UNITED STATES CULTURE
Complete the PERSIA chart
On your Warm-up sheet tell me: What are major physical features of the United States (Mountains, rivers, etc)?
*On your notes: Draw a sketch map of US
Political System
Establishing a Government
1787--Constitutional Convention meets to draft US Constitution; eventually the Bill of Rights is added to ConstitutionConstitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition—power is shared between local, state, and national government
Republic—people choose representatives to make decisions
Democracy—government authority is based on the will of the people. People either vote on issues directly, or they elect representatives who make government decisions for them.
Economy
Economy
The US has the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $47,200. In this market-oriented economy, private individuals and business firms make most of the decisions, and the federal and state governments buy needed goods and services predominantly in the private marketplace.
Free enterprise—system that lets competition among businesses determine the price of products
Developed country—high levels of industrialization and high standard of living
Economy
Labor Force-By Occupation: farming, forestry, and fishing: 0.7% manufacturing, extraction,
transportation, and crafts: 20.3% managerial, professional, and technical:
37.3% sales and office: 24.2% other services: 17.5%
Economy
1992—United States, Canada and Mexico signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA): eliminates tariffs on products flowing between the three countries —trade between the three countries has boomed
Although the US has the largest economy in the world, it relies heavily on global trade and has a trade deficit most years.
Religion
Religion
Christianity is the major religion 51% Protestant Christian Nearly 25% Catholic
Christian Immigration has increased
the numbers of people who practice Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam
About 6 million Jews live in the US
Social Structure
Language
No official language in the United States English is main language and has been
since colonization Spanish is second most widely spoken
language Many of these speakers are bilingual—able to
speak two languages
Innovations and Technology
Innovations and Technology
245 million internet users in the United States (rank 2nd in the world)
Area and geography
Settlement Patterns
Why do you think the population is concentrated in these areas?
Settlement Patterns
Why do you think the population is concentrated in these areas? Reflects the history of the country’s
settlement First large US cities were located in
Northeast Population is shifting South and West
toward the Sun Belt
Physical Features