'Melting Pot Society'

One major theme that De Crevecoeur looks at within his book is the theme of the value of work and reward within American society. This is something that De Crevecoeur 'sells' america with. The idea that anyone can become anything if you come to America if you work hard for it. Unlike European countries where you have to be born into aristocracy or have such wealth or social status that you can afford an education and have a prosperous life. A form of Newness in society is presented within American society that De Crevecoeur brings to our attention, and certainly when this book was released it would have had a big impact on the influx of people to America. The newness De Crevecoeur talks about within society is immigration and emigration.

"What then is the American, this new man? He is neither an european, nor the descendent of an European: hence that strange mixture of blood, which you will find in no other country."

De Crevecoeur goes on to explain that he could meet a family who's heritage stems from English, Dutch and French. This extract directly explains that America was a land of dreams and opportunities and that its society was, and is still today, built up of a mixture of ethnicities and cultures, something that De Crevecoeur states is not common or happening within European society (18C-20thC). America is often described as having a 'melting pot' society because it quite literally has thousands of people making their way into America every year who are from a vast array of backgrounds and cultures that it is in theory a country where they all 'melt into one'.

This is a picture of the cast of the show Ugly Betty. The family within the TV show is a good modern and media example of how america still wants to show people it has a diverse culture. The family are a mexican family who now live in Queens, NY, the father immigrated to America and then had children within the country. This picture also shows the fact that america has an extraordinary amount of generations living within its society. In this picture there is the grandfather, his children and then the sister Hilda has a child. This shows that America today, still has a 'melting pot' society with a number of different cultures and ethnicities making up its population.

Wilderness shaping society.

One of the major themes De Crevecoeur conveys is how the land and nature helps shape humans and society. He points out repeatedly how important the land is in the growth of society, examining the human relationship with the land and how the wilderness of America and the unique land is what shapes American society.

Crevecoeur repeatedly compares human society with metaphors of plants and bees. In the sixth letter, Description of Martha's Vineyard, "Never was a bee-hive more faithfully employed in gathering wax, bee-bread, and honey, from all the neighbouring fields, than are the members of this society; everyone in the town follows some particular occupation with great diligence, but without that servility of labour which I am informed prevails in Europe". This idea shows how each society are like bees in the form of everyone having their own job to do to fit or help one another. This is seen in a slightly different form in modern American high school films where there is a 'Queen B' and everyone else is a different type of worker. The term 'Queen B' is now hugely recognised as the person in charge of a society, and even features in contemporary music, for example; Lorde - Royals, made famous in the US.

(Image: Blair from Gossip Girl)

"In Europe there are so many useless plants, wanting vegetative mold and refreshing showers: they withered and were mowed down by want, hunger, and war; but now by the power of transplantation, like all other plants they have taken root and flourished!"

And "Men are like plants; the goodness and flavour of the fruit proceeds from the peculiar soil and exposition in which they grow"'

Both quotes show how Crevecoeur used similies and metaphors of the wilderness to show how people act differently in America then they would in Europe. It conveys that once a man has travelled to America he will blossom and not have to worry about hunger or war.
Another contemporary example of the idea of wilderness and land shaping a society is Disney's Pocahontas. It is shown that at first the natives lives are going great and they are one with land, rivers and animals until the settlers tear everything down and start to ruin the landscape. Once that happened the natives society started to fall apart. This falls back to the idea that land and wilderness shape society and without it, there is no longer a put together society.

"...whence came all these people?"

One of the concepts De Crèvecoeur covers in the most famous letter - "What is an American?" is the idea that one of the defining features of the American population is that it is a melting pot of people of varied descent. “The next wish of this traveller will be to know whence came all these people? They are a mixture of English, Scotch, Irish, French, Dutch, Germans and Swedes. From this promiscuous breed, that race now called Americans have arisen.” He references only European countries to describe the diversity as they were the only countries sending people, but over the years this has changed and now there are huge amounts of people from all continents (save Antarctica) living in the country. This map shows us, by county, the ancestries with the largest populations. Interestingly, despite the immigration from all parts of the world recently, by far the most prevalent descent is still German - not what one would expect from an English-speaking nation, and evidence that norms are perhaps not decided by the majority population. The African-American community is also large, for obvious reasons (clustered mostly in the region most often stereotyped as racist - an intriguing issue, but not the subject of this blog). Near Mexico there are also a great many Mexican immigrants attracted by employment prospects, and for some reason there is a dense cluster of English-descended people in the midwest. All these different ethnicities & descents ensure that there can be no real definition for the term "American" beyond "person who lives in America" - in other words, "From this promiscuous breed, that race now called Americans have arisen." The American melting pot of cultures that has existed since the country was first discovered still exists - indeed, it has expanded its horizons ever further. Americans may have come vastly different distances, for different reasons and at different points in history, but in the end they and their descendents are still all Americans and will gradually become normalised to the ever-shifting concept that is American culture.

(source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2408591/American-ethnicity-map-shows-melting-pot-ethnicities-make-USA-today.html)

De Crèvecoeur and Modern America

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qoqs-GeBj0

This is a video from Youtube of a commercial for a product parents can buy that helps children start learning how to read from the early months of their lives. I thought this would be a good modern representation of a quote De Crèvecoeur makes about education.

"If he is a good man, he forms schemes of future prosperity, her proposes to educate his children better than he has been educated himself; he thinks of future modes of conduct, feels an ardour to labour he never felt before" (De Crèvecoeur, 2009, 59).

In that sentence he is saying that Americans should think of the future and should give their children a better education than they themselves have been given. I believe this Youtube video is a good modern example of that because it's showing that parents are still concerned with educating their kids and that by starting early their children will get better grades and be better prepared for when they go off to college (uni) and when they get a job. By starting young children brains will have an easier time learning. Another good example is this picture.

 

The Gerber Life grow up plan is something that helps parents to start saving money when their children are young for when they get older so they have the money to send them to college (uni). Parents who do this show they really want their children to succeed. They want their children to be able to have the chance to go to college when they are 18 so they start saving up for 18 years so they can send them. If parents weren't able to attend college for some reason and saved for their kids to go that's a perfect modern day example of what De Crèvecoeur is saying in the above quote.

I'm also a good example of this quote. I was brought up to to value my education and do the best that I can. My mum,birth father, and stepfather didn't go to actual college. The closest that one got to going to college was my mum getting a degree from a technical college. My mum and stepdad raised me and did anything they could to help me get to college and have a better education so the I could have a better life than they do. My grand parents were the same way while raising my mum and her sisters and they are even like that with their grandchildren. From my expereicne I believe what De Crèvecoeur says is pretty true for most Americans, though of course not all since there are always exceptions.

American Work Ethic

I chose to find a contemporary example that shows a vision of America surviving today of De Crevecoeur's ideals in reference to his view on the importance of hard work. In letters IV to VIII De Crevecoeur describes the Quaker people, society, the lifestyle in Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, and highlights the importance of hard work in order to achieve what is his view of a wholesome lifestyle in America. It is evident that he values hard work in order to obtain a new and just lifestyle, and that a mans work must be his own;

"We are all animated with the spirit of an industry which is unfettered and unrestrained because each person works for himself." 

De Crevecoeur conveys that one would not be living appropriately in America if they were to have people do their work for them and then reap the benefits, which he implies is how work is administrated in Europe. He exemplifies this in letter IX when he writes of slavery,

"Day after day they drudge on without any prospect of ever reaping for themselves; they are obliged to devote their lives, their limbs, their will, and every vital exertion, to swell the wealth of masters, who look not upon them with half the kindness and affection with which they consider their dogs and horses."

De Crevecoeur's hard working ideals are still a fresh vision of America today as shown on the CNNMoney website that recently released an article on the worlds the hardest working countries. The United States placed seventh with an average annual hours of 1,798 and an average annual wages of $54,450. The article states that four out of five American employees work at lead 35 hours a week, and is the only developed nation not to guarantee workers vacation rights, paid sick leave or maternity leave. When reviewing this article it is clear that De Crevecoeur's ideal of a hard working country is still evident today in modern America as it was then.

Source: http://money.cnn.com/gallery/news/economy/2013/07/16/10-hardest-working-countries/7.html 

http://www.animatedatlas.com/ecolonies/smith.html

This is an account of the infamous deadly winter faced by the Mayflower settlers, and also the time that immediately followed in which violent encounters were made with the natives. An interesting feature is their habit of consistently referring to said natives as "savages", not as an insult but simply as a descriptive term.

But now was all our provision spent, the sturgeon gone, all helps abandoned, each hour expecting the fury of the savages; when God, the Patron of all good endeavors in that desperate extremity so changed the hearts of the savages that they brought such plenty of their fruits and provision as no man wanted.

The religious character of the settlers is immediately noticeable - they are clearly devout, as rather than simply making a brief reference to God they explicitly thank him for changing the hearts of the natives. This also reveals their hostility towards the "savages", as it seems they do not consider the possibility that the natives were simply kind-hearted by nature. Then again, perhaps they had good reason for their hate...

But our comedies never endured long without a tragedy; some idle exceptions being muttered against Captain Smith for not discovering the head of the Chickahamania [Chickahominy] River, and taxed by the Council to be too slow in so worthy an attempt. The next voyage he proceeded so far that with much labor by cutting of trees asunder he made his passage; but when his barge could pass no farther, he left her in a broad bay out of danger of shot, commanding none should go ashore till his return. Himself, with two English and two savages, went up higher in a canoe; but he was not long absent but his men went ashore, whose want of government gave both occasion and opportunity to the savages to surprise one George Cassen, whom they slew, and much failed not to have cut off the boat and all the rest.

"comedies" here refers to stories with happy endings, as was the common usage at the time - "tragedy" simply meant a story without. The fact that the "savages" turned on the men is not treated with any surprise or any buildup - the reader, it is assumed, will know them to be untrustworthy from the fact that they are "savages".

He demanding for their captain, they showed him Opechancanough, king of Pamaunkee, to whom he gave a round, ivory double compass dial. Much they marveled at the playing of the fly and needle, which they could see so plainly and yet not touch it because of the glass that covered them. But when he demonstrated by that globelike jewel the roundness of the earth and skies, the sphere of the sun, moon, and stars, and how the sun did chase the night round about the world continually; the greatness of the land and sea, the diversity of nations, variety of complexions, and how we were to them antipodes, and many other suchlike matters, they all stood as amazed with admiration.

This is interesting as it covers a period for which most of the inhabitants were not present as if it is known, concrete fact. Obviously it displays bias skewed towards the new settlers, portraying the natives as primitive and easily impressed by the obvious superiority of European civilisation - no doubt the events were exaggerated in order to reinforce this impression (probably by the captain himself upon his return rather than specifically by the writer).

Notwithstanding, within an hour after they tied him to a tree, and as many as could stand about him prepared to shoot him; but the king, holding up the compass in his hand, they all laid down their bows and arrows, and in a triumphant manner led him to [the town of] Orapaks, where he was after their manner kindly feasted and well used.

Here, the "king" is portrayed as the wisest and most reasonable of the tribe as he sees the value of the new settlers' ways. This is probably a sign of the settler culture - ingrained respect for royalty. 

Their order in conducting him was thus: Drawing themselves all in file, the king in the middle had all their pieces and swords borne before him. Captain Smith was led after him by three great savages, holding him fast by each arm; and on each side, six went in file with their arrows nocked. But arriving at the town (which was but only thirty or forty hunting houses made of mats, which they remove as they please, as we our tents), all the women and children staring to behold him, the soldiers first, all in file and on each flank, officers . . . to see them keep their orders. A good time they continued this exercise, and then cast themselves in a ring, dancing in such several postures, and singing and yelling out such hellish notes and screeches; being strangely painted, everyone his quiver of arrows, and at his back a club; on his arm a fox or an otter's skin..... their heads and shoulders painted red..... which scarlet-like color made an exceeding handsome show; his bow in his hand, and the skin of a bird with her wings abroad dried, tied on his head, a piece of copper, a white shell, a long feather, with a small rattle growing at the tails of their snakes tied to it, or some suchlike toy. 

The strangeness of the natives is emphasised here - they are depicted as unpleasantly different, and even the social interactions are not portrayed sympathetically. The very colonial attitude to America is very clear in this early settler account.

First Hand Accounts of Virginia

http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/jamestown-browse?id=J1014

This source is from the Virtual Jamestown website.

This is an account from Captaine M. Arthur Barlowe when he and Captaine M. Philip Amada sailed to America and helped discovered what is currently part of Virginia. This was written and sent to sir Walter Ralegh who gave them directions and told them to go on this voyage.

The captains and their crew left England in late April of 1584 and write about different islands they come across in very short detail. They don't find a place the want to anchor until early July. They go to land and they meet the native people of that island. They get along with the natives and so they start trading with them. They stay for some time and eventually move on to more islands beyond. None of they other islands or natives people of the island were described in as much detail as that first place where the crew went to land. They liked that group the best. Though they did bring two natives home from Pomovik, a different island they encountered after.

I found this historical account to be very interesting. I found it particularly because of how the interactions between the English crew members and the Indians were. The interactions were very positive and from what was written in this document there really wasn't anything harmful or negative that happened between either side. One quote that stuck out to me was when Granganimeo spoke with the captains.

"When we came to the shore to him with our weapons, hee never mooved from his place, nor any of the other foure, nor never mistrusted any harme to be offred from us, but sitting still he beckoned us to come and sit by him, which we performed: and being set hee made all signes of joy and welcome, striking on his head and his breast and afterwardes on ours, to shewe wee were all one, smiling and making shewe the best he could of all love, and familiaritie."

This stuck out to me because it showed the trust Granganimeo had in the English who were intruders onto his land. It shows how nice and hospitable and trusting these people were to others who are completely different. These people veiwed the English adventurers as equals and as though they were all one.  Something from this same paragraph stuck out to me as well. The author is basically saying these are good people who are civil like the people back home.I think this is rare because most other accounts from other sources report the English as seeing Indians as uncivilised people. Though later on in the document the English do refer to the Indians as savages. They do have an overall good view of these people. Another quote that shows this is this one.

"Though there was no cause of doubt: for a more kinde and loving people there can not be found in the worlde, as farre as we have hitherto had triall."

This is saying the voyagers know they aren't going to find people nicer than who they just encounted (the very first group) and that they believe this group of natives is one of the nicest groups in the world. Even though they have this high view and respect for them, one can still see these Egnlish people don't view the Indians as being the same as them. Even though they say they are good and civil, the crew still uses the word savages to describe them. This shows they don't view them as equals even though Granganimeo and the tribe view them as equals.

Early Settler Accounts

http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/becomingamer/growth/text1/text1read.htm

For this blog post, I found an extraordinary extract taken from a travel journal of a young woman named Sarah Kemble Knight. In October 1704 Knight (originally from Boston) began a five-month round-trip journey to New York City to complete some family business. I found this journal fascinating as Knight travelled alone along the whole way and she also described the colony of Connecticut, emphasising the diversity and prosperity of its white inhabitants and how it differed from her hometown of Boston.

The colony of Connecticut was an english colony located in North America, thought to be founded by an Englishman named Edward Winslow of Plymouth Colony Connecticut. Originally known as the River Colony, it was organised on March 3, 1636 as a haven for Puritan gentlemen. It is thought that these Puritan settlers had been attracted to the area by the excellent reports brought back by one of their members, John Oldham, in 1633. Oldham returned to the Connecticut area in 1634 and in the following year Puritans flocked in great numbers to the Connecticut River Valley. In 1636, an Englishman named Thomas Hooker left Newtown and settled near the Dutch trading post that had been established on the site of Hartford. The Pequot people resisted white settlement, but by the late 1630's the English had gained control of the colony permanently.

Sarah Kemble Knight gives a very detailed account of what the predominantly white colonies of America were like back in the mid 1600's:

'They are Govern’d by the same Laws as we in Boston (or little differing) throughout this whole Colony of Connecticut, And much the same way of Church Government, and many of them good, Sociable people, and I hope Religious too.'

Knight describes them as having the same laws as they did back in Boston, this shows that already within America their is beginning to be uniform in the way in which the country is run, this tells us that America within this time period was moving forward to becoming a country as a whole rather than separate states. Night also mentions that their are laws about 'a harmless Kiss or Innocent merriment among Young people' and that often a whipping was a frequent way of dealing with crimes within the area.

An extract from Knights journal I found most interesting was when she described a 'young negro slave' stealing a hogshead (wooden barrel) from his master and then selling it on to an indian native of the place. What I found shocking was that she then goes on to explain how the court at the time accused to Native Indian of stealing from the Slave

'You, Indian, why did You steal from this man? You shouldn’t do so ⎯ it’s a Grandy wicked thing to steal. Hol’t Hol’t, cries Justice Junior Brother, You speak negro to him. I’ll ask him. You, sirrah, why did You steal this man’s Hogshead? Hogshead? (replies the Indian,) me no stomany. No? says his Worship; and pulling off his hat, Patted his own head with his hand, says, Tatapa⎯You, Tatapa⎯you; all one this. Hogshead all one this. Hah!'

This extract shows how divided the Native Indians within the colony and the new settlers were. The court of law would blame a native Indian for a crime over (at the time) a black slave. This is shocking as later on in her journal she describes how when she passed through the towns, there was a large amount of native Indians. She calls them savages which shows that the natives of the colonies were not welcome anywhere within America.

Knight also describes the landscape of Connecticut: 'There are great plenty of Oysters all along by the seaside, as far as I Rode in the Colony, and those very good. And they Generally lived very well and comfortably in their families.'

The fact that she uses the word comfortable, makes it seem that Connecticut was more affluent at that time than Boston. This gives us an isight into what the colony was like. She talks about how she is shocked that the slaves are able to eat with them at the dinner table and how 'into the dish goes the black hoof as freely as the white hand.' Knight also refers to the fashion of the colony and how it is different from her own. She writes that the women are generally very plain in their dress and they tend to follow one another in their models (fashions). I think that the words Knight uses to describe the Native Indians within the colony are questionable.

'The most savage of all the savages of that kind that I had ever Seen: little or no care taken to make them otherwise. They have in some places Lands of their own, and Govern’d by Laws of their own making; they marry many wives and at pleasure put them away, and on the least dislike or fickle humour, on either side, saying stand away to one another is a sufficient Divorce.'

I believe Knight doesn't feel she can have any 'use' out of the Natives of the colonies, much like everyone else during that era, she believes that they are of no use to her and so she looks down upon them. I think this is a negative view on the Natives as the people of the time could have learnt a lot about the land form them.

George Percy Observations

http://www.americanjourneys.org/aj-073/index.asp

I chose to research the observations that George Percy made in the Jamestown Settlement, 1607-1625. The document I chose describes the first expedition in considerable detail and notes their first contact with Native Americans. 

George Percy was born September 4,1580, the youngest so of the Earl of Northumberland. Percy was a soldier in the Netherlands until his first expedition to England's new colony, Virginia. He served as president of the Jamestown colony from September 1609 to May 1610, which was called the 'starving time' since only sixty settlers survived this period. A new governor, Lord de La Ware, brought colonists back to the fort and by 1612 the settlers had begun to grow tobacco, thus transforming the colony into a successful endeavour. After attaining presidency again from March 1611 to April 1612, George Percy left Jamestown and returned to England, serving as a soldier in the English army again.

George Percy gives a very detailed account of the settlement in Virginia. I think his reports of their interaction with the first Indians his colony have met is important when he describes the Native Americans appearance;

"We also gave them Beades, Copper Jewels which they hang through their nosthrils, eares, and lips, very strange to behold. Their bodies are all painted red to keepe away the biting of Muscetos. They goe all naked without covering. The haire of their heade is a yard long, all of a length, pleated in three plats hanging downe to their wastes. They suffer no haire to grow on their faces."

I found this extract to be compelling as the extract is one of the first descriptions people would have had of the Native Americans and the text paints a specific image of the indigenous people that would have been very helpful then as they are still today when imagining their appearance. 

Another point that I found important is Percy's description of the Native Americans habits;

"These people and the rest of the Ilands in the West Indies, and Brasill, are called by the names of Canibals, that will eate mans flesh. These people doe poyson their Arrow heads, which are made of a fishes bone. They worship the Devill for their God, and have no other beliefe."

I thought that the negative points that he was making when he calls them cannibals and devil worshippers were important, because although the description that Percy gives of the Native Americans would be what is generally expected, I found his account of their behaviour different to what I would have expected as when I compare his account to something such as the watercolours made by Grenville which tend to reflect the Natives in a more positive light.

The Lost Colony

I have chosen to research the 'Lost Colony' of Roanoke. This can be traced back to August 1587. The colony consisted of 115 English settlers who arrived on Roanoke island off the coast of North Carolina. Later the same year, John White (governor of the colony) was to sail back to England to gather fresh supplies however a major naval war broke out between England and Spain just as he arrived and Queen Elizabeth I called on every available ship to confront the Spanish Armada. He didn't return until 3 years later when there was no one to be found. There was no trace of the colony or its inhabitants (including his granddaughter, the first English child born in America). All that was left was the word "Croatoan" which was the name of an island south of Roanoke home to a Native American tribe of the same name.
http://www.history.com/news/ask-history/what-happened-to-the-lost-colony-of-roanoke

To this day no one knows what happened to the 'Lost Colony' but there has been many theories such as:

1. " The people of Roanoke simply left the settlement. This is one of the more probable theories.  It is said that they have supposedly left Roanoke island and started settling in the Chesapeake Bay.  And that they built rafts or a boat of some sort using materials torn apart from their houses.  Close to twenty years had passed before John Smith and his group started the well-known settlement of Jamestown (where the popular story of Pocahontas takes place).  This settlement was near the Chesapeake Bay.  The evidence in this tale is that the ruler of the natives did indeed admit to killing the colonists.  They said that they had been in their land (Chesapeake Bay area) and were then annihilated to prevent more English settlers form stealing their land. 
2. The whole population of Roanoke Island was killed by a disease. This is an absurd theory.  It is true that the English had brought over some diseases.  However, note, there were no bodies found and the houses had disappeared.  Quite a ridiculous theory. 
3. The village was destroyed by a severe storm such as a hurricane. Another one of the incredulous theories.  A hurricane could have washed away the colonists and destroyed the houses, true.  But the huge problem with this theory is the fence was still standing.  It is not possible for a storm to do as much damage as clearing away the whole settlement when the fence remained untouched. 
4. The people of Roanoke decided to leave Roanoke Island to live with the Natives. This theory is definitely probable. Crotoan, which was carved on the post, was the name of an island in the area.  It was also the name of the group of the kind natives that inhabited it.  It is possible that they colonists decided to live with the natives of Croatoan.  Though there has not been a descent amount of evidence to prove this theory, there also has been no evidence against it. 
5. The colonists were killed by the Native Americans. This is the most probable of all five theories.  One important fact supports this theory.  As one may not know, the English men had before tried to start the colony of Roanoke before.  Twas a group of fifteen men.  A little over a year had passed since they first started the colony, before explorers decided to check up on their hopeful progress.  What these explorers found was one dead body.  It was verified that it was the work of the Natives.  From this past event we know that the Natives were capable of such atrocities and also capable of hiding the bodies.  What’s interesting is that the Natives pulled all of that off in between less than a two year period.  While the “lost colony” had been deprived of its leader for a number of three years.  The “Indians” had a sufficient amount of time to tear down the buildings too.  However there has still not been enough evidence to verify this theory. "

Theories found on: http://theshadowlands.net/roanoke.htm 

Although there is no real proof of what happened there are projects being done to uncover the truth. For example the DNA Project. 

The Plan:

1. "Locating and testing individuals closely associated with local families whose history implies they are of Native American ancestry, specifically those who lived on the land that is historically associated with Native villages where the colonists would have located.
2. DNA testing descendants of these early inhabitants to determine whether their deep ancestry indicates Native American or Indo-European origins.
3. Work with DNA surname project administrators to determine whether English families of surnames matching those of the Lost Colonists have already been DNA tested.
4. Connecting English families of the same surname to Lost Colonists genealogically.
5. Using DNA, genealogy and history, attempt to connect living descendants to colonists and local Native American tribes.
6. Certify the genealogy of those believed to be connected to the Lost Colony.
7. Reconstructing families of interest using DNA results and genealogy.
8. Tracking population migration using DNA. What happened to the Colonists and the Native population? Where did they go? Who are they and where do they live today?
9. After development of the above data base, DNA testing of archaeologically excavated skeletal remains to determine who they match."

Found on: http://www.lost-colony.com/DNAproj.html 

Al-jazeera on the government shutdown

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/10/destroying-government-2013103123810419741.html

This is an article published on the Arabic news site Al-Jazeera, which is based in Qatar but widely read in many other regions of the world. As such, it qualifies as a website from outside the United States, and its opinion on the US government shutdown is firmly on the side of the left wing, blaming the Republicans for wanting to destroy US government entirely. I think this is a hyperbolic position, and indeed reflects a large issue with US politics - that the two parties & their supporters are currently very divided and antagonistic towards each other, hindering cooperation. However, this article is largely representative of the general opinion towards the GOP outside the US - ever since George W. Bush, the world has been very hostile to the Republican party, and this article aptly highlights several of the reasons. "People's fortunes rise and fall, and all of us benefit when we break the fall of those who are most in need. Society is not just a collection of atomised individuals, and cannot be understood in purely individual terms." says the author - opposite the perceived stance of the GOP, which places emphasis on personal responsibility and "rugged individualism". Blame for racist or misogynistic policies in America is usually also directed at the Republican party - "Just as Obama is deemed not worthy to be president, leading to an endless parade of birther nonsense from conservatives, they have passed similar judgments against everyone who is not like them - women, minorities, immigrants, gays and lesbians, people without health insurance."

Qatar, interestingly, is not a very liberal country - it is in fact an emirate, which means it is under the absolute control of (in essence) a king. Despite this, the political views of its most read news network most closely align with those of liberal Europe. I wonder if its international readership (and writership, for that matter) are aware that their writings are giving money to this highly conservative regime.

The 8 most terrible things about Americans

http://www.cracked.com/funny-5696-the-8-most-terrible-things-about-americans-as-written-by-rabidly-british-person/

The website I chose describes the '8 most terrible things about Americans'. Written by an English blogger this article is obviously written by someone who doesn't like American ways of life. The first fact they focus on is that America is known as a fat nation and they 'eat burgers the size of American cars'.  Personally I think its ridiculous to have a view this limited on American people. I can understand due to shows such as the Simpsons or man vs food, that some people would have this negative stereotype of America but you only have to see a picture or watch a film on new York or California to see that its not the case.

Rolling on from this the blogger then goes on to say that they use 'meaningless words to express political views rather than sensible terms'. I found this title particularly interesting as I believe that when Americans use words and phrases such as hope and freedom it portrays a positive image of the country, an image that no other country has, one that invites people to follow their dreams and believe in themselves no matter what background they came from. He makes note of the fact that America is independent and that they celebrate this day with great pride, this is a good thing in my opinion as its patriotic, however this blogger refers to the USA as being 'disowned' by UK in 1783. This is interesting as he is suggesting that the UK is more powerful and that it was the UK's choice to disown America not the other way round. The blogger also refers to the American flag and how it has 'copied' the colours of the UK flag, again referring to the fact that he thinks England are more superior to America and its people.

American sport is mentioned within the article and a youtube clip entitled 'boring baseball' has been put in. He says that 'American sports are invented to prevent Americans from having to compete with other nations'. Finally the blogger ends on how the USA is similar to the french, another country he must hate. He claims that American and french people are 'two of a kind. They independently invent similar food (French Fries) and neither have a monarchy.

It is safe to say that this man really doesn't like America.

10 Stupid Things Brits Think About Americans

http://whatculture.com/humour/10-stupid-things-brits-think-about-americans.php

This 'article' is written by a british student exploring more common things british people think of americans featuring a level of how stupid the thoughts are at the bottom. Each point is partnered with a relevant video.

The main thoughts were that americans are ignorant/egotistical, obsessed with celebrities, fat, stupid, in love with their guns, etc. Personally, I don't agree with each point however his comments were proving how each one is not 100% true. A lot of opinions are also the same to most countries. For example each country has ignorant egotistical idiots and Britain also has it's fair share of fat people.

As a british person, I wouldn't even think of the majority of the things on this list. The only thing I really agree with is that some of them shouldn't fancy their guns so much.

British view on America

http://thechriswhitingshow.wordpress.com/2013/08/28/culture-clash-things-americans-do-that-brits-hate/ 

Finding an appropriate website to represent a view on America took some time as most interesting sites turned out to be published by the United States, so although the website I have chosen is not the best, as it does not contain researched facts nor is it from a creditable source, I think it is still valuable as it stereotypically generalises the British view on America. 

The article addresses the issue 'Things Americans Do That Brits Hate', it discusses certain traits that Americans have which tend to annoy or irritate the British, for example, I found the 'Aggressive patriotism' point intriguing as it is hard to think of America without thinking of their bold pride and love for their country, and so I found it interesting that American patriotism tends to irritate most who are not American and also because it is an odd thing to become bothered by. The publisher also makes the point of saying one of the reasons that the British dislike America is when the American flag appears next to the ‘English’ option on a language selector. I found this point compelling as I too find this irritating, thus backing up the publishers argument on what it is that Americans do that irritate the British.

Albeit I do not agree with all the points made in the article and, as I said, I do not think the content is too reliable, I still found it interesting and relevant as the content was published by a person around my age and I think they generally sum up the British view on America on this specific topic.

American Obsessions that Brits Don't Understand

http://www.buzzfeed.com/lukelewis/american-obsessions-that-british-people-just-dont-get

I found this page to be really interesting. It's written by someone from 'Buzzfeed UK's' website and it lists 19 different things British people believe Americans are obsessed with. Being an American I found some of these to be true and some of them to be false. Some of the things on the list I haven't even heard of. There is also a mix of positive, negative, and even neutral obsessions of Americans. One obsession I thought was positive was the tipping one. I think it's nice that Americans leave tips to let the waiters and waitresses know they did a good job, especially because they get paid less than minimum wage. Though this isn't all correct because if people receive bad service they aren't going to tip the waiter or waitress. One obsession listed that struck me as negative was the one about extreme snacking. It shows the stereotype of Americans being an obese country. Also, I've never eaten or seen a Snickers bar that big. Numbers 10 and 11 add to the obesity stereotype as well because they talk about pie and combining different types of food. I do agree that Americans like food and we do eat a lot of it, but I think this page exaggerates it a bit. For example, I'm not a very big fan of pie. Personally, I only like Pumpkin pie.

Overall, this page is really intriguing to look at and see what Brits think of the US, but I don't think it's a very valid page. Some of the things on this page could be true. I do love my Disney Princesses and I have a lot of female friends who love them, but there are other things that are wrong.  I've already given examples about how some of those perceived obsessions were incorrect like the Snickers bar and tipping. It's still a cool page to think about though.

States & Religion

I chose these maps of America as they show the different sins and which states commit these sins more. In contrast the more religious states tend to commit them more than the less religious states. For example Mississippi are a lot more envious, lusting and like their wrath a lot more then Vermont. However, this is not the case with every religious state but is an occurring pattern.
The Top Ten Most Religious States (Based on % of Very Religious)

1. Mississippi–58%

2. Utah–56%

2. Alabama–56%

4. Louisiana–53%

5. Arkansas 52%

5. South Carolina–52%

6. Tennessee- 50%

6. North Carolina–50%

7. Georgia–48%

7. Oklahoma–48%

Top Twelve Least Religious States (Based on % of Very Religious)

1. Vermont–19%

2. New Hampshire– 23%

3. Maine–24%

4. Massachusetts–27%

5. Rhode Island–29%

5. Oregon–29%

6. District of Columbia–30%

7. Nevada–31%

7. Hawaii–31%

7. Alaska–31%

7. Connecticut–31%

7. Washington–31%
(http://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/copyrightWrapper/watermark.php?display=true&image=http://bp.uuuploads.com/fun-maps/fun-maps-40.jpg)

Interesting Map of America

I chose a map of America that demonstrates a stereotypical view of how a non-American would define certain states. I went with this representation of America over a map displaying definite facts as I think society's view of America is an interesting topic. The map summarises states according to what they are generally most known for; for example, the state of Nevada is known as 'casinos' due to Las Vegas, Utah is 'Mormon', and New Jersey is 'Snooki'. I think these perceptions of America are interesting as it highlights what we, as outsiders, stereotypically think of America, and bestows the question as to why we categorise America in this way.

This is a map of the US by immigration levels. Each county is represented, and the colours indicate which group is most prevalent. I find the amount of immigration into the US from all sides to be interesting - particularly from Latin America, which is responsible for much of the map being coloured pink or red. While much of this Latin American immigration is concentrated on the border with Mexico (for obvious reasons) the fact that there is a significant presence even as far away as the East Coast and around the Great Lakes indicates just how much these two cultures have been integrating. There is also a great deal of presence all across the country from Russians & Eastern Europeans, despite the comparably small amount of Western European immigration - I am interested to discuss why this is. Canadian immigration, meanwhile, seems entirely clustered near the border - perhaps this is because of the climate - and there is almost no African immigration visible.

The large percentage of immigrants strewn across the country has probably affected voting demographics in interesting ways - it is probable that the Republicans' image as a racist or xenophobic party has pushed most of them towards the Democrats, perhaps explaining Obama's recent reelection. If this is the case, then the steadily increasing numbers of immigrants entering the US every year means the Democrats may have a string of victories on their hands in the future.

Interesting US Map

This map shows the percentage of adults in each state who meet the criteria for depression. I found this map very interesting for a couple reasons. One big reason in because I'm a psychology major at my university back home and I was to become a clinical mental health counselor and specialize in helping people who suffer with depression. I thought this map was interesting because I haven't seen a map like this that shows the percentage of adults who meet the criteria for being diagnosed with depression. I also found this map interesting because of which states have a high percentage. One would think places on the cost where it's sunny would have a lower percentage of depression but in fact it's the opposite. Hawaii is such a beautiful place with sun and ocean and I would think a lot of people there would be happy, but instead it falls into the second highest category. Alaska on the other hand is cold and dark mostly, but has one of the lowest percentages. I found this to be very surprising. 

Even though this map doesn't show any specific geography of America, i thought this was a good choice as it is a very interesting demographic map of the country. The map shows such 'facts' as; Florida has the most boat wrecks and California has the most smog. The map also shows that Texas has the most CO2 emissions, i thought this was very surprising as I know Texas to be a state that is quite rural in some areas compared to a place like New York or LA.