Talk About the United States - Essay Example

The United States of America is a country which comprises of 50 states and is located in the North America between Mexico and Canada. It has a unique position in the world because it has the largest economy in the world which accounts for approximately a quarter of the output of the economy and is also the worlds biggest exporter (Sawyer and Sprinkle 8). It is also is the largest trading nation with a dominant currency for transaction in the world economy. It has a population of over 300 million people and is ranked as the third largest country in the world by total land area. Because of this, the United States is rich in culture, has diverse religion, unique holidays in a year, and has people from different ethnic backgrounds.

Firstly, United States is rich in culture. In addition to the natives who are already inhabitants on the continent, the population of the United States have been built on immigration of people from all over the world. In spite of the recent move to close United States borders from refugees and immigrants, people are entering the United States. Because of this, it is one of the most diverse countries in the world regarding culture. Apart from the influence of immigrants, the culture has been influenced by almost every region in the world. For instance, English colonized the United States and significantly influenced the American culture, but other influence has come from Latin Americans, Asians, and Africans. In as much as other cultures have influenced the culture of the United States, American culture today have a tremendous influence on other cultures in the world. For example, western culture is a term that has been coined from the influence that the United States has in other cultures.

Secondly, English language is used by a large number of the population though other languages such as French, German, Spanish and Chinese are spoken. Ardila and Ramos argue that the United States does not have an official language and that over 300 languages are spoken of which 176 are indigenous languages (12). American English is predominantly used for legislation, federal court rulings, executive orders, and all official pronouncements. Some states such as Louisiana, Hawaii and New Mexico have adopted English as their official languages. Despite America English use, up to 49 million citizens speak a language other than English at home as per the 2004 census, which translates to almost one in every five people in the United States speak a language other than English (Ardila and Ramos 12). This progressive increase is attributed to the immigration of different people from all over the world.

Another integral part of the American culture is religion. Because of the influx of people from all over the world, almost every known religion is practiced in the United States which has enhanced religious freedom. Heclo notes that the vast majority of Americans identify themselves as Christians (55). Similarly, Dunn agrees only 42 percent of Americans say that they are committed to Christian faith, but the majority of all Americans are non-committal to the proposition that no single religion has all the answers to the lifes questions (69). Despite the number of committed Christians, there are some Americans who are not affiliated with any religion and therefore make up a percentage of non-Christians. Religion is diverse in the United States, where religious freedom and pluralism are widely espoused and neither a state church nor a single denomination predominates. Kendall notes that Protestants constitute the largest religious body in the United States followed by the Roman Catholics, Mormons, and Jews (375).

Furthermore, some holidays are celebrated in the United States only. For example, Americans celebrate their independence from the Britain every July 4. It is a tribute of the adoption of the declaration of independence which declared the freedom of 13 colonies from the Great Britain. During this holiday, people proudly fly the American flags from their homes and even businesses. Another important holiday celebrated in the United States is the memorial day which is marked on the last Monday of May. Citizens pay tribute to those who were killed in war or military service to the country. It is characterized by wreath-laying ceremonies, services held by patriotic organizations, flying the American flag at half-staff from dawn to noon, and parades. Other holidays include Labor Day which celebrates American workforce, Thanksgiving during which people give thanks to friends, family and good fortune, Presidents Day and Veterans Day which honors all the veterans of the United States.

Additionally, the United States is rich in ethnic diversity which is propagated by the varied ethnic groups because its inhabitants came from many different backgrounds and cultures. Because of this, it is rich in a variety of values, beliefs, and traditions which vary from one region to another and from family to family. This is brought about by the flow of immigrants to the United States from different areas such as Mexico, Central America, and refugees from war-torn countries in the Middle East. Bergad and Klein claim that between 1980 and 2005, the Latinos in the United States almost tripled from a mere 11 million to 33 million, which was aggravated by births in the United States and neutralization among those who were born outside the United States (237).

Finally, sport defines the culture of the Unites States. There are millions of fans who follow basketball, baseball, football, and hockey, and as a result, participation in sports has enabled many citizens to obtain their aspirations, social status, and physical development. Baseball is referred to as Americas most favorite pass time activity, but other individuals and team competitions such as golf, boxing, and tennis are coming up.

In conclusion, the United States of America is rich in culture. It is a diverse country made up of people from all over the world and hence has a distinct religion. Even though the American culture has been adopted in many parts of the world, immigrants have influenced the American culture. Also, United States has unique holidays that are celebrated during the year such as the Veterans day, Thanksgiving, Independence and Labor Days. Americans traditionally indulge in sports such as basketball, baseball, football and hockey, but baseball is a favorite pass time game loved by a significant percentage of the population.

Works cited

Ardila, Alfredo, and Eliane Ramos. Speech and language disorders in bilinguals. Nova Publishers, 2007. Print.

Bergad, Laird W., and Herbert S. Klein. Hispanics in the United States: A demographic, social, and economic history, 1980-2005. Cambridge University Press, 2010. Print.

Dunn, Charles, ed. The Future of Religion in American Politics. University Press of Kentucky, 2010. Print.

Heclo, Hugh. Christianity and American democracy. Harvard University Press, 2009. Print.

Kendall, Diana. Sociology in our times: The essentials. Cengage Learning, 2006. Print.

Sawyer, Charles., and Richard Sprinkle. Applied international economics. London, Taylor and Francis, 2015. Print.