1. A Portrait of Americans
Chapter 1
A Portrait of Americans
Civics: Government and Economics in Action

2. “America: A Cultural Mosaic” “The Values that Unite Us”
Chapter Links
Section 1
“Who Americans Are”
Section 2
“America: A Cultural Mosaic”
Section 3
“The Values that Unite Us”
Civics: Government and Economics in Action

3. Civics: Government and Economics in Action
Section 1
“Who Americans Are”
Section Outline:
I Where Americans Live
II. The Workforce
III. Ages of Americans
IV. Americans Varied Backgrounds
Main Idea:
American society is made up of people from diverse backgrounds. Recent trends include changes in where Americans live, in the workforce, and in the average age of population.
Key Terms:
Demography
Sunbelt
Service Job
Baby Boom
Diversity
Civics: Government and Economics in Action

4. Civics: Government and Economics in Action
Where Americans Live
Demography
The study of the size, growth, and distribution of human populations
Variety of Homes
Americans live in almost every kind of terrain the world has to offer
Americans on the Move
Today, four out of five Americans (about 222 million) live in urban areas.
The Sunbelt: warm weather states such as Georgia, Florida Texas, and Arizona.
Civics: Government and Economics in Action

5. Civics: Government and Economics in Action
The Workforce
American Workers
Our workforce is made up of about 60 million women and 70 million men working in more than 30,000 different occupations.
Service Job
A job in which a person makes a living by providing a service for other people
More Service Jobs
Today, nearly 75 percent of Americans workers hold service jobs
Civics: Government and Economics in Action

6. Civics: Government and Economics in Action
Ages of Americans
More Older Americans
Today there are more older Americans than ever before
The Baby Boom
The dramatic rise in the number of births that occurred between 1946 and 1964
A Population Prediction
By 2050 more than one in five Americans will be age 65 of older.
Civics: Government and Economics in Action

7. Americans Varied Backgrounds
Diversity
Americans are a people known for their diversity or differences
American Diversity
Many Americans have very unique culture and heritage.
Diversity makes America a great country.
Civics: Government and Economics in Action

8. “America: A Cultural Mosaic”
Section 2
“America: A Cultural Mosaic”
Section Outline:
I The American Identity
II. European Americans
III. Hispanic Americans
IV. African Americans
V. Asian Americans
VI. Native Americans
VII. Our Population Today
Main Idea:
Americans are part of a mosaic in which each piece is an essential part of American Society.
Key Terms:
Immigrants
Discrimination
Racism
Exclusion Laws
Census
Civics: Government and Economics in Action

9. Civics: Government and Economics in Action
The American Identity
Immigrants
People who move from their homes in one country to another.
A Melting Pot?
It is inaccurate to say that America is a melting pot because Americans have not melted together to form one single identity.
The American Mosaic
A mosaic is made up of many diverse tiles
Americans are very different, like tiles in a Mosaic
Civics: Government and Economics in Action

10. Civics: Government and Economics in Action
European Americans
The First Immigrants
The first Europeans came to America from England, Ireland, and Scotland in the 1600 and 1700’s.
Other Europeans
Many settlers came to America from Germany, France, The Netherlands, and Scandinavia.
Between 1830 and 1920 large numbers of Germans, Slavs, Russians, Irish, Italians, and Greeks immigrated to America.
Civics: Government and Economics in Action

11. Civics: Government and Economics in Action
Hispanic Americans
Hispanics
As America expanded in the 1800’s, it added former Spanish colonies such as Florida, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.
Latino Culture
Latino immigrants
Latino culture has had a great impact on American society
Civics: Government and Economics in Action

12. Civics: Government and Economics in Action
African Americans
Enslavement
African-Americans did not come to American voluntarily; they were forced into slavery
Discrimination
The unfair treatment of a group of people compared with another group.
Struggle for Equality
African Americans have fought hard to obtain equals rights in America
Racism: the belief that members of one’s own race are superior to those of other races.
Civics: Government and Economics in Action

13. Civics: Government and Economics in Action
Asian Americans
The First Asian Immigrants
Many young men from southeastern China came to America during the 1849 “Gold Rush” in California.
Many Japanese farmers and businessmen also succeeded in America.
Exclusion Laws of 1882 and 1907
Laws prohibiting further immigration to the United States from China or Japan
Civics: Government and Economics in Action

14. Civics: Government and Economics in Action
Native Americans
The “Original Americans”
Native Americans were living in America thousands of years before the Europeans began arriving.
European Settlement
Despite their best efforts, Native Americans were gradually pushed west by the European settlers.
Living in Modern America
The Native American population continues to adapt to the changing face of America today.
Civics: Government and Economics in Action

15. Civics: Government and Economics in Action
Our Population Today
Census
A population survey that is taken every ten years.
The 2000 Census and “Diversity”
The non-white population increased from 20 percent in 1990 to 25 percent in 2000.
The Hispanic population increased from 9 percent in 1990 to 12 percent in 2000.
This is evidence that America is becoming increasingly diverse.
Civics: Government and Economics in Action

16. “The Values that Unite Us”
Section 3
“The Values that Unite Us”
Section Outline:
Equal Respect: The American Dream
Basic American Values
Citizens and the American Ideal
Main Idea:
Americans value the ideal of equal
respect, but work still needs to be
done to ensure that the rights to
equality, freedom, and justice for
all Americans are protected.
Key Terms:
Beliefs
Values
Equality
Freedom
Justice
Civics: Government and Economics in Action

17. Equal Respect: The American Dream
Beliefs
Certain ideas that we trust are true.
Values
Our standards of behavior.
America is held together by a set of beliefs and values.
For example: Regardless of age, sex, race, wealth, opinions, or education, everyone has worth and importance.
Civics: Government and Economics in Action

18. Civics: Government and Economics in Action
Basic American Values
Equality
The condition of permitting everyone the same rights and opportunities.
Freedom
The ability to make choices.
Justice
Fairness
Everyone is not necessarily treated the same, but people are treated fair.
Civics: Government and Economics in Action

19. Civics: Government and Economics in Action
The
American
Dream
Civics: Government and Economics in Action

20. Citizens and the American Ideal
An Imperfect Society
We do not always achieve the ideals of freedom, equality, and justice.
The American Ideal and the Future
America is held together by the fundamental belief in equal respect of all.
Civics: Government and Economics in Action