Discovering the U.S.

Page 11

People and Culture

The U.S. is often times referred to as “The Great Melting Pot.” With so many cultures,

languages, and religions represented in the U.S., no one is excluded from the diverse

population in this country.

In the Progressive Era (1900-1915), over 15 million immigrants came to America from various

European countries, rapidly making the U.S. very diverse, very rapidly. Some of these countries

include Great Britain, Ireland, Germany, Italy, and Greece.

Demographics

With more than 320 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country in the world. The

U.S. population is a mix of Caucasian, African American, Asian, Native American, and Hispanic

people. With an emphasis on freedom, citizens are encouraged to practice their beliefs and

celebrate their unique culture.

Language

English is the primary language spoken in

the U.S. Other common languages spoken

include Spanish, Chinese, and Tagalog, the

legal national language of the Philippines.

Americans have different accents based on

their geographic region, and use a variety

of common sayings and slang terms. Due

to mass media, though, it is usually easy to

understand what someone from a different

region is saying based on the context and

the overall awareness of our differences.

Religion

Christianity is practiced by the majority of the U.S. population, with Protestantism and Roman

Catholicism as the two most practiced Christian religions. Judaism, Buddhism, and Muslim are

also widely practiced. Around one-fifth of the population do not associate with a particular

religion.