...ELECTIVES: America’s Colonial Foundations (0.5) America’s Colonial Foundations provides an introduction to the major topics of the establishment of British North America, their political economic and social structures, religious and intellectual characteristics and the transition from distant citizens of Great Britain to a new American identity. It will examine changing relationships with Native Americans, development of racial slavery as a labor source, and European cultural influences on the various colonial regions. American Literature (0.5) Throughout the course of American Literature, students will be able to encounter and experience the full span of America’s rich literary history. The course begins with the literary contributions of America’s first settlers, and explores how their faith and difficult circumstances shaped their lives and the literature through which they captured these early moments of America. The course then moves through the Age of Faith, during which the core of American Literature was shaped by a strong and foundational faith, and then into the Age of Reason, during which the world of science and modern thinking started to shape the literature of the times. The study of literature then moves into the Romantic period, and then the Realist period, both of which shaped American Literature at its core and brought about significant changes to the style, structure, and purpose of literature. The introduction of Modern literature includes the literature of...
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...behaviours and beliefs and thus reveal how Willy has been victimized by the American Dream. The concept of developing a protagonist’s character by depicting formative experiences is one that offers an excellent approach to analyzing Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman. By juxtaposing scenes of the protagonist’s present with scenes from Willy’s past, Miller provides insight for Willy’s behaviours and beliefs. Through lighting and sound techniques, Miller recreates significant moments in Willy’s life that shape him. Miller’s staging...
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...2014 Although many hardships have been endured, people of the African descent have shaped the course of American’s history for over 500years. From the justice of the Jim Crow Era to the struggles of the civil rights movement, each moment of the African American history has shaped the face of modern America. African Americans present a classic example of what happens when a minority group becomes defined as weaker and less intelligent and overall, less valued. Overtime, those prejudices have become long-lasting behavior patterns that have been carried down from one generation to the next. In the mid 1500’s Black Africans were brought to America as slaves by Europeans mariners. This force of migration was unique in American history. Slaves were captured and sold at auctions and at American slave markets to owners who wanted them primarily as plantation workers. Slave owners would break up families by selling off family members. They were also harshly punished. In the eyes of the slave owner, they were no more than livestock. Despite these rough times, slaves managed to develop a strong cultural identity. The introduction to Christianity helped them develop their own form of worship. The music of worship expressed both slave endurance and religious belief. In time, African culture contributed to much of America’s music, theater, and dance. By 1700 there were about 25,000 slaves in the American colonies. The slaves that weren’t sold or freed ran away, some using the Underground...
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...Over the years, America has changed greatly, both socially and culturally. As years pass by, American Culture begins to change, with many new cultural outcomes with many different types of music, different fashion sense, a whole new style. The United States is the third largest country in the world with a population of about 300 million people (Zimmermann, Livescience.com). Not only are these people just Americans, but they are many different ethnicity in which makes the U.S this wide range of many cultures. Not only does the diversity of the many cultures in the U.S have made the nation more bigger, but it has also, “have helped shaped American values” (Bean, InternationalStudentGuide). There are many different values that have come by the different ethnic and cultural aspects that have happened in the Unites States but the major values are the Individuality and Equality. As it says in the International Student Guide, “U.S Americans are encouraged at an early age to be independent and to develop their own goals in life. They are encouraged to not depend (too much) on others”. So, from the start, Americans have grown greatly to be independent individuals. Becoming an independent individual is a huge value, especially for the American Culture. Another great American value would also be Equality. “U.S Americans uphold the ideal that everyone ‘is created equal’ and has the same rights. This includes women as well as men of all ethic and cultural groups living in the U.S. There...
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...February 20, 2015 A Broken Union The American Dream is the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. Many say that they have now made that dream a reality. In the early 50’s this wasn’t the case, we still had that dream but many obstacles to get through to achieve that dream. During this time America will be put through strain and heartache to prosper and become the country that many look toward for freedom. The 50’s were a time where we had to take a step back and reanalyze because of the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War. These two major events that happened in America may have shaped us in the wrong way. During this time in America, we were divided as a whole. It wasn’t one country but two, not by where you lived but rather by your skin color. If you were born with the wrong skin color you would be penalized for this. “Although African Americans’ subjugation holds a special place in U.S. history, they were by no means the only important group facing severe marginalization during the 1950s and since. Native Americans as well as Latinos and Latinas were subject to systematic racial discrimination, dispossession of property, and hate crimes.” (Super, 2014) America was a dark place if you weren’t white and that held us back as a nation. To end racial segregation and discrimination against black Americans, the African-American Civil Rights Movement started. This movement...
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...in today’s world (“bigger than Elvis!” etc). Elvis’ impact reaches far, far beyond his music. This is a fact that differentiates him from so many of the other notable artists in history. However, his music alone has had a great personal impact on me, and at the time of its release, changed the industry more than anyone had ever seen. He single-handedly popularized rock and roll by blending white country music with black rhythm and blues. He made his music fun to listen to and acceptable to listen to by everybody, no matter what race you were. After studying this, I’ve realized how much Elvis has changed my life. The “creation” of rock and roll has had an impact on so many artists in every single genre. Music has always been a big part of my life, and I enjoy tastes in country, rhythm and blues, and rock (in today’s usage of the terms). Furthermore, the creation of rock and roll among other things has helped spurred on the development of an international pop culture. This pop culture, through magazines, newspapers, television, and other forms of media has shaped the youth of America for almost 50 years. I was not aside from this, and remember myself spending summers watching “TRL” on MTV or trying to emulate someone I thought was cool on a channel such as MTV or VH1. By bringing black music to mainstream America, Elvis made it OK for people to be influenced by any type of music, and furthermore allowed the creation of pop culture to take place where it was difficult...
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...Hip-hop influenced American culture by taking a political stance, forcing Government officials to address controversial topics. Hip-hop is more than just stereotypes, this type of music style goes beyond a new form of art communication and bares the souls of those who express the struggles and experience of their everyday life. On the same note, hip-hop artists realize that those who did not grow up around the vast culture of hip-hop they tend to portray the music as chaos and never truly understanding the message behind the music. For others to understand and connect with hip-hop we have defended the use of typical stereotypes and believe that hip-hop is a culture inspiration and a global influence. Without the innovation of hip-hop and the artists’ hard work that drives the creativity of poetic justice, there would be not hip-hop....
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...vicinity of other remarkable discoveries, for example; finding all the remaining pieces to what eventually turned out to be a famous stadium called “Yankee Stadium”. There was also a finding of an old fashioned newspaper clipping with the title” HIV Cure Found” in what appeared to be the year of 2030. My fellow archaeologist and I found an item with a note stating this is a “time capsule’, which had a branded label of “The 60’s….We Rocked” on it. After much investigating and thought as to how we could open this container and what is needed to do so, we finally managed to open this capsule. Inside this capsule we found five extremely secured items that conveniently came with brief explanations of what they are and of what time they came from. The Five items consisted of; (1) One small compact, of which held some sort of medicated pills. (2) A plate that is labeled “VIN Plate” and has writing to describe what was considered a VIN plate to a vehicle. (3) Three small, flat and round shaped items that appear to be disks or albums. (4) A picture that was protected in a sealed packet of a man and a woman in a car. This picture labeled, “Day of JFK assassination”. (5) A piece of brown colored paper with the writing and labeling of “Never forget Stonewall Riots - - 1969”. Here is a summary of the five items that was found in the capsule each having a distinctive history. This will be an unofficial documented record of these five items, where they came from and the history behind...
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...Max Ames AP US History Ms. Rizzo June 4, 2010 The Beatles: How Four British Lads Shaped America A musical group of four young British Liverpool natives arrived in the United States in the 1960s to begin their long career of shaping American culture; they were the Beatles. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, like the many predecessors before them who had come from Britain such as Thomas Paine and Andrew Carnegie, became an integral part of the history of the United States, even though they were not true American-born citizens. Beginning with their momentous arrival in the United States in 1964, the Beatles greatly influenced American culture in the 1960s, and left an enduring legacy. The Beatles’ appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, controversy with Christianity in 1966, precedents and influences in music, impact and development of the album as an art form, creation of a variety of movies, and influences in the counterculture as well as the pop culture helped to make American culture what it is today. On February 7, 1964, the Beatles landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, where a crowd of thousands of fans and reporters were waiting. There was such pandemonium, chaos, and screaming that, “One policeman who has worked at the airport for ten years said: ‘I think the world has gone mad.’” Two days after their frenzied arrival, the Beatles made a famous appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. “The broadcast broke all viewing records...
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...How colonial music relates to our day music while helping us form a united country and patriotism. It has been found that music of the Colonial age wasn’t written in America; but, inclusively transported to help define the colleagues and for founders of this country. The music that early Americans have chosen to sing and play helps to clarify the understanding of the colonist themselves. 1 “Their music included ballads, dance tunes, folk songs and parodies, comic opera arias, drum signals, psalms, minuets and sonatas. Such music came mostly from England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Italy, France, and Africa, and it was played on whatever instruments were handy.” Many different styles and forms of music emerged in early America to express the full effect of colonial life. Colonial music included both oral and written processes; in which, people most commonly could recognize by ear but frequently came up with new words to the older tunes. The instruments we have today were brought to us by the Revolution age with some in their original form and prevalent. Men from all different classes, from slaves and indentured servants to Thomas Jefferson, played fiddles or violins. While prices varied from high to low violins were usually imported in great numbers. In addition to popular instruments such as the violin, the flute happens to be another prominent instrument that was driven by man. 1 Woman had limited musical options due to high levels of “maintaining reputation” for men. Wealthy...
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...Essay #3 The American South is an interesting culture that has had an avid history in the United States’ past. A vast region, the South is rich with its own individuality that has shaped our history and continues to do so today. Growing up in the South has immersed me in a culture of values and hospitality, instituting morals in my life that have gotten me to where I am now. Each region has its own faults however, and while this region may have a bit of a misunderstood history, what it’s turning into can’t really be appreciated until new perspective is introduced to your surroundings. The South is responsible for ranges of genre in music that stretch far deeper than the 36’30 line. While New Orleans was brewing the most wild of jazz, a collective of states narrated their lives into the Country sound Southern twang. Eventually Soul entered the fray, pioneered by the finest and most innovative of musicians. It was this innovation, this drive that lead to the music of today, music mixed amongst the South that influences my generation as they move about in life. For me, music has inspired me and given me the motivation to keep on moving up the social hierarchy, while helping me identify the curveballs life often tosses my way. While not having the most impact on my musical taste, Wagon Wheel (by Old Crow Medicine Show) reintroduced me to the concept of modern branches of Country music, branches that still retain its roots that remain buried...
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...Music and the Sixties The 1960s was a time of transformation in cultural standards, fashion, and society attitudes. This decade of change was particularly apparent in the radical shifts in this era’s music. The music of the sixties had very distinct sounds, portrayal of events and attitudes. Social movements and political events influenced the culture through music. There were also several genres and artists that contributed to the influence of culture. During the 1960s, the music played a major role in shaping the culture. The music echoed the events and movements that were happening in society. Prior to 1963, the music reflected the sounds, styles and attitudes of the previous decade. Music of the 1960s magnified the rebellion and standing up to the emerging cultural changes. The music about protest relayed messages that everyone could and would to sing along to. Through the multiple events during the sixties the music and the American culture mood began to change. Current events in America also played a role in how music influenced American culture. The British Invasion, the Civil Rights Movement, and the escalation of the Vietnam War were major events that impacted the music. The British Invasion occurred when an explosion of British artists took the United States music scene by storm in the mid 1960s. Kenneth Olwig wrote an article titled, “The ‘British invasion’,” and summarizes, “The British Invaders that were listened to, were inspired by and faithfully played a...
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...The Age of the Radio Radio has always been one of the most powerful media sources available. It goes without saying that it is popular due to the fact that the necessary equipment, radio transmitter and receiver. Radio was the start to worldwide communication. There were many inventors to thank for the radio. In 1860, James Maxwell predicted the existence of radio waves (Bellis). James Maxwell formulated a set of equations, which explained light as one form of electromagnetic radiation and predicted that there should be many other forms, invisible to the human eye. Heinrich Hertz demonstrated that rapid variations of electric current could be projected into space (Bellis). Fortunately, other scientist and engineers saw the radio spectrum not as a curiosity but as a tool for a new kind of communication. Guglielmo Macroni proved the feasibility of radio communication. In 1895, Macroni sent the first radio signal. With further alterations, Macroni found a way for ships to talk to each other using Morse code. The next big step was finding a way to manipulate radio waves so they could carry more than dots and dashes. Switching from pulses to continuous waves provided the key. Reginald Fessenden invented a way to transmit voice by altering the intensity of waves, thus creating AM radio. Reginald Fessenden noticed that by varying wave frequency instead of amplitude, stations could avoid the interference that often corrupted AM transmissions. The result was frequency modulation...
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...John Newton An additional key figure of the Great European and American Awakening was John Newton, who will forever be remembered for his memorable hymn “Amazing Grace.” “Amazing Grace” is beloved well into the 21st century by Christians and non-Christians alike, and could be considered to be one of the most widely-known and widely-sung hymns of all time. Newton was a slave-trader during this time more than one hundred years before the Civil War and the eventual emancipation of slaves in the United States. John Newton was heavily influence by evangelist Josiah Smith, who preached the Gospel in the southern United States of America. John Newton visited Charleston, South Carolina where he met Smith and described meeting “a dissenting minister,...
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..."America has no culture"? Every country has a unique common heritage or joint experience. Therefore culture can be defined as the complex system of values, traits, morals shared by society. All the choices we make reveal something about our personality, surrounding and our upbringing influences these choices. The way we speak, dress, the food we eat, the music we listen to tells allot about us and how we came to be. Everywhere we look in America we can see different cultural signs. But does America realy have a culture? A variety of different arguments have been put forward about this issue. Some people think that America has no culture, while other say that America definitely have its own, unique cultur. In this essay I will consider arguments for my opinion, about this issue. I will provide one of the mosto people opinion and summarize everything. Most of people say that America's culture is a combination of every culture in it, on it's own and combined with other cultures to make something new, out of something old. They have a diverse culture because the people are from different states. This is one of the things that make Americans culture interesting because of the beauty diversification that their culture has that helps them in uniting as opposed to bringing division. American culture is a Western culture, largely based on British culture with influences from other parts of Europe, the Native American peoples, African Americans and to a lesser extent Asian...
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