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A Portrait of Americans. Vocabulary Building. concentrate-come close together in one place occupation-the work a person does to earn a living i dentity-who or what a person, thing, or group is r etained-kept or held onto i nfluence-to have an effect on
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Vocabulary Building • concentrate-come close together in one place • occupation-the work a person does to earn a living • identity-who or what a person, thing, or group is • retained-kept or held onto • influence-to have an effect on • society-people living together as a group, with the same way of life • resentment-a feeling of hurt or anger at others doing better than oneself • unique-being the only one of its kind
Who Americans Are • demography – the study of the size, growth, and distribution of human population • Early Americans lived on farms or in small towns. Today 79% live in urban areas. • Sunbelt – warm-weather states such as GA, FL, TX and AZ where many Americans are moving • 30,000 occupations and 132 million workers • 65% hold service jobs vs. farming and manufacturing jobs • service jobs – jobs in which a person makes a living by providing a service for other people
Ages of Americans • More older Americans than ever before • Life expectancy is increasing with advances in medical care • Baby boom – dramatic rise in the number of births that occurred between 1946 and 1964 • Social Security and Medicare will be strained with aging population • People today having fewer children then baby boomers • Americans have very diverse backgrounds
A Cultural Mosaic • diversity – differences • immigrants – people who move from one country to make their homes in another country • Melting pot? Have we developed one identity? • mosaic – small tiles of different sizes, shapes, and colors
Immigrants • Europeans – different governments and languages as well as educational levels and religions • Hispanics – Latinos – common language and culture • African Americans – did not come voluntarily • discrimination – the unfair treatment of a group of people compared with another group • Voting, schools, restaurants, hotels, theaters, buses, colleges, & housing • racism – the belief that members of one’s own race are superior to those of other races
Immigrants • 72% with HS diploma • Asian Americans - over 10 million • exclusion laws – prohibited any further immigration from China and Japan • Native Americans • census – population survey that is taken every 10 years
Values • beliefs – certain ideas that we trust are true • values – standards of behavior – How should we act and how should we live our lives? • Each deserves the same right to reach their full potential and contribute to society • Equal respect
Equality, Freedom & Justice • equality – condition of permitting everyone the same rights and opportunities • Opportunities may be limited to your abilities, energy and interests. • freedom – ability to make choices • justice – fairness – Does not mean that people will be treated the same.
The American Ideal • We do not always achieve our ideal. • Held together by fundamental belief in equal respect for all. • Not all live according to this. • We do not always respect newcomers and those who are different from us. • Sometimes distrust people who look different or have different beliefs. • Work still needs to be done