American way

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The American way of life is an expression that refers to the "life style" of people living in the United States. It is an example of a behavioral modality, developed from 17th century to today. It refers to an nationalist ethos that purports to adhere to principles of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." It has some connection to the concept of American exceptionalism.

During the time of the Cold War, the expression was commonly used by the media to highlight the differences in living standards of the populations of the United States and the Soviet Union. At that time, American popular culture broadly embraced the idea that anyone, regardless of the circumstances of his or her birth, could significantly increase his or her standard of living through determination, hard work, and natural ability. In the employment sector, this concept was expressed in the belief that a competitive market would foster individual talent and a renewed interest in entrepreneurship. Politically, it took the form of a belief in the superiority of a free democracy, founded on a productive and economic expansion without limits.

Today (2005), the expression has again become pervasive in popular culture, in part because of its use by President George H. W. Bush, who has stated that "the 'way of life' of the Americans is not negotiable."^{[citation needed]} The expression has come to be associated with over-consumption, exploitation of natural resources, American exceptionalism, and other negative aspects of American culture, and it has negative connotations in many parts of the world.^{[citation needed]}

In the National Archives and Records Administration's 1999 Annual Report, National Archivist John W. Carlin writes, "We are different because our government and our way of life are not based on the divine right of kings, the hereditary privileges of elites, or the enforcement of deference to dictators. They are based on pieces of paper, the Charters of Freedom - the Declaration that asserted our independence, the Constitution that created our government, and the Bill of Rights that established our liberties."[1]

1 Historical use
2 American way of life in popular culture
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Historical use

Our way of life is an expression that one finds in all the main documents of American history.
Let us see the use by the Americans themselves of this terminology:

In 1998: Powerful Documents Inspire a Nation By Senator Trent Lott:

"When the first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired, it signaled one of the most significant changes in the human history. "The shot heard ‘round the world" started a struggle for independence not just from England, but from despotism. Our Founding Fathers were literally the first people in history to fight and die for their naturally-given right to self-determination. When those out-manned revolutionaries beat the English, a bold new way of life was born."

executive Order 10631 Eisenhower August 17, 1955

Code of Conduct for Members of the United States Armed Forces:
1)I am an American fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.
[Article I amended by EO 12633 of Mar. 28, 1988, 53 FR 10355, 3 CFR, 1988 Comp., p. 561]

ethnographic and wildlife Alaska from the early 1920s:

"This extraordinary collection was selected for this preservation project because it is well organized, identified, documented, and published. Photographically, the images are beautifully composed, are in sharp focus, and have been well exposed. As American history, this collection is an important contribution to the chronicle of the time and region, its wildlife and native populations. These photographs document a people and a way of life on the brink of change, just prior to the modern era. We can see a way of life that changed quickly and completely when the radio made possible rapid communication and the airplane became a common means of transportation across such vast distances. Bailey's keen observations led to an outstanding archive of cultural information. His unique visual and documentary record is essential as it comes at a time when the traditional economies and belief system were beginning to change to heavy reliance on objects and behaviors brought about by schools, tourists, the military, and oil field developers."

United States People versus Native Americans: Treaty 1868

In the 19th century the United States' drive for expansion clashed violently with Native Americans' resolve to preserve their lands, sovereignty, and ways of life.

Civil War 1861-1865

The Northern states were opposed to the expansion of slavery whereas the Southern states saw the opposition as an attack on their way of life, since their economy was dependent on slave labor.

[edit] American way of life in popular culture

[edit] Comics

The comic book superhero Superman fights for "truth, justice and the American way." In some modern comic books it has been changed to "truth, justice and hope". However, after the events of "Infinite Crisis," the "Up, Up and Away" story arc firmly re-established Superman's slogan as its original manifestation .

[edit] Films and TV series

American Way is the name of a mini-series being produced by Wildstorm that explores an America where super-beings exist, but are being used as propaganda by the American government.

Numerous films

The End of Suburbia. The documentary (2004) examines the American Way of Life and its perspectives as the Earth comes nearer a critical era, as global ask urgently for fossil fuels begins to outstrip supply.

TV series

the indication of series of the Simpsons show the American Way of Life.

[edit] Writers

Many American writers describe or refer to the American way. Examples in the 17th century, Thomas Morton (c. 1576 – c. 1647), Roger Williams (1603 – 16834) and Anne Hutchinson (1591 – 1643).

In the 19th century, Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), Herman Melville (1819-1891), Walt Whitman (1819-1892), Mark Twain (1835-1910).

In the 1900 Jack London (1876-1916), Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945), Sherwood Anderson (1876-1941), Eugene O'Neill (1888-1953), Clifford Odets (1906-1963), Thomas Stearns Eliot (1888-1965), John Dos Passos (1896-1970), Francis Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) e Henry Louis Mencken (1880-1956).

From 1900 to 1950, Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951), William Faulkner (1897-1962), Henry Miller (1891-1980), Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961), John Steinbeck (1902-1968), Richard Wright (1908-1960), William Saroyan (1908-1981), Nelson Algren (1909-1981), Paul Bowles (1910-1999), Jerome Salinger (1919-vivente), Norman Mailer (1923-vivente), Gore Vidal (1925-vivente).