Transcript An Exceptional America - Sonoma Valley High School

An Exceptional America

What is exceptional about America?

Tocqueville’s definition

Moral superiority
Geography and National Identity

Large and isolated country

No powers on its borders

Size confers advantage
 Population spread out
 Natural resources

Manifest destiny
Where We Live

Regional Differences:

* The South
 Sun Belt
 Bible Belt

* Midwest *The West Coast * East Coast
 Rust Belt

State and Local Identity

Urban and Rural Populations

“White flight”
Percentage change in resident population, 2000-2010
Who We Are

Race and Ethnicity: Native Americans, African Americans , Hispanics
a.
Religion
b.
Gender
c.
Sexual Orientation
d.
Family Structure
e.
Education
f.
Age
Religion
 Religious violence
 Religious liberty
 No official religion
 Religion of political candidates matters
 Fundamentalists
 Diverse, but dominated by Protestants
Religious groups in the United
States
• .
Gender
 Voting and political representation
 Lower and higher rates of voting
 Gender gap in representation
 Women lean Democratic
Gender and the vote for
president
• .
Family Structure and Education
 Family demographics changing
 Later marriage
 Fewer children
 Divorce more common
 Education predicts political participation
 Democratic values
 70% graduate high school
 50% graduate college
AGE
 Graying of America
 Americans living longer
 Increasing health care costs
 Graph: % over 65 in age
AGE
 Political participation
 Older citizens more likely to vote
 Lifecycle effects
 Generational effects
Wealth and Income
 Wealth versus income
 Link to political views
 Income trends
 50s-70s average income grew
 Poor people lack political power
Occupation
 Industrialization
 Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
 Technology and the postindustrial
economy
 White-collar, blue-collar, and public
sector
–
workers
Employment by occupational
groups, 2010
• .
Unity in a Land of Diversity
 Shared sense of national identity
 Education and nationalization
 Melting pot or salad bowl?
• STOP