Essentials for Understanding America

You might be watching a movie and a character says something about “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” This comes from an important passage in the Declaration of Independence, which was adopted on July 4, 1776 (Independence Day) in America.

You might turn on the live broadcasting of an NFL football game and see the players sing a song with their right hands over their hearts. That song is the “Star-Spangled Banner,” the National Anthem of the United States.

You might come across the proverbs “Time is money” and “A penny saved is a penny earned” frequently. These come from Benjamin Franklin, the oldest member of the Constitutional Convention, the first Postmaster General of the U.S., and the person who established the first public library in America. He included those sayings in his publication “Poor Richard’s Almanack.”

You might be following the U.S. presidential election on the news and hear people refer to states as “red” or “blue” states. This is because the Democratic Party and the Republican Party are the two main political parties of the U.S. It has become common to use the color “red” for the Republicans and “blue” for the Democrats, in reference to which party is dominant in each state.

A news article reporting on a mass shooting incident might make a reference to the Second Amendment. That is the second of the ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which is the supreme law of the country. The Second Amendment protects the right of Americans to bear arms, and there have been heated debates over its interpretation in the context of gun control.

These themes are based on what is considered “fundamental” knowledge for citizens of the United States. People who do not grow up in the U.S. and go through its education system may not have opportunities to learn all these things. However, you will come across these topics and themes in conversations with American people, in the news, movies, books, social media—parts of everyday life in the U.S.

We have written a book published by Beret Publishing that combines cultural literacy and English. It is aimed at readers who want to develop their English skills—while also learning about the U.S. It is based on the 100 questions that people who apply for citizenship in the U.S. may be asked to answer in a personal interview as the final step of the application process. The questions reflect what the government believes new citizens should know, including geography, history, civics, and other basics.

We hope that readers will find this informative and entertaining, and also gain a deeper understanding of the fundamental ideas that America is based on: American culture and what Americans value. We hope this will lead to more engaging conversations, better understanding of references in the media and news, and deeper relationships with American classmates, friends, and colleagues.

(479 words) Written by Maya