Americans are the
citizens and
nationals of the
United States of America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
.
[; ; ] Although direct citizens and nationals make up the majority of Americans, many
dual citizens,
expatriates, and
permanent residents could also legally claim American nationality. The United States is home to
people of many racial and ethnic origins; consequently,
American culture and
law do not equate
nationality with
race or
ethnicity, but with citizenship and an
oath of permanent allegiance.
Overview
The majority of Americans or their ancestors
immigrated to the United States or are descended from people who were
brought as
slaves within the past five centuries, with the exception of the
Native American population and people from
Hawaii,
Puerto Rico,
Guam, and the
Philippine Islands, who became American through expansion of the country in the 19th century, additionally America expanded into
American Samoa, the
U.S. Virgin Islands and
Northern Mariana Islands in the 20th century.
[
*
*]
Despite its multi-ethnic composition,
[Adams, J.Q., and Pearlie Strother-Adams (2001). ''Dealing with Diversity''. Chicago: Kendall/Hunt. .][Thompson, William, and Joseph Hickey (2005). ''Society in Focus''. Boston: Pearson. .] the culture of the United States held in common by most Americans can also be referred to as mainstream
American culture, a
Western culture largely derived from the traditions of
Northern
Northern may refer to the following:
Geography
* North, a point in direction
* Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe
* Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States
* Northern Province, Sri Lanka
* Northern Range, a r ...
and
Western European colonists, settlers, and immigrants.
It also includes influences of
African-American culture. Westward expansion integrated the
Creoles and
Cajuns of Louisiana and the
Hispanos of the Southwest and brought close contact with the
culture of Mexico. Large-scale immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from
Southern
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
* Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US
* Southern Airways Express, M ...
and
Eastern Europe introduced a variety of elements. Immigration from
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
,
Africa, and
Latin America has also had impact. A cultural
melting pot, or pluralistic
salad bowl, describes the way in which generations of Americans have celebrated and exchanged distinctive cultural characteristics.
In addition to the United States, Americans and people of American descent can be found internationally. As many as seven million Americans are estimated to be living abroad, and make up the
American diaspora
Emigration from the United States is the process where citizens from the United States move to live in other countries, creating an American diaspora (overseas Americans). The process is the reverse of the immigration to the United States. The Un ...
.
Racial and ethnic groups
The United States of America is a
diverse country,
racially
A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...
, and
ethnically.
Six races are officially recognized by the
U.S. Census Bureau for statistical purposes: Alaska Native and American Indian, Asian, Black or African American, Native
Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, White and people of two or more races. "Some other race" is also an option in the census and other surveys.
The United States Census Bureau also classifies Americans as "Hispanic or Latino" and "Not Hispanic or Latino", which identifies
Hispanic and Latino Americans as a racially diverse ''
ethnicity'' that comprises the largest minority group in the nation.
White and European Americans
People of European descent, or White Americans (also referred to as European Americans and Caucasian Americans), constitute the majority of the 331 million people living in the United States, with 191,697,647 people or 57.8% of the population in the
2020 United States Census.
They are considered people who trace their ancestry to the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.
Non-Hispanic Whites are the majority in 45 states. There are five
minority-majority state
A majority-minority or minority-majority area is a term used to refer to a subdivision in which one or more racial, ethnic, and/or religious minorities (relative to the whole country's population) make up a majority of the local population.
Term ...
s:
California,
Texas,
New Mexico,
Nevada, and
Hawaii. In addition, the
District of Columbia and the five inhabited
U.S. territories have a non-white majority.
The state with the highest percentage of non-Hispanic White Americans is
Maine.
Europe is the largest continent that Americans trace their ancestry to, and many claim descent from various
European ethnic groups.
The
Spaniards were the first Europeans to establish a continuous presence in what is now the continental United States in 1565.
Martín de Argüelles born 1566,
San Agustín, La Florida then a part of
New Spain, was the first person of European descent born in what is now the continental United States.
Virginia Dare, born 1587
Roanoke Island in present-day
North Carolina, was the first child born in the original
Thirteen Colonies to English parents. The Spaniards also established a continuous presence in what over three centuries later would become a possession of the United States with the founding of the city of
San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1521.
In the 2017
American Community Survey,
German Americans (13.2%),
Irish Americans (9.7%),
English Americans (7.1%) and
Italian Americans (5.1%) were the four largest self-reported European ancestry groups in the United States forming 35.1% of the total population.
However, the English Americans and
British Americans demography is considered a serious under-count as they tend to self-report and identify as simply "
Americans" (since the introduction of a new "American" category in the
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicis ...
census) due to the length of time they have inhabited America. This is highly over-represented in the
Upland South, a region that was settled historically by the British.
Overall, as the largest group, European Americans have the lowest
poverty rate and the second highest
educational attainment levels, median
household income,
and median
personal income of any racial demographic in the nation.
Middle Easterners and North Africans
According to the
American Jewish Archives and the
Arab American National Museum, the first Middle Easterners and North Africans (viz.
Jews and
Berbers) to arrive in the Americas landed in the late 15th to mid-16th centuries.
["Arab Americans: An Integral Part of American Society"](_blank)
Arab American National Museum. Published 2009. Accessed December 12, 2015. "Zammouri, the first Arab American...traveled over 6,000 miles between 1528 and 1536, trekking across the American Southwest." Many fled ethnic or
ethnoreligious persecution during the
Spanish Inquisition; a few were taken to the Americas as slaves.
In 2014, The United States Census Bureau began finalizing the ethnic classification of people of Middle Eastern and North African ("MENA") origins.
["Lobbying for a 'MENA' category on U.S. Census"](_blank)
Wiltz, Teresea. USA Today. Published October 7, 2014. Accessed December 14, 2015. According to the
Arab American Institute
The Arab American Institute (AAI) is a non-profit membership organization that advocates for the interests of Arab-Americans. Founded in 1985 by James Zogby, the brother of pollster John Zogby, the organization is based in Washington, D.C.
The ...
(AAI),
Arab Americans have family origins in each of the 22
member states of the Arab League. Following consultations with MENA organizations, the Census Bureau announced in 2014 that it would establish a new MENA ethnic category for populations from the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
,
North Africa and the
Arab world
The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...
, separate from the "white" classification that these populations had previously sought in 1909. The expert groups, felt that the earlier "white" designation no longer accurately represents MENA identity, so they successfully lobbied for a distinct categorization. This new category would also include Israeli-Americans. The Census Bureau does not currently ask about whether one is
Sikh, because it views them as followers of a religion rather than members of an ethnic group, and it does not combine questions concerning religion with race or ethnicity.
As of December 2015, the sampling strata for the new MENA category includes the Census Bureau's working classification of 19 MENA groups, as well as
Turkish,
Sudanese,
Djiboutian,
Somali
Somali may refer to:
Horn of Africa
* Somalis, an inhabitant or ethnicity associated with Greater Somali Region
** Proto-Somali, the ancestors of modern Somalis
** Somali culture
** Somali cuisine
** Somali language, a Cushitic language
** Somali ...
,
Mauritanian,
Armenian,
Cypriot,
Afghan
Afghan may refer to:
*Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia
*Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity
**Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pash ...
,
Azerbaijani
Azerbaijani may refer to:
* Something of, or related to Azerbaijan
* Azerbaijanis
* Azerbaijani language
See also
* Azerbaijan (disambiguation)
* Azeri (disambiguation)
* Azerbaijani cuisine
* Culture of Azerbaijan
The culture of Azerbaijan ...
and
Georgian groups.
In January 2018, it was announced that the Census Bureau would not include the grouping in the
2020 Census.
Hispanic and Latino Americans
Hispanic or Latino Americans constitute the largest
ethnic minority in the United States. They form the second largest group in the United States, comprising 62,080,044 people or 18.7% of the population according to the
2020 United States Census.
Hispanic and Latino Americans are not considered a
race in the United States census, instead forming an ethnic category.
People of Spanish or Hispanic and Latino descent have lived in what is now United States territory since the founding of
San Juan, Puerto Rico (the oldest continuously inhabited settlement on American soil) in 1521 by
Juan Ponce de Leon
''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, ...
, and the founding of
St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine ( ; es, San Agustín ) is a city in the Southeastern United States and the county seat of St. Johns County on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, it is the oldest continuously inhabi ...
(the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the continental United States) in 1565 by
Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. In the
State of Texas,
Spaniards first
settled
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area.
A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer.
Settle ...
the region in the late 1600s and formed a unique
cultural group known as
Tejanos.
Black and African Americans
Black and African Americans are citizens and residents of the United States with origins in
Sub-Saharan Africa.
According to the
Office of Management and Budget, the grouping includes individuals who self-identify as African American, as well as persons who emigrated from nations in the
Caribbean and Sub-Saharan Africa.
The grouping is thus based on geography, and may contradict or misrepresent an individual's self-identification since not all immigrants from Sub-Saharan Africa are "Black". Among these racial outliers are persons from
Cape Verde,
Madagascar, various
Arab states and
Hamito-Semitic
The Afroasiatic languages (or Afro-Asiatic), also known as Hamito-Semitic, or Semito-Hamitic, and sometimes also as Afrasian, Erythraean or Lisramic, are a language family of about 300 languages that are spoken predominantly in the geographic s ...
populations in
East Africa and the
Sahel, and the
Afrikaners of
Southern Africa.
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans or Afro-Americans, and formerly as American
Negroes) are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the
black populations of Africa.
According to the 2020 United States Census, there were 39,940,338 Black and African Americans in the United States, representing 12.1% of the population.
[United States – ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates: 2009](_blank)
. Factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved December 9, 2010. Black and African Americans make up the third largest group in the United States, after White and European Americans, and Hispanic and Latino Americans.
The majority of the population (55%) lives in the
South; compared to the 2000 Census, there has also been a decrease of African Americans in the
Northeast
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...
and
Midwest.
Most African Americans are the direct descendants of captives from
West Africa and
Central Africa, from ancestral populations in countries like
Nigeria,
Benin,
Sierra Leone,
Guinea-Bissau,
Senegal and
Angola,
who survived the
slavery era within the boundaries of the present United States.As an adjective, the term is usually spelled ''
African-American''. Montinaro et al. (2014) observed that around 50% of the overall ancestry of African Americans traces back to the
Niger-Congo-speaking
Yoruba
The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...
of southwestern
Nigeria and southern
Benin (before the European colonization of Africa this people created the
Oyo Empire), reflecting the centrality of this West African region in the
Atlantic Slave Trade.
Zakharaia et al. (2009) found a similar proportion of Yoruba associated ancestry in their African-American samples, with a minority also drawn from
Mandenka populations (founders of the
Mali Empire), and
Bantu
Bantu may refer to:
*Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages
*Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language
* Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle
* Black Association for Nationa ...
populations (who had a varying level of social organization during the colonial era, while some Bantu peoples were still tribal, other Bantu peoples had founded kingdoms such as the
Kingdom of Kongo).
.
The first West African
slaves were brought to
Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. The English settlers treated these captives as
indentured servants and released them after a number of years. This practice was gradually replaced by the system of race-based slavery used in the
Caribbean. All the
American colonies
The Thirteen Colonies, also known as the Thirteen British Colonies, the Thirteen American Colonies, or later as the United Colonies, were a group of British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America. Founded in the 17th and 18th centur ...
had slavery, but it was usually the form of personal servants in the North (where 2% of the people were slaves), and field hands in plantations in the South (where 25% were slaves); by the beginning of the
American Revolutionary War 1/5th of the total population was enslaved. During the revolution, some would serve in the
Continental Army or
Continental Navy, while
others would serve the
British Empire in
Lord Dunmore's Ethiopian Regiment, and other units. By 1804, the
northern
Northern may refer to the following:
Geography
* North, a point in direction
* Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe
* Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States
* Northern Province, Sri Lanka
* Northern Range, a r ...
states (north of the
Mason–Dixon line) had
abolished slavery. However, slavery would persist in the
southern states until the end of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...
and the passage of the
Thirteenth Amendment. Following the end of the
Reconstruction Era, which saw the first
African American representation in
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
, African Americans became
disenfranchised and subject to
Jim Crow laws, legislation that would persist until the passage of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 and
Voting Rights Act due to the
Civil Rights Movement.
According to US Census Bureau data, very few
African immigrants self-identify as African American. On average, less than 5% of African residents self-reported as "African American" or "Afro-American" on the 2000 US Census. The overwhelming majority of African immigrants (~95%) identified instead with their own respective ethnicities. Self-designation as "African American" or "Afro-American" was highest among individuals from West Africa (4%-9%), and lowest among individuals from Cape Verde, East Africa and Southern Africa (0%-4%). African immigrants may also experience conflict with African Americans.
Asian Americans
Another significant population is the Asian American population, comprising 19,618,719 people in 2020, or 5.9% of the U.S. population.
California is home to 5.6 million Asian Americans, the greatest number in any state.
In Hawaii, Asian Americans make up the highest proportion of the population (57 percent).
Asian Americans live across the country, yet are heavily urbanized, with significant populations in the
Greater Los Angeles Area,
New York metropolitan area, and the
San Francisco Bay Area.
The U.S. census defines Asian Americans as those with origins to the countries of East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. Although Americans with roots in Western Asia were once classified as "Asian", they are now excluded from the term in modern census classifications. The largest sub-groups are immigrants or descendants of immigrants from Cambodia, Mainland China, India, Japan, Korea, Laos, Pakistan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Asians overall have
higher income levels than all other racial groups in the United States, including whites, and the trend appears to be increasing in relation to those groups. Additionally, Asians have a
higher education attainment level than all other racial groups in the United States. For better or for worse, the group has been called a
model minority.
While Asian Americans have been in what is now the United States since before the
Revolutionary War,
relatively large waves of Chinese, Filipino, and Japanese immigration did not begin until the mid-to-late 19th century.
Immigration and significant population growth continue to this day. Due to a number of factors, Asian Americans have been
stereotyped
In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example ...
as "
perpetual foreigners".
Native American and Alaska Natives
According to the 2020 Census, there are 2,251,699 people who are Native Americans or
Alaska Natives alone; they make up 0.7% of the total population.
According to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), an "American Indian or Alaska Native" is a person whose ancestry have origins in any of the
original peoples of North, Central, or South America.
2.3 million individuals who are American Indian or Alaskan Native are multiracial;
additionally the plurality of American Indians reside in the
Western United States (40.7%).
Collectively and historically this race has been known by
several names; as of 1995, 50% of those who fall within the OMB definition prefer the term "American Indian", 37% prefer "Native American" and the remainder have no preference or prefer a different term altogether.
Among Americans today, levels of
Native American ancestry (distinct from
Native American identity) differ. The genomes of self-reported
African Americans averaged to 0.8% Native American ancestry, those of
European Americans averaged to 0.18%, and those of
Latinos averaged to 18.0%.
Native Americans, whose ancestry is indigenous to the
Americas,
originally migrated to the two continents between 10,000 and 45,000 years ago. These
Paleoamericans spread throughout the two continents and evolved into hundreds of distinct cultures during the
pre-Columbian era. Following the
first voyage of
Christopher Columbus, the
European colonization of the Americas began, with
St. Augustine
Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afr ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...
becoming the first permanent European settlement in the
continental United States. From the 16th through the 19th centuries, the
population of Native Americans declined in the following ways:
epidemic diseases brought from Europe;
genocide and
warfare at the hands of European explorers, settlers and colonists, as well as between tribes; displacement from their lands; internal warfare,
enslavement; and
intermarriage.
Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders
As defined by the
United States Census Bureau and the Office of Management and Budget,
Native Hawaiians and other
Pacific Islanders are "persons having origins in any of the original peoples of
Hawaii,
Guam,
Samoa, or other
Pacific Islands".
Previously called
Asian Pacific American, along with Asian Americans beginning in 1976, this was changed in 1997. As of the
2020 United States Census there are 622,018 who reside in the United States, and make up 0.2% of the nation's total population.
14% of the population have at least a
bachelor's degree,
and 15.1% live in
poverty, below the
poverty threshold.
As compared to the
2000 United States Census this population grew by 40%;
and 71% live in the
West; of those over half (52%) live in either
Hawaii or
California, with no other states having populations greater than 100,000. The
U.S. territories in the Pacific also have large Pacific Islander populations such as
Guam and the
Northern Mariana Islands (Chammoro), and
American Samoa (Samoan).
The largest concentration of Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, is
Honolulu County in Hawaii,
and
Los Angeles County in the
continental United States.
Two or more races
The United States has a growing multiracial identity movement.
Multiracial Americans numbered 7.0 million in 2008, or 2.3% of the population;
[ by the 2020 census the multiracial increased to 13,548,983, or 4.1% of the total population.] They can be any combination of races (White, Black or African American, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, "some other race") and ethnicities. The largest population of Multiracial Americans were those of White and African American descent, with a total of 1,834,212 self-identifying individuals. Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States who is biracial- his mother is white (of English and Irish descent) and his father is of Kenyan birth- only self-identifies as being African American.
Some other race
According to the 2020 United States Census, 8.4% or 27,915,715 Americans chose to self-identify with the "some other race" category, the third most popular option. Also, 42.2% or 26,225,882 Hispanic/Latino Americans chose to identify as some other race as these Hispanic/Latinos may feel the U.S. Census does not describe their European and American Indian ancestry as they understand it to be.
A significant portion of the Hispanic and Latino population self-identifies as Mestizo, particularly the Mexican and Central American community. Mestizo is not a racial category in the U.S. Census, but signifies someone who has both European and American Indian ancestry.
National personification
Uncle Sam is a national personification of the United States and sometimes more specifically of the American government, with the first usage of the term dating from the War of 1812. He is depicted as a stern elderly white man with white hair and a goatee beard, and dressed in clothing that recalls the design elements of the flag of the United States – for example, typically a top hat with red and white stripes and white stars on a blue band, and red and white striped trousers.
Columbia
Columbia may refer to:
* Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America
Places North America Natural features
* Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...
is a poetic name for the Americas and the feminine personification of the United States of America, made famous by African-American poet Phillis Wheatley during the American Revolutionary War in 1776. It has inspired the names of many persons, places, objects, institutions, and companies in the Western Hemisphere and beyond, including the District of Columbia, the seat of government of the United States.
Language
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ...
is the de facto national language. Although there is no official language at the federal level, some laws—such as U.S. naturalization requirements—standardize English. In 2007, about 226 million, or 80% of the population aged five years and older, spoke only English at home. Spanish, spoken by 12% of the population at home, is the second most common language and the most widely taught second language. Some Americans advocate making English the country's official language, as it is in at least twenty-eight states. Both English and Hawaiian are official languages in Hawaii by state law.
While neither has an official language, New Mexico has laws providing for the use of both English and Spanish, as Louisiana does for English and French. Other states, such as California, mandate the publication of Spanish versions of certain government documents. The latter include court forms. Several insular territories grant official recognition to their native languages, along with English: Samoan and Chamorro Chamorro may refer to:
* Chamorro people, the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands in the Western Pacific
* Chamorro language, an Austronesian language indigenous to The Marianas
* Chamorro Time Zone, the time zone of Guam and the Northern Mari ...
are recognized by American Samoa and Guam, respectively; Carolinian and Chamorro are recognized by the Northern Mariana Islands; Spanish is an official language of Puerto Rico.
Religion
Religion in the United States has a high adherence level compared to other developed countries, as well as a diversity in beliefs. The First Amendment
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
to the country's Constitution prevents the Federal government from making any "law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof". The U.S. Supreme Court has interpreted this as preventing the government from having any authority in religion. A majority of Americans report that religion plays a "very important" role in their lives, a proportion unusual among developed countries, although similar to the other nations of the Americas. Many faiths have flourished in the United States, including both later imports spanning the country's multicultural immigrant heritage, as well as those founded within the country; these have led the United States to become the most religiously diverse country in the world.
The United States has the world's largest Christian population. The majority of Americans (76%) are Christians, mostly within Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
and Catholic denominations; these adherents constitute 48% and 23% of the population, respectively. Other religions include Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism, which collectively make up about 4% to 5% of the adult population. Another 15% of the adult population identifies as having no religious belief or no religious affiliation. According to the American Religious Identification Survey
The Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture (ISSSC) is located at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. ISSSC was established in 2005 to advance the understanding of the role of secular values and the process of seculari ...
, religious belief varies considerably across the country: 59% of Americans living in Western states (the " Unchurched Belt") report a belief in God, yet in the South (the " Bible Belt") the figure is as high as 86%.
Several of the original Thirteen Colonies were established by settlers who wished to practice their own religion without discrimination: the Massachusetts Bay Colony was established by English Puritans, Pennsylvania by Irish and English Quakers, Maryland by English and Irish Catholics, and Virginia by English Anglicans. Although some individual states retained established religious confessions well into the 19th century, the United States was the first nation to have no official state-endorsed religion. Modeling the provisions concerning religion within the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, the framers of the Constitution rejected any religious test for office, and the First Amendment specifically denied the federal government any power to enact any law respecting either an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free exercise, thus protecting any religious organization, institution, or denomination from government interference. The decision was mainly influenced by European Rationalist and Protestant ideals, but was also a consequence of the pragmatic concerns of minority religious groups and small states that did not want to be under the power or influence of a national religion that did not represent them.
File:First Baptist Church in America from Angell St 2.jpg, The First Baptist Church in America in Providence
Providence often refers to:
* Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion
* Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity
* Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
, Rhode Island.
File:Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.jpg, The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. is the largest Catholic church in the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
.
File:Sunset in Utah.jpg, The Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah is the largest LDS temple.
File:Louis Sullivan - exterior - Holy Trinity Russian & Greek Orthodox Church, 1121 North Leavitt Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL.jpg, Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral in Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
's Ukrainian Village.
File:GENERAL VIEW - Unity Temple, 875 Lake Street, Oak Park, Cook County, IL HABS ILL,16-OAKPA,3-6 (CT).tif, Unity Temple
Unity Temple is a Unitarian Universalist church in Oak Park, Illinois, and the home of the Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation. It was designed by the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and built between 1905 and 1908. Unity ...
Unitarian Universalist church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* Chri ...
in Oak Park, Illinois
File:Touro Synagogue, Newport, Rhode Island.jpg, Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island is America's oldest surviving synagogue.
File:Islamic Center of America.jpg, The Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Michigan is the largest mosque in North America.
File:Lightmatter Hsi Lai Temple 4.jpg, Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights, California is one of the largest Buddhist temples in the Western Hemisphere.
File:Malibu Hindu Temple 11.jpg, Hindu Temple in Malibu, California.
File:Willmette how.jpg, The Bahá'í House of Worship, in Wilmette, Illinois.
File:Jain Temple -02 by Jain Center of Greater Phoenix (JCGP).jpg, The Jain Center of Greater Phoenix (JCGP) in Phoenix, Arizona.
File:San Jose Gurdwara Sahib (2448909577).jpg, Sikh Gurdwara in Evergreen, San Jose, California.
Culture
The American culture is primarily a Western culture, but is influenced by Native American, West African
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, ...
, Latin American, East Asian, and Polynesian cultures.
The United States of America has its own unique social and cultural characteristics, such as dialect, music, arts, social habits, cuisine and folklore.
Its chief early Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
an influences came from English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ...
, Scottish, Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...
, and Irish settlers of colonial America during British rule. British culture, due to colonial ties with Britain that spread the English language, legal system and other cultural inheritances, had a formative influence. Other important influences came from other parts of Europe, especially Germany, France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, and Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
.
Original elements also play a strong role, such as Jeffersonian democracy.["Mr. Jefferson and the giant moose: natural history in early America"]
Lee Alan Dugatkin. University of Chicago Press, 2009. , . University of Chicago Press, 2009. Chapter x. Thomas Jefferson's '' Notes on the State of Virginia'' was perhaps the first influential domestic cultural critique by an American and a reaction to the prevailing European consensus that America's domestic originality was degenerate. Prevalent ideas and ideals that evolved domestically, such as national holidays, uniquely American sports
Sports are an important part of culture in the United States. Historically, the national sport has been baseball. However, in more recent decades, American football has been the most popular sport in terms of broadcast viewership audience. ...
, military tradition, and innovations in the arts and entertainment give a strong sense of national pride
Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and sense of attachment to one's country. This attachment can be a combination of many different feelings, language relating to one's own homeland, including ethnic, cultural, political or histor ...
among the population as a whole.
American culture includes both conservative and liberal elements, scientific and religious competitiveness, political structures, risk taking and free expression, materialist and moral elements. Despite certain consistent ideological principles (e.g. individualism, egalitarianism, faith in freedom and democracy), the American culture has a variety of expressions due to its geographical scale and demographic diversity.
Diaspora
Americans have migrated to many places around the world, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
, Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...
, China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
, Costa Rica, France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, Germany, Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
, India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
, the Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
, the United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (Middle East, The Middle East). It is ...
, and the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
. , there were approximately 9 million U.S. citizens living outside of the United States.
See also
* American studies
* Ancestry of the people of the United States
The United States has a racially and ethnically diverse population. At the federal level, race and ethnicity have been categorized separately. The most recent United States Census officially recognized five racial categories ( White, Black ...
* Birthright citizenship in the United States
Birthright citizenship in the United States is United States citizenship acquired by a person automatically, by operation of law. This takes place in two situations: by virtue of the person's birth within United States territory or because o ...
* Deportation of Americans from the United States
Deportation of Americans from the United States is the wrongful expulsion, return or extradition of Americans to other countries, often after being convicted of a crime. These individuals in removal proceedings include Americans by birth and le ...
* Hyphenated American
* ''Making North America
''Making North America'' is a 2015 American documentary film which premiered nationwide on November 4, 2015. The PBS Nova film, comprising three episodes of one hour each, was hosted by Kirk Johnson (Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of ...
'' (2015 PBS film)
* Names for United States citizens
People from the United States of America are known as and refer to themselves as Americans. Different languages use different terms for citizens of the United States. All forms of English refer to US citizens as Americans, a term deriving from ...
* Stereotypes of Americans
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Americans
North American people
Immigration to the United States