Us Geography

US GEOGRAPHY & CULTURE
OUTLINE
Understanding the American Mind
Ten Commandments of American Culture
American Idioms
American Expressions
American Culture and Society
US Geography
States, their Capitals and Cities
US Time Zones

The American Mind
The greatest way to relate to people around us is by KNOWING WHO WE ARE.
We need to understand ourselves to be able to understand our customers.
Fill in the blanks:
I am proud to be _________.   I take pride in my _________.   I am eager to help my ___________.  
Standard American English   vs. Filipino English
10 Commandments   of the American Culture
  1. You can’t argue with success (be a success).
  2. Live and let live (be tolerant)
  3. Time flies when you’re having fun (have lots of fun).
  4. Shop till you drop. (Even if not shopping for anything, enjoy looking at all options)
  5. Just do it. (Action is key to success.   It’s more valuable than planning, checking regulations and informing   people.
  6. No pain, no gain (get tough, don’t whine)
  7. Enough is enough (stand up for your rights
  8. Time is money (don’t waste time.
  9. Rules are made to be broken
Americans obey the rules most of the time, but they see rules as someone else’s idea and may not be appropriate for their situation.   But they proudly claim that in America, no one is above the law.
  10. God helps those who help themselves (work hard)

American Culture & Society
Immigration and Diversity
50,000,000 immigrants have entered the U.S.
700,000 immigrants per year
History
1.5m native American Indians
1000 Vikings arrived
1492 Columbus arrived and more Europeans arrived for the   next 200 years
1619 Africans arrived as slaves (12.7% of U.S. population today
1779 Independence from Great Britain
1847 Irish arrived due to Potato Blight (39m decendants   today)
1880 Jewish arrived (5m today)
1865 slaves made illegal
      World War I
- started 1914; US declared war... [continues]

Read full essay