AMERICAN CULTURE

INTRODUCTION TO
THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA

GROUP 2
 Members
01 02
Đặng Nguyễn Uyên Phương Nguyễn Thị Mỹ Thuận
Introduction, II.1-II.2 II.3-II.5

05
Đinh Thị Diễm Phúc
II.10-II.11, Conclusion
03 04
Phạm Nguyên Kha Hoàng Minh Tiến
II.6-II.7 II.8-II.9
 Introduction
Learning about American culture provides students with a fundamental
understanding of the distinctive traits of native Americans from four
different US regions as well as their original tongue. Additionally, it gives
students the chance to learn about various facets of American culture
throughout American history, including those related to education,
politics, religion, family life, festivals, and entertainment, while also more
intensely exposing them to opportunities for improved independent and
collaborative learning through pair and group assignments.
 Introduction
Learners will be able to evaluate multiple aspects of culture with their
own way of life; identify facts in terms of geography, politics,
education, and religion; explain the diversity of America in terms of
people, language ecology, media, sports, and entertainment; and
foster critical thinking and teamwork skills to handle assignments
relating to American culture.
01
Definitions
Đặng Nguyễn Uyên Phương
 II.1.1. OSS – Office mạng lâm thời người Mỹ
of Strategic Cộng hòa Miền
1. Archipelago:
Services: Văn qu ần đảoViệt Nam
Nam
II.1.8.
phòng Dịch vụ
A group of small islands or an area of sea inDemocratic
which
Chiến lược
there are many small islands. II.1.5. Party: Đảng Dân
POWs – Prisoner chủ
II.1.2. of war: Tù binh,
2. Abbreviation:
National
ch ữ vi ết tắt
tù nhân của
Assembly: Quốc chiến tranh
A short form of a word or phrase like UNII.1.9. is the
allegiance:
Hội
abbreviation for the United Nations. lòng trung
II.1.6. thành
II.1.3. slavery: chế độ
3. Glacier: tảng băng lớn
personification: nô lê
nhân cách hóa
II.1.10. patriotism:
A large mass of ice that moves slowly.
II.1.7. The lòng yêu nước
II.1.4. American
4.Provisional
Canopy: màng cheCommunity
Revolutionary Survey (ACS)
Government of
the Republic of
Sự khảo
South Vietnam:
sát cộng đồng
Chính phủ cách
 02
The geographic location
Đặng Nguyễn Uyên Phương
 1. Location

The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S.
or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50
states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territories, nine Minor Outlying
Islands, and 326 Indian reservations. The United States is also in free association with
three Pacific Island sovereign states: the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall
Islands, and the Republic of Palau. It is the world's third-largest country by both land and
total area. It shares land borders with Canada to its north and with Mexico to its south.
The U.S. has maritime borders with the Bahamas, Cuba, Russia, and other nations. With a
population of over 333 million, it is the most populous country in the Americas and the
third most populous in the world.
 2. Areas
The 48 contiguous states and the District of
Columbia occupy a combined area of more
than 3,000,000 square miles About 15% is
occupied by Alaska, a state in north-western
North America, with the remainder in Hawaii,
a state and archipelago in the central Pacific,
and the five populated but unincorporated
insular territories of Puerto Rico, American
Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands,
and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Measured by only
land area, the United States is third in size
behind Russia and China, and just ahead of
Canada.
3. States

The United States of America is a federal republic consisting of

50 states, a federal district (Washington, D.C., the capital city of
the United States), five major territories, and various minor
islands. Both the states and the United States as a whole are
each sovereign jurisdiction. The Tenth Amendment to the
United States Constitution allows states to exercise all powers
of government not delegated to the federal government.
 4. Regions and population

The fifty states in the United States can be divided into 5 regions. These
are Northeast, South (Southeast & Southwest), Midwest, and the West.

· Region 1: Northeast: New England & Middle Atlantic

· Region 2: Midwest: East North Central & West North Central

· Region 3: South: South Atlantic & East South Central & West
South Central

· Region 4: West: Mountain & Pacific

The current population of the United States

of America is over 339,000,000
 5. Nature in North East, Midwest, South and West

North East Midwest South The West

The Northeast The mountain South The Rocky

region has range in the America’s Mountain Region is
broad valleys, midwestern primary the highest overall
rolling hills, and region is called mountain area of the United
low mountains. the Ozark system, the States, with an
The Mountains. The Andes, is also average elevation
Appalachian tallest peak in the world’s of above 4,000 feet
Mountains the part of the longest. The (1,200 m). The
stretch from Ozark Mountains range covers tallest peaks of the
Maine in the that are in the about 8,850 Rockies, 54 of
Mountains Northeast Midwest region is kilometers which are over
region down to Taum Sauk (5,500 miles). 14,000 feet (4,300
Alabama in the Mountain in m), are found in
Southeast Missouri. It central and
region. measures 1775 western Colorado.
feet above sea
level.
 5. Nature in North East, Midwest, South and West

North East Midwest South The West

The Great The Midwest is The Amazon The West has

Lakes are a home to several of River basin has several long rivers
group of five the largest rivers in an area of that empty into
freshwater North America. The almost 7 million the Pacific Ocean,
lakes located in Mississippi River is square while the eastern
eastern North the largest in North kilometers (2.7 rivers run into the
America, on the America and flows million square Gulf of Mexico.
border between from Minnesota all miles), making it
Canada and the the way to the Gulf the largest
Rivers and United States. Coast. The Missouri watershed in the
The Great River flows from the world.
lakes Lakes are so Rocky Mountains
large they can east until it meets
be seen from the Mississippi
the moon! River.
 5. Nature in North East, Midwest, South and West

North East Midwest South The West

Winters in the The climate of the South America As a generalization,

Northeast are Midwest region is has a wide the climate of the
long and cold, considered a humid variety of West can be
with lots of continental climate, climates. They described as semi-
snowstorms. which means it has a range from the
very large arid; however, parts
Summers are temperature
dry desert of the West get
warm, but short difference between conditions of extremely high
compared to the warmest northern Chile to amounts of rain
those in the average the heavy rains and/or snow, and
Climate Southeast along the
temperatures in the still, other parts are
region. summer and the windswept true deserts and get
coldest average southwestern less than 5 inches
temperatures in the coast of the (130 mm) of rain per
winter. continent. year.
 03
General Knowledge
Nguyễn Thị Mỹ Thuận
1. Official names
Benjamin Franklin popularized the concept of a political union in his famous "Join, Or Die" cartoon in 1754. A
generation later, the concept of unity became a reality. Thomas Jefferson is credited as being the first
person to come up with the name, which he used while drafting the Declaration of Independence. In June
1776, Jefferson’s draft version of the Declaration started with the following sentence: “A Declaration of the
Representatives of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, in the General Congress assembled.” The final version
of the Declaration starts with the date July 4, 1776 and the following statement: “The unanimous Declaration
of the thirteen United States of America.”

2. Capitals
The United States is a federation of 50 states. Each of the U.S. states and the five major territories of the
United States has a capital city. Not every capital is the cultural and economic center or the most
populous city of its state, but every capital is the seat of state government.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia, also known as Washington, the District, or D.C., is the
capital city and federal district of the United States.
 3. Official language

English is the most common

language spoken in the United
States with approximately 239
million speakers. Spanish is spoken
by approximately 35 million
people. The United States has the
world's fourth largest Spanish-
speaking population, outnumbered
only by Mexico, Colombia, and
Argentina.
 04
National flag Nguyễn Thị Mỹ Thuận

The national flag of the

United States of America
is commonly known as
the "the Stars and
Stripes", "Old Glory",
and "the Star-
Spangled Banner".
 1. History of United States’ Flag

The Flag
Resolution of
1777

The Flag Resolution did not specify any particular arrangement for the stars.
The so-called Betsy Ross Flag (with the thirteen stars arranged in a circle),
although never an official flag, is the oldest version of any United States flag
to appear on any physical relic: it is historically referenced in contemporary
battlefield paintings by John Trumbull and Charles Willson Peale, which depict
the circular star arrangement. Popular designs at the time were varied and
most were individually crafted rather than mass-produced. Given the scant
archaeological and written evidence, it is unknown which design was the most
popular at that time.
 1. History of United States’ Flag
The origin of the stars and stripes design is
uncertain. A popular story credits Betsy Ross for
sewing the first flag from a pencil sketch by
George Washington who personally commissioned
her for the job. No evidence for this theory exists,
however, beyond Betsy's descendants' much later
recollections of what she told her family. Another
woman, Rebecca Young, has also been credited as
having made the first flag by later generations of
her family. Rebecca Young's daughter was Mary
Pickersgill, who made the Star Spangled Banner
Flag. Another, more likely, popular theory is that
★ The Flag Resolution of 1777 the flag was designed by Congressman Francis
Hopkinson.
1. History of United State’s Flag

During the American Civil War, the

Confederate States of America began to use its first flag,
the Stars and Bars, on March 5, 1861. Soon after, the first
Confederate Battle Flag was also flown. The design of the
Stars and Bars varied over the following two years. On
May 1, 1863, the Confederacy adopted its first official
national flag, often called the Stainless Banner. A
modification of that design was adopted on March 4, 1865,
about a month before the end of the war. In the latter
part of the 20th century, many groups in the South
challenged the practice of flying the Confederate Battle
Flag on public buildings, including some state capitols.
Proponents of the tradition argued that the flag recalled
Southern heritage and wartime sacrifice, whereas
opponents saw it as a symbol of racism and slavery,
inappropriate for official display.
 2. The meaning of United State Flag
The Flag of the United States of America  is a symbol of freedom and liberty to
which Americans pledge their allegiance. Standing at attention and facing the
flag with their right hand over the heart.

The 50 stars: the 50 states of the United States of America.

The 13 stripes: the thirteen British colonies that declared independence from
the Kingdom of Great Britain, and became the first states in the U.S.

The colors on the flag represent:

● Red: valor and bravery

● White: purity and innocence
● Blue: vigilance, perseverance, and justice
National flag of Vietnam
The flag of Vietnam, officially the National
Flag of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam or cờ
đỏ sao vàng, was designed in 1940 and used
during an uprising against the French in
southern Vietnam that year. The red background
symbolizes revolution and bloodshed. The
golden star represents the five main classes in
Vietnamese society — intellectuals, farmers,
workers, entrepreneurs, and soldiers.
 05
National Anthem
Nguyễn Thị Mỹ Thuận

"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national

anthem of the United States. Key was inspired by
the large U.S. flag, with 15 stars and 15 stripes,
known as the Star-Spangled Banner, flying
triumphantly above the fort during the U.S.
victory.
1. History of National Anthem
After a British bombardment, amateur poet Francis Scott Key was so inspired by the
sight of the American flag still flying over Baltimore’s Fort McHenry that he wrote
“The Star-Spangled Banner” on Sept. 14, 1814. Francis Scott Key wrote the poem
“Defense of Fort McHenry” to sing to the tune of “To Anacreon in Heaven”. The
song is loved by many people in the United States. In 1931, the United States
Congress asked President Herbert Hoover to pass a bill recognizing the song as the
National Anthem of the United States. Song with lyrics by Francis Scott Key and
music written by John Stafford Smith. The two authors passed away without
knowing they had received that noble honor.
 2. The Content of National Anthem
Key’s song became especially popular and a powerful
expression of patriotism during the Civil War, with its emotional
description of the enduring national flag, which had become the
symbol of the still-new nation. In 1861, devastated by the split of
the nation, poet Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote a fifth verse to
Key’s song. The verse was included in many of the song’s
printings throughout the war. The song was recognized in 1889
by the U.S. Navy, who sang it when raising and lowering the flag,
and then it was proclaimed in 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson
to be the national anthem of all the armed forces.
3. The meaning of National Anthem
The first verse talks about the "perilous fight" which refers to the
Baltimore war. Francis had been captured, and he could only see the
red glares caused by the bombardment. The only thing that gave him
hope was the sight of the Star-Spangled Banner. As long as the
American flag was seen, the Americans believed that the British
forces had not captured the fort. The "home of the brave" refers to
the heroic act of the American forces who were fighting for their
country.
The anthem means that as long as the US flag is still waving America
will remain a vast country of the free and the brave. Francis vented
out on the British in the third verse. The fourth verse is fully
triumphant, and it talks about the United States of America being a
"heaven-rescued land."
National Anthem of Vietnam
"Tiến Quân Ca", known in English as the
"Marching Song", "Song of a Marching Army" or
"Song of Advancing Soldiers", is the national
anthem of Vietnam, written and composed by
Văn Cao in 1944. The "Army Marching Song"
was adopted as the national anthem of North
Vietnam in 1954 and was adopted as the
national anthem of the new unified Socialist
Republic of Vietnam in 1976, following the
reunification of North Vietnam and South
Vietnam at the end of the Vietnam War.
Though it has two verses, only the first one is
usually sung, like the Star-Spangled Banner.
 06
The Declaration
of Independence
Phạm Nguyên Kha
It was two days later that the gentlemen in Congress voted to
adopt the Declaration of Independence
After long debates, a resolution of Independence was approved
on July 2, 1776
 07
Some important events in the United States History
Phạm Nguyên Kha
1. The American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 –
May 26, 1865; also known by
other names) was a civil war in the
United States. It was fought between
the Union ("the North") and the
Confederacy ("the South"), the latter
formed by states that had seceded.
The central cause of the war was the
dispute over whether slavery would be
permitted to expand into the western
territories, leading to more
slave states, or be prevented from
doing so, which was widely believed
would place slavery on a course of
ultimate extinction.
2. The Great Depression
Economic historians usually consider the
catalyst of the Great Depression to be the
sudden devastating collapse of U.S. stock
market prices, starting on October 24, 1929.
However, some dispute this conclusion, seeing
the stock crash less as a cause of the
Depression and more as a symptom of the
rising nervousness of investors partly due to
gradual price declines caused by falling sales
of consumer goods that had already been
underway as part of a gradual Depression.
3. World War II
in America
On December 7, 1941, following Fearing that Japan might invade the West
the Japanese bombing of Pearl
Timeline
Coast of the United States, the
Harbor, the United States government rounded up thousands of
declared war on Japan. Three Japanese Americans who lived on the
days later, after Germany and West Coast, and confined them to
Italy declared war on it, the internment camps. By 1948 when the
United States became fully internment program ended, tens of
engaged in the Second World thousands of Japanese had suffered as
War. internees.

U.S. involvement in the Second

On May 8, 1945,
World War was quickly followed
Germany surrendered.
by a massive mobilization
After the atomic bomb
effort. With millions of men and
was dropped on
women serving overseas in the
Hiroshima and
nation's armed forces, most of
Nagasaki, Japan
those who remained at home
surrendered on
dedicated themselves to
September 2, 1945, and
supporting the war effort in
the Second World War
whatever means was available
came to an end.
to them.
 08
The United State Government
Hoàng Minh Tiến
1. The government
The first president - George Washington

George Washington (February 22, 1732

– December 14, 1799) was an American
military officer, statesman, and
Founding Father who served as the
first president of the United States
from 1789 to 1797.

He was born in 1732 in a wealthy,

upper class, well-educated family.

Washington enjoyed less than three

years of retirement at Mount Vernon,
for he died of a throat infection
December 14, 1799.
1. The government
The current president - Joseph Robinette Biden Jr

Joseph Robinette Biden Jr is an

American politician who is the 46th
and current president of the United
States. A member of the Democratic
Party, he previously served as the
47th vice president from 2009 to 2017
under President Barack Obama, and
represented Delaware.
2. Politics
1. The structure of the US political systems

The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional

federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share
powers. These are:
- the U.S. Congress which forms the
legislative branch, a bicameral
legislative body comprising the House of
Representatives and the Senate;

- the executive branch which is headed

by the president of the United States,
who serves as country's head of state
and government

- the judicial branch, composed of the

Supreme Court and lower federal
courts, and which exercises judicial
power.
2. Politics
2. Election
- U.S. Americans eligible to vote, vote for an individual candidate (there are
sometimes exceptions in local government elections)[note 1] and not a party
list. The U.S. government being a federal government, officials are elected at
the federal (national), state and local levels. All members of Congress, and
the offices at the state and local levels are directly elected, but the
president is elected indirectly, by an Electoral College whose electors
represent their state and are elected by popular vote.

- Both federal and state laws regulate elections. State law regulates most
aspects of electoral law, including primaries, the eligibility of voters (beyond
the basic constitutional definition), the running of each state's electoral
college, and the running of state and local elections.
 09
Economy
 1. Taxation

Nearly all of the federal government’s revenues come from taxes, with total
income from federal taxes representing about one-fifth of GDP. The most
important source of tax revenue is the personal income tax.

2. Agriculture

The combined outputs of agriculture, forestry, and fishing only make up a small portion of GDP,
despite huge productivity of American agriculture. Because of improvements in farm productivity
(resulting from mechanization and organizational changes in commercial farming), fewer workers
are needed to produce more than ever before.

3. Forestry

The United States is the world’s major producer of timber. More than
four-fifths of the trees harvested are softwoods such as Douglas fir
and southern pine. The major hardwood is oak.
 4. Fishing

The United States also ranks among the world’s largest producers of
edible and nonedible fish products. Fish for human consumption
accounts for more than half of the tonnage landed.

5. Minerals

The United States is one of the world's top producers of refined petroleum and has significant
natural gas reserves, with significant producing fields in Alaska, California, the Gulf of Mexico,
Louisiana, and Oklahoma. Shale gas hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling both gained
popularity in the 1990s in states like West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.

6. Manufacturing

Since the mid-20th century, services (such as health care, entertainment, and
finance) have grown faster than any other sector of the economy.
Nevertheless, while manufacturing jobs have declined since the 1960s,
advances in productivity have caused manufacturing output, including
construction, to remain relatively constant at about one-sixth of GDP.
 10
Places of interest
Đinh Thị Diễm Phúc
1. Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in
New York City located between
the Upper West and
Upper East Sides of Manhattan.
It is the
fifth-largest park in the city,
covering 843 acres (341 ha). It is
the most visited urban park in
the United States, with an
estimated 42 million visitors
annually as of 2016, and is the
most filmed location in the world.
2. Statue of Liberty
The statue is a frequent subject in popular culture.
The statue makes one of its most famous cinematic
appearances in the 1968 picture Planet of the Apes,
in which it is seen half-buried in sand. It is knocked
over in the science-fiction film Independence Day
and in Cloverfield the head is ripped off.
 3. Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest
art museum in the Americas and the most-visited museum in the United States. Its
permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial
departments. The main building at 1000 Fifth Avenue, along the Museum Mile on the
eastern edge of Central Park on Manhattan's Upper East Side, is by area one of the
world's largest art museums.
 4. Golden Gate
The Golden Gate is a strait on
the west coast of North America
that connects San Francisco Bay
to the Pacific Ocean. It is defined
by the headlands of the
San Francisco Peninsula and the
Marin Peninsula, and, since 1937,
has been spanned by the
Golden Gate Bridge. The entire
shoreline and adjacent waters
throughout the strait are
managed by the
Golden Gate National Recreation
Area
.
5. Times Square

Times Square is a major commercial intersection,

tourist destination, entertainment hub, and
neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.
It is formed by the junction of Broadway,
Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with
adjacent Duffy Square, Times Square is a bowtie-
shaped space five blocks long between 42nd and
47th Streets.
 11.
Cultural and
Entertainment
Đinh Thị Diễm Phúc
Culture
 1. Sport
The United States has been a powerhouse in world
sports for a long time. Americans take great pride in
their sporting accomplishments, and sports are an
important part of their culture. There’s no doubt, the
United States rule in well-known sports such as
basketball, baseball and their home grown sport of
American football.

2. Music
The music of the United States reflects the country's multi-ethnic population through a diverse
array of styles. It is a mixture of music influenced by the music of Europe, West Africa,
Latin America, Middle East, North Africa, amongst many other places. The country's most
internationally renowned genres are traditional pop, jazz, blues, country, bluegrass, rock,
rock and roll, R&B, pop, hip-hop/rap, ect.
3. Literature
American literature is literature written or produced in the
United States of America and in the colonies that preceded it.
The American literary tradition thus is part of the broader
tradition of English-language literature, but also includes
literature of other traditions produced in the United States and
in other immigrant languages. Furthermore, a rich tradition of
oral storytelling exists amongst Native American tribes.
Entertainment
 1. Television Programme

Television in American society Generally, television remains

the most popular form of entertainment in the United
States of America (Huston 1993). As much as the industry,
the technology, and the audience has changed over
history, its social, political, and cultural influence remains
significant to date.
2. Social Media
Social media is a part of everyday life for
most internet users in the United States. As
social platforms present countless
opportunities for local and international
connection, they are commonly used as tools
for socializing, business, and dating, and with
the rise of influencers, have become the
foundation of many careers. As of 2022, the
United States has the
third-largest social media audience worldwid
e
, after China and India. It is home to over
302 million social media users at a social
networking penetration rate of 90 percent.
 3. Festivals
With 50 different states and a
bundle of different races, cultures
and nations, the United States of
America has a large cultural and
historical heritage, and these
cultures are all celebrated
through various festivals and
events. While many tourists visit
the United States of America to
admire the big cities or the
beautiful parks, the festivals in
America are a big part of what
makes the country so great and
are definitely worth attending.
 Conclusion
“What the American people hope, what they deserve is for all of us,
Democrats and Republicans, to work through our differences; to overcome
the numbing weight of our politics. The quoted line by the former President
Mr. Barack Obama, gives the sum and substance of the inescapable influence
integrated by this world’s superpower, America, where ‘luxuries’ are
camouflaged behind ‘basics’, ‘security’ is exercised as ‘necessity’.
Resources
● Focus Economic: United States Economy Overview
● The New York Time: How Is the Economy Doing?
● Britannica: US economy overview
● Wikipedia: Politics of the United States
● United States - Wikipedia
● 5 US Regions Map and Facts | Mappr
● Midwestern United States | Region, Climate & Features | Study.com
● The 20 Best USA Original TV Shows, Ranked (screenrant.com)
● Social media usage in the United States - Statistics & Facts | Statista
● 15 Best Festivals In America (updated 2022 list) One Must Attend (travel
triangle.com)
● Vietnam's National Flag - History and Meaning
● Tiến Quân Ca - Wikipedia
● Cambridge Dictionary
Thank you!
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