied the king of England and declared that the power to govern would lie in the hands of the people. In 1776, the British colonial settlers declared their independence from England and established a new nation, the United States of America. They wanted to escape the controls placed on many aspects of their lives by kings and governments, priests and churches, noblemen and aristocrats. The earliest settlers came to the North American continent to establish colonies that were free from the controls that existed in European societies. Americans believe that people have the right to individual freedom, equality of opportunity, and the promise of material success, but these all require substantial responsibility: self-reliance, a willingness to compete, and hard work. Another way of thinking about these basic values involves rights and responsibilities. These three pairs of values have determined the unique culture of the United States and its people. Equality of opportunity and competition.This system of values consists of three pairs of benefits-individual freedom, equality of opportunity, and material wealth (or the American Dream)-and the price people paid to have these benefits-self-reliance, competition, and hard work: In time, their experiences led to the development of the core American cultural values that still shape America today. In order to have these benefits, however, they had to take care of themselves, compete with others, and work hard to fashion a new life. Historically, the United States has been viewed as “the land of opportunity,” a place where immigrants could have individual freedom, an equal chance for success, and the ability to have a better standard of living. By the time the Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville visited the United States in the 1830s, he was able to see these American values in action.Īlmost 200 years later, his book Democracy in America is still cited as one of the most insightful and definitive descriptions of American values. The system of basic American values emerged in the late 1700s and began to define the American character in a nation that has always consisted of people from many different countries. Our rights are our history, why the first European settlers came here and why millions more have come here since.” John Zogby, an American pollster who surveys public opinion, says that what holds the United States together today is that “we all share a common set of values that make us American. One of the most intriguing questions about the United States is what makes people “American”? With immigrants arriving from all over the world with vastly different cultural traditions, values, and customs, what holds the country together?Īnd how did a nation of such diversity produce a recognizable national identity? We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Rooted in the beliefs and visions of our Founding Fathers and reinforced by historical experience, these cultural values are what distinguishes our country from all others. They are the foundation of our democratic nation. It is important to note that these six values are cultural values and not moral values, or even personal ones. It is this fabric that defines the American Dream-the belief that if people take responsibility for their lives and work hard, they will have the individual freedom to pursue their personal goals and a good opportunity to compete for success. The relationship among these values-the rights and the responsibilities-creates the fabric of the American society. The price for the American Dream has traditionally been Hard Work. The third is for The American Dream, the opportunity for a better life and a higher standard of living. If everyone has an equal chance for success, then we have to compete. The second is for Equality of Opportunity, and the price for that is Competition. We cannot be truly free if we cannot take care of ourselves and be independent. The first is for Individual Freedom and the price for that is Self-Reliance. Equality of Opportunity and Competition.There are three pairs of values consisting of three reasons why immigrants have come (and still do) to the United States and three prices that are paid for these benefits. It explains the value system that has allowed the United States to assimilate millions of people from diverse cultures all over the world and create a unique, enduring American identity. This description of American cultural values, the six basic American cultural values, was first introduced in American Ways: An Introduction to American Culture.
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