1. The right to keep and bear arms
2. America‘s mission to democratise the world - „Nation of Future“ (1839)
3. The Mobility Myth - becoming increasingly difficult to move up a class
3.1. "from rags to riches"
4. THE PURITANS
4.1. THE NEW CANAAN
4.1.1. "land of milk and honey"
4.1.2. Refers to the promised land of Jewish tradition
4.2. decided to leave England
4.3. September 1620: left England on the Mayflower, arrived at Plymouth Bay
4.4. Cleansing the Church of England from the remaining influence of Roman-Catholic Papism
4.5. Split up: Presbyterians and Congregationals
4.6. America as the promised land - their New Canaan
5. Equality
5.1. Bill of Rights (Constitution 1791) - freedom of religion and speech, equal rights and opportunities
5.1.1. Regardless of class and background
5.2. Cornerstones of American society
5.3. Struggle for equality
5.3.1. Abolition of slavery 1865- Civil War
5.3.2. Civil Rights Movement 1960s - goal: equal rights for the freed slaves
5.3.2.1. Segregation
5.3.3. American Women fighting for their rights - not gaining to vote until 1920
5.3.4. Minorities: Native Americans, gays and lesbians
6. THE USA
6.1. The American Dream
6.1.1. James Truslow Adams 1931
6.1.1.1. Formulates the American Dream
6.2. Uncle Sam - nickname for the government, depicted in order to recruit volunteers during WW 1 & 2
6.3. immigrants want to find a better life
6.4. Country of unlimited opportunities
6.4.1. possibility to make dreams come true
7. FREEDOM
7.1. STATUE OF LIBERTY
7.1.1. gift from France 1886
7.1.2. Symbol for
7.1.2.1. independence
7.1.2.2. liberty
7.1.3. Upper New York Bay
7.1.4. tablet in left hand
7.2. enlightenment
7.2.1. ELLIS ISLAND
7.2.1.1. immigrants arrived there
7.2.1.2. federal Immigration Station 1892-1954
8. MANIFEST DESTINY
8.1. John L. O'Sullivan
8.2. America: superior to all other countries
8.3. patriotism rootet in "Manifest Destiny" concept
9. DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
9.1. 1776 by Thomas Jefferson
9.2. everybody created equal
9.3. individual rights
9.3.1. unalienable rights
9.3.1.1. liberty
10. AMERICAN CONSTITUTION
10.1. written in 1787
10.2. Federal republic in form of a presidential system
10.2.1. Political and legal system of the USA
11. AMERICAN DREAM TODAY
11.1. multicultural society
11.2. salad bowl
11.2.1. Immigrants bring their cultures to America, keep them, and make America what it is today, a colorful mix of many different cultures.
11.3. melting pot
11.3.1. Original cultures lose their identity and all the people of the American population have merged into a new race (melted into one new race).
11.4. an illusion
11.4.1. Has now the lowest mobility rate of social motility of any of the rich countries in the world
11.5. American Nightmares
11.5.1. Vietnam War
11.5.1.1. From 1955- 1975
11.5.1.2. Reason: Vietnam split into north and south
11.6. Black Thursday
11.6.1. The stock price plummeted
12. Idea of the frontier
12.1. Groping land from Native Americans
12.1.1. Killing 70.000
12.1.2. Building railways from East to West
12.2. „It was God will“ - Manifest Destiny
13. Gun Culture
13.1. Second Amendment
13.2. NRA
13.2.1. Organization in which you train the handling of a weapon and carry out sport shooting