♥ social studies

!READ

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

The differnt ethnic groups

- American
- Asian American
- Native American

Native Americans

The term “ Native Americans” was originally introduced in the United States by anthropologists as a more accurate term for the indigenous people of the Americas, as distinguished as the people from India.
They have been known as American Indians, Amerindians, Amerinds, Aboriginal, Indians, Indigenous, Original Americans, Red Indians, or Red Men.
Though cultural features, language, clothing, and customs vary enormously from one tribe to another, there are certain elements which are encountered frequently and shared by many tribes.

Weapons such as bow, arrow and spear is commonly made in all tribes.
Agriculture for the Native Americans started about 7000 years ago, the first crop they grew was squash. Others included cotton, sunflower, pumpkins, watermelon, tobacco, goosefoot, and sump weed. The most important crop the Native Americans raised was maize. Maize was important to the Native Americans as it was part of their everyday diet. The woman were in charge of planting, weeding and harvesting the crops. Some of the tools used were the hoe, the maul and the dipper.

Early maize raised by the Native Americans

No particular religion or religious tradition is hegemonic among Native Americans in the United States. Most self-identifying and federally recognized Native Americans claim adherence to some form of Christianity, some of these being cultural and religious syntheses unique to the particular tribe.
Men hunted, traded and made war, while women gathered plants, cared for the young and the elderly, fashioned clothing and instruments and cured meat.
Native American music often includes drumming and/or the playing of rattles or other percussion instruments but little other instrumentation. Flutes and whistles made of wood, cane, or bone are also played, generally by individuals.
The Inuit, or Eskimo, prepared and buried large amounts of dried meat and fish. Pacific Northwest tribes crafted seafaring dugouts 40–50 feet long for fishing.

Asian American

Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry. They include sub-ethnic groups such as Chinese Americans, Filipino Americans, Pakistani Americans, Indian Americans, Vietnamese Americans, Korean Americans, Japanese Americans and others whose national origin is from the Asian continent.
When Asians were largely excluded from labor markets in the 19th century, they started their own businesses. Some started laundries, which are now rare. Others started Chinese restaurants, which still can be found across the USA. Since the mid-20th century, Asians have expanded their involvement across the American economy.
Traditional Asian concepts and practices in health and medicine have attracted greater acceptance and are more widely adopted by American doctors. Meditation and mindfulness practices are taught in mainstream medical schools and hospitals. Increasingly they are seen as part of a holistic approach to health.
Buddhism has moved into American culture, and Christianity has been adopted by more East Asians. Many South Koreans, especially, are already Christian when they immigrate to the US.
Asian Americans have the highest educational qualifications of all ethnic groups in the United States.

Miss Asian American Texas

American

The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions.
Religon includes Christianity, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Bahá'í.
Various languages are spoken in America. This includes, Spanish, English, Portuguese, French, Quechua, Haitian Creole, Italian, Quiché, German, Javanese, Chinese language, Indian, Korean, Japanese, Hmong,American Sign Language, Mapudugun, Navajo, Dutch, Miskito, Pennsylvania Dutch, Inuit, Danish, Cree, Nicaraguan Creole, Garifuna, Welsh, Cherokee, Gullah.

Countries in America include:
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Bolivia
Brazil
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba

Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Grenada
Guatemala
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Jamaica
Mexico
Nicaragua

Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Suriname
Trinidad and Tobago
United States
Uruguay
Venezuela

done by: VERNA AHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHS=)))

comments;
11:32 PM

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

The United State is consists of many different races. Their history contains numerous conflicts among the different races, but, still, they have managed to build a harmonious society. Everyone has the equal opportunities and that is how they became one of the strongest countries in the world. It is indeed important to know their history to understand how they are managing the racial and religious issues.

[Chart of the percentage of the Races in U.S. ]

From 1492 to 1876, the United States had a number of major conflicts and wars between or among the races.

Done by Rachel Bang Geul

[American Indian Wars]

American Indian wars or Native American wars are the series of conflicts between the colonial or federal government and the indigenous peoples of North America. The wars were started intermittently from 1622–1898. In the end of this long and many wars, sovereignty of United States of America extended to its present borders; Indian reservation system enforced.

[Declaration of Independence]

During the American Revolution, Most Native Americans who joined the struggle sided with the British, hoping to use the American Revolutionary War to halt further colonial expansion onto Native American land. Many native communities were divided over which side to support in the war. the American Revolution resulted in civil war.
The British made peace with the Americans in the Treaty of Paris (1783), through which they ceded vast Native American territories to the United States without informing the Native Americans. The United States initially treated the Native Americans who had fought with the British as a conquered people who had lost their lands. Although many of the Iroquois tribes went to Canada with the Loyalists, others tried to stay in New York and western territories and tried to maintain their lands.

[California Gold Rush]

During that time, new railways made relocation much less arduous for settlers and increased conflicts with Native Americans. Over a half-century, up to 40 million American bison, commonly called buffalo, were slaughtered for skins and meat and to ease the railways' spread. The loss of the bison, a primary economic resource for the plains Indians, was an existential blow to many native cultures.

[Jim Crow Laws]

The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws enacted primarily but not exclusively in the Southern and border states of the United States, between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure segregation in all public facilities, with a "separate but equal" status for black Americans and members of other non-white racial groups.

In the 20th century, not only the Supreme Court began to overturn Jim Crow laws on constitutional grounds but also the public arena, thanks to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

[conclusion]

In many ways, the United States had difficulty to be united as one. They gained the stability through fighting for their rights that they deserve. Many conflics arised and treaties were made between two races to be peaceful. It took about more than four centries to be stablised. As they went thorough all the conflicts and war, they had learn some lessons and would not repeat the same mistakes. It was not easy for them to manage racial issues as they have so many different races from all over the world. However, still, they managed racial and religious harmony. Like Singapore, they underatand the differences and united as one.

[References]

Civil Rights Act of 1964

American Historical Review 2. Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History (October 1896). Retrieved on 2007-06-21.

Russell, David Lee (2005). The American Revolution in the Southern Colonies. Jefferson, N.C., and London: McFarland, p. 12.

1860 Census" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2007-06-10. Page 7 lists a total slave population of 3,953,760.

Morrison, Michael A. (1999). Slavery and the American West: The Eclipse of Manifest Destiny and the Coming of the Civil War. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, pp. 13–21.

De Rosa, Marshall L. (1997). The Politics of Dissolution: The Quest for a National Identity and the American Civil War. Edison, NJ: Transaction, p. 266.

Done by Rachel(3)

comments;
7:57 AM

♥WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES FACED BY THE SOCIETY?♥

1)Leadership is one of the challenges faced by a multi ethnic society

♥To meet up with this challenge,the significance of education,cultural policy,foresight,creativity and an earnest attitude to liberation must be addressed clearly.

♥For the nation to benefit and have a bright future,all the different races in UK has to develop attractive new concepts of identity.In this way,the nation is able to remake its collective future.

♥As USA becomes more culturally diverse,government,educational institutions,commerce and industry all have to plan the future with this fact in mind.

♥In USA,since culture is at the heart of everything we call civillisation,making the right moves requires that leadership correctly assess and take seriously the mood of the times.

♥The different ethnic groups in USA needs to focus on intelligent leadership designs so that as a nation,value would be added to the society.

♥Although,there are different ethnic groups,leaders with heart and vision,exploratory creativity and courage who excite and much appreciated.

2)Managing perceptions of different racial groups

♥While anti-Arab and anti-Muslim prejudice is not new in USA,,there has been heightened awareness of racial hatred and prejudice against people deemed Arab or Muslim.

Nevertheless,the Middle Eastern and arab populations in the USA are very small,and the evidence of 'islamophobia' is not likely to challenge fundamentally the widespread consensus that there is racial hierarchy in the USA,with whites at the top and african americans at the bottom.

♥Most conceptions of racial disadvantage and oppression in the USA have to,date,relied upon a rather unitary(anti black)understanding of racism and racial disadvantage though there is now significant research into the class differentiation of African Americans.

♥In the USA,there appears to be a fairly widespread view. Both among academics and the wider public,that white americans are at the top of a racial hierarchy and african americans at the bottom and groups such as asian americans and latinos somewhere in between.

♥Africans were and still are at the bottom and europeans at the top,black people continue to face problems which non black people ever face.As people of African descent,our culture,institutions,values and history still remain the most vilified of all racialised groups. Viewed historically,African americans have been oppressed much longer by whites than any other.

♥In addition to arguments about their distinctive historical treatment and experiments,African americans have fared badly according to various socio economic indicators.

♥The following aggregate statistics illustrate how stark the disparities are in the quality of life between black and white Americans on average black families earn about 60% of what white families earn and survive on roughly 12% of the wealth of average white families.

As individuals,their life spans are 6 to 7 years shorter than whites. =(

♥Both in the past and in the present,African americans have often been the victims of horrific racial attacks,and this is reflected in the media attention devoted to events such as the beating if Rodney King by Los Angeles police in 1992,or the heinous murder of James byrd,who was totured and dismembered by white supremacists in the South.

♥There is also research in USA which suggests that white Americans 'antiblack orientation' is deep and filled with fear and loathing and that they feel less distance and hostility in relation to other Americans of colour.

Done by:Maria Anne Elizabeth(17)♥♥♥

class:3-10♥♥♥

comments;
2:38 AM

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

What are the policies and measures taken to manage racial and religious issues?

The United States of America was one of those multi-ethnic countries that had gone through a lot of wars, riot and racial discrimination. Through the years, the government had come up with various policies and measures to manage issues relating to race and religion. Oftentimes, the resulting policies would have translated into restrictions on rights, freedom, and access to opportunities for other races. It had been over 30 years America had put in tremendous effort to rectify past racial injustices that historically involved the African Americans. Though, we can’t deny that for the past generation, America’s government had been treating Americans of different races unequally.

Nonetheless, these are some of the policies that the government had imposed to improve the country’s issues on race and religion:-

1) Status of religious freedom in the United States.
- This policy allows citizens to have the freedom to belief which ever religion they wish to practice without violating the law and at the same time, be treated fairly regardless of which religion they belong to.

2) Equal Representation is a Right of Citizenship.
- Before this policy was being made, voting rights had been an issue to the Americans. Usually the wealthy, white Americans were given priority to vote but seldom the black Americans. After the government had enforced this policy, everyone is entitled to one vote to ensure a fair voting system among the different races and religions.

3) Closing the Racial/Ethnic Divide in Healthcare.
- This policy aims to eliminate the racial/ethnic disparity in health care and ensures that the minorities have equality with the whites in healthcare services.

4) Fair Housing Act.
- This policy was developed on 1968. Black home seekers now face a more subtle process of exclusion. This meant that housing policies are made to be fair to everyone not only to white buyers.

There are many other policies that had been introduced and administered to manage racial and religious issues. Policies related to education, employment, legislative officials, and etcetera. These policies had not only managed the following issue but it had also made the nation feel safe and appreciate peace in the country. Besides implementing policies which had been beneficial to the people, the government had also taken positive measures to prevent and eliminate discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief such as initiating laws that makes it unlawful for a person to do any disgraceful act in public which incites hatred, ridicule, or contempt for another person on the ground of race.

Nurul Arinie (19)

comments;
7:55 AM

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Question: "Have these policies and measures been successful?"

African Slave Trade which began in 1787 can be seen as one of the sources that enabled United States of America to prosper as a multi-ethnic country and also caused several problems such as war, riots, and racial discrimination.

The Southern States of America concerned that they might have economic loss as well as racial equality if slavery was abolished. On the other hand, the North felt that men are equal and there should not be any racism. The coexistence of pro-slavery South America and anti-slavery North America caused conflict that is known as Civil War. It is known to be the first act done to resolve racial issues and racism in America. Slavery was eliminated in U.S. in 1865 when the Confederate armies (Southern States) surrendered. After the war, the U.S. government implanted equal federal legal protections to all citizens regardless of their races and abolished racial restrictions on voting by 1877. From my perspective, although there were thousands of victims who lost their lives during the era, an act to put a stop to the unfair treats was needed for the following generations. Thanks to those who sacrificed their blood, fairly equal opportunities and treats could be given to the African Americans. However, it is said by the historians that institutional reforms were short-lived. They also expressed their thoughts that if less violent measures such as negotiating or signing treaties were done, a large number of people could have been saved and it would have been much more successful.

It was not until the civil rights movement in the 1960's that a profound national policy was developed to have a closer look into racial injustice in the United States. Racial discrimination could be found in the areas of housing, employment, political participation, and social recognition. The progress to reduce racial injustices was done substantially by the government, especially in the areas of education and economy. With reference to this website ( http://www.newsbatch.com ) :
“In 1968, 70% of African Americans were high school drop-outs. Now, the figure is closer to 20% and there has been over a 300% improvement in the rate of African Americans who attend college. There has been a reduction in poverty and an overall economic improvement, especially at the higher economic levels. African Americans have come closer to wage parity with whites. Due to the passage of voting rights legislation, the number of black elected officials has increased dramatically. “
The attitudes have changed positively to a point where an African American is now the Democratic candidate in the 2008 Presidential election. According to the changes that have been made in the United States of America, I have no doubt of insisting that the policies and measures done to manage the racial and religious issues are very successful.

Affirmative Action has been defined by the United States Commission on Civil Rights as "any measure, beyond simple termination of a discriminatory practice, adopted to correct or compensate for past or present discrimination or to prevent discrimination from recurring in the future." Since 1970's, Affirmative Action has been frequently used for university admission policies, and in employing. As a result of Affirmative Action, African Americans and other races in U.S. have achieved equal job opportunities. According to the positive outcomes, although Affirmative Action has been always controversial over its purposes, I strongly believe it is one of the measures that Singapore can learn from U.S.

The National Organisation of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) was established in September, 1976. It was co-sponsored by the Police Foundation and the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration. The mission given to NOBLE is to ensure equity for all communities and to serve law enforcement with regards to justice by action. There has been no doubt that NOBLE has helped all communities to receive fair treats and equal opportunities. There have never been negative side effects of NOBLE until today as its purpose was to support the minority. Hence, I can assure you that it is effective method that Singapore can learn from the United States.

Not only had the government taken part in managing multi-ethnic issues but also the mass media. Particularly, the media has portrayed African American athletes without being stereotyped racially but are respected for their skill. It has contributed to improve racial perceptions between the blacks and the whites. In my opinion, it is never wrong to say that sports gather all people together. Through sports, the citizens can create common identity and sense of belonging to the same country regardless of their races or colour of their skin.

Historically, religion has always been associated with government and politics. For instance, politicians often discuss their religious beliefs in public and churches do take part in political acts in the United States. There have been statistics that show religion influences politics (with reference to wikipedia) :
“There are Christians in both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, but evangelical Christians tend to support the Republican Party whereas more secular voters support the Democratic Party.”
“In 2007, the first Hindu prayer was recited in the United States Senate by Hindu chaplain Rajan Zed. A Gallup Poll released in 2007 indicates that 53% of Americans would refuse to vote for an atheist as president, up from 48% in 1987 and 1999. “
This shows clearly that religion has greatly affected the causes of racial issues in the United States.

The United States was one of the first countries in the world to enact a separation of church and state and freedom of religion. Separation of church and state does not mean that churches should not influence in the public affairs but the government should not favour one particular religion. However, from my perspective, both separation of church and state and freedom of religion were not successful in dealing with religious issues in the United States due to ongoing influences of religion in governing the country. There should not be any religious-based acts when managing a country. I think that Singapore is doing well in managing religious matters as there is no religious propaganda or preconceptions of various religions in the society. However, in my opinion, it would be much better if there were more opportunities to find more about other religions so as to understand differences and respect each other. For example, the school can hold activities so that the students can understand and show higher regards to each other. By doing so, I strongly believe that there will not be any conflicts among different religions in the country.

It is known that their history of becoming an independent country has been the key source that holds them together and creates national identity. However, in the United States’ society nowadays, there have been several disputes whether their national identity is in danger due to multi-ethnic and whether the government is making right decision in order to maintain their national identity. Yet, most Americans feel that the government should plan more policies to stimulate stronger sense of belonging to the country. I would like to give some suggestions of the ways the government of the United States could do to create common identity. It is very important to take national identity seriously while maintaining their heritage as a land of opportunity to would-be immigrants. Firstly, the government should make English the official national language as it is critical to cohesion in an ethnically diverse society. Secondly, the government should let the immigrants embrace the nation’s civic virtues through Extra-Curricular Activities in school. Lastly, they should educate the young generations about their history from establishment until recent days so as to remind them of their sense of belonging to the country.

Sky You Hanul (25).

comments;
9:34 AM