U.K. and U.S. Culture

Hello everyone,

I hope you have had a good reading week! As we will now be dealing with U.S. and U.K. institutions and culture in class, I thought I might blog some videos about these topics.

In the above clip, Stephen Fry and Clive James discuss Fry's plans to travel around America's fifty states (for his book and BBC documentary series, both entitled "Stephen Fry in America"). They comment on the differences between the British and American ideologies, as well the possible historical reasons behind these divergences.

The next videos that I would like to share have been taken from a series of short programmes produced by the History Channel, called "10 Things that Make Us British." The show analyses the characteristics of British culture, including areas such as religion, food, politics and art.

1. Political moderation:

2. Art:

3. Food and drink:

4. Inventions:

5. Religious tolerance:

Lastly, the following are some websites that I have found with interesting facts about the British and American cultures:

http://projectbritain.com/
http://www.bris.ac.uk/international/staffsupport/documents/britishguide.pdf
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/uk-culture

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/usa.html
http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/History-Culture.shtml
http://www.everyculture.com/To-Z/United-States-of-America.html#b

Western States.

The Western States

The Western States.

 The West  traditionally refers to the region comprising the western most state of the United States.And it includes thirteen states : Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

History & Culture

• Ethnic Groups •

-Hawaii is the only state in the union in which Asian Americans outnumber white American residents.

-Asians from many countries have settled in California and other coastal states in several waves of immigration since the 19th Century.

-The border states (California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas) all have large Hispanic populations.

-The West also contains much of the Native American population in the U.S., particularly in the large reservations.

-The largest concentrations for black Americans in the West can be found in Los Angeles and Oakland.

-Alaska is a vast land of few people, many of them native.

• History •

If you say Western, people usally thinks about cowboy films, so let’s have a look at the Western States history.

# American Old West

-Major settlement of the western territories by migrants from the states in the east developed rapidly in the 1840s.

-The 1850s were marked by political controversies which were part of the national issues leading to the Civil War, though California had been established as a non-slave state in the Compromise of 1850.

-The history of the American West in the late 19th and early 20th centuries has acquired a cultural mythos in the literature and cinema of the United States . The image of the cowboy, the homesteader and westward expansion took real events and transmuted them into a myth of the west which has influenced American culture since at least the 1920s.

# 20th Century

-By 1890, the frontier was gone.The automobile enabled the  Americans to tour the West. So Western businessmen promoted U.S. Route 66 as a means to bring tourism and industry to the West.

-During the latter half of the 20th century, several transcontinental interstate highways crossed the West bringing more trade and tourists from the East, increasing the population.

 Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_United_States

Sara Fornas Martínez, Grupo AA.

US: The Middle West

Where is it situated?


States what compound the mid-west

The region consists of twelve states in the north-central United States: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Traditional definitions of the Midwest include the Northwest Ordinance "Old Northwest" states and many states that were part of the Louisiana Purchase. The states of the Old Northwest are also known as "Great Lakes states". Many of the Louisiana Purchase states are also known as "Great Plains states".

Culture

- City lifestyle

The towns and cities of the midwest each present the natural surroundings specific to their area to the visitor in grand form.
The larger cities such as Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, and Green Bay house an eclectic selection of arts and cultures.

- Rural lifestyle

The people of Wisconsin, Upper Michigan, and Illinois share the rich soil and abundant flora and wildlife of the Midwest. Much of the rural area consists of both working and hobby farms and ranches.

History
- Exploration and early settlement
European settlement of the area began in the 17th century following French exploration of the region. The region's fertile soil made it possible for farmers to produce abundant harvests of cereal crops such as corn, oats, and, most importantly, wheat. The region was known as "breadbasket".
- Development of transportation
Two waterways were important to its development -the first and foremost was the Ohio River and the network of routes within the Great Lakes-.
- Transportation
During the mid-19th century the region got its first railroads, and the railroad junction in Chicago grew to be the world's largest. Even today, a century after Henry Ford, six Class I railroads meet in Chicago.
Competition with a growing population of automobiles and buses traveling on paved highways led to a decline in the interurban and other railroad passenger business.
- 19th century sectional conflict
The Northwest Ordinance region, comprising the heart of the Midwest, was the first large region of the United States that prohibited slavery.

Midwest United States

United States Regions: Midwest

Midwestern (Midwest) :The region consists of twelve states in the north-central United States:

• Division 1 (East North Central) Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio
• Division 2 (West North Central) Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_regions_of_the_United_States

Population and Culture

A 2006 Census Bureau estimate put the population at 66,217,736.

This region was settled by people of various nationalities, including Germans, Swedes and Norwegians, and is referred to as America's Heartland.

The Republican Party started here to stop the spread of slavery in the new states. This was the first region in the country that was antislavery.

Places Of Interest Famous SitesThings to Do 

Chicago, Illinois, the nation's third largest city, is the region's major city. There you can see Sear's Tower, one of the country's tallest buildings. Other major cities are Cleveland, Indianapolis, Detroit, and St. Louis.

North Dakota has more wildlife refuges than any other state, with bountiful bison, antelope and bighorn sheep, as well as hundreds of different bird species.

People from all over the world travel to the Black Hills of South Dakota to see Mount Rushmore, or to the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs to see what these ancient giants were like.

http://www.dembsky.net/regions/

By Aura Chanzá Chaqués  -  Group AA

Southwest of America

SOUTHWEST OF AMERICA

GEOGRAPHY

The American Southwest contains more than its fair share of natural wonders: The Grand Canyon, Arches National Park, and Carls bad Caverns National Park are just three of the most famous natural attractions from all over the worldf. Te region is home to a wonderful and vibrant mix of anglo, latino, hispanic and American Indian traditions making it one of the more diverse and interesting corners American in both history, landscape and culture. Parts of California, Colorado and Texas are usually considered to be part os the "Southwest".

CULTURE

The culture of the Southern United States, is a subculture of the US that is America's most distinct. It has been and remains generally more socially conservative than that of the rest of the country because of the central role of agriculture in the antebellum economy, society remained stratified according to land ownership. Communities often developed strong attachment to their churches as the primary community institution. From its many cultural influences, the South developed its own unique customs, literature, cuisine and musical styles.

HISTORY

The ancestral people inhabited the Four Corners aerea of the Southwest. They are believed to have been the original inhabitants of what are now the Hopi villages of Walpi and Old Oraibi in Arizona and the village of Ancoma in New Mexico. These three villages have the distinction of being the oldest continuously occupied villages in Nort America.

Many of the tribes living in the Southwest today are relatively recent arrivals. Beginning in the 14th Century.

Biography & More information:

CLICK HERE!

http://gosw.about.com/

http://www..u-s-history.com/pages/h949.html

http://en.wikipedia.org./wiki/Culture_of_the_Southern_United_States

http://www.questconnect.org/sw_american_southwest.htm

http://www.history-map.com/picture/000/Southwest-United-States-Map.htm

Sofía Framalico, Grupo AA

Southeastern United States

Geography

• The southeast region includes: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

• Most populous states: Florida – 18 million, Georgia - 10 million & North Carolina - 9 million people.

Culture

• Settlements by Brittish colonists (17^th century) represent the predominant culture of the South.

• English, Scots and Ulster-Scots (later called Scotch-Irish) settled in Appalachia and the Piedmont (18^th century).

• African slaves. American descendents of slaves constitute a 12,1 percent (2000 census) of the total American population and are United States' second-largest racial minority. A cultural blend of Christianity, foods, art and music characterize Southern Culture today.

• Native Americans. Approximately 30 Indian tribes have been registered in the southeast area of the US. The most known are called The Five Civilized Tribes and include: the Cherokee, the Choctaw, the Chickasaw, the Creek, and the Seminole

Natural Science Of Society And Culture

Natural Science Of Society And Culture

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Carolina Ribelles (2009-2010)