AMERICAN CULTURE
In terms of population, the USA is the third-largest country in the world after
1) China and 2) India
In terms of territory, the USA is the fourth largest country in the world after
1) Russia 2) Canada and 3) China
Traditional Protestant values in the USA:
1. Emphasis on personal responsibility and hard work 2. Respect for authority and the importance of family and community 3. Belief in the importance of education and helping the less fortunate 4. Commitment to public service and the common good 5. Respect for the sanctity of life 6. A commitment to the preservation of traditional values and morals 7. A belief in religious freedom and tolerance of other faiths 8. Support for the separation of church and state
Within two years of its adoption the first .......
10 amendments known as the Bill of Rights were added.
The upper house of Congress
Senate
The first wave of Polish immigrants came to the USA in the period ......
The late 1800s (WWI)
How many senators are there in the senate?
100 senators, two from each state
How many senate members are elected?
100, each State equal representation
American constitution came into effect in...........
1788
The majority of immigrants from Europe came to the USA before ......
1914
The rapid growth of the Asian & Hispanic populations was since .......
1970s/1980s
Which Amendment guarantees the freedom of speech?
1st
Which Amendment guarantees the freedom of the right of peaceful assembly?
1st
Which Amendment guarantees the freedom of worship?
1st
The Congress may introduce an amendment by ....... vote in each house
2/3
The Constitution has been amended ....... times since 1789.
27
Which Amendment guarantees the right of citizens to bear arms?
2nd
The USA is about ........ times bigger than Poland.
31,5 times
In terms of territory, the USA is ....... largest country in the world.
4th
When was the USA created?
4th July 1776
There are ......... (how many) Standard Time Zones in the USA
6
The Supreme Court consists of .......
9 judges
A 'melting pot' vs. a 'mosaic', 'salad bowl', 'pizza', 'stew mix' metaphors. What's the difference?
A 'melting pot' metaphor is used to describe a society in which people from different cultures, backgrounds, and ethnicities blend together and become part of a single, unified culture. A 'mosaic' metaphor is used to describe a society in which people from different cultures, backgrounds, and ethnicities live side-by-side in harmony, but maintain their individual identities. This term is often used to describe multicultural societies where different cultures are accepted and celebrated. A 'salad bowl' metaphor is used to describe a society in which different cultures and backgrounds are mixed together, but each element retains its own distinct flavor and identity. This term is often used to describe a society in which diversity is celebrated and respected. A 'pizza' metaphor is used to describe a society in which different cultures, backgrounds, and ethnicities contribute to the creation of a single, unified culture. This term is often used to describe a society in which different cultures are blended together to create a unique and unified society. A 'stew mix' metaphor is used to describe a society in which different cultures, backgrounds, and ethnicities are mixed together to create a unique and unified culture. This term is often used to describe a society in which different cultures are blended together. (assimilation, unitary culture vs variety and difference should some how be incorporated into a larger 'American' whole, cultural pluralism)
Three metaphors related to the USA as the land of immigrants.
A melting pot, a salad bowl, a pizza
The American ideal of e pluribus unum = ...... (out of many one)
A national motto. "Out of many, one". It symbolizes the unity of the nation, which was formed from many separate states.
The third wave of Polish immigrants came to the USA after ......
After the introduction of martial law in 1981
Believing in the..........., many tens of millions of people have come to live in the USA.
American Dream
Five Christian denominations.
Anglicans, Baptists, Catholics, Separatists, Puritan
About 1880 many Jews came as a result of .......
Antisemitism in Europe
The lowest point in the country is Death Valley in .......
Badwater Basin, California
Most Polish city is in ................ in .........
Chicago, Illinois
Which institution represents the legislative branch?
Congress
The form of government in the USA.
Constitutional Federal Republic
In general, the more ....... a place is from an ......, the more it has temperature ...... in the summer and winter.
Distant, Ocean, Extremes
US regions tend to be less .......... than those in older, more ...................... stable countries. The high ....................... of the American population adds to the homogenizing effects of popular mass culture, modern transportation, urbanization and the centralization of the economy and government.
Distinct, Demographically, Mobility
Farther ........., rainfall increases because warm, moist air moves up over the nation's middle from the ............. producing rainfall.
East, Gulf of Mexico
Americans' core idealism, pride, and naivety are embodied in .............. 's sonnet '..............................", which is displayed inside the base of the ....................
Emma Lazarus, 'The New Colossus', Statue of Liberty
The main languages in the USA are ............
English, Spanish
The people who established the colonies are considered ....... rather than .............. because they created the customs, laws, and institutions to which later arrivals (the first immigrants) had to adjust.
Founders, immigrants
The Founding Fathers of the Constitution
George Washington & Thomas Jefferson
Five wonders of nature in the USA.
Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Yosemite NP, Death Valley
The lower house of Congress
House of Representatives
The various ..... groups (including the Aleuts) are the native peoples of ....... and the Aleutian Islands.
Inuit, Alaska
The ....... arrived relatively late and wanted to distinguish themselves racially from ............... living farther .......
Inuit, Native Americans, South
The English established their first permanent settlement at .........., ..........., in .........
Jamestown, Virginia, 1607
In the 1630s, Lord Baltimore established ........... as a haven for ........, England's most persecuted minority.
Maryland, Catholics
The ......... includes the states bordering the .............. and two tiers of states west of the Mississippi river from Missouri and Kansas north to Canada.
Mid-West, Great Lakes
'The land of 10,000 lakes' is in ........
Minnesota
Main rivers.
Mississippi, Missouri, Colorado
Features traditionally considered 'American traits '
NAUCZ SIE
The original US capital
NY
The ........ is arguably still the nation's ......... and cultural center.
North East, economic
How old n long is the Constitution?
Of the written national constitutions, it is the oldest and shortest written Constitution of any major government in the world
The USA is called 'the land of ........'
Opportunity
To escape religious oppression in England, the ........, a small group of radical separatists from the .........................., founded the first of the northern colonies in 1620 at ......................., Massachusetts.
Pilgrims, Church of England, Plymouth
Major mountain ranges.
Rocky Mountains, Appalachian Mountains
Constitution Day is celebrated on ......
September 17, The anniversary of the day the framers signed the document.
African ......... existed in all the American colonies but became the main source of workers only in the plantation ...........
Slavery, south
Largest lakes.
Superior > Huron > Michigan > Erie > Ontario
In terms of population, the USA is ....... largest country in the world.
The 3rd
The national symbol of the USA since 1782
The American Bald Eagle
Who/what has the power to override a President's veto?
The Congress
The lowest point in the country is ........
The Death Valley
Who/what can veto any act of Congress?
The President
......... is the second in line to the Presidency, after the Vice President, under the Presidential Succession Act of 1947.
The Speaker
'............' is a myth, a popular set of values, and a region of the country. It represents possibility, freedom, self-reliance, and the future.
The West
Traditionally, this region includes the eleven states from Virginia to Texas that formed the Confederacy during the Civil War.
The south
How many Representatives members are elected?
There are currently 435 voting representatives, members apportioned on the basis of population
Within ...... (how many) years of its adoption the first ten amendments known as the Bill of Rights were added.
Two
The Speaker is the second in line to the Presidency, after the ......... , under the Presidential Succession Act of 1947.
Vice President
The second wave of Polish immigrants came to the USA after ..........
WWII
There are at least two Washingtons in the USA. Why?
Washington DC (capital), Washington (state)
WASP
White Anglo-Saxon Protestants: an ethnoreligious group who are the white, upper-class, American Protestant historical elite, typically of British descent.
Five famous Poles in America.
Zbigniew Brzeziński, Casimir Pulaski, Czesław Miłosz, Izabella Scorupco, Izabella Miko
Political system of the US
a constitutional republic consisting of federal and state governments
The Constitution consists of ......
a preamble, 7 articles, 27 amendments
What is a grand jury?
a special jury of citizens, usually more than 12, that investigates accusations against persons charged with crime and indicts them for trial if there is sufficient evidence (sąd przysięgłych, wielka ława przysięgłych)
What is an indictment?
a written statement charging someone with the committing of a crime or other offense (akt oskarżenia)
Amendments to the Constitution are repealed by ........
adding another amendment
What does the dual system of government mean?
all authority is divided between the federal and state governments
What is impeachment?
an administrative procedure, defined in the United States Constitution, under which the president (or another high government official) is brought up on charges and tried by the Congress, and, if convicted, is removed from office (oskarżenie wysokiego urzędnika państwowego)
A U.S. senator and a representative may serve (how many?) terms.
an unlimited number
Four major cultures in the USA created as a result of historical developments, in/directly conditioning US society
ethnic culture founded on indigenous Native American civilizations, European colonial settlement, African-American slavery and later waves of immigration. a multi-faith or pluralist religious culture, which reflects the beliefs of colonists and immigrants and is still prominent today a political-legal culture theoretically based on individualism, constitutionalism and respect for the law. It tries to unite the people under ideal versions of 'Americanness', such as egalitarianism, morality and patriotism which should be reflected in political and legal institutions. is an economic and consumer culture driven by corporate and individual competition)
American self-images: 'exceptionalism'
its unique mission in the world, idealism, high aspirations and sense of destiny
The division/separation of power is meant to ......
prevent any branch of the government from becoming too powerful
Values traditionally associated with these symbols of 'Americanness'
self-reliance, individualism, independence, utopianism, liberty, egalitarianism, freedom, opportunity, democracy, anti-statism (distrust of government), populism (grass-roots activism), a sense of destiny and respect for the law
What is the checks and balances system?
separation of powers within government
Only one Amendment to the Constitution has been repealed. Which one?
the 18th - Prohibition
Immigration from Europe prevailed until .........
the 1970s
We the people ... - this is the beginning of .......
the American Constitution
Within two years of its adoption the first ten amendments known as ......... were added.
the Bill of Rights
The first time the formal term "The United States of America" was used was in the document called .......
the Declaration of Independence
The legislative body consists of two houses: ......... and ..........
the House of Representatives; Senate
Which institution represents the executive branch?
the President
The highest U.S. federal court is ......
the Supreme Court
Which institution represents the judicial branch?
the Supreme Court
Who is President of the Senate
the Vice-president of the United States
First three articles deal with ......
the divisions of the power in the US
US government is divided into three branches. What are they?
the executive branch, the legislative branch, the judicial branch
Central images of 'Americanness', common cultural signs
the national flag, also known as the Stars and Stripes, Old Glory or the Star-Spangled Banner the pledge of allegiance to the flag the Declaration of Independence the Liberty Bell Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address the 'Star-Spangled Banner' - the US national anthem the Constitution.
