The American way of life is based on the idea and principles of the American Dream, which includes individual freedom, the pursuit of happiness, hard work, striving for higher standards and fulfilling traditions.
The American way of life describes the attitudes and the habits of most Americans and is deeply connected to the puritan origins of the country. Puritans fled from England and arrived in New England, and the attitudes and values of puritanism are still deeply present in American society.
Puritans were a group of English reformed protestants who wanted to reform the Church of England in the 16th and 17th century. They tried to become more pure [dt.: reiner] through worship [dt.: Anbetung] and doctrine [dt.: Glaubenslehre]. Beneath the devotion to the Bible, puritanism was also marked by piety [dt.: Frömmlichkeit], dressing simply and living a modest [dt.: bescheiden] life. The puritans’ belief was centered on following God’s will and therefore, being rewarded with happiness in the future.
Puritanism and patriotism are widespread in the United States. It is common to find American flags hanging out of windows. Moreover, national symbols like the Statue of Liberty play an important role in the context of US patriotism. All in all, patriotism induces good social cohesion [dt.: sozialer Zusammenhalt] and is important in order to be able to convey American values to other cultures. That is why Trump became popular with his slogan “America first”. But at the same time, too much patriotism makes it very difficult for foreigners to integrate and live in this patriotic society without losing their own values and beliefs. Besides these values and beliefs, the following passage summarises some aspects reflected in the typical American way of life.
Talking about mobility, the Americans’ willingness to move house, for example because of work, is quite common. For people who often change their place of residence, it is more difficult to integrate well into a society. Sometimes, people will be hesitant to create close friendships and prefer to remain “anonymous”. All in all, moving across the country can be combined with the thinking of the westward expansion. Experiencing new territories, owning land and therefore, overcoming long distances is considered to be typically American.
Moreover, America is known as a country of diversity, of ethnicities, of religions and citizenships. The idea of an “American” is an independent and individualistic human being. The typical American lifestyle is marked with the characteristics of the American Dream, which includes strong individualism, a desire for freedom, pursuit of happiness, connection to ideals, improving life through hard work and talent (known as upward mobility). Thereby excessive consumption, wastage of resources, exploitation of workers and environmental pollution are central problems in American society.
Die amerikanische Lebensweise sowie Werte und der Glaube im Sinne des Puritanismus sind keine zentralen Abiturvorschlagsthemen, sondern werden vielmehr als Ergänzung bewertet. Man sollte sich den Bezügen zu beispielsweise der westward expansion oder dem Patriotismus in Zusammenhang mit den damit einhergehenden Schwierigkeiten der Integration von Fremden bewusst sein.