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- published: 23 Aug 2011
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- Race and ethnicity in the United States Census
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- Alaska Natives
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United States
The United States of America (commonly abbreviated to the United States, the U.S., the USA, America, and the States) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west, across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean.
At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km2) and with over 312 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and the third largest by both land area and population. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The U.S. economy is the world's largest national economy, with an estimated 2011 GDP of $15.1 trillion (22% of nominal global GDP and over 19% of global GDP at purchasing-power parity). Per capita income is the world's sixth-highest.
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White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical style. It has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams. When Thomas Jefferson moved into the house in 1801, he (with architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe) expanded the building outward, creating two colonnades that were meant to conceal stables and storage.
In 1814, during the War of 1812, the mansion was set ablaze by the British Army in the Burning of Washington, destroying the interior and charring much of the exterior. Reconstruction began almost immediately, and President James Monroe moved into the partially reconstructed house in October 1817. Construction continued with the addition of the South Portico in 1824 and the North in 1829. Because of crowding within the executive mansion itself, President Theodore Roosevelt had all work offices relocated to the newly constructed West Wing in 1901. Eight years later, President William Howard Taft expanded the West Wing and created the first Oval Office which was eventually moved as the section was expanded. The third-floor attic was converted to living quarters in 1927 by augmenting the existing hip roof with long shed dormers. A newly constructed East Wing was used as a reception area for social events; Jefferson's colonnades connected the new wings. East Wing alterations were completed in 1946, creating additional office space. By 1948, the house's load-bearing exterior walls and internal wood beams were found to be close to failure. Under Harry S. Truman, the interior rooms were completely dismantled and a new internal load-bearing steel frame constructed inside the walls. Once this work was completed, the interior rooms were rebuilt.
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African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans or Afro-Americans, and formerly as American Negroes) are citizens or residents of the United States that have ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa.
African Americans make up the single largest racial minority in the United States. Most African Americans are of West and Central African descent and are descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States. However, some immigrants from African, Caribbean, Central American or South American nations, or their descendants, may be identified or self-identify with the term.
African-American history starts in the 16th century with African slaves who quickly rose up against the Spanish explorer Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón and progresses to the present day, with Barack Obama as the 44th and current President of the United States. Between those landmarks there have been events and issues, both resolved and ongoing, including slavery, racism, Reconstruction, development of the African-American community, participation in the great military conflicts of the United States, racial segregation, and the Civil Rights Movement.
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Alaska Natives
Alaska Natives are indigenous peoples of Alaska: Inupiaq, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and a number of Northern Athabaskan cultures.
Ancestors of the Alaska Natives are known to have migrated into the area thousands of years ago, and established varying indigenous, complex cultures that have succeeded each other over time. That developed sophisticated ways to deal with the challenging climate and environment. Europeans and Americans began to trade with Alaska Natives in the nineteenth century. New settlements around trading posts were started by Russians, British and Americans.
In the 1800s and In 1971 Congress passed the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, which settled land and financial claims for lands and resources which they had lost to European Americans. It provided for the establishment of 13 Alaska Native Regional Corporations to administer those claims. Similar to the separately defined status of the Canadian Inuit and First Nations, which are recognized as distinct peoples, Alaska Natives are in some respects treated separately from Native Americans in the United States. An example of this separate treatment is that Alaska Natives are allowed the harvesting of whales and other marine mammals under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972.
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Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent. It includes people who indicated their race(s) as "Asian" or reported entries such as "Asian Indian," "Chinese," "Filipino," "Korean," "Japanese," "Vietnamese," and "Other Asian" or provided other detailed Asian responses. They comprise 4.8% of the U.S. population alone, while people who are Asian combined with at least one other race make up 5.6%.
The term Asian American was used informally by activists in the 1960s who sought an alternative to the term Oriental, arguing that the latter was derogatory and colonialist. Formal usage was introduced by academics in the early 1970s, notably by historian Yuji Ichioka, who is credited with popularizing the term. Today, Asian American is the accepted term for most formal purposes, such as government and academic research, although it is often shortened to Asian in common usage.
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Asian Latin American
Asian Latin Americans are Latin Americans of East Asian, Southeast Asian or South Asian descent. Asian Latin Americans have a centuries-long history in the region, starting with Filipinos in the 16th century. The heyday of Asian immigration occurred in the 19th and 20th centuries, however. There are currently more than four million Asian Latin Americans, nearly 1% of Latin America's population. Chinese and Japanese are the group's largest ancestries; other major ones include Filipinos, Koreans, and Indians. Brazil is home to the largest population of Asian Latin Americans, at some 1.5 million. The highest ratio of any country in the region is 5%, in Peru. There has been notable emigration from these communities in recent decades, so that there are now hundreds of thousands of people of Asian Latin American origin in both Japan and the United States.
The first Asian Latin Americans were Filipinos who made their way to Latin America (particularly Mexico) in the 16th century, as sailors, crews, prisoners, slaves, adventurers and soldiers during the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. For two and a half centuries (between 1565 and 1815) many Filipinos sailed on the Manila-Acapulco Galleons, assisting in the Spanish Empire's monopoly in trade. Some of these sailors never returned to the Philippines, and many of their descendants can be found in small communities around Baja California, Sonora, Mexico City, and others.
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Australian American
An Australian American is a citizen of the United States who identifies with an Australian national background. This can include people of European, Asian, African or Pacific Islander backgrounds.
The history of the Australian American population almost follows the story of both British Americans and Irish Americans, as Australia was a British political territory at the time when they first emigrated and most of the settlers were Irish. The first wave of emigration from Australia to the United States came in the 1850s California Gold Rush when mostly Irish migrants who had escaped the Great Irish Famine had previously worked on the Australian goldfields. In San Francisco, the "Sydney Ducks" as they were known, were in violent conflict with nativist locals. Transpacific immigration then dried up while the American Civil War waged. It picked up during the period of Reconstruction, but faltered again when Australia was hit by a depression in the late 1890s. Immigration to the United States peaked in the years following World War II, due to America's increased economic activity, and the exodus of 15,000 Australian war brides who married U.S. servicemen. From 1971 to 1990, more than 86,400 Australians and New Zealanders immigrated to the United States.
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Belizean American
Belizeans are people originating in the Central American nation of Belize whether they live there or in the Belizean diaspora.
About 1 out of every 3 Belizeans now live overseas and outside of Belize; the majority have migrated to Anglophone countries, especially the United States, where there are some 175,000 Belizeans, and the United Kingdom, with around 3,000 Belizeans. Smaller numbers now live in Canada.
Kriols and other ethnic groups are emigrating mostly to the United States, but also to the United Kingdom and other developed nations for better opportunities. Based on the latest U.S. Census, the number of Belizeans in the United States is approximately 175,000 (including 70,000 legal residents and naturalised citizens), consisting mainly of Kriols and Garinagu.
Demographics of Belize
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Brazilian American
Brazilian Americans are Americans of Brazilian origin. There were an estimated 351,914 Brazilian Americans as of 2008, according to the United States Census Bureau. Another source gives an estimate of some 800,000 Brazilians living in the U.S. in 2000, while still another estimates that as of 2008[update] some 1,100,000 Brazilians live in the United States, 300,000 of them in Florida.
The official United States Census category of Hispanic or Latino is limited explicitly to people of "Spanish culture or origin", and therefore does not include Brazilian Americans.
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Canadian American
A Canadian American is someone who was born or someone who grew up in Canada then moved to the United States. The term is particularly apt when applied or self-applied to people with strong ties to Canada, such as those who have lived a significant portion of their lives in, or were educated in, Canada, and then relocated to the United States. To others, especially for those living in New England or the Mid-Western States, a Canadian American is one whose ancestors came from Canada.
The term Canadian refers to some as nationality, and to others as ethnicity. English-speaking Canadian immigrants easily integrate and assimilate into American culture and society as a result of the cultural similarities and in the vocabulary and accent in spoken English. French-speaking Canadians, because of language, culture, and religion, tend to take longer to assimilate. However, by the 3rd generation, the assimilation is complete, and the Canadian identity is more or less folklore. This took place, even though half of the population of the Quebec province immigrated to the US between 1840 and 1930. Many New England cities formed Little Canadas, but much of this has gradually disappeared. A revival of the Canadian identity has taken place in the mid-western states, where Canadian Americans are older than 7–8 generations. These states had been part of Canada up until 1783. A return to their roots seems to be taking place, with a greater interest in all things that are Canadian.
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Chamorro people
The Chamorro people, or Chamoru people, are the indigenous peoples of the Mariana Islands, which include the United States territory of Guam and the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Micronesia. Today, significant Chamoru populations also exist in several U.S. states including Hawaii, California, Washington, Texas and Nevada. According to the 2000 Census, approximately 65,000 people of Chamoru ancestry live on Guam and another 19,000 live in the Northern Marianas. Another 93,000 live outside the Marianas in Hawaii and the West/Pacific coast of the United States. The Chamoru are primarily of Austronesian stock.
Most Chamorros are Roman Catholic and few in the Marianas still maintain some customs and beliefs from the time before the first European conquests; some residents of the Marianas will still ask permission from ancestral spirits before entering parts of jungles. Traditional healers called suruhanas are still greatly respected for their knowledge of herbal treatments and spirits. Before Spanish colonization, Chamoru life centered on one's clan. Chamorro culture is strongly influenced by Spanish, Filipino, Japanese, and American customs; in addition, Chamorro food is also influenced by the various groups mentioned previously. Today, large extended families remain central to life in the Marianas.
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Chinese American
Chinese Americans (Chinese: trad. 華裔美國人, simp. 华裔美国人, pin. Huáyì Měiguórén; t 美籍華人, s 美籍华人, p Měijí Huárén) are Americans of Chinese – particularly Han Chinese – descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans are immigrants along with their descendants from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, as well as Malaysia, Singapore, and other countries in Southeast Asia and South America that include large populations of Chinese diaspora. Overall demographic research tends to include immigrants from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan as well as overseas Chinese who have immigrated from South East Asia into the broadly defined Chinese American category as both the governments of the Republic of China and the United States refer Taiwanese Americans as a separate subgroup of Chinese Americans.
The Chinese American community is the largest overseas Chinese community in North America, closely followed by the Chinese communities in Canada and Mexico. It is also the fourth largest in the Chinese diaspora, behind the Chinese communities in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The Chinese American community is the largest ethnic group of Asian Americans, comprising 25.9% of the Asian American population as of 2010. They constitute 1.2% of the United States, including those with partial Chinese ancestry. According to the 2010 census, the Chinese American population numbered approximately 3.8 million.
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Colombian American
Colombian Americans are citizens of the United States who trace their nationality or heritage from the South American nation of Colombia. They are the largest South American ethnic group in the United States.
The first Colombians inmigrants that settled in the United States arrived, probably, in the nineteenth century. However, the Colombian presence in United States would not be known with certainty since the federal census did not specify the country of origin for South Americans until 1960. These immigrants did not maintain any relation with their native countries, just until a few generations after, they identify themselves only as Americans.
The first Colombian community formed after World War I, through the arrival of several hundred professionals (nurses, accountants, laboratory technicians, pharmacists, and bilingual secretaries) that established to New York City; more late, were added to community the students who decided stay on after earning their degrees. Most immigrants settled in Jackson Heights, a middle-class neighborhood in Queens, that have good houses, school and churches. The growth of neighborhood was slow until 1940, when increase the Colombian immigration to New York.
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Cuban American
A Cuban American (Spanish: Cubano estadounidense) is a United States citizen who traces his or her "national origin" to Cuba. Cuban Americans are also considered native born Americans with Cuban ancestry or Cuban-born persons who were raised and educated in US. Cuban Americans form the third-largest Hispanic group in the United States and also the largest group of Hispanics of European ancestry (predominantly Spanish) as a percentage but not in numbers.
Many communities throughout the United States have significant Cuban American populations. However Miami, Florida, with a Cuban American population of 856,007 in its environs, stands out as the most prominent Cuban American community, in part because of its proximity to Cuba. It is followed by the Tampa Bay Area and North Hudson, New Jersey, particularly Union City and West New York. With a population of 141,250, the New York metropolitan area's Cuban community is the largest Cuban-American community outside of Florida.
Prior to the Louisiana Purchase and the Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819, all of Florida and Louisiana were provinces of the Captaincy General of Cuba (Captain General being the Spanish title equivalent to the British colonial Governor). Consequently, Cuban immigration to the U.S. has a long history, beginning in the Spanish colonial period in 1565 when St. Augustine, Florida was established by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, and hundreds of Spanish-Cuban soldiers and their families moved from Cuba to St. Augustine to establish a new life. Thousands of Cuban settlers also immigrated to Louisiana between 1778 and 1802 and Texas during the period of Spanish rule.[citation needed]
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Filipino American
Filipino Americans are Americans of Filipino ancestry, including those who migrated from the Philippines. There are over 3.4 million people of Filipino descent residing in the United States, according to the 2010 United States Census. Filipino Americans make up about 1.1% of the country's population and making them the second largest Asian American subgroup. The Philippines is also one of the major sources of immigration into the United States.
The term Filipino American is sometimes shortened to "Fil-Ams", or "Pinoy". Some Filipinos believe that the term Pinoy was coined by the early Filipinos who came to the United States to distinguish themselves from Filipinos living in the Philippines.
Filipinos in what is now the United States were first documented in the 16th century, with small settlements beginning in the 18th century. Mass migration did not begin until the early 20th Century when the Philippines was ceded by Spain to the United States in the Treaty of Paris. The Philippines' independence recognized by the United States on July 4, 1946. Immigration was reduced significantly during the 1930s, except for those who served in the United States Navy, and increased following immigration reform in the 1960s.
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German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 50 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group.California, Texas and Pennsylvania have the largest numbers of German origin, although upper Midwestern states, including Ohio, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and the Dakotas, have the highest proportion of German Americans at over one-third.
None of the historical German states had overseas colonies, so not until the 1680s did the first significant groups of German immigrants arrive in the British colonies, settling primarily in New York and Pennsylvania. Immigration continued in very large numbers during the 19th century, with some eight million arrivals from Germany. They were pulled by the attractions of land and religious freedom, and pushed out of Europe by shortages of land and religious or political oppression. Many arrived seeking religious or political freedom, others for economic opportunities greater than those in Europe, and others simply for the chance to start fresh in the New World. The arrivals before 1850 were mostly farmers who sought out the most productive land, where their intensive farming techniques would pay off. After 1840, many came to cities, where "Germania"—German-speaking districts—soon emerged.
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Indian American
Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestral roots lie in India. The U.S. Census Bureau uses the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with the indigenous peoples of the Americas commonly referred to as American Indians.
In North America, the term Indian has an ambiguous meaning. In the western hemisphere, historically and currently, Indian has been commonly used to refer to the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Qualifying terms such as American Indian and East Indian were and are commonly used to avoid ambiguity.
While East Indian remains in use, South Asian is often chosen instead. The U.S. government coined Native American to refer to the indigenous peoples of the United States, but American Indian remains popular among the indigenous and general populations.
People of Indian origin often prefer the term Desi to refer to the diasporic subculture of South Asians. Indian Americans are categorized as Asian Indian (and more broadly, Asian American) by the United States Census Bureau.
It was after the Luce–Celler Act of 1946, that Indian Americans were restored naturalization rights in the United States. A number of Indian Americans came to the U.S. via Indian communities in other countries such as the United Kingdom and Canada, in both of which 2% of the population is currently of Indian origin,Mauritius, nations of Southeast Asia such as Malaysia and Singapore, South Africa, Suriname, Guyana, Fiji, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Trinidad & Tobago, and Jamaica.
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Iranian American
Iranian-Americans or Persian-Americans are Americans of Iranian ancestry or people possessing Iranian and American dual citizenship.
Iranian-Americans are amongst the most highly educated groups in the United States. Iranian-Americans have historically excelled in business, academia, the sciences, arts and entertainment – but have traditionally shied away from participating in American politics or other civic activities.
Iranian immigration to the United States has been continuous since the 1980s. Between 1980 and 1990, the number of foreign born from Iran in the United States increased by 74 percent. Today, the United States contains the highest number of Iranians outside of Iran. The Iranian-American community has produced significant numbers of individuals notable in many fields, including medicine, engineering, and business. The community chiefly expanded in the early 1980s, following the Iranian Revolution and its abolition of the Iranian monarchy.
Iranian American is used interchangeably as Persian-American, partially due to the fact that Iran was called Persia officially prior to 1935; as well as the fact that Iran and Persia continue to be used interchangeably since classic times. There is a tendency among Iranian-Americans to categorize themselves as "Persian" rather than "Iranian", mainly to disassociate themselves from the Iranian regime and the negativity associated with it. Majority of Iranian-Americans are of Persian-speaking backgrounds, however there is also a significant number of non-Persian Iranians within the Iranian-American community, leading some scholars to believe that the label "Iranian" is more inclusive, since the label "Persian" excludes non-Persian minorities from Iran. The Collins English Dictionary uses a variety of similar and overlapping definitions for the terms "Persian" and "Iranian".
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Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. Roughly another 3.5 million (or about another 1.2% of Americans) identified more specifically with Scotch-Irish ancestry. The Irish diaspora population in the United States is roughly 6 times the modern population of Ireland.
The only self-reported ancestral group larger than Irish Americans is German Americans. The Irish are widely dispersed in terms of geography, and demographics. Irish American political leaders have played a major role in local and national politics since before the American Revolutionary War: eight Irish Americans signed the United States Declaration of Independence, and 22 American Presidents, from Andrew Jackson to Barack Obama, have been at least partly of Irish ancestry. (See "American Presidents with Irish ancestry" below.)
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Italian American
An Italian American (Italian: Italoamericano singular, Italian: Italoamericani plural), is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship. Italian Americans are the fourth largest European ethnic group in the United States (not including American ethnicity, an ethnonym used by many in the United States; overall, Italian Americans rank seventh, behind German, Irish, African American, English, American and Mexican).
About 5.5 million Italians immigrated to the U.S. from 1820 to 2004. The greatest surge of immigration, which occurred in the period between 1880 and 1920, alone brought more than 4 million Italians to America. About 80% of the Italian immigrants came from Southern Italy, especially from Sicily, Campania, Abruzzo and Calabria. This was a largely agricultural and overpopulated region, where much of the populace had been impoverished by centuries of foreign misrule, and the economic measures imposed on the South after Italian unification in 1861 . After unification the Italian government initially encouraged emigration of landless peasants to relieve economic pressures in the South. In the U.S., most Italians began their new lives as unskilled, manual workers in Eastern cities, mining camps and in agriculture. Italian Americans gradually moved from the lower rungs of the economic scale in 1890-1910 to a level comparable to the national average by 1970. By 1990, more than 65% of Italian Americans were managerial, professional, or white-collar workers. The Italian-American communities have often been characterized by strong ties with family, the Catholic Church, fraternal organizations and political parties. Today, over 17.8 million Americans claim Italian ancestry.
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Japanese American
Japanese Americans (日系米国人, Nikkei Beikokujin?) are American people of Japanese heritage. Japanese Americans have historically been among the three largest Asian American communities, but in recent decades, it have become the sixth largest group at roughly 1,304,286, including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity. In the 2000 census, the largest Japanese American communities were found in California with 394,896, Hawaii with 296,674, Washington with 56,210, New York with 45,237, and Illinois with 27,702.
People from Japan began migrating to the U.S. in significant numbers following the political, cultural, and social changes stemming from the 1868 Meiji Restoration. Particularly after the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, Japanese immigrants were sought by industrialists to replace the Chinese immigrants. In 1907, the "Gentlemen's Agreement" between the governments of Japan and the U.S. ended immigration of Japanese workers (i.e., men), but permitted the immigration of spouses of Japanese immigrants already in the U.S. The Immigration Act of 1924 banned the immigration of all but a token few Japanese.
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Mexican American
Mexican Americans are Americans of Mexican descent. As of July 2009, Mexican Americans make up 10.3% of the United States' population with over 31,689,000 Americans listed as of Mexican ancestry. Mexican Americans comprise 66% of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States. The United States is home to the second largest Mexican community in the world second only to Mexico itself comprising nearly 22% of the entire Mexican origin population of the world. Canada is a distant third with a Mexican origin population of 37,000 as of 2001 although increasing to 61,505 as of 2006. In addition, as of 2008 there were approximately 7,000,000 undocumented Mexicans living in the United States which if included in the count would increase the US share to over 28% of the world's Mexican origin population (Note that some of the undocumented would be captured in the US Census count depending on their willingness to provide information). Over 60% of all Mexican Americans reside in the states of California and Texas. Most Mexican Americans are the descendants of the Indigenous peoples of Mexico and/or Europeans, especially Spaniards.
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Native Hawaiian
Native Hawaiians (in Hawaiian, kānaka ʻōiwi, kānaka maoli or Hawaiʻi maoli) refers to the indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands or their descendants. Native Hawaiians trace their ancestry back to the original Polynesian settlers of Hawaii.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau report for 2000, there are 401,162 people who identified themselves as being "native Hawaiian" alone or in any combination. 140,652 people identified themselves as being "native Hawaiian" alone. The majority of native Hawaiians reside in State of Hawaiʻi, California, Nevada and Washington. Two-thirds live in the State of Hawaiʻi while the other one-third is scattered among other states with a high concentration in California.
The history of native Hawaiians, and of Hawaiʻi in general, is classified into four major periods: antiquity (Ancient Hawaiʻi), monarchy (Kingdom of Hawaiʻi), territorial (Territory of Hawaiʻi), and statehood (State of Hawaiʻi).
The early settlement history of Hawaiʻi is still not completely resolved. Some believe that the first Polynesians arrived in Hawaiʻi in the 3rd century from the Marquesas and were followed by Tahitian settlers in AD 1300 who conquered the original inhabitants. Others believe that there was only a single, extended period of settlement. Patrick Kirch, in his 2001 Hawaiki, argues for an extended period of contact but not necessarily for a Tahitian invasion:
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Native Hawaiians
Native Hawaiians (in Hawaiian, kānaka ʻōiwi, kānaka maoli or Hawaiʻi maoli) refers to the indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands or their descendants. Native Hawaiians trace their ancestry back to the original Polynesian settlers of Hawaii.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau report for 2000, there are 401,162 people who identified themselves as being "native Hawaiian" alone or in any combination. 140,652 people identified themselves as being "native Hawaiian" alone. The majority of native Hawaiians reside in State of Hawaiʻi, California, Nevada and Washington. Two-thirds live in the State of Hawaiʻi while the other one-third is scattered among other states with a high concentration in California.
The history of native Hawaiians, and of Hawaiʻi in general, is classified into four major periods: antiquity (Ancient Hawaiʻi), monarchy (Kingdom of Hawaiʻi), territorial (Territory of Hawaiʻi), and statehood (State of Hawaiʻi).
The early settlement history of Hawaiʻi is still not completely resolved. Some believe that the first Polynesians arrived in Hawaiʻi in the 3rd century from the Marquesas and were followed by Tahitian settlers in AD 1300 who conquered the original inhabitants. Others believe that there was only a single, extended period of settlement. Patrick Kirch, in his 2001 Hawaiki, argues for an extended period of contact but not necessarily for a Tahitian invasion:
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Non-Hispanic Whites
Non-Hispanic Whites or White, Not Hispanic or Latino are people in the United States, as defined by the Census Bureau, who are of the White race and are not of Hispanic or Latino origin/ethnicity. Hence the designation is exclusive in the sense that it defines who is not included as opposed to who is. Non-Hispanic Whites are a subset of White Americans, the other being White Hispanic and Latino Americans.
The vast majority of Non-Hispanic Whites trace their origins to Europe. A small number have origin in North Africa or the Middle East. In the U.S., this population was first derived from British and French colonization, as well as settlement by other Europeans, such as the Germans and Dutch that began in the 17th century (see History of the United States). Continued growth since the early 1800s is attributed to massive immigration from European countries, mainly Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Poland, Russia, among other nations. At an estimated 199.3 million in 2009, Non-Hispanic Whites compose a solid majority of the United States population.
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Polish American
A Polish American (Polish: Amerykanin polskiego pochodzenia), is a citizen of the United States of Polish descent. There are an estimated 10 million Polish Americans, representing about 3.2% of the population of the United States. No distinction is made in the American census between ethnically Polish Americans and descendants of non-ethnic Poles, such as Jews or Ukrainians, who were born in the territory of Poland and considered themselves Polish nationals. Therefore, some say, of the 10 million Polish Americans, only a certain portion are of Polish ethnic descent. On the other hand, many ethnic Poles when entering the US from 1795–1917, when Poland did not exist, did not identify themselves as ethnic Poles and instead identified themselves as either German, Austrian or Russian (this pertained to the nations occupying Poland from 1795–1917). Therefore, the actual amount of Americans of at least partial Polish ancestry, could be well over 10 million. Polish Americans are the largest European ethnic group in the United States of Slavic origin.
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Spanish people
The term Spanish people (or Spaniards) has two distinct meanings: Traditionally, it applies to people native to any part of Spain. More recently, it has also come to have a legal meaning, referring to people who hold Spanish citizenship.
Within Spain there are a number of nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history. The official language of Spain is Spanish (also known as Castilian), a standard language based on the mediaeval dialect of the Castilians of north-central Spain. There are several commonly spoken regional languages. With the exception of Basque, the languages native to Spain are Romance languages.
There are substantial populations outside Spain with ancestors who emigrated from Spain; most notably in Latin America.
The earliest modern humans inhabiting Spain are believed to have been Neolithic peoples who may have arrived in the Iberian Peninsula as early as 35,000–40,000 years ago. In more recent times the Iberians are believed to have arrived or developed in the region between the 4th millennium BC and the 3rd millennium BC, initially settling along the Mediterranean coast. Celts settled in Spain during the Iron Age. Some of those tribes in North-central Spain, which had cultural contact with the Iberians, are called Celtiberians. In addition, a group known as the Tartessians and later Turdetanians inhabited southwestern Spain and who are believed to have developed a separate civilization of Phoenician influence. The seafaring Phoenicians, Greeks, and Carthaginians successively founded trading colonies along the Mediterranean coast over a period of several centuries. The Second Punic War between the Carthaginians and Romans was fought mainly in what is now Spain and Portugal.
wn.com/Spanish_people -
Turkish Americans
Turkish Americans (Turkish: Amerikalı Türkler) are people who have Turkish ancestry and are citizens of the United States.
Early Turkish immigrants to the United States were predominantly from Turkey's rural community. They settled in large, industrial cities and found employment as unskilled laborers. The majority came to economically support their families in Turkey where economy suffered severely from the last World War. After the 1950s, a well-skilled and highly educated group immigrated to the United States, the majority being medical doctors, engineers, and scientists. Today, Turkish Americans are visible in virtually every community and walk of life.
Significant data shows an astounding number of sixteenth-century Mediterranean Sea clashes between the Ottoman fleets and the Portuguese. Many Turkish and Moorish seamen ended up as Portuguese galley slaves bound for the Canary Islands and the New World. The presence of Turks in the Americas dates to the 17th century. Ottoman mariners and prisoners of war forced to slave labor on numerous Spanish galleons, have also allegedly escaped when some of these ships were wrecked near American shores and settled among Indians. Some Melungeon researchers claim Melungeons descend from these Ottomans. However, this has since been disproven . The myth of Sir Francis Drake leaving a large number of Turks on Roanoke Island in 1586 has been thoroughly debunked.
wn.com/Turkish_Americans -
Vietnamese American
A Vietnamese American (Vietnamese: Người Mỹ gốc Việt) is an American of Vietnamese descent. They make up about half of all overseas Vietnamese (Người Việt Hải Ngoại) and are the fourth-largest Asian American group.
Mass Vietnamese immigration to the United States started after 1975, after the end of the Vietnam War. Early immigrants were refugee boat people fleeing persecution or poverty. Forced to flee from their homeland and often thrust into poor urban neighborhoods, these newcomers have nevertheless managed to establish strong communities in a short amount of time. More than sixty percent of Vietnamese Americans reside in the states of California, Texas, Washington, Florida, and Virginia.
As a relatively recent immigrant group, most Vietnamese Americans are either first- or second-generation Americans. They have the lowest distribution of people with more than one race among the major Asian American groups. As many as one million people who are five years and older speak Vietnamese at home—making it the seventh-most spoken language in the United States. As refugees, Vietnamese Americans have some of the highest rates of naturalization. In the 2006 American Community Survey, 72% of foreign-born Vietnamese are naturalized US citizens; this combined with the 36% who are born in the United States makes 82% of them United States citizen in total. Of those born outside the United States, 46.5% entered before 1990, 38.8% between 1990 and 2000, and 14.6% entered after 2000.
wn.com/Vietnamese_American -
White American
White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. It includes people who reported “White” or wrote in entries such as Irish, German, Italian, Lebanese, Near Easterner, Arab, or Polish." Like all official U.S. racial categories, "White" has a "Not Hispanic or Latino" and a "Hispanic or Latino" component, the latter consisting mostly of White Mexican Americans and white Cuban Americans. The term "Caucasian" is often used interchangeably with "White", despite the fact they are not synonymous.
German Americans (16.5%), Irish Americans (11.9%), English Americans (9.0%), Italian Americans (5.8%), French Americans (4%), Polish Americans (3%), Scottish Americans (1.9%), Dutch Americans (1.6%), Norwegian Americans (1.5%), and Swedish Americans (1.4%) constitute the ten largest White American ancestries. Whites constitute the majority, with a total of 223,553,265 or 72.4% of the population in the 2010 United States Census.
wn.com/White_American
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Census Bureau Hispanic Recruitment Video
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:50
- Updated: 03 Aug 2012
The Census is seeking creative individuals from diverse backgrounds, including talented Hispanics.
http://wn.com/Census_Bureau_Hispanic_Recruitment_Video
The Census is seeking creative individuals from diverse backgrounds, including talented Hispanics.
The New American Reality
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:52
- Updated: 08 Dec 2012
You've probably read the headlines: "New census milestone: Hispanics reach 50 million"; "US Hispanic population tops 50 million" and one of our favorites "Los USA -- Latino Populations Grow Faster with Wider Spread." The US Census numbers have confirmed that the Hispanic population has reached an important milestone, the 50 million mark. We are waking up to a new reality, a new face of America. The New American Reality video speaks to the unique experience of being Latino in America today. Univision is proud to Inform, Entertain and Empower the Hispanic community. To learn more about how we reach the Hispanic consumer, please visit www.univision.com/seewhatyouaremissing
http://wn.com/The_New_American_Reality
You've probably read the headlines: "New census milestone: Hispanics reach 50 million"; "US Hispanic population tops 50 million" and one of our favorites "Los USA -- Latino Populations Grow Faster with Wider Spread." The US Census numbers have confirmed that the Hispanic population has reached an important milestone, the 50 million mark. We are waking up to a new reality, a new face of America. The New American Reality video speaks to the unique experience of being Latino in America today. Univision is proud to Inform, Entertain and Empower the Hispanic community. To learn more about how we reach the Hispanic consumer, please visit www.univision.com/seewhatyouaremissing
- published: 08 Apr 2011
- views: 192998
- author: Univision
Census changes criteria for Hispanic American Indians
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:37
- Updated: 24 Nov 2010
www.news8austin.com 2/15/2010 9:43 PM By: Heidi Zhou Mario Garza said the new Census is a total change from the past. The US Census has changed the way it collects information about Hispanics and American Indians, in a way that could help the latter gain more recognition.
http://wn.com/Census_changes_criteria_for_Hispanic_American_Indians
www.news8austin.com 2/15/2010 9:43 PM By: Heidi Zhou Mario Garza said the new Census is a total change from the past. The US Census has changed the way it collects information about Hispanics and American Indians, in a way that could help the latter gain more recognition.
- published: 17 Mar 2010
- views: 219
- author: Joel Tena
The Sleeping Monster: US Census Reveals Huge Hispanic Growth in GOP Red States
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:07
- Updated: 29 Sep 2012
http://wn.com/The_Sleeping_Monster_US_Census_Reveals_Huge_Hispanic_Growth_in_GOP_Red_States
- published: 19 Mar 2011
- views: 567
- author: politicalarticles
Multicultural advertising agency GlobalHue: Hispanic US Census spot "Community"
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:31
- Updated: 04 Feb 2011
GlobalHue www.globalhue.com Multicultural advertising agency GlobalHue Hispanic US Census spot "Community"
http://wn.com/Multicultural_advertising_agency_GlobalHue_Hispanic_US_Census_spot_Community
GlobalHue www.globalhue.com Multicultural advertising agency GlobalHue Hispanic US Census spot "Community"
- published: 17 Jun 2010
- views: 332
- author: GlobalHueAgency
Portrait of Hispanic American
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:18
- Updated: 07 Mar 2011
The US Census Bureau's Portrait of Hispanic Americans
http://wn.com/Portrait_of_Hispanic_American
The US Census Bureau's Portrait of Hispanic Americans
- published: 04 Nov 2009
- views: 677
- author: CACensus2010
Famous US born Afro-Hispanic/Latino Americans
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:46
- Updated: 07 Dec 2012
These people are black Hispanics. A lot of stupid Americans think all Hispanics are brown skin. Hispanic is not a race, it's a culture. Read a book and stop being ignorant.
http://wn.com/Famous_US_born_Afro-Hispanic_Latino_Americans
These people are black Hispanics. A lot of stupid Americans think all Hispanics are brown skin. Hispanic is not a race, it's a culture. Read a book and stop being ignorant.
- published: 09 Sep 2011
- views: 10092
- author: DaBigSun
Famous US born Afro-Hispanics who are ethnically African American
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:35
- Updated: 06 Dec 2012
===The Black Population: 2000 Census=== 34658190 African Americans (including Hispanics) living in the US - 12.9% - 2000 Census 33947837 African Americans of non Hispanic origin. - 12.6% - 2000 Census 710353 African Americans of Hispanic origin (Afro-Hispanic/Afro-Latino). - 0.3% - 2000 Census ===The Black Population: 2010 Census=== 38929319 African Americans (including Hispanics) living in the US - 13.0% - 2010 Census 37685848 African Americans of non Hispanic origin. - 12.6% - 2010 Census 1243471 African Americans of Hispanic origin (Afro-Hispanic/Afro-Latino). - 0.4% - 2010 Census ===Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin: 2010 Census=== 1243471 African Americans of Hispanic origin (Afro-Hispanic/Afro-Latino). - 2.5% - 2010 Census ===The Black Population: 2010=== www.census.gov ===Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin: 2010=== www.census.gov I don't see Afro-Hispanics as African American since their culturally different from African Americans who are descendants of African American slaves however according to the US Census, Afro-Hispanics are ethnically African American since their of African descent.
http://wn.com/Famous_US_born_Afro-Hispanics_who_are_ethnically_African_American
===The Black Population: 2000 Census=== 34658190 African Americans (including Hispanics) living in the US - 12.9% - 2000 Census 33947837 African Americans of non Hispanic origin. - 12.6% - 2000 Census 710353 African Americans of Hispanic origin (Afro-Hispanic/Afro-Latino). - 0.3% - 2000 Census ===The Black Population: 2010 Census=== 38929319 African Americans (including Hispanics) living in the US - 13.0% - 2010 Census 37685848 African Americans of non Hispanic origin. - 12.6% - 2010 Census 1243471 African Americans of Hispanic origin (Afro-Hispanic/Afro-Latino). - 0.4% - 2010 Census ===Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin: 2010 Census=== 1243471 African Americans of Hispanic origin (Afro-Hispanic/Afro-Latino). - 2.5% - 2010 Census ===The Black Population: 2010=== www.census.gov ===Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin: 2010=== www.census.gov I don't see Afro-Hispanics as African American since their culturally different from African Americans who are descendants of African American slaves however according to the US Census, Afro-Hispanics are ethnically African American since their of African descent.
- published: 02 Mar 2012
- views: 9337
- author: AfroPrideTV
Hispanic US Census: Community
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:31
- Updated: 01 Dec 2011
http://wn.com/Hispanic_US_Census_Community
- published: 01 Dec 2011
- views: 34
- author: GlobalHueAgency
Famous US born white Hispanic/Latino Americans
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:32
- Updated: 08 Dec 2012
These people are white Hispanics. A lot of stupid Americans think all Hispanics are brown skin. Hispanic is not a race, it's a culture. Read a book and stop being ignorant.
http://wn.com/Famous_US_born_white_Hispanic_Latino_Americans
These people are white Hispanics. A lot of stupid Americans think all Hispanics are brown skin. Hispanic is not a race, it's a culture. Read a book and stop being ignorant.
- published: 20 Aug 2011
- views: 14102
- author: DaBigSun
Latino change for America
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:30
- Updated: 02 Nov 2012
The recent US Census indicated Latinos continue to become a bigger chunk of the American population. With growing numbers come a series of political and social changes to the country. The numbers indicate a growth in Latino political clout will change American politics. Mark Lopez, the associate director of the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington explained the rise in Latinos will change the American political map, but he said the population will not always support just one party.
http://wn.com/Latino_change_for_America
The recent US Census indicated Latinos continue to become a bigger chunk of the American population. With growing numbers come a series of political and social changes to the country. The numbers indicate a growth in Latino political clout will change American politics. Mark Lopez, the associate director of the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington explained the rise in Latinos will change the American political map, but he said the population will not always support just one party.
- published: 14 Jan 2011
- views: 2158
- author: RTAmerica
Why does the Census Bureau collect information on Hispanic origin?
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:06
- Updated: 01 Jun 2011
Learn the importance of the Hispanic Origin question and why it is asked.
http://wn.com/Why_does_the_Census_Bureau_collect_information_on_Hispanic_origin?
Learn the importance of the Hispanic Origin question and why it is asked.
- published: 26 Apr 2010
- views: 321
- author: uscensusbureau
Hispanic or Latino - Growing Target Market
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:23
- Updated: 14 Apr 2012
Hispanics or Latinos defined by the 2000 US Census. Market to Hispanic / Latino, the growing populations. Many business opportunities in the fast moving market. Where are they spending their dollars? Marketing to Hispanics / Latinos is the way to increase your business. Don't get left behind!
http://wn.com/Hispanic_or_Latino_Growing_Target_Market
Hispanics or Latinos defined by the 2000 US Census. Market to Hispanic / Latino, the growing populations. Many business opportunities in the fast moving market. Where are they spending their dollars? Marketing to Hispanics / Latinos is the way to increase your business. Don't get left behind!
- published: 13 Oct 2009
- views: 1790
- author: TheHispanicslatinos
Hispanic and the 2010 Census
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:14
- Updated: 24 Aug 2012
http://wn.com/Hispanic_and_the_2010_Census
- published: 09 Jul 2009
- views: 1875
- author: MasExpression
The United States of Hispanic America
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:22
- Updated: 06 Dec 2012
Projections of the US 2010 Census shows Latinos continue to become a bigger chunk of the US population. With those huge numbers, come a series of political and social changes to the country. RT's Ramon Galindo goes beyond the numbers to show how Latino families are changing America.
http://wn.com/The_United_States_of_Hispanic_America
Projections of the US 2010 Census shows Latinos continue to become a bigger chunk of the US population. With those huge numbers, come a series of political and social changes to the country. RT's Ramon Galindo goes beyond the numbers to show how Latino families are changing America.
- published: 14 Jan 2011
- views: 10692
- author: RTAmerica
Ustream Event: 2010 Census Brief -- Hispanic Popluation
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 14:23
- Updated: 14 Oct 2012
Census Bureau statisticians Merarys Rios and Sharon Ennis discuss new details on the Hispanic population in the United States, as outlined in the newly released 2010 Census Brief; including the growth and geographic distribution of Hispanic origin groups, such as Mexican, Puerto Rican and Cuban. Recorded on 5/31/2011 - Captured Live on Ustream at www.ustream.tv
http://wn.com/Ustream_Event_2010_Census_Brief_-_Hispanic_Popluation
Census Bureau statisticians Merarys Rios and Sharon Ennis discuss new details on the Hispanic population in the United States, as outlined in the newly released 2010 Census Brief; including the growth and geographic distribution of Hispanic origin groups, such as Mexican, Puerto Rican and Cuban. Recorded on 5/31/2011 - Captured Live on Ustream at www.ustream.tv
- published: 31 May 2011
- views: 12433
- author: uscensusbureau
Census Data Show Hispanic Boom; Blacks Leave Cities for South, Suburbs
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 12:19
- Updated: 27 Sep 2012
Read the Transcript: to.pbs.org New census data on race and migration released this week show minorities accounted for 90 percent of the growth in the US during the past decade. Ray Suarez discusses the new numbers with the Brookings Institution's William Frey, author Isabel Wilkerson and the Pew Hispanic Center's Mark Hugo Lopez.
http://wn.com/Census_Data_Show_Hispanic_Boom;_Blacks_Leave_Cities_for_South,_Suburbs
Read the Transcript: to.pbs.org New census data on race and migration released this week show minorities accounted for 90 percent of the growth in the US during the past decade. Ray Suarez discusses the new numbers with the Brookings Institution's William Frey, author Isabel Wilkerson and the Pew Hispanic Center's Mark Hugo Lopez.
- published: 25 Mar 2011
- views: 3529
- author: PBSNewsHour
Census Reveals Growing Latino Population
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:20
- Updated: 27 Sep 2012
The most recent US Census data reveals that Maryland's Latino population has grown more than 100 percent in some counties. CTV's Patricia Villone reports.
http://wn.com/Census_Reveals_Growing_Latino_Population
The most recent US Census data reveals that Maryland's Latino population has grown more than 100 percent in some counties. CTV's Patricia Villone reports.
- published: 18 Feb 2011
- views: 1374
- author: pgctvonline
(part 1 of 4) Latino Social, Political, Economic Impact of New Census Numbers
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 12:06
- Updated: 30 Sep 2012
Newlink Conversations. "The number of Hispanics surpassed the 50 million mark, growing 43% and accounting for more than half the national growth since 2000, according to the Census Bureau's first release of detailed 2010 national data. By contrast, the non-Hispanic population grew 5%". "Hispanics now make up 16% of the USA's 308.7 million people. For the first time, they increased faster than blacks and whites in the South. Hispanics doubled in South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas." PANELISTS: Cesar Melgoza is a leading innovator and thought‐leader in business strategy, cultural insights and the development of marketing systems and analytics. Having worked at two Silicon Valley firms — Apple and Strategic Mapping — César founded Geoscape to deepen insights and analytics in an increasingly diverse American and international marketplace. Raul E. Cisneros is the Chief of Media Relations in the Public Information Office at the US Census Bureau. He is responsible for public affairs and media relations activities supporting the 2010 Census, the American Community Survey and other Census Bureau programs. Eduardo A. Gamarra, managing partner at Newlink Research, received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Pittsburgh in 1987. He has been affiliated with Florida International University since 1986 where he is currently professor of Latin American and Caribbean politics in the department of politics and ...
http://wn.com/part_1_of_4_Latino_Social,_Political,_Economic_Impact_of_New_Census_Numbers
Newlink Conversations. "The number of Hispanics surpassed the 50 million mark, growing 43% and accounting for more than half the national growth since 2000, according to the Census Bureau's first release of detailed 2010 national data. By contrast, the non-Hispanic population grew 5%". "Hispanics now make up 16% of the USA's 308.7 million people. For the first time, they increased faster than blacks and whites in the South. Hispanics doubled in South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas." PANELISTS: Cesar Melgoza is a leading innovator and thought‐leader in business strategy, cultural insights and the development of marketing systems and analytics. Having worked at two Silicon Valley firms — Apple and Strategic Mapping — César founded Geoscape to deepen insights and analytics in an increasingly diverse American and international marketplace. Raul E. Cisneros is the Chief of Media Relations in the Public Information Office at the US Census Bureau. He is responsible for public affairs and media relations activities supporting the 2010 Census, the American Community Survey and other Census Bureau programs. Eduardo A. Gamarra, managing partner at Newlink Research, received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Pittsburgh in 1987. He has been affiliated with Florida International University since 1986 where he is currently professor of Latin American and Caribbean politics in the department of politics and ...
- published: 26 May 2011
- views: 402
- author: newlinkamerica
Famous US born Asian-Hispanic/Latino Americans
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:55
- Updated: 27 Nov 2012
www.colorq.org www.amoeba.com thehispanicmyth.com
http://wn.com/Famous_US_born_Asian-Hispanic_Latino_Americans
www.colorq.org www.amoeba.com thehispanicmyth.com
- published: 28 Oct 2012
- views: 136
- author: DaBigSun
Rosario Dawson on Latino Census Participation
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:25
- Updated: 21 Nov 2012
Kaylee Hartung spoke with actress and Voto Latino co-founder Rosario Dawson about the importance of Latino participation in the 2010 US Census.
http://wn.com/Rosario_Dawson_on_Latino_Census_Participation
Kaylee Hartung spoke with actress and Voto Latino co-founder Rosario Dawson about the importance of Latino participation in the 2010 US Census.
- published: 25 Mar 2010
- views: 1428
- author: CBS
Rising Hispanic Population Transforming Texas
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:58
- Updated: 14 Nov 2012
Recently released data from the 2010 US census shows significant growth in the nation's Hispanic population. And nowhere has that growth been more dramatic than in the southwestern state of Texas, the state with the biggest overall population increase during the past decade. As VOA's Greg Flakus reports from Houston, Texas, experts say the demographic shifts pose a challenge for the state and that its future prosperity will depend on how Texas meets that challenge.
http://wn.com/Rising_Hispanic_Population_Transforming_Texas
Recently released data from the 2010 US census shows significant growth in the nation's Hispanic population. And nowhere has that growth been more dramatic than in the southwestern state of Texas, the state with the biggest overall population increase during the past decade. As VOA's Greg Flakus reports from Houston, Texas, experts say the demographic shifts pose a challenge for the state and that its future prosperity will depend on how Texas meets that challenge.
- published: 08 Apr 2011
- views: 2950
- author: VOAvideo
Portrait of America - Latino/Hispanic
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:18
- Updated: 18 Jul 2011
This informational program explains how communities benefit from Census Bureau data collection efforts. Testimonials describe the importance of a complete count to the Latino/Hispanic community and why the 2010 Census will be the most important count in our nation's history. Running time 4:00
http://wn.com/Portrait_of_America_Latino_Hispanic
This informational program explains how communities benefit from Census Bureau data collection efforts. Testimonials describe the importance of a complete count to the Latino/Hispanic community and why the 2010 Census will be the most important count in our nation's history. Running time 4:00
- published: 27 Mar 2009
- views: 1479
- author: uscensusbureau
photo: AP / Vahid Salemi
07 Dec 2012
Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling. The in- and out-fighting between present-day Saudi Arabia and Iran is a mirror image of what occurred to Prophet Muhammad's Islamic Movement right after his death ... Still, and due to prosperity and wealth, an influx of trade goods, religious toleration, an emphasis on learning, and increased food supplies, Islam was becoming a vast empire ... Recent U.S ... Dallas Darling (darling@wn.com)....(size: 7.5Kb)
photo: AP / Osama Faisal
08 Dec 2012
There has been a historic shift in the UN climate talks in Qatar, with the prospect of rich nations having to compensate poor nations for losses due to climate change. The US has fiercely opposed the measure - it says the cost could be unlimited. But after angry tussles throughout the night the principle of Loss and Damage is now in the final negotiating text ... The political stakes are high ... "I will block this ... "I will block this ... ....(size: 3.1Kb)
photo: NASA
06 Dec 2012
NASA, the national space agency of the US, on Thursday released a black and white satellite imagery of India Diwali night 2012, cautioning people against the fake image in circulation on the social media ... “The image is based on data collected by the VIIRS ‘day- night band’, which detects light in a range of wavelengths from green to near-infrared ... Keywords....(size: 1.9Kb)
photo: AP / Hassan Ammar
08 Dec 2012
Mohamed Morsi, the Egyptian president, is expected to press ahead with talks on ways to end Egypt's worst crisis since he took office even though the country's main opposition leaders have vowed to boycott negotiations. The capital Cairo and other cities have been rocked by violent protests since November 22, when Morsi issued a decree awarding himself sweeping powers that put him above the law ... 575 Source.. Al Jazeera and agencies ... ....(size: 19.5Kb)
Newsvine
09 Dec 2012
Non-Hispanic whites accounted for 64 percent of the population in 2010 and received 69 percent of the entitlement benefits ... born, according to a 2010 Pew Hispanic Study ... As Cristina Costantini points out in a piece for ABC/Univision, Hispanics created twice as many businesses as the general public since 2000, according to census data....(size: 2.3Kb)
PR Newswire
09 Dec 2012
Google. Download image. , Dec ... Census Bureau.. (Logo ... FROZEN FOOD ... Census Bureau ... 2007 Economic Census, NAICS 31141 ... Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http.//www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button). ... Census Bureau ... http.//www.census.gov. ....(size: 3.1Kb)
GroundReport
09 Dec 2012
Taruselli and her family have lived in Northside Richmond for three years and have watched crime decrease by nearly thirty percent in the area, but this is not be enough for Marcella’s father, Armando Diaz. He wants the Richmond Hispanic Liaison Office, a special police unit that specifically caters to the needs of the Hispanic population of Richmond, to help them better communicate their concerns....(size: 3.1Kb)
Denver Post
09 Dec 2012
Colorado for a generation or two was known as a fairly predictable Republican state for both U.S. presidential and Colorado state legislature elections. This has, as is now well-known, changed ... senators ... House following the 2010 census ... • Hispanics are a fast-growing voter group in Colorado, and Democrats are doing a good job so far of winning their support, particularly when Republicans take hardline stands on immigration issues ... ....(size: 7.0Kb)
Austin American Statesman
09 Dec 2012
As certified-Hispanic firms, both Studio 8 and GarzaBury will help Apple meet the tax rebate deal’s minority contracting goals ... The city has a list of 1,000 firms it has certified as being run by women, as well as Hispanics, blacks and other minorities. For example, the Apple agreement says that at least 9 percent of the money Apple spends to design and build its Northwest Austin expansion should be spent on Hispanic-owned firms....(size: 7.0Kb)
noodls
09 Dec 2012
Hispanic Innovation in Action," an event sponsored by Peace Corps' Office of Diversity and National Outreach ... In addition to Acaba, the panel included Maria Elena Vivas-House, a senior executive director of the Hispanic Association of ... Currently, there are more than 600 Peace Corps volunteers of Hispanic origin serving as volunteers worldwide....(size: 4.8Kb)
Reuters
09 Dec 2012
BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romanians went to the polls on Sunday to elect a new parliament, the European Union member state's seventh free general election since the fall of communism in 1989 ... * COUNTRY DETAILS.. GEOGRAPHY. The area is 237,500 sq km (91,710 sq miles) ... (2011 census). ETHNICITY ... (2011 census) Unofficial estimates say the Roma could represent up to 10 percent of the population. Roma are usually considered Romanian under the census....(size: 3.8Kb)
New York Daily News
09 Dec 2012
The agreement that gave control of the state Senate to Republicans and a handful of breakaway Democrats has touched off charges that the deal will rob minority lawmakers of power they should have ... Their ranks include 14 black or Hispanic lawmakers, including Brooklyn’s John Sampson, who has served as leader ... The coalition dashed the black and Hispanic Democrats’ hope of exercising power. The Rev ... Point one ... Point two ... Among these ... ....(size: 2.2Kb)
LA Daily News
09 Dec 2012
By Dakota Smith, Staff Writerdailynews.com. Posted. 12/08/2012 04.54.32 PM PST. December 9, 2012 1.9 AM GMTUpdated. 12/08/2012 05.07.30 PM PST ... Martinez is running for a Los Angeles City Council District seat ... While Hispanic men have become a powerful force around the horseshoe at City Hall, the impact of Hispanic women has yet to be felt....(size: 2.0Kb)
The Miami Herald
09 Dec 2012
Everybody else is exhausted ... No single act would do more to convince Hispanic voters that the GOP wasn’t innately hostile toward them. That’s crucial because the White House cannot be won by a candidate who scares off Hispanics the way Romney and John McCain did ... 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... Finally, keeping pushing for laws that would allow anyone who looks vaguely Hispanic to be pulled over in their cars and frisked for citizenship documents....(size: 4.8Kb)
The Examiner
09 Dec 2012
Looking at the 26 states plus the District of Columbia that are non-right to work states the median family income as reported by the census bureau is higher than the 24 right to work states but these numbers include income to homes with no earners (consider social security and similar inputs) as opposed to pure wages ... The 2011 census report shows ......(size: 2.2Kb)
The New York Times
09 Dec 2012
All but one of the members of the proposed majority coalition are white; the Senate Democratic caucus includes 14 black and Hispanic members and is led by an African-American ... Many of the elected officials who spoke at the rally made it clear they were concerned that blacks and Hispanics would lose out under the emerging Senate coalition....(size: 9.0Kb)
Signon San Diego
09 Dec 2012
To suggest a topic or a question email ... Peter Nunez, former U.S. attorney in San Diego ... The White House is focused exclusively on amnesty, the DREAM Act, and high tech workers; the House is focused on border security and improving its standing with Hispanics ... No. But, I hope I am wrong ... Since Pres ... Yes. Finally, the GOP is going to realize that Hispanics are the largest-growing population in the country with shared conservative values ... More ... ....(size: 4.2Kb)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin (ethnicity).[1][2]
The racial categories represent a social-political construct for the race or races that respondents consider themselves to be and "generally reflect a social definition of race recognized in this country."[3] OMB defines the concept of race as outlined for the US Census as not "scientific or anthropological" and takes into account "social and cultural characteristics as well as ancestry", using "appropriate scientific methodologies" that are not "primarily biological or genetic in reference."[4] The race categories include both racial and national-origin groups.[5]
Race and ethnicity are considered separate and distinct identities, with Hispanic or Latino origin asked as a separate question. Thus, in addition to their race or races, all respondents are categorized by membership in one of two ethnicities, which are "Hispanic or Latino" and "Not Hispanic or Latino".
In 1997, OMB issued a Federal Register Notice regarding revisions to the standards for the classification of federal data on race and ethnicity.[6] OMB developed race and ethnic standards in order to provide "consistent data on race and ethnicity throughout the Federal Government. The development of the data standards stem in large measure from new responsibilities to enforce civil rights laws." Among the changes, OMB issued the instruction to "mark one or more races" after noting evidence of increasing numbers of interracial children and wanting to capture the diversity in a measurable way, and after having received requests by people who wanted to be able to acknowledge their or their children's full ancestry rather than identifying with only one group. Prior to this decision, the Census and other government data collections asked people to report only one race.[3]
How data on race and ethnicity are used[link]
The OMB states that “many federal programs are put into effect based on the race data obtained from the decennial census (i.e., promoting equal employment opportunities; assessing racial disparities in health and environmental risks). Race data are also critical for the basic research behind many policy decisions. States require these data to meet legislative redistricting requirements. The data are needed to monitor compliance with the Voting Rights Act by local jurisdictions".
"Data on ethnic groups are important for putting into effect a number of federal statutes (i.e., enforcing bilingual election rules under the Voting Rights Act; monitoring and enforcing equal employment opportunities under the Civil Rights Act). Data on Ethnic Groups are also needed by local governments to run programs and meet legislative requirements (i.e., identifying segments of the population who may not be receiving medical services under the Public Health Act; evaluating whether financial institutions are meeting the credit needs of minority populations under the Community Reinvestment Act).”[5]
Brief overview of race and ethnicity in the U.S. Census' history[link]
Further information: Race in the United States
Census 1790[link]
In 1790, first official year of the U.S. Census, the following questions were asked, four of which had racial implications:
- Number of free White males aged under 16 years
- Number of free White males aged 16 years and upward
- Number of free White females
- Number of other free persons
- Number of slaves[7]
In 1800 and 1810, the age question regarding free white males was more detailed.[7]
Census 1820[link]
The 1820 census built on the questions asked in 1810 by asking age questions about the slaves who were formerly owned. Also the term “colored” enters the census nomenclature. In addition, a question stating “Number of foreigners not naturalized” was included.[7]
Census 1830[link]
For the 1830 census, a new question which stated “The number of White persons who were foreigners not naturalized” was included.[7] This reflected the growth of Nativist movements in American society at this time - as well as combining the number and age question of both slaves and free colored individuals.[citation needed]
Census 1850[link]
The 1850 census saw a dramatic shift in the way information about residents was collected. For the first time, free persons were listed individually instead of by head of household. There were two questionnaires: one for free inhabitants and one for slaves. The question on the free inhabitants schedule about color was a column that was to be left blank if a person was white, marked "B" if a person was black, and marked "M" if a person was mulatto. Slaves were listed by owner, and classified by gender and age, not individually, and the question about color was a column that was to be marked with a "B" if the slave was black and an "M" if mulatto.[7]
Census 1870[link]
For the 1870 census, the color/racial question was expanded to include “C” for Chinese, which was a category that included all east Asians, as well as “I” for American Indians.[7]
Census 1890[link]
For 1890, the Census Office changed the design of the population questionnaire. Residents were still listed individually, but a new questionnaire sheet was used for each family. Additionally, this was the first year that the census distinguished between different East Asian races, such as Japanese and Chinese, due to increased immigration. This census also marked the beginning of the term “race” in the questionnaires. Enumerators were instructed to write "White," "Black," "Mulatto," "Quadroon," "Octoroon," "Chinese," "Japanese," or "Indian."[7]
Census 1900[link]
For 1900, the “Color or Race” question was slightly modified, removing the term “Mulatto”. Also, there was an inclusion of an “Indian Population Schedule” in which “enumerators were instructed to use a special expanded questionnaire for American Indians living on reservations or in family groups off of reservations.” This expanded version included the question “Fraction of person's lineage that is white.”[7]
Census 1910[link]
The 1910 census was similar to that of 1900, but it included a re-insertion of “Mulatto” and a question about the respondent's "mother tongue.” “Ot” was also added to signify "other races", with space for a race to be written in. This decade's version of the Indian Population Schedule featured questions asking the individual’s proportion of white, black, or American Indian lineage.[7]
Census 1920[link]
The 1920 census questionnaire was similar to 1910, but excluded a separate schedule for American Indians. “Hin”, “Kor”, and “Fil” were also added to the “Color or Race” question, signifying Hindu (South Asia Indian), Korean, and Filipino, respectively.[7]
Census 1930[link]
The biggest change in this year’s census was in racial classification. Enumerators were instructed to no longer use the "Mulatto" classification. Instead, they were given special instructions for reporting the race of interracial persons. A person with both white and black ancestry (termed "blood") was to be recorded as "Negro," no matter the fraction of that lineage (the "one-drop rule"). A person of mixed Black and American Indian ancestry was also to be recorded as "Neg" (for "Negro") unless he was considered to be "predominantly" American Indian and accepted as such within the community. A person with both White and American Indian ancestry was to be recorded as an Indian, unless his American Indian ancestry was small, and he was accepted as White within the community. In all situations in which a person had White and some other racial ancestry, he was to be reported as that other race. Persons who had minority interracial ancestry were to be reported as the race of their father.
For the first and only time, "Mexican" was listed as a race. Enumerators were instructed that all persons born in Mexico, or whose parents were born in Mexico, should be listed as Mexicans, and not under any other racial category. But, in prior censuses and in 1940, enumerators were instructed to list Mexican Americans as white.[8]
The Supplemental American Indian questionnaire was back, but in abbreviated form. It featured a question asking if the person was of full or mixed American Indian ancestry.[7][9]
Census 1940 (Population)[link]
The 1940 census was the first to include separate population and housing questionnaires.[7] The race category of "Mexican" was eliminated in 1940, and the population of Mexican descent was counted with the White population.[8]
Census 1950 (Population)[link]
The 1950 Census questionnaire removed the word “color” from the racial question, and also removed Hindu and Korean from the race choices.[7]
Census 1960 (Population)[link]
The 1960 Census re-added the word “color” to the racial question, and changed “Indian” to “American Indian”, as well as added Hawaiian, Part-Hawaiian, Aleut, and Eskimo. The Other (print out race) option was removed.[7]
Census 1970 (Population)[link]
This year’s census included “Negro or Black”, re-added Korean and the Other race option. There was a questionnaire that was asked of only a sample of respondents. These questions were as follows:
a. Where was this person born?
b. Is this person's origin or descent...
- Mexican
- Puerto Rican
- Cuban
- Central or South American
- Other Spanish
- None of These
14. What country was the person's father born in?
15. What country was the person's mother born in?
16.
a. For persons born in a foreign country- Is the person naturalized?
b. When did the person come to the United States to stay?
17. What language, other than English, was spoken in the person's home as a child?
- Spanish
- French
- German
- Other
- None, only English[7]
Census 1980 (Population)[link]
This year added several options to the race question, including Vietnamese, Indian (East) Guamanian, Samoan, and re-added Aleut. Again, the term “color” was removed from the racial question, and the following questions were asked of a sample of respondents:
11. In what state or foreign country was the person born?
12. If this person was born in a foreign country...
a. Is this person a naturalized citizen of the United States?
b. When did this person come the United States to stay?
13.
a. Does this person speak a language other than English at home?
b. If yes, what is this language?
c. If yes, how well does this person speak English?
14. What is this person's ancestry?[7]
Census 1990 (Population)[link]
The racial categories in this year are as they appear in the 2000 and 2010 Census. The following questions were asked of a sample of respondents for the 1990 Census:
8. In what U.S. State or foreign country was this person born?
9. Is this person a citizen of the United States?
10. If this person was not born in the United States, when did this person come to the United States to stay?[7]
The 1990 Census was not designed to capture multiple racial responses, and when individuals marked the Other race option and provided a multiple write in, the response was assigned according to the race written first. “For example, a write in of "Black-White" was assigned a code of Black, a write in of "White-Black" was assigned a code of White.”[3]
In the United States, census data indicate that the number of children in interracial families grew from less than one half million in 1970 to about two million in 1990. In 1990, for interracial families with one white American partner, the other parent...was Asian American for 45 percent...[10]
Census 2000 (Population)[link]
Race was asked differently in the Census 2000 in several other ways than previously. Most significantly, respondents were given the option of selecting one or more race categories to indicate racial identities. Data show that nearly seven million Americans identified as members of two or more races. Because of these changes, the Census 2000 data on race are not directly comparable with data from the 1990 census or earlier censuses. Use of caution is therefore recommended when interpreting changes in the racial composition of the US population over time.
|
|
| The 23rd federal census, 2010 [11] asks one ethnic and one race question (questions 1-4 not reproduced here, questions 5 and 6 paraphrased):
8. Is the person of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin?
9. What is the person's race?
This census acknowledged that "race categories include both racial and national-origin groups." |
The following definitions apply to the 2000 census only.[12]
- "White. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. It includes people who indicate their race as "White" or report entries such as Irish, German, Scottish, Italian, Lebanese, Near Easterner, Arab, or Polish."[12]
- "Black or African American. A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. It includes people who indicate their race as 'Black, African Am., or Negro,' or provide written entries such as Kenyan, Nigerian, or Haitian."[12]
- "American Indian and Alaska Native. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) and who maintain tribal affiliation or community attachment."[12]
- "Asian. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam. It includes 'Asian Indian,' 'Chinese', 'Filipino', 'Korean', 'Japanese', 'Vietnamese', and 'Other Asian'."[12]
- "Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. It includes people who indicate their race as 'Native Hawaiian', 'Guamanian or Chamorro', 'Samoan', and 'Other Pacific Islander'."[12]
- "Some other race. Includes all other responses not included in the 'White', 'Black or African American', 'American Indian and Alaska Native', 'Asian' and 'Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander' race categories described above. Respondents providing write-in entries such as multiracial, mixed, interracial, We-Sort, or a Hispanic/Latino group (for example, Mexican, Puerto Rican, or Cuban) in the "Some other race" category are included here."[12]
- "Two or more races. People may have chosen to provide two or more races either by checking two or more race response check boxes, by providing multiple write-in responses, or by some combination of check boxes and write-in responses."[12]
The Federal government of the United States has mandated that "in data collection and presentation, federal agencies are required to use a minimum of two ethnicities: 'Hispanic or Latino' and 'Not Hispanic or Latino'."[13] The Census Bureau defines "Hispanic or Latino" as "a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race."[13] For discussion of the meaning and scope of the Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, see the Hispanic and Latino Americans and Racial and ethnic demographics of the United States articles.
Use of the word ethnicity for Hispanics only is considerably more restricted than its conventional meaning, which covers other distinctions, some of which are covered by the "race" and "ancestry" questions. The distinct questions accommodate the possibility of Hispanic and Latino Americans' also declaring various racial identities (see also White Hispanic and Latino Americans, Asian Latinos, and Black Hispanic and Latino Americans).
In the 2000 Census, 12.5% of the US population reported "Hispanic or Latino" ethnicity and 87.5% reported "Not-Hispanic or Latino" ethnicity.[13]
2010 Census[link]
The 2010 US Census included changes designed to more clearly distinguish Hispanic ethnicity as not being a race. That included adding the sentence: "For this census, Hispanic origins are not races."[14][15] Additionally, the Hispanic terms were modified from "Hispanic or Latino" to "Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin".[14][15]
Although used in the Census and the American Community Survey, "Some other race" is not an official race,[13] and the Bureau considered eliminating it prior to the 2000 Census.[16] As the 2010 census form did not contain the question titled "Ancestry" found in prior censuses, there were campaigns to get non-Hispanic West Indian Americans,[17] Turkish Americans,[18] Arab Americans and Iranian Americans to indicate their ethnic or national background through the race question, specifically the "Some other race" category.[19][20]
The Interagency Committee has suggested that the concept of marking multiple boxes be extended to the Hispanic origin question, thereby freeing individuals from having to choose between their parents' ethnic heritages. In other words, a respondent could choose both "Hispanic or Latino" and "Not Hispanic or Latino".[21]
Relation between ethnicity and race in census results[link]
The Census Bureau warns that data on race in 2000 Census are not directly comparable to those collected in previous censuses.[12] Many US residents consider race and ethnicity to be the exact same concept.[4]
| Race | Hispanic or Latino |
% of H/L |
% of US |
Not Hispanic or Latino |
% of Not H/L |
% of US |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any races | 35,305,818 | 100 | 12.5 | 246,116,088 | 100 | 87.5 |
| One race: | 33,081,736 | 93.7 | 11.8 | 241,513,942 | 98.1 | 85.8 |
| White | 16,907,852 | 47.9 | 6.0 | 194,552,774 | 79.1 | 69.1 |
| Black or African A. |
710,353 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 33,947,837 | 13.8 | 12.1 |
| A. Indian/ Alaska Nat. |
407,073 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 2,068,883 | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| Asian | 119,829 | 0.3 | <0.1 | 10,123,169 | 4.1 | 3.6 |
| Hawaiian N. & Pacific Is. |
45,326 | 0.1 | <0.1 | 353,509 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Some other | 14,891,303 | 42.2 | 5.3 | 467,770 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| 2+ races: | 2,224,082 | 6.3 | 0.8 | 4,602,146 | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Some other + W/B/N/A |
1,859,538 | 5.3 | 0.7 | 1,302,875 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| 2+ W/B/N/A | 364,544 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 3,299,271 | 1.3 | 1.2 |
In the 2000 Census, respondents were tallied in each of the race groups they reported. Consequently, the total of each racial category exceeds the total population because some people reported more than one race.[3]
According to James P. Allen and Eugene Turner from California State University, Northridge, by some calculations in the 2000 Census the largest part white bi-racial population is white/Native American and Alaskan Native, at 7,015,017, followed by white/black at 737,492, then white/Asian at 727,197, and finally white/Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander at 125,628.[22]
The Census Bureau implemented a Census Quality Survey, gathering data from approximately 50,000 households in order to assess the reporting of race and Hispanic origin in the 2000 Census with the purpose creating a way to make comparisons between the 2000 Census with previous Census racial data.[3]
In September 1997, during the process of revision of racial categories previously declared by OMB directive no. 15, the American Anthropological Association (AAA) recommended that OMB combine the "race" and "ethnicity" categories into one question to appear as "race/ethnicity" for the 2000 US Census. The Interagency Committee agrees, stating that "race" and "ethnicity" were not sufficiently defined and "that many respondents conceptualize 'race' and 'ethnicity' as one in the same [sic] underscor[ing] the need to consolidate these terms into one category, using a term that is more meaningful to the American people."[4]
The AAA also stated,
"The American Anthropological Association recommends the elimination of the term "race" from OMB Directive 15 during the planning for the 2010 Census. During the past 50 years, "race" has been scientifically proven to not be a real, natural phenomenon. More specific, social categories such as "ethnicity" or "ethnic group" are more salient for scientific purposes and have fewer of the negative, racist connotations for which the concept of race was developed." "Yet the concept of race has become thoroughly—and perniciously—woven into the cultural and political fabric of the United States. It has become an essential element of both individual identity and government policy. Because so much harm has been based on "racial" distinctions over the years, correctives for such harm must also acknowledge the impact of "racial" consciousness among the U.S. populace, regardless of the fact that "race" has no scientific justification in human biology. Eventually, however, these classifications must be transcended and replaced by more non-racist and accurate ways of representing the diversity of the U.S. population." [4]
The recommendations of the AAA were not adopted by the Census Bureau for the 2000 Census or the 2010 Census.
Other agencies[link]
In 2001, the National Institutes of Health adopted the new language to comply with the revisions to Directive 15,[23] as did the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission of the United States Department of Labor in 2007.[24] See Race and ethnicity (EEO).
See also[link]
- Criticism of the term Latino
- Language (United States Census)
- Race (classification of humans)
- Race in the United States
- Race and ethnicity in the United States
- United States Census, 2000
References[link]
- ^ "American FactFinder Help: Race". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/home/en/epss/glossary_r.html. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
- ^ "American FactFinder Help: Hispanic or Latino origin". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/home/en/epss/glossary_h.html. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
- ^ a b c d e "Questions and Answers for Census 2000 Data on Race". United States Census Bureau. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/raceqandas.html. Retrieved 2010-04-25. Archive copy at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c d "A Brief History of the OMB Directive 15". American Anthropological Association. 1997. http://www.aaanet.org/gvt/ombdraft.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-18.
- ^ a b "American FactFinder Help: Ethnicity". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/home/en/epss/glossary_e.html. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
- ^ "Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity". Office of Management and Budget. 1997-10-30. http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/fedreg/1997standards.html. Retrieved 2008-10-07.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Through the Decades". United States Census Bureau. http://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/index_of_questions. Retrieved 2012-01-18.
- ^ a b The 1930 Census in Perspective, 1930census.com
- ^ For an image copy of the full 1930 census instructions, see http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/guides/popcensus/images/1930enu.pdf.
- ^ U.S. Census Bureau, 2000
- ^ "2010 US Census Form" (pdf). U.S. Census Bureau. 2010. http://www.census.gov/schools/pdf/2010form_info.pdf.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "2000 Census of Population, Public Law 94-171 Redistricting Data File: Race". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2009-08-31. http://web.archive.org/web/20090831085310/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/meta/long_68178.htm. Retrieved 2010-01-05.
- ^ a b c d Grieco, Elizabeth M.; Cassidy, Rachel C. (2001-03). "Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin: Census 2000 Brief" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. http://www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/cenbr01-1.pdf.
- ^ a b Waite, Preston. US Census Bureau. "2010 Decennial Census Program." 2006. accessed July 7, 2008.
- ^ a b "2010 US Census form" (PDF). http://www.census.gov/schools/pdf/2010form_info.pdf. Retrieved 2010-03-15.
- ^ "Census Bureau to Test Changes in Questionnaire, New Response Technology" (Press release). U.S. Census Bureau. 2003-01-16. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/2010_census/000543.html.
- ^ Kay, Jennifer (2010-02-24). "Caribbeans urged to write in ancestry on US Census". http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CENSUS_CARIBBEAN_IDENTITY?SITE=NYMID&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT. Retrieved 2010-03-14. Archive copy at the Wayback Machine
- ^ The Washington Diplomat. "Census Takes Aim to Tally'Hard to Count' Populations". http://www.washdiplomat.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6036:census-takes-aim-to-tallyhard-to-count-populations-&catid=205:april-2010&Itemid=239. Retrieved 2011-05-05.
- ^ "The Arab American Institute | Get Involved!". http://www.aaiusa.org/get-involved/4470. Retrieved 2010-03-15. Archive copy at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Ashmawey, Roqaya (2010-03-01). "Arab-Americans Aim to Increase Their Census Count". http://www.newsweek.com/id/234325. Retrieved 2010-03-14.
- ^ "OMB Standards". White House. http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/fedreg_1997standards/. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
- ^ http://www.csupomona.edu/~mreibel/2000_Census_Files/Allen-Turner.doc
- ^ "Amendment: NIH Policy and Guidelines on the Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical Research". National Institutes of Health. 2001-10-09. http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-02-001.html.
- ^ Final Revisions of the Employer Information Report (EEO-1) by the EEOC. The page contains links to FAQs, forms and instructions
http://wn.com/Race_and_ethnicity_in_the_United_States_Census
Related pages:
http://ru.wn.com/Расовый состав США
http://fr.wn.com/Race (recensement des États-Unis)
http://de.wn.com/Race (United States Census)
http://id.wn.com/Ras dan etnisitas di Sensus Amerika Serikat
http://es.wn.com/Raza (censo de los Estados Unidos)
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
| Bureau of the Census | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Seal | |
 |
|
| Logo | |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | July 1, 1903 |
| Preceding agency | Temporary census offices |
| Headquarters | Suitland, Maryland |
| Employees | 5,593 (2006) |
| Annual budget | US$3.1 billion (2009) US$7.2 billion (est. 2010) US$1.3 billion (est. 2011) |
| Agency executive | Director, Robert Groves |
| Parent agency | Economics and Statistics Administration |
| Website | |
| www.census.gov | |
The United States Census Bureau (officially the Bureau of the Census, as defined in Title 13 U.S.C. § 11) is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as a leading source of data about America's people and economy.[1]
The most visible role of the Census Bureau is to perform the official decennial (every 10 years) count of people living in the U.S. The most important result is the reallocation of the number of seats each state is allowed in the House of Representatives,[1] but the results also affect a range of government programs received by each state. The agency director is a political appointee selected by the President of the United States.
Contents |
Legal mandate[link]
Main article: United States Census
The Constitution of the United States (Article I, section II) directs that the population be enumerated at least once every ten years and the resulting counts used to set the number of members from each state in the House of Representatives and, by extension, in the Electoral College. The Census Bureau now conducts a full population count every 10 years in years ending with a 0 (zero) and uses the term "decennial" to describe the operation. Between censuses, the Census Bureau makes population estimates and projections.[2]
In addition, Census data directly affects how more than $400 billion per year in federal and state funding is allocated to communities for neighborhood improvements, public health, education, transportation and much more. The Census Bureau is mandated with fulfilling these obligations: the collecting of statistics about the nation, its people, and economy. The Census Bureau's legal authority is codified in Title 13 of the United States Code.
The Census Bureau also conducts surveys on behalf of various federal government and local government agencies on topics such as employment, crime, health, consumer expenditures, and housing. Within the bureau, these are known as "demographic surveys" and are conducted perpetually between and during decennial (10-year) population counts. The Census Bureau also conducts economic surveys of manufacturing, retail, service, and other establishments and of domestic governments.
From 1790 to 1840, the census was taken by marshals of the judicial districts.[3] The Census Act of 1840 established a central office[4] which became known as the Census Office. Several acts followed that revised and authorized new censuses, typically at the 10-year intervals. In 1902 the temporary Census Office was moved under the Department of Interior, and in 1903 it was renamed the Census Bureau under the new Department of Commerce and Labor. The department was intended to consolidate overlapping statistical agencies, but Census Bureau officials were hindered by their subordinate role in the department.[5]
An act in 1920 changed the date and authorized manufacturing censuses every 2 years and agriculture censuses every 10 years.[6] In 1929, a bill was passed mandating that the House of Representatives be reapportioned based on the results of the 1930 Census.[6] In 1954, various acts were codified into Title 13 of the US Code.[7]
By law the Census Bureau must count everyone and submit state population totals to the U.S. President by December 31, 2010. States within the Union receive the results in the spring of the following year.
Uses of census data[link]
Many federal, state, local and tribal governments use census data to:
- Decide the location of new housing and public facilities,
- Examine the demographic characteristics of communities, states, and the USA,
- Plan transportation systems and roadways,
- Determine quotas and creation of police and fire precincts, and
- Create localized areas for elections, schools, utilities, etc.
Businesses[link]
Business also has many uses for census data, as listed;
- Forecast future product demand,
- Determine site locations for expansion/new business,
- Determine future need for nursing homes, day care centers, hospitals, etc.,
- Clarify if they are employing a representative workforce.[1]
Data stewardship[link]
The United States Census Bureau is committed to confidentiality, and guarantees non-disclosure of any addresses or personal information related to individuals or establishments. Title 13 of the U.S. Code establishes penalties for the disclosure of this information. All Census employees must sign a sworn affidavit of non-disclosure prior to employment.
The Bureau cannot share responses, addresses or personal information with anyone including United States or foreign government and law enforcement agencies such as the IRS or the FBI or Interpol. "Providing quality data, for public good—while respecting individual privacy and, at the same time, protecting confidentiality—is the Census Bureau's core responsibility", "Keeping the public's trust is critical to the Census's ability to carry out the mission as the leading source of quality data about the Nation's people and economy."[8] Only after 72 years does the information collected become available to other agencies or the general public.
In 1918, the Census Bureau released individual information regarding several hundred young men to the Justice Department and Selective Service system for the purpose of prosecutions for draft evasion.[9][10] During World War II, the United States Census Bureau assisted the government's Japanese American internment efforts by providing confidential neighborhood information on Japanese-Americans. The Bureau's role was denied for decades but was finally proven in 2007.[11][12]
Organizational structure[link]
Since 1903, the official census-taking agency of the United States government has been the Bureau of the Census. The Census Bureau is headed by a Director, assisted by a Deputy Director and an Executive Staff composed of the associate directors. In April 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Robert M. Groves to head the Census Bureau.
The Census Bureau has had headquarters in Suitland, Maryland, since 1942. A new headquarters complex was completed in 2007 and supports over 4,000 employees.[13] The Bureau operates regional offices in 12 cities: Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago, Kansas City, Seattle, Charlotte, Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, and Los Angeles. The National Processing Center is located in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Additional temporary processing facilities are used to facilitate the decennial census, which employs more than a million people. The cost of the 2000 Census was $4.5 billion. During the years just prior to the decennial census, parallel census offices, known as "Regional Census Centers" are opened in the field office cities. The decennial operations are carried out from these facilities. The Regional Census Centers oversee the openings and closings of smaller "Local Census Offices" within their collection jurisdictions. The estimated cost of the 2010 Census is $14.7 billion.
The Census Bureau also runs the Census Information Center cooperative program that involves 58 "national, regional, and local non-profit organizations." The CIC program aims to represent the interests of underserved communities.[14]
Census regions and divisions[link]
The United States Census Bureau has four official regions, with nine official divisions.
Computer equipment[link]
The 1890 census was the first to use the electric tabulating machines invented by Herman Hollerith.[15][16] For 1890-1940 details, see Truesdell, Leon E. (1965). The Development of Punch Card Tabulation in the Bureau of the Census, 1890-1940: With outlines of actual tabulation programs. US GPO. In 1946, knowing of the Bureau's funding of Hollerith and, later, Powers, John Mauchly approached the Bureau about early funding for UNIVAC development.[17] A UNIVAC I computer was accepted by the Bureau in 1951.[18]
In order to reduce paper usage and reduce payroll expenses, 500,000 handheld computers (HHC's) were used for the first time in 2009 during the address canvassing portion of the 2010 Decennial Census Project. Projected savings are estimated to be over $1 billion.[19] The further implementation of advanced computer systems in the planning for the 2020 census provides major challenges for an upgrade in the technological broadening of census protocol.
Ongoing surveys[link]
A survey is a method of collecting and analyzing social, economic, and geographic data. It provides information about the conditions of the United States, states, and counties. Throughout the decade between censuses, the bureau is conducts surveys to produce a general view and comprehensive study of the United States' social and economic conditions.
Staff from the Current Surveys Program conduct ongoing and special surveys about people and their characteristics. A network of professional field representatives gathers information from a sample of households, responding to questions about employment, consumer expenditures, health, housing, and other topics. Surveys conducted between decades:
- American Community Survey
- Consumer Expenditure Survey
- Census of Governments
- Current Population Survey
- Economic Census
- National Hospital Discharge Survey
- National Health Interview Survey
- National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey
- National Crime Victimization Survey
- National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS)
- National Nursing Home Survey
- Survey of Income and Program Participation
- Survey of Construction
- Survey of Market Absorption
- Survey of Program Dynamics
- National Longitudinal Survey
- National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, & Wildlife-Associated Recreation 2001
- American Housing Survey
- Residential Finance Survey
- National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol Related Conditions
- Annual Retail Trade Survey
- Annual Wholesale Trade Survey
- Annual and Quarterly Services Surveys
Other surveys conducted[link]
![[icon]](http://web.archive.org./web/20121209123016/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} |
This section requires expansion. |
The Census Bureau collects information in many other surveys and provides the data to the survey sponsor for release. These sponsors include:
- Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
- Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)
- Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
- National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)
- National Science Foundation (NSF)
- Social Security Administration (SSA)
Notes[link]
- ^ a b c USCB DOC-D1026 QVC Manual 01/03/09
- ^ "Census Population Estimates". U.S. Bureau of the Census. http://www.census.gov/popest/estimates.php.
- ^ History 1790. US Census Bureau.
- ^ History 1840. US Census Bureau.
- ^ History: 1900 Overview. US Census Bureau.
- ^ a b History 1920. US Census Bureau.
- ^ History 1954. US Census Bureau.
- ^ Census Employee Handbook, April 2009, http://www.census.gov/po/www/foia/D590.pdf
- ^ The Myth of Census Confidentiality, 8, Amerasia Journal, UCLA Asian American Studies Center Press, Fall/Winter 1981, pp. 111–120, ISSN 0044-7471, http://aascpress.metapress.com/content/jk115283m54v4313/
- ^ David Kopel (May 4, 1990), Census Confidentiality? The Check's is in the Mail, Cato Institute, http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=8938
- ^ JR Minkel (March 30, 2007), Confirmed: The U.S. Census Bureau Gave Up Names of Japanese-Americans in WW II, Scientific American, http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=confirmed-the-us-census-b&sc=I100322
- ^ Haya El Nasser (March 30, 2007), Papers show Census role in WWII camps, USA Today, http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-03-30-census-role_N.htm
- ^ Census.gov
- ^ "Census Information Centers". U.S. Bureau of the Census. http://www.census.gov/clo/www/cic/. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
- ^ Herman Hollerith
- ^ History 1890 US Census Bureau.
- ^ Stern, Nancy (1981). From ENIAC to UNIVAC: An appraisal of the Eckert-Mauchly Computers. Digital Press. ISBN 0-932376-14-2.
- ^ Bashe, Charles J.; et. al (1986). IBM's Early Computers. MIT. ISBN 0-262-02225-7.
- ^ Govcomm.harris.com
References[link]
- The original version of, and subsequent additions to, this article were adapted from U.S. Census Bureau text.
- Geographic Areas Reference Manual from the U.S. Census Bureau contains detailed explanations of geographic terms used in the census.
- The mission and operation of the U.S. Census Bureau are laid out in Title 13 of the United States Code.
External links[link]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bureau of the Census, United States |
- Official website
- U.S. and World Population Clocks – POPClocks
- Works by Bureau of the Census at Project Gutenberg
- Census Bureau Meeting Notices and Rule Changes from The Federal Register RSS Feed
- Proposed and finalized federal regulations from the United States Census Bureau
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is about the United States of America. For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation).
| United States of America | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Motto: In God We Trust (official) E Pluribus Unum (traditional) (Latin: Out of Many, One) |
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Anthem: "The Star-Spangled Banner" |
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.svg) |
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| Capital | Washington, D.C. 38°53′N 77°01′W / 38.883°N 77.017°W / 38.883; -77.017 |
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| Largest city | New York City | |||||
| Official language(s) | None at federal level[a] | |||||
| National language | English (de facto)[b] | |||||
| Demonym | American | |||||
| Government | Federal presidential constitutional republic | |||||
| - | President | Barack Obama (D) | ||||
| - | Vice President | Joe Biden (D) | ||||
| - | Speaker of the House | John Boehner (R) | ||||
| - | Chief Justice | John Roberts | ||||
| Legislature | Congress | |||||
| - | Upper house | Senate | ||||
| - | Lower house | House of Representatives | ||||
| Independence | from the Kingdom of Great Britain | |||||
| - | Declared | July 4, 1776 | ||||
| - | Recognized | September 3, 1783 | ||||
| - | Current constitution | June 21, 1788 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 9,826,675 km2 [1][c](3rd/4th) 3,794,101 sq mi |
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| - | Water (%) | 6.76 | ||||
| Population | ||||||
| - | 2012 estimate | 313,802,000[2] (3rd) | ||||
| - | Density | 33.7/km2 87.4/sq mi |
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| GDP (PPP) | 2011 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | $15.094 trillion[3] (1st) | ||||
| - | Per capita | $48,386[3] (6th) | ||||
| GDP (nominal) | 2011 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | $15.094 trillion[3] (1st) | ||||
| - | Per capita | $48,386[3] (15th) | ||||
| Gini (2007) | 45.0[1] (39th) | |||||
| HDI (2011) |  0.910[4] (very high) (4th) |
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| Currency | United States dollar ($) (USD) |
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| Time zone | (UTC−5 to −10) | |||||
| - | Summer (DST) | (UTC−4 to −10) | ||||
| Date formats | m/d/yy (AD) | |||||
| Drives on the | right | |||||
| Internet TLD | .us .gov .mil .edu | |||||
| Calling code | +1 | |||||
| ^ a. English is the official language of at least 28 states—some sources give a higher figure, based on differing definitions of "official".[5] English and Hawaiian are both official languages in the state of Hawaii.
^ b. English is the de facto language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80% of Americans age five and older. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language. ^ c. Whether the United States or China is larger is disputed. The figure given is from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook. Other sources give smaller figures. All authoritative calculations of the country's size include only the 50 states and the District of Columbia, not the territories. ^ d. The population estimate includes people whose usual residence is in the fifty states and the District of Columbia, including noncitizens. It does not include either those living in the territories, amounting to more than 4 million U.S. citizens (mostly in Puerto Rico), or U.S. citizens living outside the United States. |
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.svg)
The United States of America (commonly abbreviated to the United States, the U.S., the USA, America, and the States) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west, across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean.
At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km2) and with over 312 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and the third largest by both land area and population. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries.[6] The U.S. economy is the world's largest national economy, with an estimated 2011 GDP of $15.1 trillion (22% of nominal global GDP and over 19% of global GDP at purchasing-power parity).[3][7] Per capita income is the world's sixth-highest.[3]
Indigenous peoples descended from forebears who migrated from Asia have inhabited what is now the mainland United States for many thousands of years. This Native American population was greatly reduced by disease and warfare after European contact. The United States was founded by thirteen British colonies located along the Atlantic seaboard. On July 4, 1776, they issued the Declaration of Independence, which proclaimed their right to self-determination and their establishment of a cooperative union. The rebellious states defeated the British Empire in the American Revolution, the first successful colonial war of independence.[8] The current United States Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787; its ratification the following year made the states part of a single republic with a stronger central government. The Bill of Rights, comprising ten constitutional amendments guaranteeing many fundamental civil rights and freedoms, was ratified in 1791.
Through the 19th century, the United States displaced native tribes, acquired the Louisiana territory from France, Florida from Spain, part of the Oregon Country from the United Kingdom, Alta California and New Mexico from Mexico, and Alaska from Russia, and annexed the Republic of Texas and the Republic of Hawaii. Disputes between the agrarian South and industrial North over the expansion of the institution of slavery and states' rights provoked the Civil War of the 1860s. The North's victory prevented a permanent split of the country and led to the end of legal slavery in the United States. By the 1870s, its national economy was the world's largest.[9] The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the country's status as a military power. It emerged from World War II as the first country with nuclear weapons and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union left the United States as the sole superpower. The country accounts for 41% of global military spending,[10] and is a leading economic, political, and cultural force in the world.[11]
Contents |
Etymology[link]
See also: Names for United States citizens
In 1507, German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a world map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere "America" after Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci.[12] The former British colonies first used the country's modern name in the 1776 Declaration of Independence, the "unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America".[13] On November 15, 1777, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, which states, "The Stile of this Confederacy shall be 'The United States of America'." The Franco-American treaties of 1778 used "United States of North America", but from July 11, 1778, "United States of America" was used on the country's bills of exchange, and it has been the official name ever since.[14]
The short form "United States" is also standard. Other common forms include the "U.S.", the "USA", and "America". Colloquial names include the "U.S. of A." and, internationally, the "States". "Columbia", a once popular name for the United States, derives from Christopher Columbus; it appears in the name "District of Columbia".
The standard way to refer to a citizen of the United States is as an "American". Although "United States" is the official appositional term, "American" and "U.S." are more commonly used to refer to the country adjectivally ("American values", "U.S. forces"). "American" is rarely used in English to refer to people not connected to the United States.[15]
The phrase "United States" was originally treated as plural—e.g., "the United States are"—including in the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1865. It became common to treat it as singular—e.g., "the United States is"—after the end of the Civil War. The singular form is now standard; the plural form is retained in the idiom "these United States".[16]
Geography and environment[link]
Main articles: Geography of the United States, Climate of the United States, and Environment of the United States
The land area of the contiguous United States is approximately 1,900 million acres (7,700,000 km2). Alaska, separated from the contiguous United States by Canada, is the largest state at 365 million acres (1,480,000 km2). Hawaii, occupying an archipelago in the central Pacific, southwest of North America, has just over 4 million acres (16,000 km2).[17] The United States is the world's third or fourth largest nation by total area (land and water), ranking behind Russia and Canada and just above or below China. The ranking varies depending on how two territories disputed by China and India are counted and how the total size of the United States is measured: calculations range from 3,676,486 square miles (9,522,055 km2)[18] to 3,717,813 square miles (9,629,091 km2)[19] to 3,794,101 square miles (9,826,676 km2).[1] Including only land area, the United States is third in size behind Russia and China, just ahead of Canada.[20]
The coastal plain of the Atlantic seaboard gives way further inland to deciduous forests and the rolling hills of the Piedmont. The Appalachian Mountains divide the eastern seaboard from the Great Lakes and the grasslands of the Midwest. The Mississippi–Missouri River, the world's fourth longest river system, runs mainly north–south through the heart of the country. The flat, fertile prairie of the Great Plains stretches to the west, interrupted by a highland region in the southeast. The Rocky Mountains, at the western edge of the Great Plains, extend north to south across the country, reaching altitudes higher than 14,000 feet (4,300 m) in Colorado. Farther west are the rocky Great Basin and deserts such as the Chihuahua and Mojave. The Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges run close to the Pacific coast. At 20,320 feet (6,194 m), Alaska's Mount McKinley is the tallest peak in the country and in North America. Active volcanoes are common throughout Alaska's Alexander and Aleutian Islands, and Hawaii consists of volcanic islands. The supervolcano underlying Yellowstone National Park in the Rockies is the continent's largest volcanic feature.[21]
The United States, with its large size and geographic variety, includes most climate types. To the east of the 100th meridian, the climate ranges from humid continental in the north to humid subtropical in the south. The southern tip of Florida is tropical, as is Hawaii. The Great Plains west of the 100th meridian are semi-arid. Much of the Western mountains are alpine. The climate is arid in the Great Basin, desert in the Southwest, Mediterranean in coastal California, and oceanic in coastal Oregon and Washington and southern Alaska. Most of Alaska is subarctic or polar. Extreme weather is not uncommon—the states bordering the Gulf of Mexico are prone to hurricanes, and most of the world's tornadoes occur within the country, mainly in the Midwest's Tornado Alley.[22]
The U.S. ecology is considered "megadiverse": about 17,000 species of vascular plants occur in the contiguous United States and Alaska, and over 1,800 species of flowering plants are found in Hawaii, few of which occur on the mainland.[23] The United States is home to more than 400 mammal, 750 bird, and 500 reptile and amphibian species.[24] About 91,000 insect species have been described.[25] The Endangered Species Act of 1973 protects threatened and endangered species and their habitats, which are monitored by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. There are fifty-eight national parks and hundreds of other federally managed parks, forests, and wilderness areas.[26] Altogether, the government owns 28.8% of the country's land area.[27] Most of this is protected, though some is leased for oil and gas drilling, mining, logging, or cattle ranching; 2.4% is used for military purposes.[27]
Political divisions[link]
Main article: U.S. state
Further information: Territorial evolution of the United States and United States territorial acquisitions
The United States is a federal union of fifty states. The original thirteen states were the successors of the thirteen colonies that rebelled against British rule. Early in the country's history, three new states were organized on territory separated from the claims of the existing states: Kentucky from Virginia; Tennessee from North Carolina; and Maine from Massachusetts. Most of the other states have been carved from territories obtained through war or purchase by the U.S. government. One set of exceptions comprises Vermont, Texas, and Hawaii: each was an independent republic before joining the union. During the American Civil War, West Virginia broke away from Virginia. The most recent state—Hawaii—achieved statehood on August 21, 1959.[28] The states do not have the right to secede from the union.
The states compose the vast bulk of the U.S. land mass; the two other areas considered integral parts of the country are the District of Columbia, the federal district where the capital, Washington, is located; and Palmyra Atoll, an uninhabited but incorporated territory in the Pacific Ocean. The United States also possesses five major overseas territories: Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands in the Caribbean; and American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific.[29] Those born in the major territories (except for American Samoa) possess U.S. citizenship.[30] American citizens residing in the territories have many of the same rights and responsibilities as citizens residing in the states; however, they are generally exempt from federal income tax, may not vote for president, and have only nonvoting representation in the U.S. Congress.[31]
History[link]
Main article: History of the United States
Native American and European settlement[link]
The indigenous peoples of the U.S. mainland, including Alaska Natives, are believed to have migrated from Asia, beginning between 40,000 and 12,000 years ago.[32] Some, such as the pre-Columbian Mississippian culture, developed advanced agriculture, grand architecture, and state-level societies. After Europeans began settling the Americas, many millions of indigenous Americans died from epidemics of imported diseases such as smallpox.[33]
In 1492, Genoese explorer Christopher Columbus, under contract to the Spanish crown, reached several Caribbean islands, making first contact with the indigenous people. On April 2, 1513, Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León landed on what he called "La Florida"—the first documented European arrival on what would become the U.S. mainland. Spanish settlements in the region were followed by ones in the present-day southwestern United States that drew thousands through Mexico. French fur traders established outposts of New France around the Great Lakes; France eventually claimed much of the North American interior, down to the Gulf of Mexico. The first successful English settlements were the Virginia Colony in Jamestown in 1607 and the Pilgrims' Plymouth Colony in 1620. The 1628 chartering of the Massachusetts Bay Colony resulted in a wave of migration; by 1634, New England had been settled by some 10,000 Puritans. Between the late 1610s and the American Revolution, about 50,000 convicts were shipped to Britain's American colonies.[34] Beginning in 1614, the Dutch settled along the lower Hudson River, including New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island.
In 1674, the Dutch ceded their American territory to England; the province of New Netherland was renamed New York. Many new immigrants, especially to the South, were indentured servants—some two-thirds of all Virginia immigrants between 1630 and 1680.[35] By the turn of the 18th century, African slaves were becoming the primary source of bonded labor. With the 1729 division of the Carolinas and the 1732 colonization of Georgia, the thirteen British colonies that would become the United States of America were established. All had local governments with elections open to most free men, with a growing devotion to the ancient rights of Englishmen and a sense of self-government stimulating support for republicanism. All legalized the African slave trade. With high birth rates, low death rates, and steady immigration, the colonial population grew rapidly. The Christian revivalist movement of the 1730s and 1740s known as the Great Awakening fueled interest in both religion and religious liberty. In the French and Indian War, British forces seized Canada from the French, but the francophone population remained politically isolated from the southern colonies. Excluding the Native Americans (popularly known as "American Indians"), who were being displaced, those thirteen colonies had a population of 2.6 million in 1770, about one-third that of Britain; nearly one in five Americans were black slaves.[36] Though subject to British taxation, the American colonials had no representation in the Parliament of Great Britain.
Independence and expansion[link]
Tensions between American colonials and the British during the revolutionary period of the 1760s and early 1770s led to the American Revolutionary War, fought from 1775 to 1781. On June 14, 1775, the Continental Congress, convening in Philadelphia, established a Continental Army under the command of George Washington. Proclaiming that "all men are created equal" and endowed with "certain unalienable Rights", the Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, drafted largely by Thomas Jefferson, on July 4, 1776. That date is now celebrated annually as America's Independence Day. In 1777, the Articles of Confederation established a weak confederal government that operated until 1789.
After the British defeat by American forces assisted by the French and Spanish, Great Britain recognized the independence of the United States and the states' sovereignty over American territory west to the Mississippi River. Those wishing to establish a strong federal government with powers of taxation organized a constitutional convention in 1787. The United States Constitution was ratified in 1788, and the new republic's first Senate, House of Representatives, and president—George Washington—took office in 1789. The Bill of Rights, forbidding federal restriction of personal freedoms and guaranteeing a range of legal protections, was adopted in 1791.
Attitudes toward slavery were shifting; a clause in the Constitution protected the Atlantic slave trade only until 1808. The Northern states abolished slavery between 1780 and 1804, leaving the slave states of the South as defenders of the "peculiar institution". The Second Great Awakening, beginning about 1800, made evangelicalism a force behind various social reform movements, including abolitionism.
Americans' eagerness to expand westward prompted a long series of Indian Wars. The Louisiana Purchase of French-claimed territory under President Thomas Jefferson in 1803 almost doubled the nation's size.[37] The War of 1812, declared against Britain over various grievances and fought to a draw, strengthened U.S. nationalism. A series of U.S. military incursions into Florida led Spain to cede it and other Gulf Coast territory in 1819. The Trail of Tears in the 1830s exemplified the Indian removal policy that stripped the native peoples of their land. The United States annexed the Republic of Texas in 1845, amid a period when the concept of Manifest Destiny was becoming popular.[38] The 1846 Oregon Treaty with Britain led to U.S. control of the present-day American Northwest. The U.S. victory in the Mexican-American War resulted in the 1848 cession of California and much of the present-day American Southwest. The California Gold Rush of 1848–49 further spurred western migration. New railways made relocation easier for settlers and increased conflicts with Native Americans. Over a half-century, up to 40 million American bison, or buffalo, were slaughtered for skins and meat and to ease the railways' spread. The loss of the buffalo, a primary resource for the plains Indians, was an existential blow to many native cultures.
Civil War and industrialization[link]
Tensions between slave and free states mounted with arguments about the relationship between the state and federal governments, as well as violent conflicts over the spread of slavery into new states. Abraham Lincoln, candidate of the largely antislavery Republican Party, was elected president in 1860. Before he took office, seven slave states declared their secession—which the federal government maintained was illegal—and formed the Confederate States of America. With the Confederate attack upon Fort Sumter, the Civil War began and four more slave states joined the Confederacy. Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 declared slaves in the Confederacy to be free. Following the Union victory in 1865, three amendments to the U.S. Constitution ensured freedom for the nearly four million African Americans who had been slaves,[39] made them citizens, and gave them voting rights. The war and its resolution led to a substantial increase in federal power.[40] The war remains the deadliest conflict in American history, resulting in the deaths of 620,000 soldiers.[41]
After the war, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln radicalized Republican Reconstruction policies aimed at reintegrating and rebuilding the Southern states while ensuring the rights of the newly freed slaves. The resolution of the disputed 1876 presidential election by the Compromise of 1877 ended Reconstruction; Jim Crow laws soon disenfranchised many African Americans. In the North, urbanization and an unprecedented influx of immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe hastened the country's industrialization. The wave of immigration, lasting until 1929, provided labor and transformed American culture. National infrastructure development spurred economic growth. The 1867 Alaska Purchase from Russia completed the country's mainland expansion. The Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890 was the last major armed conflict of the Indian Wars. In 1893, the indigenous monarchy of the Pacific Kingdom of Hawaii was overthrown in a coup led by American residents; the United States annexed the archipelago in 1898. Victory in the Spanish–American War the same year demonstrated that the United States was a world power and led to the annexation of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.[42] The Philippines gained independence a half-century later; Puerto Rico and Guam remain U.S. territories.
World War I, Great Depression, and World War II[link]
At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the United States remained neutral. Most Americans sympathized with the British and French, although many opposed intervention.[43] In 1917, the United States joined the Allies, and the American Expeditionary Forces helped to turn the tide against the Central Powers. After the war, the Senate did not ratify the Treaty of Versailles, which established the League of Nations. The country pursued a policy of unilateralism, verging on isolationism.[44] In 1920, the women's rights movement won passage of a constitutional amendment granting women's suffrage. The prosperity of the Roaring Twenties ended with the Wall Street Crash of 1929 that triggered the Great Depression. After his election as president in 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt responded with the New Deal, a range of policies increasing government intervention in the economy, including the establishment of the Social Security system.[45] The Dust Bowl of the mid-1930s impoverished many farming communities and spurred a new wave of western migration.
The United States, effectively neutral during World War II's early stages after Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland in September 1939, began supplying materiel to the Allies in March 1941 through the Lend-Lease program. On December 7, 1941, the Empire of Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, prompting the United States to join the Allies against the Axis powers as well as the internment of Japanese Americans by the thousands.[46] Participation in the war spurred capital investment and industrial capacity. Among the major combatants, the United States was the only nation to become richer—indeed, far richer—instead of poorer because of the war.[47] Allied conferences at Bretton Woods and Yalta outlined a new system of international organizations that placed the United States and Soviet Union at the center of world affairs. As victory was won in Europe, a 1945 international conference held in San Francisco produced the United Nations Charter, which became active after the war.[48] The United States, having developed the first nuclear weapons, used them on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August. Japan surrendered on September 2, ending the war.[49]
Cold War and protest politics[link]
The United States and the Soviet Union jockeyed for power after World War II during the Cold War, dominating the military affairs of Europe through NATO and the Warsaw Pact, respectively. While they engaged in proxy wars and developed powerful nuclear arsenals, the two countries avoided direct military conflict. Resisting leftist land and income redistribution projects around the world, the United States often supported authoritarian governments. American troops fought Communist Chinese forces in the Korean War of 1950–53. The House Un-American Activities Committee pursued a series of investigations into suspected leftist subversion, while Senator Joseph McCarthy became the figurehead of anticommunist sentiment.
The 1961 Soviet launch of the first manned spaceflight prompted President John F. Kennedy's call for the United States to be first to land "a man on the moon", achieved in 1969. Kennedy also faced a tense nuclear showdown with Soviet forces in Cuba. Meanwhile, the United States experienced sustained economic expansion. A growing civil rights movement, symbolized and led by African Americans such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr., used nonviolence to confront segregation and discrimination. Following Kennedy's assassination in 1963, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 were passed under President Lyndon B. Johnson.[50][51] He also signed into law the Medicare and Medicaid programs.[52] Johnson and his successor, Richard Nixon, expanded a proxy war in Southeast Asia into the unsuccessful Vietnam War. A widespread countercultural movement grew, fueled by opposition to the war, black nationalism, and the sexual revolution. Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, and others led a new wave of feminism that sought political, social, and economic equality for women.
As a result of the Watergate scandal, in 1974 Nixon became the first U.S. president to resign, to avoid being impeached on charges including obstruction of justice and abuse of power. The Jimmy Carter administration of the late 1970s was marked by stagflation and the Iran hostage crisis. The election of Ronald Reagan as president in 1980 heralded a rightward shift in American politics, reflected in major changes in taxation and spending priorities. His second term in office brought both the Iran-Contra scandal and significant diplomatic progress with the Soviet Union. The subsequent Soviet collapse ended the Cold War.
Contemporary era[link]
Under President George H. W. Bush, the United States took a lead role in the UN–sanctioned Gulf War. The longest economic expansion in modern U.S. history—from March 1991 to March 2001—encompassed the Bill Clinton administration and the dot-com bubble.[53] A civil lawsuit and sex scandal led to Clinton's impeachment in 1998, but he remained in office. The 2000 presidential election, one of the closest in American history, was resolved by a U.S. Supreme Court decision—George W. Bush, son of George H. W. Bush, became president.
On September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda terrorists struck the World Trade Center in New York City and The Pentagon near Washington, D.C., killing nearly three thousand people. In response, the Bush administration launched the global War on Terror, invading Afghanistan and removing the Taliban government and al-Qaeda training camps. Taliban insurgents continue to fight a guerrilla war. In 2002, the Bush administration began to press for regime change in Iraq on controversial grounds.[54] Forces led by the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, ousting Saddam Hussein. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused severe destruction along much of the Gulf Coast, devastating New Orleans. In 2008, amid a global economic recession, the first African American president, Barack Obama, was elected. Major health care and financial system reforms were enacted two years later. In 2011, a raid by Navy SEALs in Pakistan killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The Iraq War ended with the pullout of the remaining U.S. troops from the country.
Government and politics[link]
Main articles: Federal government of the United States, state governments of the United States, and elections in the United States
The United States is the world's oldest surviving federation. It is a constitutional republic and representative democracy, "in which majority rule is tempered by minority rights protected by law".[55] The government is regulated by a system of checks and balances defined by the U.S. Constitution, which serves as the country's supreme legal document.[56] In the American federalist system, citizens are usually subject to three levels of government, federal, state, and local; the local government's duties are commonly split between county and municipal governments. In almost all cases, executive and legislative officials are elected by a plurality vote of citizens by district. There is no proportional representation at the federal level, and it is very rare at lower levels.
The federal government is composed of three branches:
- Legislative: The bicameral Congress, made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives, makes federal law, declares war, approves treaties, has the power of the purse, and has the power of impeachment, by which it can remove sitting members of the government.
- Executive: The president is the commander-in-chief of the military, can veto legislative bills before they become law, and appoints the members of the Cabinet (subject to Senate approval) and other officers, who administer and enforce federal laws and policies.
- Judicial: The Supreme Court and lower federal courts, whose judges are appointed by the president with Senate approval, interpret laws and overturn those they find unconstitutional.
The House of Representatives has 435 voting members, each representing a congressional district for a two-year term. House seats are apportioned among the states by population every tenth year. As of the 2000 census, seven states have the minimum of one representative, while California, the most populous state, has fifty-three. The Senate has 100 members with each state having two senators, elected at-large to six-year terms; one third of Senate seats are up for election every other year. The president serves a four-year term and may be elected to the office no more than twice. The president is not elected by direct vote, but by an indirect electoral college system in which the determining votes are apportioned to the states and the District of Columbia. The Supreme Court, led by the Chief Justice of the United States, has nine members, who serve for life.
The state governments are structured in roughly similar fashion; Nebraska uniquely has a unicameral legislature. The governor (chief executive) of each state is directly elected. Some state judges and cabinet officers are appointed by the governors of the respective states, while others are elected by popular vote.
The original text of the Constitution establishes the structure and responsibilities of the federal government and its relationship with the individual states. Article One protects the right to the "great writ" of habeas corpus, and Article Three guarantees the right to a jury trial in all criminal cases. Amendments to the Constitution require the approval of three-fourths of the states. The Constitution has been amended twenty-seven times; the first ten amendments, which make up the Bill of Rights, and the Fourteenth Amendment form the central basis of Americans' individual rights. All laws and governmental procedures are subject to judicial review and any law ruled in violation of the Constitution is voided. The principle of judicial review, not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, was declared by the Supreme Court in Marbury v. Madison (1803).
Parties and ideology[link]
Main articles: Politics of the United States and Political ideologies in the United States
The United States has operated under a two-party system for most of its history.[57] For elective offices at most levels, state-administered primary elections choose the major party nominees for subsequent general elections. Since the general election of 1856, the major parties have been the Democratic Party, founded in 1824, and the Republican Party, founded in 1854. Since the Civil War, only one third-party presidential candidate—former president Theodore Roosevelt, running as a Progressive in 1912—has won as much as 20% of the popular vote.
Within American political culture, the Republican Party is considered center-right or conservative and the Democratic Party is considered center-left or liberal. The states of the Northeast and West Coast and some of the Great Lakes states, known as "blue states", are relatively liberal. The "red states" of the South and parts of the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains are relatively conservative.
The winner of the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama, is the 44th U.S. president. The 2010 midterm elections saw the Republican Party take control of the House and make gains in the Senate, where the Democrats retain the majority. In the 112th United States Congress, the Senate comprises 51 Democrats, two independents who caucus with the Democrats, and 47 Republicans; the House comprises 242 Republicans and 192 Democrats—one seat is vacant. There are 29 Republican and 20 Democratic state governors, as well as one independent.
Foreign relations and military[link]
Main articles: Foreign policy of the United States and United States Armed Forces
The United States exercises global economic, political, and military influence. It is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and New York City hosts the United Nations Headquarters. It is a member of the G8,[58] G20, and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Almost all countries have embassies in Washington, D.C., and many have consulates around the country. Likewise, nearly all nations host American diplomatic missions. However, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Bhutan, and the Republic of China (Taiwan) do not have formal diplomatic relations with the United States.
The United States has a "special relationship" with the United Kingdom[59] and strong ties with Canada,[60] Australia,[61] New Zealand,[62] the Philippines,[63] Japan,[64] South Korea,[65] Israel,[66] and several European countries. It works closely with fellow NATO members on military and security issues and with its neighbors through the Organization of American States and free trade agreements such as the trilateral North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico. In 2008, the United States spent a net $25.4 billion on official development assistance, the most in the world. As a share of America's large gross national income (GNI), however, the U.S. contribution of 0.18% ranked last among twenty-two donor states. By contrast, private overseas giving by Americans is relatively generous.[67]
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The president holds the title of commander-in-chief of the nation's armed forces and appoints its leaders, the secretary of defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The United States Department of Defense administers the armed forces, including the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. The Coast Guard is run by the Department of Homeland Security in peacetime and the Department of the Navy in time of war. In 2008, the armed forces had 1.4 million personnel on active duty. The Reserves and National Guard brought the total number of troops to 2.3 million. The Department of Defense also employed about 700,000 civilians, not including contractors.[68]
Military service is voluntary, though conscription may occur in wartime through the Selective Service System.[69] American forces can be rapidly deployed by the Air Force's large fleet of transport aircraft, the Navy's eleven active aircraft carriers, and Marine Expeditionary Units at sea with the Navy's Atlantic and Pacific fleets. The military operates 865 bases and facilities abroad,[70] and maintains deployments greater than 100 active duty personnel in 25 foreign countries.[71] The extent of this global military presence has prompted some scholars to describe the United States as maintaining an "empire of bases".[72]
Total U.S. military spending in 2010, almost $700 billion, was 43% of global military spending and greater than the next fourteen largest national military expenditures combined. At 4.8% of GDP, the rate was the second-highest among the top fifteen military spenders, after Saudi Arabia.[73] The proposed base Department of Defense budget for 2012, $553 billion, is a 4.2% increase over 2011; an additional $118 billion is proposed for the military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.[74] The last American troops serving in Iraq departed in December 2011;[75] 4,484 servicemen were killed during the Iraq War.[76] Approximately 90,000 U.S. troops were serving in Afghanistan as of April 2012;[77] as of April 4, 1,924 had been killed during the War in Afghanistan.[78]
Economy[link]
Main article: Economy of the United States
| Economic indicators | ||
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment | 8.2% (May 2012) | [79] |
| GDP growth | 2.2% (1Q 2012), 1.7% (2011) | [80] |
| CPI inflation | 2.3% (April 2011 – April 2012) | [81] |
| Poverty | 15.1% (2010) | [82] |
| Public debt | $15.62 trillion (April 13, 2012) | [83] |
| Household net worth | $58.5 trillion (4Q 2011) | [84] |
The United States has a capitalist mixed economy, which is fueled by abundant natural resources, a well-developed infrastructure, and high productivity.[85] According to the International Monetary Fund, the U.S. GDP of $15.1 trillion constitutes 22% of the gross world product at market exchange rates and over 19% of the gross world product at purchasing power parity (PPP).[3] Though larger than any other nation's, its national GDP is about 5% smaller than the GDP of the European Union at PPP in 2008. The country ranks ninth in the world in nominal GDP per capita and sixth in GDP per capita at PPP.[3] The U.S. dollar is the world's primary reserve currency.[86]
The United States is the largest importer of goods and third largest exporter, though exports per capita are relatively low. In 2010, the total U.S. trade deficit was $635 billion.[87] Canada, China, Mexico, Japan, and Germany are its top trading partners.[88] In 2010, oil was the largest import commodity, while transportation equipment was the country's largest export.[87] China is the largest foreign holder of U.S. public debt.[89]
In 2009, the private sector was estimated to constitute 86.4% of the economy, with federal government activity accounting for 4.3% and state and local government activity (including federal transfers) the remaining 9.3%.[91] While its economy has reached a postindustrial level of development and its service sector constitutes 67.8% of GDP, the United States remains an industrial power.[92] The leading business field by gross business receipts is wholesale and retail trade; by net income it is manufacturing.[93] Chemical products are the leading manufacturing field.[94] The United States is the third largest producer of oil in the world, as well as its largest importer.[95] It is the world's number one producer of electrical and nuclear energy, as well as liquid natural gas, sulfur, phosphates, and salt. While agriculture accounts for just under 1% of GDP,[92] the United States is the world's top producer of corn[96] and soybeans.[97] Coca-Cola and McDonald's are the two most recognized brands in the world.[98]
In August 2010, the American labor force comprised 154.1 million people. With 21.2 million people, government is the leading field of employment. The largest private employment sector is health care and social assistance, with 16.4 million people. About 12% of workers are unionized, compared to 30% in Western Europe.[99] The World Bank ranks the United States first in the ease of hiring and firing workers.[100] In 2009, the United States had the third highest labor productivity per person in the world, behind Luxembourg and Norway. It was fourth in productivity per hour, behind those two countries and the Netherlands.[101] Compared to Europe, U.S. property and corporate income tax rates are generally higher, while labor and, particularly, consumption tax rates are lower.[102]
Income and human development[link]
Main article: Income in the United States
See also: Income inequality in the United States, Poverty in the United States, and Affluence in the United States
According to the United States Census Bureau, the pretax median household income in 2010 was $49,445. The median ranged from $64,308 among Asian American households to $32,068 among African American households.[82] Using purchasing power parity exchange rates, the overall median is similar to the most affluent cluster of developed nations. After declining sharply during the middle of the 20th century, poverty rates have plateaued since the early 1970s, with 11–15% of Americans below the poverty line every year, and 58.5% spending at least one year in poverty between the ages of 25 and 75.[103][104] In 2010, 46.2 million Americans lived in poverty, a figure that rose for the fourth year in a row.[82]
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The U.S. welfare state is one of the least extensive in the developed world, reducing both relative poverty and absolute poverty by considerably less than the mean for rich nations,[105][106] though combined private and public social expenditures per capita are relatively high.[107] While the American welfare state effectively reduces poverty among the elderly,[108] it provides relatively little assistance to the young.[109] A 2007 UNICEF study of children's well-being in twenty-one industrialized nations ranked the United States next to last.[110]
Between 1947 and 1979, real median income rose by over 80% for all classes, with the incomes of poor Americans rising faster than those of the rich.[111] However, income gains since then have been slower, less widely shared, and accompanied by increased economic insecurity.[111][112] Median household income has increased for all classes since 1980,[113] largely owing to more dual-earner households, the closing of the gender pay gap, and longer work hours, but the growth has been strongly tilted toward the very top.[105][111][114] Consequently, the share of income of the top 1%—21.8% of total reported income in 2005—has more than doubled since 1980,[115] leaving the United States with the greatest income inequality among developed nations.[105][116] The United States has a progressive tax system which equates to higher income earners paying a larger percentage of their income in taxes.[117] The top 1% pays 27.6% of all federal taxes, while the top 10% pays 54.7%.[118] Wealth, like income and taxes, is highly concentrated: The richest 10% of the adult population possesses 69.8% of the country's household wealth, the second-highest share among developed nations.[119] The top 1% possesses 33.4% of net wealth.[120] In 2011 the United Nations Development Programme ranked the United States 23rd among 139 countries on its inequality-adjusted human development index (IHDI), nineteen places lower than in the standard HDI.[121]
Infrastructure[link]
Science and technology[link]
Main article: Science and technology in the United States
The United States has been a leader in scientific research and technological innovation since the late 19th century. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell was awarded the first U.S. patent for the telephone. Thomas Edison's laboratory developed the phonograph, the first long-lasting light bulb, and the first viable movie camera. Nikola Tesla pioneered alternating current, the AC motor, and radio. In the early 20th century, the automobile companies of Ransom E. Olds and Henry Ford popularized the assembly line. The Wright brothers, in 1903, made the first sustained and controlled heavier-than-air powered flight.[122]
The rise of Nazism in the 1930s led many European scientists, including Albert Einstein, Enrico Fermi, and John von Neumann, to immigrate to the United States. During World War II, the Manhattan Project developed nuclear weapons, ushering in the Atomic Age. The Space Race produced rapid advances in rocketry, materials science, and computers. IBM, Apple Computer, and Microsoft refined and popularized the personal computer. The United States largely developed the ARPANET and its successor, the Internet. Today, 64% of research and development funding comes from the private sector.[123] The United States leads the world in scientific research papers and impact factor.[124] As of April 2010, 68% of American households had broadband Internet service.[125] The country is the primary developer and grower of genetically modified food, representing half of the world's biotech crops.[126]
Transportation[link]
Main article: Transportation in the United States
Personal transportation is dominated by automobiles, which operate on a network of 13 million roads,[128] including one of the world's longest highway systems.[129] The world's second largest automobile market,[130] the United States has the highest rate of per-capita vehicle ownership in the world, with 765 vehicles per 1,000 Americans.[131] About 40% of personal vehicles are vans, SUVs, or light trucks.[132] The average American adult (accounting for all drivers and nondrivers) spends 55 minutes driving every day, traveling 29 miles (47 km).[133]
Mass transit accounts for 9% of total U.S. work trips,[134] ranking last in a survey of 17 countries.[135] While transport of goods by rail is extensive, relatively few people use rail to travel,[136] though ridership on Amtrak, the national intercity passenger rail system, grew by almost 37% between 2000 and 2010.[137] Light rail development has increased in recent years but, like high speed rail, is below European levels.[138] Bicycle usage for work commutes is minimal.[139]
The civil airline industry is entirely privately owned and has been largely deregulated since 1978, while most major airports are publicly owned. The three largest airlines in the world by passengers carried are U.S.-based; Delta Air Lines is number one.[140] Of the world's thirty busiest passenger airports, sixteen are in the United States, including the busiest, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.[141]
Energy[link]
See also: Energy policy of the United States
The United States energy market is 29,000 terawatt hours per year. Energy consumption per capita is 7.8 tons of oil equivalent per year, the 10th highest rate in the world. In 2005, 40% of this energy came from petroleum, 23% from coal, and 22% from natural gas. The remainder was supplied by nuclear power and renewable energy sources.[142] The United States is the world's largest consumer of petroleum.[143] For decades, nuclear power has played a limited role relative to many other developed countries, in part due to public perception in the wake of a 1979 accident. In 2007, several applications for new nuclear plants were filed.[144] The United States has 27% of global coal reserves.[145]
Education[link]
Main article: Education in the United States
American public education is operated by state and local governments, regulated by the United States Department of Education through restrictions on federal grants. Children are required in most states to attend school from the age of six or seven (generally, kindergarten or first grade) until they turn eighteen (generally bringing them through twelfth grade, the end of high school); some states allow students to leave school at sixteen or seventeen.[147] About 12% of children are enrolled in parochial or nonsectarian private schools. Just over 2% of children are homeschooled.[148]
The United States has many competitive private and public institutions of higher education. According to prominent international rankings, 13 or 15 American colleges and universities are ranked among the top 20 in the world.[149][150] There are also local community colleges with generally more open admission policies, shorter academic programs, and lower tuition. Of Americans twenty-five and older, 84.6% graduated from high school, 52.6% attended some college, 27.2% earned a bachelor's degree, and 9.6% earned graduate degrees.[151] The basic literacy rate is approximately 99%.[1][152] The United Nations assigns the United States an Education Index of 0.97, tying it for 12th in the world.[153]
Health[link]
See also: Health care in the United States, Health care reform in the United States, and Health insurance in the United States
The United States life expectancy of 78.4 years at birth ranks it 50th among 221 nations.[155] Increasing obesity in the United States and health improvements elsewhere have contributed to lowering the country's rank in life expectancy from 1987, when it was 11th in the world.[156] Approximately one-third of the adult population is obese and an additional third is overweight;[157] the obesity rate, the highest in the industrialized world, has more than doubled in the last quarter-century.[158] Obesity-related type 2 diabetes is considered epidemic by health care professionals.[159] The infant mortality rate of 6.06 per thousand places the United States 176th out of 222 countries, higher than all of Western Europe.[160]
The U.S. health care system far outspends any other nation's, measured in both per capita spending and percentage of GDP.[161] The World Health Organization ranked the U.S. health care system in 2000 as first in responsiveness, but 37th in overall performance.
Health care coverage in the United States is a combination of public and private efforts, and is not universal as in all other developed countries. In 2004, private insurance paid for 36% of personal health expenditures, private out-of-pocket payments covered 15%, and federal, state, and local governments paid for 44%.[162] In 2005, 46.6 million Americans, 15.9% of the population, were uninsured, 5.4 million more than in 2001. The main cause of this rise is the drop in the number of Americans with employer-sponsored health insurance.[163] The subject of uninsured and underinsured Americans is a major political issue.[164] A 2009 study estimated that lack of insurance is associated with nearly 45,000 deaths a year.[165] In 2006, Massachusetts became the first state to mandate universal health insurance.[166] Federal legislation passed in early 2010 will create a near-universal health insurance system around the country by 2014.
Crime and law enforcement[link]
Main articles: Law enforcement in the United States and Crime in the United States
See also: Law of the United States, Incarceration in the United States, and Capital punishment in the United States
Law enforcement in the United States is primarily the responsibility of local police and sheriff's departments, with state police providing broader services. Federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Marshals Service have specialized duties. At the federal level and in almost every state, jurisprudence operates on a common law system. State courts conduct most criminal trials; federal courts handle certain designated crimes as well as certain appeals from the state systems. Federal law prohibits a variety of drugs, although states sometimes pass laws in conflict with federal regulations. The smoking age is generally 18, and the drinking age is generally 21.
Among developed nations, the United States has above-average levels of violent crime and particularly high levels of gun violence and homicide.[168] There were 5.0 murders per 100,000 persons in 2009, 10.4% fewer than in 2000.[169] Gun ownership rights are the subject of contentious political debate.
The United States has the highest documented incarceration rate[170] and total prison population[171] in the world. At the start of 2008, more than 2.3 million people were incarcerated, more than one in every 100 adults.[172] The current rate is about seven times the 1980 figure,[173] and over three times the figure in Poland, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) country with the next highest rate.[174] African American males are jailed at about six times the rate of white males and three times the rate of Hispanic males.[170] The country's high rate of incarceration is largely due to sentencing and drug policies.[170][175]
Though it has been abolished in most Western nations, capital punishment is sanctioned in the United States for certain federal and military crimes, and in thirty-four states. Since 1976, when the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty after a four-year moratorium, there have been more than 1,000 executions.[176] In 2010, the country had the fifth highest number of executions in the world, following China, Iran, North Korea, and Yemen.[177] In 2007, New Jersey became the first state to legislatively abolish the death penalty since the 1976 Supreme Court decision, followed by New Mexico in 2009 and Illinois in 2011.[178]
Demographics[link]
Main articles: Demographics of the United States and Americans
| Race/Ethnicity (2010)[179] | |
|---|---|
| White | 72.4% |
| Black/African American | 12.6% |
| Asian | 4.8% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.9% |
| Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander | 0.2% |
| Other | 6.2% |
| Two or more races | 2.9% |
| Hispanic/Latino (of any race) | 16.3% |
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the country's population now to be 313,802,000,[2] including an estimated 11.2 million illegal immigrants.[180] The U.S. population almost quadrupled during the 20th century, from about 76 million in 1900.[181] The third most populous nation in the world, after China and India, the United States is the only major industrialized nation in which large population increases are projected.[182] Even with a birth rate of 13.82 per 1,000, 30% below the world average, its population growth rate is positive at 1%, significantly higher than those of many developed nations.[183] In fiscal year 2011, over 1 million immigrants (most of whom entered through family reunification) were granted legal residence.[184] Mexico has been the leading source of new residents for over two decades; since 1998, China, India, and the Philippines have been in the top four sending countries every year.[185]
The United States has a very diverse population—thirty-one ancestry groups have more than one million members.[186] White Americans are the largest racial group; German Americans, Irish Americans, and English Americans constitute three of the country's four largest ancestry groups.[186] African Americans are the nation's largest racial minority and third largest ancestry group.[186] Asian Americans are the country's second largest racial minority; the two largest Asian American ethnic groups are Chinese Americans and Filipino Americans.[186] In 2010, the U.S. population included an estimated 5.2 million people with some American Indian or Alaska Native ancestry (2.9 million exclusively of such ancestry) and 1.2 million with some native Hawaiian or Pacific island ancestry (0.5 million exclusively).[187] The census counted more than 19 million people of "Some Other Race" who were "unable to identify with any" of its five official race categories in 2010.[187]
The population growth of Hispanic and Latino Americans (the terms are officially interchangeable) is a major demographic trend. The 50.5 million Americans of Hispanic descent[187] are identified as sharing a distinct "ethnicity" by the Census Bureau; 64% of Hispanic Americans are of Mexican descent.[188] Between 2000 and 2010, the country's Hispanic population increased 43% while the non-Hispanic population rose just 4.9%.[179] Much of this growth is from immigration; as of 2007, 12.6% of the U.S. population was foreign-born, with 54% of that figure born in Latin America.[189] Fertility is also a factor; as of 2010 the average Hispanic woman gave birth to 2.4 children in her lifetime, compared to 2.0 for non-Hispanic black women and 1.8 for non-Hispanic white women (below the replacement rate of 2.1).[190] Minorities (as defined by the Census Bureau as all those beside non-Hispanic, non-multiracial whites) constituted 36.3% of the population in 2010,[191] and nearly 50% of children under age 1,[192] and are projected to constitute the majority by 2042.[193]
About 82% of Americans live in urban areas (including suburbs);[1] about half of those reside in cities with populations over 50,000.[194] In 2008, 273 incorporated places had populations over 100,000, nine cities had more than 1 million residents, and four global cities had over 2 million (New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston).[195] There are fifty-two metropolitan areas with populations greater than 1 million.[196] Of the fifty fastest-growing metro areas, forty-seven are in the West or South.[197] The metro areas of Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, and Phoenix all grew by more than a million people between 2000 and 2008.[196]
| Leading population centers | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Core city | Metro area pop.[198] | Metropolitan Statistical Area | Region[199] |  New York City  Los Angeles |
||
| 1 | New York City | 19,015,900 | New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA MSA | Northeast | |||
| 2 | Los Angeles | 12,944,801 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA MSA | West | |||
| 3 | Chicago | 9,504,753 | Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI MSA | Midwest | |||
| 4 | Dallas | 6,526,548 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX MSA | South | |||
| 5 | Houston | 6,086,538 | Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown, TX MSA | South | |||
| 6 | Philadelphia | 5,992,414 | Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington, PA–NJ–DE–MD MSA | Northeast | |||
| 7 | Washington, D.C. | 5,703,948 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA | South | |||
| 8 | Miami | 5,670,125 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL MSA | South | |||
| 9 | Atlanta | 5,359,205 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA MSA | South | |||
| 10 | Boston | 4,591,112 | Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH MSA | Northeast | |||
| based on the 2011 U.S. Population Estimate | |||||||
Language[link]
Main article: Languages of the United States
| Languages (2010)[200] | |
|---|---|
| English (only) | 229.7 million |
| Spanish, incl. Creole | 37.0 million |
| Chinese | 2.8 million |
| French, incl. Creole | 2.1 million |
| Tagalog | 1.6 million |
| Vietnamese | 1.4 million |
| Korean | 1.1 million |
| German | 1.1 million |
English 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 2010, about 230 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.[200][201] Some Americans advocate making English the country's official language, as it is in at least twenty-eight states.[5] Both Hawaiian and English are official languages in Hawaii by state law.[202]
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.[203] Other states, such as California, mandate the publication of Spanish versions of certain government documents including court forms.[204] Many jurisdictions with large numbers of non-English speakers produce government materials, especially voting information, in the most commonly spoken languages in those jurisdictions. Several insular territories grant official recognition to their native languages, along with English: Samoan and Chamorro 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[link]
Main article: Religion in the United States
See also: History of religion in the United States, Freedom of religion in the United States, Separation of church and state in the United States, and List of religious movements that began in the United States
The United States is officially a secular nation; the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion and forbids the establishment of any religious governance. In a 2002 study, 59% of Americans said that religion played a "very important role in their lives", a far higher figure than that of any other wealthy nation.[205] According to a 2007 survey, 78.4% of adults identified themselves as Christian,[206] down from 86.4% in 1990.[207] Protestant denominations accounted for 51.3%, while Roman Catholicism, at 23.9%, was the largest individual denomination. The study categorizes white evangelicals, 26.3% of the population, as the country's largest religious cohort;[206] another study estimates evangelicals of all races at 30–35%.[208] The total reporting non-Christian religions in 2007 was 4.7%, up from 3.3% in 1990.[207] The leading non-Christian faiths were Judaism (1.7%), Buddhism (0.7%), Islam (0.6%), Hinduism (0.4%), and Unitarian Universalism (0.3%).[206] The survey also reported that 16.1% of Americans described themselves as agnostic, atheist, or simply having no religion, up from 8.2% in 1990.[206][207]
Family structure[link]
In 2007, 58% of Americans age 18 and over were married, 6% were widowed, 10% were divorced, and 25% had never been married.[209] Women now mostly work outside the home and receive a majority of bachelor's degrees.[210]
Same-sex marriage is a contentious issue. Some states permit civil unions or domestic partnerships in lieu of marriage. Since 2003, several states have legalized gay marriage as the result of judicial or legislative action. Meanwhile, the federal government and a majority of states define marriage as between a man and a woman and/or explicitly prohibit same-sex marriage. Public opinion on the issue has shifted from general opposition in the 1990s to a statistical deadlock, to a majority in support.[211]
The U.S. teenage pregnancy rate, 79.8 per 1,000 women, is the highest among OECD nations.[212] Abortion policy was left to the states until the Supreme Court legalized the practice in 1973. The issue remains highly controversial, with public opinion closely divided for many years. Many states ban public funding of the procedure and restrict late-term abortions, require parental notification for minors, and mandate a waiting period. While the abortion rate is falling, the abortion ratio of 241 per 1,000 live births and abortion rate of 15 per 1,000 women aged 15–44 remain higher than those of most Western nations.[213]
Culture[link]
Main article: Culture of the United States
See also: Social class in the United States
The United States is a multicultural nation, home to a wide variety of ethnic groups, traditions, and values.[6][215] Aside from the now small Native American and Native Hawaiian populations, nearly all Americans or their ancestors immigrated within the past five centuries.[216] Mainstream American culture is a Western culture largely derived from the traditions of European immigrants with influences from many other sources, such as traditions brought by slaves from Africa.[6][217] More recent immigration from Asia and especially Latin America has added to a cultural mix that has been described as both a homogenizing melting pot, and a heterogeneous salad bowl in which immigrants and their descendants retain distinctive cultural characteristics.[6]
American culture is considered the most individualistic in the world.[218] The American Dream, or the incorrect perception that Americans enjoy high social mobility, plays a key role in attracting immigrants.[219] While the mainstream culture holds that the United States is a classless society,[220] scholars identify significant differences between the country's social classes, affecting socialization, language, and values.[221] The American middle and professional class has initiated many contemporary social trends such as modern feminism, environmentalism, and multiculturalism.[222] Americans' self-images, social viewpoints, and cultural expectations are associated with their occupations to an unusually close degree.[223] While Americans tend greatly to value socioeconomic achievement, being ordinary or average is generally seen as a positive attribute.[224]
Popular media[link]
Main articles: Cinema of the United States, Television in the United States, and Music of the United States
The world's first commercial motion picture exhibition was given in New York City in 1894, using Thomas Edison's Kinetoscope. The next year saw the first commercial screening of a projected film, also in New York, and the United States was in the forefront of sound film's development in the following decades. Since the early 20th century, the U.S. film industry has largely been based in and around Hollywood, California. Director D. W. Griffith was central to the development of film grammar and Orson Welles's Citizen Kane (1941) is frequently cited as the greatest film of all time.[225] American screen actors like John Wayne and Marilyn Monroe have become iconic figures, while producer/entrepreneur Walt Disney was a leader in both animated film and movie merchandising. The major film studios of Hollywood have produced the most commercially successful movies in history, such as Star Wars (1977) and Titanic (1997), and the products of Hollywood today dominate the global film industry.[226]
Americans are the heaviest television viewers in the world,[227] and the average viewing time continues to rise, reaching five hours a day in 2006.[228] The four major broadcast networks are all commercial entities. Americans listen to radio programming, also largely commercialized, on average just over two-and-a-half hours a day.[229] Aside from web portals and search engines, the most popular websites are Facebook, YouTube, Wikipedia, Blogger, eBay, and Craigslist.[230]
The rhythmic and lyrical styles of African-American music have deeply influenced American music at large, distinguishing it from European traditions. Elements from folk idioms such as the blues and what is now known as old-time music were adopted and transformed into popular genres with global audiences. Jazz was developed by innovators such as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington early in the 20th century. Country music developed in the 1920s, and rhythm and blues in the 1940s. Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry were among the mid-1950s pioneers of rock and roll. In the 1960s, Bob Dylan emerged from the folk revival to become one of America's most celebrated songwriters and James Brown led the development of funk. More recent American creations include hip hop and house music. American pop stars such as Presley, Michael Jackson, and Madonna have become global celebrities.[231]
Literature, philosophy, and the arts[link]
In the 18th and early 19th centuries, American art and literature took most of its cues from Europe. Writers such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, and Henry David Thoreau established a distinctive American literary voice by the middle of the 19th century. Mark Twain and poet Walt Whitman were major figures in the century's second half; Emily Dickinson, virtually unknown during her lifetime, is now recognized as an essential American poet.[232] A work seen as capturing fundamental aspects of the national experience and character—such as Herman Melville's Moby-Dick (1851), Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), and F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby (1925)—may be dubbed the "Great American Novel".[233]
Eleven U.S. citizens have won the Nobel Prize in Literature, most recently Toni Morrison in 1993. William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway are often named among the most influential writers of the 20th century.[234] Popular literary genres such as the Western and hardboiled crime fiction developed in the United States. The Beat Generation writers opened up new literary approaches, as have postmodernist authors such as John Barth, Thomas Pynchon, and Don DeLillo.
The transcendentalists, led by Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, established the first major American philosophical movement. After the Civil War, Charles Sanders Peirce and then William James and John Dewey were leaders in the development of pragmatism. In the 20th century, the work of W. V. O. Quine and Richard Rorty, and later Noam Chomsky, brought analytic philosophy to the fore of American philosophical academia. John Rawls and Robert Nozick led a revival of political philosophy.
In the visual arts, the Hudson River School was a mid-19th-century movement in the tradition of European naturalism. The realist paintings of Thomas Eakins are now widely celebrated. The 1913 Armory Show in New York City, an exhibition of European modernist art, shocked the public and transformed the U.S. art scene.[235] Georgia O'Keeffe, Marsden Hartley, and others experimented with new, individualistic styles. Major artistic movements such as the abstract expressionism of Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning and the pop art of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein developed largely in the United States. The tide of modernism and then postmodernism has brought fame to American architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Philip Johnson, and Frank Gehry.
One of the first major promoters of American theater was impresario P. T. Barnum, who began operating a lower Manhattan entertainment complex in 1841. The team of Harrigan and Hart produced a series of popular musical comedies in New York starting in the late 1870s. In the 20th century, the modern musical form emerged on Broadway; the songs of musical theater composers such as Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and Stephen Sondheim have become pop standards. Playwright Eugene O'Neill won the Nobel literature prize in 1936; other acclaimed U.S. dramatists include multiple Pulitzer Prize winners Tennessee Williams, Edward Albee, and August Wilson.
Though little known at the time, Charles Ives's work of the 1910s established him as the first major U.S. composer in the classical tradition, while experimentalists such as Henry Cowell and John Cage created a distinctive American approach to classical composition. Aaron Copland and George Gershwin developed a new synthesis of popular and classical music. Choreographers Isadora Duncan and Martha Graham helped create modern dance, while George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins were leaders in 20th-century ballet. Americans have long been important in the modern artistic medium of photography, with major photographers including Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, and Ansel Adams. The newspaper comic strip and the comic book are both U.S. innovations. Superman, the quintessential comic book superhero, has become an American icon.[236]
Food[link]
Main article: American cuisine
Mainstream American cuisine is similar to that in other Western countries. Wheat is the primary cereal grain. Traditional American cuisine uses indigenous ingredients, such as turkey, venison, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, squash, and maple syrup, which were consumed by Native Americans and early European settlers. Slow-cooked pork and beef barbecue, crab cakes, potato chips, and chocolate chip cookies are distinctively American foods. Soul food, developed by African slaves, is popular around the South and among many African Americans elsewhere. Syncretic cuisines such as Louisiana creole, Cajun, and Tex-Mex are regionally important.
Characteristic dishes such as apple pie, fried chicken, pizza, hamburgers, and hot dogs derive from the recipes of various immigrants. French fries, Mexican dishes such as burritos and tacos, and pasta dishes freely adapted from Italian sources are widely consumed.[237] Americans generally prefer coffee to tea. Marketing by U.S. industries is largely responsible for making orange juice and milk ubiquitous breakfast beverages.[238]
The American fast food industry, the world's largest, pioneered the drive-through format in the 1930s. Fast food consumption has sparked health concerns. During the 1980s and 1990s, Americans' caloric intake rose 24%;[237] frequent dining at fast food outlets is associated with what public health officials call the American "obesity epidemic".[239] Highly sweetened soft drinks are widely popular, and sugared beverages account for 9% of American caloric intake.[240]
Sports[link]
Main article: Sports in the United States
Baseball has been regarded as the national sport since the late 19th century, while American football is now by several measures the most popular spectator sport.[241] Basketball and ice hockey are the country's next two leading professional team sports. College football and basketball attract large audiences. Boxing and horse racing were once the most watched individual sports,[242] but they have been eclipsed by golf and auto racing, particularly NASCAR. Soccer is played widely at the youth and amateur levels. Tennis and many outdoor sports are popular as well.
While most major U.S. sports have evolved out of European practices, volleyball, skateboarding, snowboarding, and cheerleading are American inventions. Basketball was invented in Massachusetts by Canadian-born James Naismith. Lacrosse and surfing arose from Native American and Native Hawaiian activities that predate Western contact. Eight Olympic Games have taken place in the United States. The United States has won 2,301 medals at the Summer Olympic Games, more than any other country,[243] and 253 in the Winter Olympic Games, the second most.[244]
Measurement systems[link]
Main article: United States customary units
The nation retains United States customary units, comprising mainly former British imperial units such as miles, yards, and degrees Fahrenheit. Distinct units include the U.S. gallon and U.S. pint volume measurements. The United States is one of only three countries that do not rely primarily on the International System of Units. However, metric units are increasingly used in science, medicine, and many industrial fields.[245]
See also[link]
 |
See more Wikipedia articles related to United States. |
- Index of United States-related articles
- Lists of U.S. states
- Outline of the United States
- Wikipedia books: United States
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- ^ "Tables 41 and 42—Native and Foreign-Born Populations". Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009. U.S. Census Bureau. http://www.census.gov/prod/2008pubs/09statab/pop.pdf. Retrieved 2009-10-11.
- ^ Hamilton, Brady E., Joyce A. Martin, and Stephanie J. Ventura (2011-11-17). "Births: Preliminary Data for 2010". National Vital Statistics Reports, Volume 60, Number 2. U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr60/nvsr60_02.pdf. Retrieved 2012-04-16.
- ^ US Census Bureau: "U.S. Census Bureau Delivers Final State 2010 Census Population Totals for Legislative Redistricting" see custom table, 2nd worksheet
- ^ El Nasser, Haya (2011-08-24). "Minority babies almost the majority". USA TODAY. http://www.usatoday.com/news/parenting-family/babies/story/2011-08-25/Minority-babies-almost-the-majority/50127816/1. Retrieved 2011-10-17.
- ^ "An Older and More Diverse Nation by Midcentury". U.S. Census Bureau. 2008-08-14. Archived from the original on 2008-08-22. http://web.archive.org/web/20080822044429/http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/012496.html. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
- ^ "United States—Urban/Rural and Inside/Outside Metropolitan Area (GCT-P1. Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2000)". U.S. Census Bureau. 2000-04-01. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-state=gct&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-_box_head_nbr=GCT-P1&-mt_name=&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=&-format=US-1&-_lang=en. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
- ^ "Table 1: Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places Over 100,000, Ranked by July 1, 2008 Population: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2008" (PDF). 2008 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. 2009-07-01. Archived from the original on 2009-12-07. http://www.webcitation.org/5lpvuJk99. Retrieved 2009-10-11.
- ^ a b "Table 5. Estimates of Population Change for Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Rankings: July 1, 2007 to July 1, 2008" (PDF). 2008 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau. 2009-03-19. Archived from the original on 2009-12-07. http://www.webcitation.org/5lpvuJzkG. Retrieved 2009-10-11.
- ^ "Raleigh and Austin are Fastest-Growing Metro Areas". U.S. Census Bureau. 2009-03-19. http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/population/cb09-45.html. Retrieved 2009-10-11.
- ^ "2010 Census National Summary File of Redistricting Data". U.S. Census Bureau. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_NSRD_GCTPL2.US24PR&prodType=table. Retrieved 2011-05-05.
- ^ "Figure A–3. Census Regions, Census Divisions, and Their Constituent States". U.S. Census Bureau. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/glossry2.pdf. Retrieved 2007-06-17.
- ^ a b "Language Spoken at Home by the U.S. Population, 2010", American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau, in World Almanac and Book of Facts 2012, p. 615.
- ^ "Foreign Language Enrollments in United States Institutions of Higher Learning". MLA. fall 2002. http://www.adfl.org/resources/enrollments.pdf. Retrieved 2006-10-16.
- ^ "The Constitution of the State of Hawaii, Article XV, Section 4". Hawaii Legislative Reference Bureau. 1978-11-07. http://www.hawaii.gov/lrb/con/conart15.html. Retrieved 2007-06-19.
- ^ Dicker, Susan J. (2003). Languages in America: A Pluralist View. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters. pp. 216, 220–25. ISBN 1-85359-651-5.
- ^ "California Code of Civil Procedure, Section 412.20(6)". Legislative Counsel, State of California. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=ccp&group=00001-01000&file=412.10-412.30. Retrieved 2007-12-17. "California Judicial Council Forms". Judicial Council, State of California. http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/forms/allforms.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-17.
- ^ "Among Wealthy Nations...U.S. Stands Alone in its Embrace of Religion". Pew Global Attitudes Project. Pew Research Center. 2002-12-19. http://pewglobal.org/reports/display.php?ReportID=167. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
- ^ a b c d "Religious Composition of the U.S.". U.S. Religious Landscape Survey. Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. 2007. http://religions.pewforum.org/pdf/affiliations-all-traditions.pdf. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
- ^ a b c Kosmin, Barry A., Egon Mayer, and Ariela Kaysar (2001-12-19). "American Religious Identification Survey 2001". CUNY Graduate Center. http://www.gc.cuny.edu/CUNY_GC/media/CUNY-Graduate-Center/PDF/ARIS/ARIS-PDF-version.pdf?ext=.pdf. Retrieved 2011-09-16.
- ^ Green, John C. "The American Religious Landscape and Political Attitudes: A Baseline for 2004". University of Akron Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics. Archived from the original on 2009-12-07. http://www.webcitation.org/5lpvuMoCD. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
- ^ "Table 55—Marital Status of the Population by Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 1990 to 2007". Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009. U.S. Census Bureau. http://www.census.gov/prod/2008pubs/09statab/pop.pdf. Retrieved 2009-10-11.
- ^ "Women's Advances in Education". Columbia University, Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy. 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-06-09. http://web.archive.org/web/20070609151527/http://www.iserp.columbia.edu/news/articles/female_college.html. Retrieved 2007-06-06.
- ^ "For First Time, Majority of Americans Favor Legal Gay Marriage". Gallup.com. http://www.gallup.com/poll/147662/First-Time-Majority-Americans-Favor-Legal-Gay-Marriage.aspx. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
- ^ "Teenage birth rate statistics – countries compared – NationMaster People". Nationmaster.com. http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/peo_tee_bir_rat-people-teenage-birth-rate. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
- ^ Strauss, Lilo T., et al. (2006-11-24). "Abortion Surveillance—United States, 2003". MMWR. Centers for Disease Control, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Reproductive Health. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5511a1.htm. Retrieved 2007-06-17.
- ^ "Statue of Liberty". World Heritage. UNESCO. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/307. Retrieved 2011–10–20.
- ^ Thompson, William, and Joseph Hickey (2005). Society in Focus. Boston: Pearson. ISBN 0-205-41365-X.
- ^ Fiorina, Morris P., and Paul E. Peterson (2000). The New American Democracy. London: Longman, p. 97. ISBN 0-321-07058-5.
- ^ Holloway, Joseph E. (2005). Africanisms in American Culture, 2d ed. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, pp. 18–38. ISBN 0-253-34479-4. Johnson, Fern L. (1999). Speaking Culturally: Language Diversity in the United States. Thousand Oaks, Calif., London, and New Delhi: Sage, p. 116. ISBN 0-8039-5912-5.
- ^ "Individualism". Clearly Cultural. http://www.clearlycultural.com/geert-hofstede-cultural-dimensions/individualism/. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ "A Family Affair: Intergenerational Social Mobility across OECD Countries". Economic Policy Reforms: Going for Growth (OECD). 2010. http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/2/7/45002641.pdf. Retrieved 2010-09-20. Blanden, Jo, Paul Gregg, and Stephen Malchin (April 2005). "Intergenerational Mobility in Europe and North America". Centre for Economic Performance. Archived from the original on June 23, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20060623094610/http://www.suttontrust.com/reports/IntergenerationalMobility.pdf. Retrieved 2006-08-21.
- ^ Gutfield, Amon (2002). American Exceptionalism: The Effects of Plenty on the American Experience. Brighton and Portland: Sussex Academic Press. p. 65. ISBN 1-903900-08-5.
- ^ Zweig, Michael (2004). What's Class Got To Do With It, American Society in the Twenty-First Century. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. ISBN 0-8014-8899-0. "Effects of Social Class and Interactive Setting on Maternal Speech". Education Resource Information Center. http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=RecordDetails&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED309843&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=eric_accno&objectId=0900000b800472a5. Retrieved 2007-01-27.
- ^ Ehrenreich, Barbara (1989). Fear of Falling, The Inner Life of the Middle Class. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-097333-1.
- ^ Eichar, Douglas (1989). Occupation and Class Consciousness in America. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-26111-3.
- ^ O'Keefe, Kevin (2005). The Average American. New York: PublicAffairs. ISBN 1-58648-270-X.
- ^ Village Voice: 100 Best Films of the 20th century (2001). Filmsite.org; Sight and Sound Top Ten Poll 2002. BFI. Retrieved on 2007-06-19.
- ^ "World Culture Report 2000 Calls for Preservation of Intangible Cultural Heritage". UNESCO. 2000-11-17. http://www.unesco.org/bpi/eng/unescopress/2000/00-120e.shtml. Retrieved 2007-09-14. "Summary: Does Globalization Thwart Cultural Diversity?". World Bank Group. Archived from the original on 2007-10-17. http://web.archive.org/web/20071017111347/http://worldbank.org/economicpolicy/globalization/thwart.html. Retrieved 2007-09-14.
- ^ "Media Statistics > Television Viewing by Country". NationMaster. http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/med_tel_vie-media-television-viewing. Retrieved 2007-06-03.
- ^ "Broadband and Media Consumption". eMarketer. 2007-06-07. http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1005003. Retrieved 2007-06-10.
- ^ "TV Fans Spill into Web Sites". eMarketer. 2007-06-07. http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1004830. Retrieved 2007-06-10.
- ^ "Top Sites in United States". Alexa. 2010. http://www.alexa.com/topsites/countries/US. Retrieved 2010-03-27.
- ^ Biddle, Julian (2001). What Was Hot!: Five Decades of Pop Culture in America. New York: Citadel, p. ix. ISBN 0-8065-2311-5.
- ^ Bloom, Harold. 1999. Emily Dickinson. Broomall, PA: Chelsea House Publishers. p. 9. ISBN 0-7910-5106-4.
- ^ Buell, Lawrence (Spring/Summer 2008). "The Unkillable Dream of the Great American Novel: Moby-Dick as Test Case". American Literary History 20 (1–2): 132–155. DOI:10.1093/alh/ajn005. ISSN 0896-7148.
- ^ Quinn, Edward (2006). A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms. Infobase, p. 361. ISBN 0-8160-6243-9. Seed, David (2009). A Companion to Twentieth-Century United States Fiction. Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons, p. 76. ISBN 1-4051-4691-5. Meyers, Jeffrey (1999). Hemingway: A Biography. New York: Da Capo, p. 139. ISBN 0-306-80890-0.
- ^ Brown, Milton W. (1988 1963). The Story of the Armory Show. New York: Abbeville. ISBN 0-89659-795-4.
- ^ Daniels, Les (1998). Superman: The Complete History (1st ed.). Titan Books. p. 11. ISBN 1-85286-988-7.
- ^ a b Klapthor, James N. (2003-08-23). "What, When, and Where Americans Eat in 2003". Newswise/Institute of Food Technologists. http://www.newswise.com/articles/what-when-and-where-americans-eat-in-2003. Retrieved 2007-06-19.
- ^ Smith, Andrew F. (2004). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America. New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 131–32. ISBN 0-19-515437-1. Levenstein, Harvey (2003). Revolution at the Table: The Transformation of the American Diet. Berkeley, Los Angeles, and London: University of California Press, pp. 154–55. ISBN 0-520-23439-1.
- ^ Boslaugh, Sarah (2010). "Obesity Epidemic", in Culture Wars: An Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices, ed. Roger Chapman. Armonk, N.Y.: M. E. Sharpe, pp. 413–14. ISBN 978-0-7656-1761-3.
- ^ "Fast Food, Central Nervous System Insulin Resistance, and Obesity". Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. American Heart Association. 2005. http://atvb.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/25/12/2451#R3-101329. Retrieved 2007-06-09. "Let's Eat Out: Americans Weigh Taste, Convenience, and Nutrition". U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/eib19/eib19_reportsummary.pdf. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
- ^ Krane, David K. (2002-10-30). "Professional Football Widens Its Lead Over Baseball as Nation's Favorite Sport". Harris Interactive. http://www.harrisinteractive.com/Insights/HarrisVault8482.aspx?PID=337. Retrieved 2007-09-14. Maccambridge, Michael (2004). America's Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-375-50454-0.
- ^ Cowen, Tyler, and Kevin Grier (2012-02-09). "What Would the End of Football Look Like?". Grantland/ESPN. http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7559458/cte-concussion-crisis-economic-look-end-football. Retrieved 2012-02-12.
- ^ "All-Time Medal Standings, 1896–2004". Information Please. http://www.infoplease.com/ipsa/A0115108.html. Retrieved 2007-06-14. "Distribution of Medals—2008 Summer Games". Fact Monster. http://www.factmonster.com/sports/olympics/2008/distribution-medals-summer-games.html. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
- ^ "All-Time Medal Standings, 1924–2006". Information Please. http://www.infoplease.com/ipsa/A0115207.html. Retrieved 2007-06-14. "Olympic Medals". Vancouver Organizing Committee. http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-medals/. Retrieved 2010-03-02. Norway is first.
- ^ "Appendix G: Weights and Measures". The World Factbook. CIA. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/appendix/appendix-g.html. Retrieved 2010-04-01.
External links[link]
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This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States
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This article is about the U.S. population of Americans of African ancestry. For the population of recent African origins, see African immigration to the United States. For the African diaspora throughout the Americas, see Afro-American peoples of the Americas.
.jpg)            |
| Frederick Douglass · Barack Obama · Rosa Parks Condoleezza Rice · M. L. King, Jr. · Beyoncé Knowles Malcolm X · Oprah Winfrey · Booker T. Washington Michael Jordan · Harriet Tubman · Muhammad Ali |
| Total population |
|---|
| African American 42,020,743[1] (13.6% of the US population) |
| Regions with significant populations |
| Predominantly in the Southern United States and in urban areas within the country |
| Languages |
|
American English · African American Vernacular English · Gullah language |
| Religion |
|
Predominantly Protestant; |
| Related ethnic groups |
|
Other Afro-American peoples of the Americas |
African Americans[2] (also referred to as Black Americans or Afro-Americans, and formerly as American Negroes) are citizens or residents of the United States that have ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa.[3]
African Americans make up the single largest racial minority in the United States.[4] Most African Americans are of West and Central African descent and are descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States.[5][6] However, some immigrants from African, Caribbean, Central American or South American nations, or their descendants, may be identified or self-identify with the term.[3]
African-American history starts in the 16th century with African slaves who quickly rose up against the Spanish explorer Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón and progresses to the present day, with Barack Obama as the 44th and current President of the United States. Between those landmarks there have been events and issues, both resolved and ongoing, including slavery, racism, Reconstruction, development of the African-American community, participation in the great military conflicts of the United States, racial segregation, and the Civil Rights Movement.
Contents |
History[link]
Main article: African-American history
Slavery era[link]
Main articles: Slavery in the United States and Atlantic slave trade
The first African slaves arrived in the present-day United States as part of the San Miguel de Gualdape colony (most likely located in the Winyah Bay area of present-day South Carolina), founded by Spanish explorer Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón in 1526. The ill-fated colony was almost immediately disrupted by a fight over leadership, during which the slaves revolted and fled the colony to seek refuge among local Native Americans. De Ayllón and many of the colonists died shortly afterwards of an epidemic and the colony was abandoned, leaving the escaped slaves behind on North American soil.
In 1565, the colony of Saint Augustine in Florida, founded by Pedro Menendez de Aviles, became the first permanent European settlement in North America. It included an unknown number of free and enslaved Africans that were part of this colonial expedition.
The first recorded Africans in British North America (including most of the future United States) arrived in 1619 in Jamestown, Virginia. As English settlers died from harsh conditions, more and more Africans were brought to work as laborers. The Africans were likely treated as indentured servants, similar in legal position to poor English indenturees, who traded several years labor in exchange for passage to America.[7] Africans could legally raise crops and cattle to purchase their freedom.[8] They raised families, marrying other Africans and sometimes intermarrying with Native Americans or English settlers.[9] By the 1640s and 1650s, several African families owned farms around Jamestown and some became wealthy by colonial standards.
The popular conception of a race-based slave system did not fully develop until the 18th century. The Dutch West India Company introduced slavery in 1625 with the importation of eleven black slaves into New Amsterdam (present-day New York City). All the colony's slaves, however, were freed upon its surrender to the British.[10] Massachusetts was the first British colony to legally recognize slavery in 1641. It was not until 1662 that Virginia ruled that a slave mother's children would remain slaves.[11]
The first black congregations and churches were organized before 1800 in both northern and southern cities following the Great Awakening. By 1775, Africans made up 20% of the population in the American colonies, which made them the second largest ethnic group after the English.[12] During the 1770s, Africans, both enslaved and free, helped rebellious English colonists secure American Independence by defeating the British in the American Revolution.[13] Africans and Englishmen fought side by side and were fully integrated.[14] James Armistead, an African American, played a large part in making possible the 1781 Yorktown victory, which established the United States as an independent nation.[15] Other prominent African Americans were Prince Whipple and Oliver Cromwell, who are both depicted in the front of the boat in George Washington's famous 1776 Crossing the Delaware portrait.
By 1860, there were 3.5 million enslaved African Americans in the United States due to the Atlantic slave trade, and another 500,000 African Americans lived free across the country.[16] In 1863, during the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. The proclamation declared that all slaves in states which had seceded from the Union were free.[17] Advancing Union troops enforced the proclamation with Texas being the last state to be emancipated in 1865.[18]
Reconstruction and Jim Crow[link]
Main articles: Reconstruction Era of the United States and Jim Crow laws
African Americans quickly set up congregations for themselves, as well as schools, community and civic associations, to have space away from white control or oversight. While the post-war reconstruction era was initially a time of progress for African Americans, in the late 1890s, Southern states enacted Jim Crow laws to enforce racial segregation and disenfranchisement.[19] Most African Americans followed the Jim Crow laws, using a mask of compliance to prevent becoming victims of racially motivated violence. To maintain self-esteem and dignity, African Americans such as Anthony Overton and Mary McLeod Bethune continued to build their own schools, churches, banks, social clubs, and other businesses.[20]
In the last decade of the 19th century, racially discriminatory laws and racial violence aimed at African Americans began to mushroom in the United States. These discriminatory acts included racial segregation—upheld by the United States Supreme Court decision in Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896[21]—which was legally mandated by southern states and nationwide at the local level of government, voter suppression or disenfranchisement in the southern states, denial of economic opportunity or resources nationwide, and private acts of violence and mass racial violence aimed at African Americans unhindered or encouraged by government authorities.
Great Migration and Civil Rights Movement[link]
Main articles: Great Migration (African American) and African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968)
The desperate conditions of African Americans in the South that sparked the Great Migration of the early 20th century,[22] combined with a growing African American community in the Northern United States, led to a movement to fight violence and discrimination against African Americans that, like abolitionism before it, crossed racial lines. The Civil Rights Movement from 1954 to 1968 was directed at abolishing racial discrimination against African Americans, particularly in the Southern United States. The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and the conditions which brought it into being are credited with putting pressure on President John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.
Johnson put his support behind passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that banned discrimination in public accommodations, employment, and labor unions, and the Voting Rights Act (1965), which expanded federal authority over states to ensure black political participation through protection of voter registration and elections. By 1966, the emergence of the Black Power movement, which lasted from 1966 to 1975, expanded upon the aims of the Civil Rights Movement to include economic and political self-sufficiency, and freedom from white authority.[23]
Post-Civil Rights era[link]
Main article: Post Civil Rights Era African-American history
Politically and economically, blacks have made substantial strides during the post-civil rights era. In 1989, Douglas Wilder became the first African-American elected governor in U.S. history. There is currently one black governor; governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts. Clarence Thomas became the second African-American Supreme Court Justice. In 1992 Carol Moseley-Braun of Illinois became the first black woman elected to the U.S. Senate. There were 8,936 black officeholders in the United States in 2000, showing a net increase of 7,467 since 1970. In 2001 there were 484 black mayors.
On November 4, 2008, Democratic Senator Barack Obama defeated Republican Senator John McCain to become the first African American to be elected President. At least 95 percent of African-American voters voted for Obama.[24][25] He also received overwhelming support from young and educated whites, a majority of Asians, Hispanics,[26] and Native Americans[27][not in citation given] picking up a number of new states in the Democratic electoral column.[24][25] Obama lost the overall white vote, although he won a larger proportion of white votes than any previous nonincumbent Democratic presidential candidate since Jimmy Carter.[28] The following year Michael S. Steele was elected the first African-American chairman of the national Republican Party.[29]
Demographics[link]
File:Absenceblacks.png
U.S. Census map indicating U.S. counties with fewer than 25 black or African American inhabitants
Further information: List of U.S. communities with African American majority populations, List of U.S. counties with African American majority populations, and List of U.S. states by African-American population
In 1790, when the first U.S. Census was taken, Africans (including slaves and free people) numbered about 760,000—about 19.3% of the population. In 1860, at the start of the Civil War, the African American population had increased to 4.4 million, but the percentage rate dropped to 14% of the overall population of the country. The vast majority were slaves, with only 488,000 counted as "freemen". By 1900, the black population had doubled and reached 8.8 million. In 1910, about 90% of African Americans lived in the South, but large numbers began migrating north looking for better job opportunities and living conditions, and to escape Jim Crow laws and racial violence. The Great Migration, as it was called, spanned the 1890s to the 1970s. From 1916 through the 1960s, more than 6 million black people moved north. But in the 1970s and 1980s, that trend reversed, with more African Americans moving south to the Sun Belt than leaving it.
The following table of the African American population in the United States over time shows that the African American population, as a percentage of the total population, declined until 1930 and has been rising since then.
| Year | Number | % of total population |
% Change (10 yr) |
Slaves | % in slavery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 757,208 | 19.3% (highest) | – | 697,681 | 92% |
| 1800 | 1,002,037 | 18.9% | 32.3% | 893,602 | 89% |
| 1810 | 1,377,808 | 19.0% | 37.5% | 1,191,362 | 86% |
| 1820 | 1,771,656 | 18.4% | 28.6% | 1,538,022 | 87% |
| 1830 | 2,328,642 | 18.1% | 31.4% | 2,009,043 | 86% |
| 1840 | 2,873,648 | 16.8% | 23.4% | 2,487,355 | 87% |
| 1850 | 3,638,808 | 15.7% | 26.6% | 3,204,287 | 88% |
| 1860 | 4,441,830 | 14.1% | 22.1% | 3,953,731 | 89% |
| 1870 | 4,880,009 | 12.7% | 9.9% | – | – |
| 1880 | 6,580,793 | 13.1% | 34.9% | – | – |
| 1890 | 7,488,788 | 11.9% | 13.8% | – | – |
| 1900 | 8,833,994 | 11.6% | 18.0% | – | – |
| 1910 | 9,827,763 | 10.7% | 11.2% | – | – |
| 1920 | 10.5 million | 9.9% | 6.8% | – | – |
| 1930 | 11.9 million | 9.7% (lowest) | 13% | – | – |
| 1940 | 12.9 million | 9.8% | 8.4% | – | – |
| 1950 | 15.0 million | 10.0% | 16% | – | – |
| 1960 | 18.9 million | 10.5% | 26% | – | – |
| 1970 | 22.6 million | 11.1% | 20% | – | – |
| 1980 | 26.5 million | 11.7% | 17% | – | – |
| 1990 | 30.0 million | 12.1% | 13% | – | – |
| 2000 | 34.6 million | 12.3% | 15% | – | – |
| 2010 | 38.9 million | 12.6% | 12% | – | – |
By 1990, the African American population reached about 30 million and represented 12% of the U.S. population, roughly the same proportion as in 1900.[31] In 2010, 38.9 million Americans identified as "Black or African American," representing 12.6% of the population. Controversy has surrounded the "accurate" population count of African Americans for decades. The NAACP believed it was under counted intentionally to minimize the significance of the black population in order to reduce their political power base[citation needed].
At the time of the 2000 Census, 54.8% of African Americans lived in the South. In that year, 17.6% of African Americans lived in the Northeast and 18.7% in the Midwest, while only 8.9% lived in the western states. The west does have a sizable black population in certain areas, however. California, the nation's most populous state, has the fifth largest African American population, only behind New York, Texas, Georgia, and Florida. According to the 2000 Census, approximately 2.05% of African Americans identified as Hispanic or Latino in origin,[4] many of whom may be of Brazilian, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Cuban, Haitian, or other Latin American descent. The only self-reported ancestral groups larger than African Americans are the Irish and Germans.[32] Because many African Americans trace their ancestry to colonial American origins, some simply self-identify as "American".[citation needed]
U.S. cities[link]
Further information: List of U.S. cities with large African American populations and List of U.S. metropolitan areas with large African-American populations
Almost 58% of African Americans lived in metropolitan areas in 2000. With over 2 million black residents, New York City had the largest black urban population in the United States in 2000, overall the city has a 28% black population. Chicago has the second largest black population, with almost 1.6 million African Americans in its metropolitan area, representing about 18 percent of the total metropolitan population.
Among cities of 100,000 or more, Detroit, Michigan had the highest percentage of black residents of any U.S. city in 2010, with 82%. Other large cities with African American majorities include New Orleans, Louisiana (60%), Baltimore, Maryland (63%) Atlanta, Georgia (54%), Memphis, Tennessee (61%), and Washington, D.C. (50.7%).
The nation's most affluent county with an African American majority is Prince George's County, Maryland, with a median income of $62,467. Within that county, among the wealthiest communities are Glenn Dale, Maryland and Fort Washington, Maryland. Other affluent predominantly African American counties include Dekalb County in Georgia, and Charles City County in Virginia. Queens County, New York is the only county with a population of 65,000 or more where African Americans have a higher median household income than White Americans.[33]
Education[link]
By 2000, African Americans had advanced greatly. They still lagged overall in education attainment compared to white or Asian Americans, with 14 percent with four year and 5 percent with advanced degrees, though it was higher than for other minorities.[34] African Americans attend college at about half the rate of whites, but at a greater rate than Americans of Hispanic origin. More African American women attend and complete college than men. Black schools for kindergarten through twelfth grade students were common throughout the U.S., and a pattern towards re-segregation is currently occurring across the country.[35]
Historically black colleges and universities remain today which were originally set up when segregated colleges did not admit African Americans. As late as 1947, about one third of African Americans over 65 were considered to lack the literacy to read and write their own names. By 1969, illiteracy as it had been traditionally defined, had been largely eradicated among younger African Americans.[36]
US Census surveys showed that by 1998, 89 percent of African Americans aged 25 to 29 had completed high school, less than whites or Asians, but more than Hispanics. On many college entrance, standardized tests and grades, African Americans have historically lagged behind whites, but some studies suggest that the achievement gap has been closing. Many policy makers have proposed that this gap can and will be eliminated through policies such as affirmative action, desegregation, and multiculturalism.[37]
In Chicago, Marva Collins, an African American educator, created a low cost private school specifically for the purpose of teaching low-income African American children whom the public school system had labeled as being "learning disabled".[38] One article about Marva Collins' school stated,
Working with students having the worst of backgrounds, those who were working far below grade level, and even those who had been labeled as 'unteachable,' Marva was able to overcome the obstacles. News of third grade students reading at ninth grade level, four-year-olds learning to read in only a few months, outstanding test scores, disappearance of behavioral problems, second-graders studying Shakespeare, and other incredible reports, astounded the public.[39]
During the 2006–2007 school year, Collins' school charged $5,500 for tuition, and parents said that the school did a much better job than the Chicago public school system.[40] Meanwhile, during the 2007–2008 year, Chicago public school officials claimed that their budget of $11,300 per student was not enough.[41]
Economic status[link]
Economically, African Americans have benefited from the advances made during the Civil Rights era, particularly among the educated, but not without the lingering effects of historical marginalization when considered as a whole. The racial disparity in poverty rates has narrowed. The black middle class has grown substantially. In 2010, 45% of Africa-Americans owned their homes, compared to 67% of all Americans.[42] The poverty rate among African Americans has decreased from 26.5% in 1998 to 24.7% in 2004, compared to 12.7% for all Americans.[43] African Americans have a combined buying power of over $892 billion currently and likely over $1.1 trillion by 2012.[44][45] In 2002, African American-owned businesses accounted for 1.2 million of the US's 23 million businesses.[46] As of 2011 African American-owned business account for approximately 2 million US businesses.[47] Black-owned businesses experienced the largest growth in number of businesses among minorities from 2002 to 2011.[47]
In 2004, African American men had the third-highest earnings of American minority groups after Asian Americans and non-Hispanic whites.[52]
Twenty-five percent of blacks had white-collar occupations (management, professional, and related fields) in 2000, compared with 33.6% of Americans overall.[53][54] In 2001, over half of African American households of married couples earned $50,000 or more.[54] Although in the same year African Americans were over-represented among the nation's poor, this was directly related to the disproportionate percentage of African American families headed by single women; such families are collectively poorer, regardless of ethnicity.[54]
By 2006, gender continued to be the primary factor in income level, with the median earnings of African American men more than those black and non-black American women overall and in all educational levels.[55][56][57][58][59] At the same time, among American men, income disparities were significant; the median income of African American men was approximately 76 cents for every dollar of their European American counterparts, although the gap narrowed somewhat with a rise in educational level.[55][60]
Overall, the median earnings of African American men were 72 cents for every dollar earned of their Asian American counterparts, and $1.17 for every dollar earned by Hispanic men.[55][58][61] On the other hand by 2006, among American women with post-secondary education, African American women have made significant advances; the median income of African American women was more than those of their Asian-, European- and Hispanic American counterparts with at least some college education.[56][57][62]
African Americans are still underrepresented in government and employment. In 1999, the median income of African American families was $33,255 compared to $53,356 of European Americans. In times of economic hardship for the nation, African Americans suffer disproportionately from job loss and underemployment, with the black underclass being hardest hit. The phrase "last hired and first fired" is reflected in the Bureau of Labor Statistics unemployment figures. Nationwide, the October 2008 unemployment rate for African Americans was 11.1%,[63] while the nationwide rate was 6.5%.[64]
The income gap between black and white families is also significant. In 2005, employed blacks earned only 65% of the wages of whites, down from 82% in 1975.[43] The New York Times reported in 2006 that in Queens, New York, the median income among African American families exceeded that of white families, which the newspaper attributed to the growth in the number of two-parent black families. It noted that Queens was the only county with more than 65,000 residents where that was true.[33]
In 1999, the rate of births to unwed African American mothers was estimated by economist Walter E. Williams of George Mason University to be 70%.[65] The poverty rate among single-parent black families was 39.5% in 2005, according to Williams, while it was 9.9% among married-couple black families. Among white families, the comparable rates were 26.4% and 6%.[66]
According to Forbes magazine's "wealthiest American" lists, a 2000 net worth of $800 million dollars made Oprah Winfrey the richest African American of the 20th century; by contrast, the net worth of the 20th century's richest American, Bill Gates, who is of European descent, briefly hit $100 billion in 1999. In Forbes' 2007 list, Gates' net worth decreased to $59 billion while Winfrey's increased to $2.5 billion,[67] making her the world's richest black person.[49][68] Winfrey is also the first African American to make Business Week's annual list of America's 50 greatest philanthropists.[69] BET founder Bob Johnson was also listed as a billionaire prior to an expensive divorce and as of 2009, had an estimated net worth of $550 million.[70] Winfrey remains the only African American wealthy enough to rank among the country's 400 richest people.[67] Some black entrepreneurs use their wealth to create new avenues for both African Americans and new opportunities for American business in general. Examples such as Tyler Perry who created new filming studios in Atlanta, Georgia which makes it possible to film movies and television shows outside of California.[71]
Religion[link]
The majority of African Americans are Protestant of whom many follow the historically black churches.[72] Black church refers to churches which minister predominantly African American congregations. Black congregations were first established by freed slaves at the end of the 17th century, and later when slavery was abolished more African Americans were allowed to create a unique form of Christianity that was culturally influenced by African spiritual traditions.[73]
According to a 2007 survey, more than half of the African American population are part of the historically black churches.[74] The largest Protestant denomination among African Americans are the Baptists,[75] distributed mainly in four denominations, the largest being the National Baptist Convention, USA and the National Baptist Convention of America.[76] The second largest are the Methodists,[77] the largest sects are the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church.[76][78] Pentecostals are distributed among several different religious bodies with the Church of God in Christ as the largest among them by far.[76] About 16% of African American Christians are members of white Protestant communions,[77] these denominations (which include the United Church of Christ) mostly have a 2 to 3% African American membership.[79] There are also large numbers of Roman Catholics, constituting 5% of the African American population.[74] Of the total number of Jehovah's Witnesses, 22% are black.[72]
Some African Americans follow Islam. Historically, between 15 to 30% of enslaved Africans brought to the Americas were Muslims, but most of these Africans were converted to Christianity during the era of American slavery.[80] However during the 20th century, some African Americans converted to Islam, mainly through the influence of black nationalist groups that preached with distinctive Islamic practices; these include the Moorish Science Temple of America, though the largest organization was the Nation of Islam, founded during the 1930s, which attracted at least 20,000 people as of 1963,[81][82] prominent members included activist Malcolm X and boxer Muhammad Ali.[83]
Malcolm X is considered the first person to start the movement among African Americans towards mainstream Islam, after he left the Nation and made the pilgrimage to Mecca.[84] In 1975, Warith Deen Mohammed, the son of Elijah Muhammad who took control of the Nation after his death, guided majority of its members to orthodox Islam.[85] However, few members rejected these changes, in particular Louis Farrakhan, who revived the Nation of Islam in 1978 based on its original teachings.
African American Muslims constitute 20% of the total U.S. Muslim population,[86] the majority are Sunni or orthodox Muslims, some of these identify under the community of W. Deen Mohammed.[87][88] The Nation of Islam led by Louis Farrakhan has a membership from 20,000—50,000 members.[89]
There are relatively few African American Jews; estimates of their number range from 20,000[90] to 200,000.[91] Most of these Jews are part of mainstream groups such as the Reform, Conservative, or Orthodox branches of Judaism; although there are significant numbers of people who are part of non-mainstream Jewish groups, largely the Black Hebrew Israelites, whose beliefs include the claim that African Americans are descended from the Biblical Israelites.[92]
Contemporary issues[link]
African Americans have improved their social and economic standing significantly since the Civil Rights Movement and recent decades have witnessed the expansion of a robust, African American middle class across the United States. Unprecedented access to higher education and employment in addition to representation in the highest levels of American government has been gained by African Americans in the post-civil rights era.
Nevertheless, due in part to the legacy of slavery, racism and discrimination, African Americans as a group remain at a pronounced economic, educational and social disadvantage in many areas relative to European Americans. Persistent social, economic and political issues for many African Americans include inadequate health care access and delivery; institutional racism and discrimination in housing, education, policing, criminal justice and employment; crime, poverty and substance abuse.[citation needed]
One of the most serious and long standing issues within African American communities is poverty. Poverty itself is a hardship as it is related to marital stress and dissolution, health problems, low educational attainment, deficits in psychological functioning, and crime.[93] In 2004, 24.7% of African American families lived below the poverty level.[43] In 2007, the average African American income was $33,916, compared with $54,920 for whites.[94]
Politics and social issues[link]
Collectively, African Americans are more involved in the American political process than other minority groups in the United States, indicated by the highest level of voter registration and participation in elections among these groups in 2004.[95] African Americans collectively attain higher levels of education than immigrants to the United States.[95] African Americans also have the highest level of Congressional representation of any minority group in the U.S.[96]
The large majority of African Americans support the Democratic Party. In the 2004 Presidential Election, Democrat John Kerry received 88% of the African American vote compared to 11% for Republican George W. Bush.[97] Although there is an African-American lobby in foreign policy, it has not had the impact that African American organizations have had in domestic policy.[98]
Historically, African Americans were supporters of the Republican Party because it was Republican President Abraham Lincoln who helped in granting freedom to American slaves; at the time, the Republicans and Democrats represented the sectional interests of the North and South, respectively, rather than any specific ideology, and both right and left were represented equally in both parties.
The African American trend of voting for Democrats can be traced back to the 1930s during the Great Depression, when Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal program provided economic relief to African Americans; Roosevelt's New Deal coalition turned the Democratic Party into an organization of the working class and their liberal allies, regardless of region. The African American vote became even more solidly Democratic when Democratic presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson pushed for civil rights legislation during the 1960s.
After over 50 years, marriage rates for all Americans began to decline while divorce rates and out-of-wedlock births have climbed.[99] These changes have been greatest among African Americans. After more than 70 years of racial parity black marriage rates began to fall behind whites.[99] Single-parent households have become common, and according to US census figures released in January 2010, only 38 percent of black children live with both their parents.[100] Despite that and heavy Democratic leanings, African Americans favor "traditional American values" about family and marriage.
While 52% of Democrats support same-sex marriage, only 30% of black Democrats do. In 2008, though Democrats overwhelmingly voted (64%) against the California ballot proposition banning gay marriage, blacks overwhelmingly approved (70% in favor) it, more than any other racial group.[101] The high-profile candidacy of Barack Obama is credited with increasing black turnout on the bill which has been seen as the crucial difference in its passing.[102]
Blacks also hold far more conservative opinions on abortion, extramarital sex, and raising children out of wedlock than Democrats as a whole.[102] On financial issues, however, African Americans are very much in line with Democrats, generally supporting a more progressive tax structure to provide more services and reduce injustice and as well as more government spending on social services.[103]
News media and coverage[link]
Some activists and academics contend that news media coverage of African American news concerns or dilemmas is inadequate[104][105][106] or the news media present distorted images of African Americans.[107] To combat this, Robert L. Johnson founded Black Entertainment Television, a network that targets young African Americans and urban audiences in the United States. Most programming on the network consists of rap and R&B music videos and urban-oriented movies and series. The channel also shows syndicated television series, original programs, and some public affairs programs. On Sunday mornings, BET broadcasts a lineup of network-produced Christian programming; other, non-affiliated Christian programs are also shown during the early morning hours daily. BET is now a global network that reaches 85 million viewers in the Caribbean, Canada, and the United Kingdom.[108]
In addition to BET there is Centric, which is a spin-off cable television channel of BET, created originally as BET on Jazz to showcase jazz music-related programming, especially that of black jazz musicians. Programming has been expanded to include a block of urban programs as well as some R&B, neo soul, and alternative hip hop, with the focus on jazz reduced to low-profile hours.[109]
TV One is another African American-oriented network and a direct competitor to BET, targeting African American adults with a broad range of programming. The network airs original lifestyle and entertainment-oriented shows, movies, fashion and music programming, as well as classic series such as 227, Good Times, Martin, Boston Public and It's Showtime at the Apollo. The network primarily owned by Radio One. Founded and controlled by Catherine Hughes, it is one of the nation's largest radio broadcasting companies and the largest African American-owned radio broadcasting company in the United States.[110]
Other African American networks scheduled to launch in 2009 are the Black Television News Channel founded by former Congressman J. C. Watts and Better Black Television founded by Percy Miller.[111][112] In June 2009, NBC News launched a new website named The Grio[113] in partnership with the production team that created the black documentary film, Meeting David Wilson. It is the first African American video news site which focuses on underrepresented stories in existing national news. The Grio consists of a broad spectrum of original video packages, news articles, and contributor blogs on topics including breaking news, politics, health, business, entertainment and Black History.[114]
Cultural influence in the United States[link]
Further information: African American culture
From their earliest presence in North America, African Americans have contributed literature, art, agricultural skills, foods, clothing styles, music, language, social and technological innovation to American culture. The cultivation and use of many agricultural products in the U.S., such as yams, peanuts, rice, okra, sorghum, grits, watermelon, indigo dyes, and cotton, can be traced to African and African American influences. Notable examples include George Washington Carver, who created 300 products from peanuts, 118 products from sweet potatoes, and 75 from pecans; and George Crum, who invented the potato chip in 1853.[115]
African American music is one of the most pervasive African American cultural influences in the United States today and is among the most dominant in mainstream popular music. Hip hop, R&B, funk, rock and roll, soul, blues, and other contemporary American musical forms originated in black communities and evolved from other black forms of music, including blues, doo-wop, barbershop, ragtime, bluegrass, jazz, and gospel music.
African American-derived musical forms have also influenced and been incorporated into virtually every other popular musical genre in the world, including country and techno. African American genres are the most important ethnic vernacular tradition in America, as they have developed independent of African traditions from which they arise more so than any other immigrant groups, including Europeans; make up the broadest and longest lasting range of styles in America; and have, historically, been more influential, interculturally, geographically, and economically, than other American vernacular traditions.[116]
African Americans have also had an important role in American dance. Bill T. Jones, a prominent modern choreographer and dancer, has included historical African American themes in his work, particularly in the piece "Last Supper at Uncle Tom's Cabin/The Promised Land". Likewise, Alvin Ailey's artistic work, including his "Revelations" based on his experience growing up as an African American in the South during the 1930s, has had a significant influence on modern dance. Another form of dance, Stepping, is an African American tradition whose performance and competition has been formalized through the traditionally black fraternities and sororities at universities.[117]
Many African American authors have written stories, poems, and essays influenced by their experiences as African Americans. African-American literature is a major genre in American literature. Famous examples include Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Richard Wright, Zora Neale Hurston, Ralph Ellison, Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison, and Maya Angelou.
African American inventors have created many widely used devices in the world and have contributed to international innovation. Norbert Rillieux created the technique for converting sugar cane juice into white sugar crystals. Moreover, Rillieux left Louisiana in 1854 and went to France, where he spent ten years working with the Champollions deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics from the Rosetta Stone.[118] Most slave inventors were nameless, such as the slave owned by the Confederate President Jefferson Davis who designed the ship propeller used by the Confederate navy.[119]
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By 1913 over 1,000 inventions were patented by black Americans. Among the most notable inventors were Jan Matzeliger, who developed the first machine to mass-produce shoes,[120] and Elijah McCoy, who invented automatic lubrication devices for steam engines.[121] Granville Woods had 35 patents to improve electric railway systems, including the first system to allow moving trains to communicate.[122] Garrett A. Morgan developed the first automatic traffic signal and gas mask.[123]
Lewis Howard Latimer invented an improvement for the incandescent light bulb.[124] More recent inventors include Frederick McKinley Jones, who invented the movable refrigeration unit for food transport in trucks and trains.[125] Lloyd Quarterman worked with six other black scientists on the creation of the atomic bomb (code named the Manhattan Project.)[126] Quarterman also helped develop the first nuclear reactor, which was used in the atomically powered submarine called the Nautilus.[127]
A few other notable examples include the first successful open heart surgery, performed by Dr. Daniel Hale Williams,[128] and the air conditioner, patented by Frederick McKinley Jones.[125] Dr. Mark Dean holds three of the original nine patents on the computer on which all PCs are based.[129] More current contributors include Otis Boykin, whose inventions included several novel methods for manufacturing electrical components that found use in applications such as guided missile systems and computers,[130] and Colonel Frederick Gregory, who was not only the first black astronaut pilot but the person who redesigned the cockpits for the last three space shuttles. Gregory was also on the team that pioneered the microwave instrumentation landing system.[131]
Political legacy[link]
African Americans have fought in every war in the history of the United States.[132]
The gains made by African Americans in the Civil Rights and Black Power movements not only obtained certain rights for African Americans, but changed American society in far-reaching and fundamentally important ways. Prior to the 1950s, Black Americans in the South were subject to de jure discrimination, or Jim Crow. They would often be the victims of extreme cruelty and violence, sometimes resulting in deaths: by the post WWII era, African Americans became increasingly discontented with their long-standing inequality. In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., African Americans and their supporters challenged the nation to "rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed that all men are created equal ..."[133]
The Civil Rights Movement marked a sea-change in American social, political, economic and civic life. It brought with it boycotts, sit-ins, demonstrations, court battles, bombings and other violence; prompted worldwide media coverage and intense public debate; forged enduring civic, economic and religious alliances; and disrupted and realigned the nation's two major political parties.
Over time, it has changed in fundamental ways the manner in which blacks and whites interact with and relate to one another. The movement resulted in the removal of codified, de jure racial segregation and discrimination from American life and law, and heavily influenced other groups and movements in struggles for civil rights and social equality within American society, including the Free Speech Movement, the disabled, women, Native Americans, and migrant workers.
The term "African American"[link]
Political overtones[link]
The term African American carries important political overtones. Earlier terms used to identify Americans of African ancestry were conferred upon the group by colonists and Americans of European ancestry. The terms were included in the wording of various laws and legal decisions which some thought were being used as tools of white supremacy and oppression.[134] There developed among blacks in America a growing desire for a term of self-identification of their own choosing.
With the political consciousness that emerged from the political and social ferment of the late 1960s and early 1970s, blacks no longer approved of the term Negro. They believed it had suggestions of a moderate, accommodationist, even "Uncle Tom" connotation. In this period, a growing number of blacks in the United States, particularly African American youth, celebrated their blackness and their historical and cultural ties with the African continent. The Black Power movement defiantly embraced Black as a group identifier. It was a term social leaders themselves had repudiated only two decades earlier, but they proclaimed, "Black is beautiful".
In this same period, a smaller number of people favored Afro-American, a common shortening (as is 'Anglo-American'). However, after the decline in popularity of the 'Afro' hairstyle in the late 1970s, the term fell out of use.[citation needed]
In the 1980s the term African American was advanced on the model of, for example, German-American or Irish-American to give descendents of American slaves and other American blacks who lived through the slavery-era a heritage and a cultural base.[134] The term was popularized in black communities around the country via word of mouth and ultimately received mainstream use after Jesse Jackson publicly used the term in front of a national audience. Subsequently, major media outlets adopted its use.[134]
Some such as Maulana Karenga and Owen Alik Shahadah argue African-American is more appropriate because it accurately articulates geography and historical origin. Thus linking a people to a continent as oppose to an abstract color.[135] Others believe the term black is inaccurate because African Americans have a variety of skin tones.[citation needed] Surveys show that the majority of Black Americans have no preference for "African American" or "Black,"[136] although they have a slight preference for "Black" in personal settings and "African American" in more formal settings.[137] Many African-Americans expressed a preference for the term, as it was formed in the same way as names for others of the many ethnic groups in the nation. Some argued further that, because of the historical circumstances surrounding the capture, enslavement and systematic attempts to de-Africanize blacks in the United States under chattel slavery, most African Americans are unable to trace their ancestry to a specific African nation; hence, the entire continent serves as a geographic marker.
For many, African American is more than a name expressive of cultural and historical roots. The term expresses pride in Africa and a sense of kinship and solidarity with others of the African diaspora—an embrace of pan-Africanism as earlier enunciated by prominent African thinkers such as Marcus Garvey, W. E. B. Du Bois and George Padmore.
Who is African American?[link]
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Since 1977, in an attempt to keep up with changing social opinion, the United States government has officially classified black people (revised to black or African American in 1997) as "having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa."[138] Other federal offices, such as the United States Census Bureau, adhere to the OMB standards on race in its data collection and tabulations efforts.[139] In preparation for the United States 2010 Census, a marketing and outreach plan, called 2010 Census Integrated Communications Campaign Plan (ICC) recognized and defined African Americans as black people born in the United States. From the ICC perspective, African Americans are one of three groups of black people in the United States[140]
The ICC plan was to reach the three groups by acknowledging that each group has its own sense of community that is based on geography and ethnicity.[141] The best way to market the census process toward any of the three groups is to reach them through their own unique communication channels and not treat the entire black population of the U.S. as though they are all African Americans with a single ethnic and geographical background. The U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation categorizes black or African American people as "A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa" through racial categories used in the UCR Program adopted from the Statistical Policy Handbook (1978) and published by the Office of Federal Statistical Policy and Standards, U.S. Department of Commerce, derived from the 1977 OMB classification.[142]
Admixture[link]
Historically, "race mixing" between black and white people was taboo in the United States. So-called anti-miscegenation laws, barring blacks and whites from marrying or having sex, were established in colonial America as early as 1691.[143] The taboo among American whites surrounding white-black relations can be seen as a historical consequence of the oppression and racial segregation of African-Americans.[144]Historian David Brion Davis notes the racial mixing that occurred during slavery was frequently attributed by the planter class to the "lower-class white males" but Davis concludes that "there is abundant evidence that many slaveowners, sons of slaveowners, and overseers took black mistresses or in effect raped the wives and daughters of slave families."[145] A famous example was Thomas Jefferson's mistress, Sally Hemings.[146]
Harvard University historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr. wrote in 2009, "African Americans ... are a racially mixed or mulatto people—deeply and overwhelmingly so." [147] For example, after the Emancipation Proclamation Chinese American men married African American women in high proportions to their total marriage numbers due to few Chinese American women being in the United States.[148] African slaves and their descendants have also had a history of cultural exchange and intermarriage with Native Americans[149] although they did not necessarily retain social, cultural or linguistic ties to Native peoples.[150] There are also increasing intermarriages and offspring between non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics of any race, especially between Puerto Ricans and African Americans (American-born blacks).[151]
Racially mixed marriages have become increasingly accepted in the United States since the Civil Rights movement and up to the present day.[152] Approval in national opinion polls have risen from 36% in 1978, to 48% in 1991, 65% in 2002, 77% in 2007.[153] Scientific analysis indicates that current African Americans inherit about 14-17.7% of their ancestry from Europeans.[154]
The African-American experience[link]
In her book The End of Blackness, as well as in an essay on the liberal website Salon,[155] author Debra Dickerson has argued that the term "black" should refer strictly to the descendents of Africans brought to America as slaves, and not the sons and daughters of black immigrants who lack that ancestry. In her opinion, President Barack Obama, who is the son of a Kenyan immigrant, although technically African-American, is not black.[155][156] She makes the argument that grouping all people of African descent together regardless of their unique ancestral circumstances would inevitably deny the lingering effects of slavery within the American community of slave descendents, in addition to denying black immigrants recognition of their own unique ancestral backgrounds. "Lumping us all together", Dickerson wrote, "erases the significance of slavery and continuing racism while giving the appearance of progress".[155]
Similar viewpoints have been expressed by Stanley Crouch in a New York Daily News piece, Charles Steele, Jr. of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference[157] and African-American columnist David Ehrenstein of the LA Times who accused white liberals of flocking to blacks who were "Magic Negros", a term that refers to a black person with no past who simply appears to assist the mainstream white (as cultural protagonists/drivers) agenda.[158] Ehrenstein went on to say "He's there to assuage white 'guilt' they feel over the role of slavery and racial segregation in American history."[158]
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (who was famously mistaken for a "recent American immigrant" by French President Nicolas Sarkozy),[159] said "descendants of slaves did not get much of a head start, and I think you continue to see some of the effects of that." She has also rejected an immigrant designation for African-Americans and instead prefers the term "black" or "white" to denote the African and European U.S. founding populations.[160]
Terms no longer in common use[link]
The terms mulatto and colored were widely used until the second quarter of the 20th century, when they were considered outmoded and generally gave way to the use of negro. By the 1940s, the term commonly was capitalized, Negro, but by the mid 1960s, it had acquired negative connotations. Today, in the culture of the United States, the term is considered inappropriate and is now rarely used and perceived as a pejorative.[161][162] The term Negro is largely out of use among the younger black generation, but is still used by a substantial block of older black Americans, particularly in the southern U.S.[163]
In Latin America, negro, which translates as black is the term generally used to refer and describe black people and, similarly to mulatto, it is not considered offensive at all in these regions. However, it is pronounced differently, with the e (a mid front unrounded vowel in American Spanish: [ˈneɣɾo], and a close-mid front unrounded vowel in Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈneɡɾu]) being closer to a sound that it is intermediate between phonemes found in English words such as pay and egg (in Spanish) or day, city and item (in Portuguese).
See also[link]
- African American art
- African-American literature
- African-American music
- African American National Biography Project
- African American Vernacular English
- African Americans in the 1960s
- American Black Upper Class
- Black feminism
- Black Loyalist
- Military history of African Americans
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Diaspora: |
Lists: |
Notes[link]
- ^ Rastogi, Sonya; Johnson, Tallese D.; Hoeffel, Elizabeth M.; Drewery, Jr., Malcolm P. (September 2011). "The Black Population: 2010" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. p. 3. http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-06.pdf. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
- ^ As a compound adjective, the term is usually hyphenated as African-American. ""African American" in the American Heritage Dictionary". Education.yahoo.com. http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/African%20American. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
- ^ a b "The size and regional distribution of the black population". Lewis Mumford Center. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. http://mumford1.dyndns.org/cen2000/BlackWhite/BlackDiversityReport/black-diversity03.htm. Retrieved October 1, 2007.
- ^ a b American FactFinder, United States Census Bureau. "United States – QT-P4. Race, Combinations of Two Races, and Not Hispanic or Latino: 2000". Factfinder.census.gov. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-qr_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_QTP4&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-redoLog=false. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
- ^ Gomez, Michael A: Exchanging Our Country Marks: The Transformation of African Identities in the Colonial and Antebellum South, p. 29. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina, 1998
- ^ Rucker, Walter C. (2006). The river flows on: Black resistance, culture, and identity formation in early America. LSU Press. p. 126. ISBN 0-8071-3109-1. http://books.google.com/?id=c2XlG4rRK4QC&pg=PA126.
- ^ Hashaw, Tim (January 21, 2007). "The First Black Americans". U.S. News & World Report. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070121/29african.htm. Retrieved February 13, 2008.
- ^ "The shaping of Black America: forthcoming 400th celebration". Encyclopedia.com. June 26, 2006. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-147667728.html?Q=Jamestown. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
- ^ "The First Black Americans – US News and World Report". Usnews.com. January 29, 2007. Archived from the original on 2 February 2011. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070121/29african.htm. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
- ^ Hodges, Russel Graham (1999), Root and Branch: African Americans in New York and East Jersey, 1613–1863, Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press
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- ^ Plessy v. Ferguson 163 U.S. 537 (1896)
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- ^ This table gives the African American population in the United States over time, based on U.S. Census figures. (Numbers from years 1920 to 2000 are based on U.S. Census figures as given by the Time Almanac of 2005, p. 377.)
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- ^ Issued August 2003: Educational Attainment by race and gender: Census 2000 Brief.
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- ^ Chicago students skip school in funding protest, Associated Press, September 2, 2008.
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- ^ "Report: Affluent African-Americans have 45% of buying power". Bizreport.com. 2008-02-22. http://www.bizreport.com/2008/02/report_affluent_africanamericans_have_45_of_buying_power.html. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
- ^ "Buying Power Among African Americans to Reach $1.1 Trillion by 2012". Reuters.com. 2008-02-06. http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS218860+06-Feb-2008+PRN20080206. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
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- ^ "Oprah Winfrey the richest black person in the world". African Echo 43. September 11, 2006. Archived from the original on 1 September 2006. http://www.africanecho.co.uk/business.html. Retrieved September 11, 2006.
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- ^ "#562 Oprah Winfrey". Forbes Special Report: The World's Billionaires. 2006. Archived from the original on 1 September 2006. http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/10/O0ZT.html. Retrieved September 11, 2006.
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- ^ a b c Jesse McKinnon (April 2003). "The Black Population in the United States: March 2002" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 1 November 2006. http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/p20-541.pdf. Retrieved October 24, 2006.
- ^ a b c "PINC-03-Part 131". Pubdb3.census.gov. August 29, 2006. http://pubdb3.census.gov/macro/032006/perinc/new03_131.htm. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
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References[link]
- Centerwall, Brandon S. (1984). "Race, socioeconomic status, and domestic homicide, Atlanta, 1971–72". American Journal of Public Health 74 (8): 813–815. DOI:10.2105/AJPH.74.8.813. PMC 1651951. PMID 6742272. //www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=1651951.
- Hawkins, Darnell F. (1993). "Inequality, Culture, and Interpersonal Violence". Health Affairs 12 (4): 80–95. DOI:10.1377/hlthaff.12.4.80. PMID 8125451.
- Neapolitan, Jerome L. (1998). "Cross-National Variation in Homicide; Is Race A Factor?". Criminology 36 (1): 139–156. DOI:10.1111/j.1745-9125.1998.tb01243.x.
- Bohlen, C. (May 18, 1986). "Does She Say the Same Things in her Native Tongue?". New York Times.
- Felder, J. (1992). From the Statue of Liberty to the Statue of Bigotry. New York: Jack Felder.
- Felder, J. (July 16, 1990). "Black Origins and Lady Liberty". Daily Challenge.
- Sinclair, T. (July 5, 1986). "Was Original Statue a Tribute to Blacks?". New York Voice.
- "Statue of Liberty". New York Post. June 17, 1986.
- Altman, Susan. The Encyclopedia of African-American Heritage. ISBN 0-8160-4125-3.
- Southern, Eileen (1997). The Music of Black Americans: A History (3rd ed.). W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-97141-4.
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Further reading[link]
- Jack Salzman, ed., Encyclopedia of Afro-American culture and history, New York, New York : Macmillan Library Reference USA, 1996.
- African American Lives, edited by Henry L. Gates, Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, Oxford University Press, 2004—more than 600 biographies.
- From Slavery to Freedom. A History of African Americans, by John Hope Franklin, Alfred Moss, McGraw-Hill Education 2001, standard work, first edition in 1947.
- Black Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia, Darlene Clark Hine (Editor), Rosalyn Terborg-Penn (Editor), Elsa Barkley Brown (Editor), Paperback Edition, Indiana University Press 2005.
- Baugh, J. (Summer 1991). "The Politicization of Changing Terms of Self Reference Among American Slave Descendants". American Speech 66 (2): 133–46. DOI:10.2307/455882. JSTOR 455882.
External links[link]
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: African American |
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Look up african american in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: African Americans |
- Richard Thompson Ford Name Games, Slate, September 16, 2004. Article discussing the problems of defining African American
- "Of Arms & the Law: Don Kates on Afro-American Homicide Rates"
- Scientific American Magazine (June 2006) Trace Elements Reconnecting African-Americans to an ancestral past
- "The Definition of Political Absurdity", San Francisco Chronicle, March 2, 2007
- African American archaeology in Sacramento, California pdf
- African American archaeology in Oakland, California —See Part III, Chap 10
- Black History related original documents and photos
- President Obama's Speech to the NAACP on July 16, 2009—full video by MSNBC
- Black or African American?, Frank Newport. Gallup, September 28, 2007
- The Long Journey of Black Americans – slideshow by The First Post
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