美國背景backgroundtoamerica2

1、America-A Melting Pot?A nation of immigrants Immigration and emigrationlImmigration, the movement of people into another nation with the intention of residing there permanently. The contrasting term emigration refers to the movement of people permanently leaving a nation.What does “a melting pot” me

2、an? Traditionally the United States has been described as a melting pot, a metaphoric image of the United States as a foundry that combines the different component metals-represented by immigrants from various countries -into the new metal, Americans.Look at the photos and describe them in terms of

3、race and ancestryNative Americans General EisenhowerYang ,Chen Lin -physicist and Nobel laureateMichelle Kwan -Figure skater Winners of Oscar AwardsWho are Americans ?l Except for Native Americans, all Americans are either recent immigrants or the descendants of immigrants who have settled in North

4、America over the last five centuries. Quoted from Letters from an American Farmerl What then is the American, this new man? He is either a European, or the descendant of a European, hence that strange mixture of blood, which you will find in no other country. I could point out to you a family whose

5、grandfather was an Englishman, whose wife was a Dutch, whose son married a French woman, and whose present four sons have now four wives of different nations. Quoted from Letters from an American FarmerlHe is an American, who leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new on

6、es from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys , and the new rank he holds. Here individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men, whose labors and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world. The American is a new man, who acts upon new principles;

7、 he must therefore entertain new ideas, and from new opinions. This is an American.Reading ActivityGuided Questionsl Why is the term “a melting pot” not more suitable to describe the United States?lWhat is the implication of a “pot of stew”?lWhat are the large ethnic groups from Europe?lWhat do Amer

8、ican blacks think of their identity? lWhat is the social status of the Oriental Americans ?l Can you find out any components of the American Nation ?Why is the term “a melting pot” not more suitable to describe the United States?l1) the melting pot metaphor implied that America is a place where the

9、previous identities of each immigrant group are melted down to create an integrated, uniform society.l2) It does not reflect the features of the diverse multicultural society of the United States. What is the implication of a “pot of stew”?lthe meat and vegetable : different racial and national grou

10、p lThe spices and the way it is cooked: the same language, the American way of life , the law What are the large ethnic groupsfrom Europe ?lthe Anglo-Saxonslthe Italians lthe Germanslthe Irish Influence of German Americans on American Culture lThe celebration of Christmas in the United States, for e

11、xample, reflects German Christmas customs. German Americans introduced Christmas trees and gift-giving. A German American artist, Thomas Nast, created the traditional image of Santa Claus. German Americans also introduced the Easter Bunny. l American English contains a great number of words of Germa

12、n origin brought into the language by German Americans, including hamburger, and wunderbar (wonderful).What do American blacks think of their identity?lAmerican blacks trace their roots back to African tribes in the days of slavery.lMore and more American blacks identify themselves with Africa.What is the social status of Oriental Americans?lLess than 1% of the population lSuccessful immigrants The formation of the American NationlNative Americans lAmericans from