Summary – American Beliefs and Values
Even though the United States is quite a large country, there are certain beliefs and values which most Americans share, the principal one being that of freedom. It was the Founding Fathers’ belief that everyone is created equal and that it is the government’s duty to protect every person’s basic inalienable rights that shaped Americans’ sense of freedom. It is also understood, however, that differences in religion, sex, race or age mean that not all Americans are, in reality, entitled to the same rights and opportunities. The concept of freedom for Americans is closely tied to individualism, which is not only understood as self-reliance, but also economic self-sufficiency.
Scholars believe that such American beliefs and values arose within the context of the frontier experience, for, in order to survive in the wilderness, one had to be a robust individualist. Also imbued in the American system of beliefs and values is their “can-do spirit”; Americans often think they have innate do-it-yourself abilities. This “do-it-yourself spirit” is called volunteerism, i.e. “people helping people through privately-initiated, rather than government-sponsored, agencies”. Such practice is so common that 6 out of 10 Americans are members of a volunteer organization.
Americans have always liked to think that their country has limitless wealth; however, many resources have gradually been depleted over the course of America’s history. The United States is still rich in resources, though.
Americans’ sense of abundance is related to their habit of mobility, which is not a sign of aimlessness but rather one of optimism. This habit has greatly contributed to homogeneity within a country that is so diverse, culturally speaking. Besides, this habit also means that there is greater attachment on the part of citizens to the country as a whole as opposed to specific regions.
Americans associate the idea of freedom to that of progress, which they usually measure by looking into the history of their families.
An important concept in the American system of beliefs and values is that of the American Dream, which can be defined as “the dream of a land in which life should be better, richer, and fuller for every man with opportunities for each according to his abilities and achievement”. American history has shown, however, that achieving success is not something that is available to all Americans and recently they have begun to question accepted beliefs and values.
