America in context

The American Cultural Tapestry

Defining what it means to be an American has been a matter of discussion among Americans from the country's earliest days. Many of these efforts at looking inward, however, have a way of spinning outward to engage the rest of the world in a kind of dialogue. In his famous 1841 essay "Self-Reliance," for example, Ralph Waldo Emerson defines this virtue in opposition to the past, especially the European past. "Insist on yourself," Emerson said. "Never imitate."

To understand American behavior and public policies, it is essential to know the culture of the United States.  In many languages culture usually refers to art, music, history, and literature. In the United States, these would be viewed as the results or artifacts of culture. Our definition of culture is much more anthropological. In American English "culture" simply means the way of life of a group of people passed down from one generation to another through learning. It includes fundamental beliefs, values, thought patterns, and worldviews that are shared by most Americans.

The Tapestry
Gary Weaver

We can examine these external aspects of culture and infer that they reflect our internal values, beliefs, and worldviews. Unless we understand American internal culture, it is almost impossible to explain external behavior, including our public policies.

If we had to develop a graphic representation of the American dominant or mainstream culture, we might consider an iceberg. Most of an iceberg is under water and hidden. The same is true of culture. Most of it is internal or inside our heads and well below the water level of conscious awareness. While the visible tip may change—as an iceberg will melt with sun and rain—the base does not change very much over time. In the same way, ones fundamental beliefs, values, ways of thinking, and worldviews change very slowly.

This part of culture is learned unconsciously simply by growing up in a particular community or family. No parent sits down at the breakfast table with a child and teaches a lesson on "cultural values." Rather they are learned unconsciously just by growing up in a particular family. This is the reason we are relatively unaware of our cultural values until we leave our country and interact with people of other cultures.

Emphasizing Individual Achievement
 
When immigrants first arrived to America, they brought their European beliefs and values to the "New World." They had landed in a place where there appeared to be unlimited natural resources and vast opportunities to excel. In Europe, if you were born poor you died poor. The combination of European beliefs and values and the abundant supply of resources and opportunities created a new set of cultural values that we call "American."

These new beliefs and values of individual achievement and class mobility were rewarded and reinforced. Americans then began to identify themselves in terms of what they do. If you encounter an American at a party, he or she will often greet you with: "Hello, my name is Gary Weaver. Im a professor at American University. What do you do?"

People from many other cultures, however, identify themselves in terms of who they are. A West African might greet you by saying, "Hello. Im Pap Seka the son of Tamsier Seka from up river in Basse." The primary source of his identity is who he is—his father and his birthplace. His status is based upon family and heritage, not what he does as an individual or what he may do in the future.

Distrust of an Overly Powerful Central Government

In contrast with the practices in Europe, the first settlers to come to the shores of America did not want a king, queen, or pope. They were very suspicious of an overly powerful central government. In the words of the great American philosopher Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), they believed that "less government is better government." Of course, they knew that their "New World" needed a national government to handle foreign affairs and international commerce; matters that impacted everyday life however were deemed the responsibility of local government.

America has never had a national police force. Issues of welfare, law enforcement and adjudication, care for the infirm, and so on, are matters of local jurisdiction. Americas civil liberties, such as free speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, and so on, are found in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. These documents protect individual freedoms and defend against an overly powerful national government.

Not Quite a "Melting Pot"

Many people believe that the United States is a mixture of many different cultures without a dominant or mainstream culture. The metaphor often used to reflect this assumption is the "melting pot." People from around the globe bring their cultures here and throw them into the American pot. The mixture is stirred and heated until the various cultures melt together.

There is some truth to this idea. The United States is certainly a culturally diverse society; however, there is also a dominant culture. Immigrants became a part of this culture by giving up many of their differences so that they could fit into the mainstream of society. Some would argue that the United States has often had a cultural "cookie-cutter" approach with a white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant, male mold or shape as the model. White immigrant males could easily fit such a mold by adopting an Anglo name, converting to Protestant Christianity, and speaking English without a foreign accent. However, not everyone could fit the cookie-cutter mold. People can change their gender, skin color, or hair texture. Some people melted more easily than others.

Becoming a "Mosaic" or "Tapestry"

Of course, the United States has changed. Most Americans would no longer accept a melting pot or a cookie-cutter culture. In fact, it has become common to describe the United States as a mosaic or a tapestry. These now popular metaphors suggest that it is acceptable to keep ones differences and still be part of the overall society. In a mosaic or a tapestry, each color is distinct and adds to the overall beauty of the object. If you remove one piece from the mosaic or one thread from the tapestry, you destroy it. Today, it is easier to keep your differences. Differences in gender, race, national origin, ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation are acceptable and need not be abandoned to have an equal opportunity to achieve your life goals.

"Hyphenated Americans"—people with dual identities—reflect the belief that one can keep ones ethnic, national, religious, or racial identity and still be an American. Mexican-Americans, Irish-Americans, African-Americans or Black Americans, Arab-Americans, Muslim Americans, and American Indians all reflect the practice of being a true American but also maintaining a co-identity. Of course, what holds the country together is not only a set of common values and beliefs, but also the English language and common experiences.

In four states—New Mexico, Texas, California, and Hawaii—and the District of Columbia, non-Hispanic white people are a demographic minority. By 2050, most demographers agree that non-Hispanic white people will be a minority in the overall national population. But, this trend does not seem to threaten the average American. In fact, most Americans believe that diversity enhances creative problem solving and increases productivity.

This reflects a multicultural model and the assumption is that not only are differences welcomed, but they are even valued and viewed as strengths. Very few people would want to go back to the past when minorities had to give up their differences to fit into the mainstream culture. Diversity is an opportunity to be embraced, not an obstacle to be overcome.

The issue facing America today is not how to get rid of differences, but rather how to manage a society with so many differences. The United States has always been very diverse, but it is no longer simply a matter of bringing together different European nationalities and ethnic groups. Today diversity means all races and ethnic groups, various nationalities, men and women, the disabled, employees of all ages, and people of various sexual orientations. Because of the reality of the demographic changes, increasing global interdependence, and the obvious benefits of diversity, Americans will adapt and develop the necessary skills to communicate and work with people of all cultural backgrounds.

Gary Weaver is a member of the faculty of the School of International Service at American University in the Division of International Communication.

Five Young Writers Describe Their America

Five young writers from around the United States—of varying backgrounds, occupations, marital status—wrote about what they thought was important to tell international readers of their own age about this country. These essays, we thought, could provide a deeper, fuller picture of the USA and its people than may be conveyed through Hollywood movies or international TV news.

Many of these essays do begin by looking inward and then move on to consider the world. Jacqueline Morais Easley, a naturalized U.S. citizen, marvels at the diverse families that live on her block and explains her reasons for treasuring the way her daughter colors outside the lines. Korey London, an ex-serviceman, tells why he believes in defending this country. Ashley Moore, a magazine editor in New York City, far from her Texas home on her first job out of college, reflects that her small apartment and empty refrigerator are a long way from the American dream. Eboo Patel, the Muslim head of an interfaith council in Chicago, tells why he thinks his religion and Americas tradition of tolerance reinforce each other.

Kelly McWilliams, a college freshman who is well aware of what a fellow essayist calls "the tragic, terrible parts of American history," explains her motives for choosing to live in this constantly self-correcting land. She takes Frederick Douglass, the former slave who became the countrys leading abolitionist, as her model, pointing out that Douglass made the decision to stay in the United States and wage an internal political struggle against slavery. "America can be made and re-made to fit its people," this 18-year-old writes. "It is willing. It is waiting. And for as long as this remains true, I will be American."

Jacqueline Morais Easley, a Maryland wife and mother, describes the diversity of American families.

Korey London, an ex-serviceman, talks about being a black American and defending his country.

Ashley Moore, a recent college graduate, describes her perception of the American dream.

Eboo Patel, executive director of the Interfaith Youth Core in Chicago, provides insight into life as an American Muslim.

Kelly McWilliams, a rising college freshman and published novelist, explains her vision of the United States.

Diversity in America
A portrait of the American melting pot, with projections for black, Hispanic, Asian, white and Native American populations.