Chapter 19 Section 3

The Americans

Pg. 519-525

Rich History

• First Americans used the land to survive– Farmers– Fisherman– Hunters

• Europeans began to explore the U.S. around A.D. 1500– Wanted raw materials

• Set up colonies

Federal Republic

• Government divided between a national government and state governments

U.S. Government

• U.S. is a Representative Democracy– Citizens elect representatives to make laws

Government

Constitution

• Tells people what the government can and can’t do

• Amend- to change a constitution

World Leader

• After World War II the U.S. became a world leader

Out of Many

• U.S. has the 3rd largest population in the world– 285 million in 2003– 316 million in 2013

High Living Standard

• The average American lives to be about 76 years old

Ethnic Groups

12%

4%

1%

0%

2%

13%

68%

African American

Asian

American Indian

Native Hawaiian

Other

Hispanic

Anglo European

Language

• U.S. has no official language• Main language is English

Religion

• “Congress shall make no laws respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”

• Separation between church and government

Mobility

• U.S. was once all rural towns• Now U.S. has many urban centers

• Suburbs- Small communities that surround a larger city

Security

• Department of Homeland Security– Est. September 11, 2001– Helps government agencies to protect the

nation from attacks

Sports and Recreation

• Write 3 things that you do in your spare time