Vision of America

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The quote 'Here he beholds fair cities, substantial villages  extensive fields, an immense country filled with decent houses,.....and bridges  where a hundred years ago, all was wild, woody and uncultivated!' from 'Letters from an American Farmer' shows that Crevecoeur saw this to be new and exceptional to be typically American; as Crevecoeur viewed Americans to be the rulers of development and believed that Europeans are amazed to see how well they have developed the American land. I have chosen this image of New York as New York city is globally recognised to be a leader of development due to the sheer size and quality of its developments such as its transportation system which is efficient and practical for millions of people. New York City is also famous for containing some of the world’s best architecture such as the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building, along with thousands of skyscrapers (more skyscrapers than any other city in the world). As New York is developing so fast the city has been labelled as the 'city that never sleeps' due due to its constant rate of development.  

One of the first points he brings up is the diversity of Americans "They are a mixture of English, Scotch, Irish, French, Dutch, Germans, and Swedes."  Crevecoeur believes that this melting pot, and the "strange mixture of blood" among colonists, is an important factor that is responsible for what makes America such a progressive nation. Crevecoeur's view can be seen today in contemporary America as Americans and other nations around the globe believe that the sheer diversity of New York City (containing many ethnicities and is one of the most linguistically diverse cities in the world, as over 200 languages spoken within the city.)  is a major factor to why it has become so progressive in its development. 

'Forward; to a New Vision of America'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ade7yzrMKOc

Above is a link to a Youtube video, displaying Barack Obama making a speech at the campaign fundraiser in Chicago on the 12 of August 2012. Obama’s slogan, ‘Forward’ for the 2012 campaign as oppose to his ‘change’ campaign back in 2008, highlights that there is still much to be done to change America in order to push its values and ideals forward, towards  ‘a new vision of America ’.  Obama asks the crowd, ‘do we go forward in which prosperity is shared?’, ‘or do we go backward to the same policies that got us into this mess in the first place?’ Those policies that perhaps De Crevecoeur’s would label European values, where man is met with ‘nothing but the frowns of the rich; the severity of the laws, with jails and punishments; who owned not a single foot of the extensive surface of this planet.’
Obama states that America should go forward, in working to ‘create an America where no matter who you are, no matter what you look like, no matter where you come from, no matter what your last name is, no matter who you love, you can make it here if you try.’  This Largely coincides with De Crevecoeur’s expression of   the ‘new’ and the ‘exceptional’ America, in which he describes individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men, who’s labourers and prosperity will one day cause great changes in the World’. This further echo’s the idea that America is a ‘Land Of Opportunity’, and that all men are equal, Obama becoming the first Black American President, shows that this change in America is forthcoming, and that steps towards a ‘new’ and ‘exceptional’ America is within the near future. Therefore the video above is a contemporary example of how this vision of a ‘new’ America is still evident and forever evolving in today’s world.

The new America looks very different from the old one.

“Think America is split 50/50 between this stereotyped old America and more socially liberal new America? Think again. American values are shifting and shifting fast. In the new America the split is much closer to a 60/40.Old America is being left behind.”

The quotation above was recently taken on October 12^th 2012, written on an American news page by reporter Nick Pecorelli following campaigns in Miami. The quote above shows that America is developing and improving each year stressing that the ‘old America is being left behind’ and we are to see a ‘socially liberal new America’.

The report emphasises the ‘New America’ campaign and how they can make their society ‘better’ and ‘fairer’ which is vastly different from their previous views on which they focused on wealth. In order to be successful they need to concentrate on more than the economy alone and Pecorelli states that for a better America, they have to be open to social Liberalism and although they still own prosperity they can also find success in ‘fairness.’

This is a contemporary example of the new and exceptional America that De Crevecoeur has expressed, showing that America have not changed and are still looking to improve “because the new America looks very different from the old one.”

Vision of America

“We don't turn back. We go forward. We don't leave anybody behind; we pull them up 

with us. In America, our destiny is not written for us. It’s written by us. And we are 

going to write the next chapter together.” - President Barack Obama. 

The quotation above has been taken from a speech by President Barack Obama in Denver, Colorado in the lead up to the 2012 elections. The fact that this quotation has been taken from the Presidents speech may suggest how it represents ''new'' and the ''exceptional''. The elections deal with the future of the country and how the candidate will help the country move forward. 

I believe that the quotation shows how in America the people do not 'turn back' or dwell on the past, instead they focus on what they can do in the future and how they can reinvent themselves. This represents how America is able to focus on the ''new'' and the ''fresh''. It is known that America has faced many issues in the past and this quote shows how America doesn't ''leave anybody behind''. This represents the ''exceptional'' side of America because it shows the solidarity and importance of the people sticking together through difficult times. 

The quote then goes on to explain how the destiny of the country is ''written by us'' and how they are going to write the next chapter ''together''. Again, this shows the solidarity of the people but more importantly  it represents how it is only the American people who can change the ''destiny'' of the country. In my opinion this shows an exceptional aspect of America as the future of the country lies in the hand of the American people reflecting the rights and freedom that America is commonly known for. 

De Crevecouer’s expresses the idea of the new and the exceptional as typically American. The quotation above is a contemporary example of how this vision of America is still evident and survives today. 

Fresh vision of America

The image above provides a vision of a fresh start for America through the simplicity of a transformed road sign. Throughout history it has appeared that America has encountered numerous challenges and hit many dead ends that appeared to be unavoidable or impossible to recover from. However, the powerful nation has always managed to overcome any difficulties no matter how severe, such as, the great depression or the recent stock market crash, and been able to find a way forward that ultimately allows it to grow stronger and prosper more greatly. The o in the sign that states “forward” has been replaced by the logo for the Obama Biden campaign. The current president has been an advocate for change and based his entire 2008 campaign on the idea of a transformed America. Obama’s promise of a ‘universal’ health care bill, immigration reform and changing the current tax cuts situation are the main goals he is working to achieve in order for America to move forward. Similarly, the dead end that began to form during the Iraq war is currently being solved by Obama and hopefully soon things will begin to move forward again. The United States has been a nation that has suffered many cases of a dead end but it appears that it will always find a way forward. The accessibility of this sign will allow for lots of people to considered the value of being able to move forward. 

Small Group Meeting on Monday 29 October

Due to the need to re-arrange Wednesday's class, our small group meeting will now take place on Monday 29 October at 3pm.

Letter from Young New England Colonist

http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/bdorsey1/41docs/17-pon.html

This link leads to a letter written by an early colonist sent to his family back home. The young man writes to describe the new land he has travelled to and its many impressive resources. Also, he writes to express his appreciation to his family and sends his sincere apologies for his actions in the past. It is made clear by reading this letter that one important reason for this young man travelling over to such a dangerous and unknown land is to encounter the new and exciting world, along with his challenge to carry on his family name, prove himself worthy to his father and establish a new life overseas.

“My writing unto you is to let you understand what a country this New England is where we live.” The young man seems thoroughly impressed and is hoping that his words are enough to express to his family how incredible this new life is and hopes they can appreciate his experience.

“They are a crafty people & they will [cozen] & cheat, & they are a subtle people, & whereas we did expect great store of beaver here is little or none to be had. They are proper men & . . . many of them go naked with a skin about their loins, but now sum of them get Englishmen's apparel;” The settler describes the native people, presumably the same way most people in his position would. He seems curios about them, their tendencies and choice of clothing and approves of their transformation into a typical American settler, whether by choice or not.

He then elaborates and discusses the different resources and hopes to impress upon his family the vast amount of resources at his disposal. However, he then admits that this new land is not as abundant as one would hope and continues to request supplies from his family back home and admits to his challenges. He is clearly a religious man and has resorted to relying on prayer, however, in harsh times he has now had to beg his family for support, revealing the true and not so exciting circumstances for early settlers.

James Freeman a Carolina Planter 1712

http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/becomingamer/growth/text1/carolinarandolphnorris.pdf

The above link leads to James Freeman a South Carolinian  Planter (settler) where he describes various aspects of South Carolina such as imported/exported goods, ethnicity, religion and slavery.

“besides English, several Welsh, Scotch, Irish, and French Protestants, and of several Sorts of Sects or Dissenters, as here, but especially the Presbyterians, and Anabaptists, and some Quakers”.

Here James Freeman describes the ethnicity of South Carolina describing many inhabitants originating from Western Europe ( English,...Welsh, Scotch, Irish, and French). He also clearly states that there are many "  Presbyterians" (a branch of  protestant Christianity) conveying there is a majority of protestant Christians in South Carolina. 

“Our chiefest Commodities sent here to England is our most excellent Rice, of which comes great Quantities; and great Numbers of Deers-Skins sold to our Merchants”

“To the West-India Islands and other Places is sent Beef, Pork, Tallow, Hides, Leather, Candles, Myrtle and Bees-Wax, Corn, Pea”

The above quotes discuss the exports of South Carolina such as, deer-skin, beef, leather, corn and rice (rice being its biggest export). With this information we can identify that South Carolina has an agricultural industry as nearly all of it's export are agricultural products (with rice being the largest export which is mainly exported to England.

“Those we call Slaves are a sort of Black People, here commonly call’d Blackmoors.... ; but their proper Names are Negroes.... There people are bought to Employ them in any sort of Labor, either in Town or Country”

“When these People are thus bought, their Masters or Owners, have then as good a Right and Title to them during their Lives as a Man has here to a Horse or Ox after he has bought them”

The above quotes show who were slaves to the inhabitants in South Carolina and what rights they had. James states that "Black People" are the main type of people who are slaves (later he also states that "Native Indians" are also used as slaves who are owned by the French and the Spanish territories in America) and are referred to as " Blackmoors" in South Carolina but their proper names are"Negroes". He also says that inhabitants are entitled to"employ them in any sort of Labor". As South Carolina has prodominalty an agricultural industry we can assess that these salves were used to labour the products which they exported (and consumed). Later he also describes how slaves are used for personal use. James also states that these slaves are to be "bought" and clearly shows the little rights they had by comparing them similar to a "Horse" or an "Ox", therefore showing that they are treated as merely a tool to be used for economic and personal use. . 

Sarah Kemble Knight: 1704 - 1705

http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/becomingamer/growth/text1/connecticutknight.pdf

The link I have posted above is of Sarah Kemble Knight, a teacher and businesswoman, who journeyed from  Massachusetts Bay Colony to New York City over five months. Sarah Kemble Knight wrote about her experience while travelling and what she witnessed on her journey.


"My Guide vented his Spleen at the Lubber; and we soon after came into the Road, and keeping still on, without anything further Remarkable, about two o’clock afternoon we arrived at New Haven, where I was received with all Possible Respects and civility."

Here Knight expresses how long and tedious the journey had been. She explains how her guide and herself had not seen anything 'Remarkable' and that they felt anger from the length they had to travel to the road that they had been told to go down.


"but a little too much Independent in their principles, and, as I have been told, were formerly in their Zeal very Rigid in their Administrations towards such as their Laws made Offenders, even to a harmless Kiss or Innocent merriment among Young people. Whipping being a frequent and counted an easy Punishment, about which as other Crimes, the Judges were absolute in their Sentences."

Knight explains how the laws are similar to where she was from in Boston but these people are more 'independent' and the punishments for breaking the laws were frequent and absolute. She also explains a story about a slave that had broken the law and was punished for it.


"They generally marry very young: the males oftener as I am told under twenty than above; they generally make public weddings"


"And they Generally lived very well and comfortably in their families. But too Indulgent (especially 
the farmers) to their slaves: suffering [allowing] too great familiarity from them, permitting them to sit at Table and eat with them (as they say to save time) and into the dish goes the black hoof as freely as the white hand."

"The present Governor in Connecticut is the Honorable John Winthrop, Esq. [Esquire, 
i.e., gentleman], A Gentleman of an Ancient and Honorable Family, whose Father was Governor here sometime before, and his Grandfather had been Governor of the Massachusetts. This gentleman is a very courteous and affable person, much Given to Hospitality, and has by his Good services Gained the affections of the people as much as any who had been before him in that post."

The quotations above show the ways in which the people lived and what was happening in their community at the time. She explains how the Governor was a man who's father and Grandfather had been Governors.


After leaving New York and making her way back to Boston:


"I lay very uncomfortably, insomuch that I was so very cold and sick I was forced to call them up to give me something to warm me. They had nothing but milk in the house, which they Boiled"

This shows the huge difference between the communities. The people here were less fortunate and many were sick and had barely anything to eat.


"About nine at night we come to Norwalk, having crept over a timber of a Broken Bridge about thirty foot long, and perhaps fifty to the water. I was exceeding tired and cold when we come to our Inn, and could get nothing there but poor entertainment"

Again, Knight shows how the conditions of the journey were extreme and tiring, especially for a woman at that time.

New York Considered & Improved, John Miller ,1695

 http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/becomingamer/growth/text1/newyorkmiller.pdf

The account I have posted above, is that of an Englishmen John Miller who served as chaplain to the English soldiers stationed in New York in the 1690’s. Miller’s account describes what he refers to as the six ‘evils and inconveniences’ that ‘obstruct’ the happiness of New York. The first being the
‘wickedness and Irreligion of the inhabitants which abounds in all parts of the Province’ and

 ‘Their eternal interests are their least concern & as if salvation were not a matter of moment when they have opportunities of serving God they care not for making use thereof, or if they go to church ’tis but too often out of curiosity’  

I found this first ‘evil’ to be very interesting, it seems what Miller is expressing is that within the New York Province, it appears there is a lack of faith among the people of New York which he finds shocking and was quite rare for colonies during this period.  Further on in his account, Miller states that the inhabitants

‘pretend to have a great regard for God’s ordinances & a high esteem for the Ministry, whether real or pretended, a little time will plainly evidence that they were more pleased at the novelty than truly affected with the Benefit’ suggesting that their interests and faith in God is more of a novelty than a true faith that binds the people of New York together. Miller then condemns the colony for another ‘evil’, ‘drunkenness’. Miller states that drunkenness is

‘a common thing even for the meanest persons, so soon as the bounty of God has furnished them with a plentiful crop, to turn what they can as soon as may be into money, & that money into drink.’ Suggesting that the inhabitants of New York are blessed with good harvest in which they make profit, only to then spend their money on alcohol. What I found interesting is that Miller then states

‘When their family at home have nothing but rags to protect their bodies from the winter’s cold;’ suggesting that it was mainly men that worked (agriculture) and brought the income, and thus could decide what their income is spent on. Furthermore it suggested that although New York was rich in resources and harvest, the people did not have many luxuries/good clothes for the winter.
Miller, further on in his account, mentions the theft, cursing and adultery that he is seeing being exercised during his stay in the New York Province. Suggesting that theft has become more common, due to the growing idleness of the inhabitants, Miller states

‘Many considerable robberies have been committed in my time in New York to the great discouragement of Industrious people & increase of vice & sin.’
Thus suggesting that New York is becoming more and more unrestricted in its laws and morals, and thus unsafe and undesirable. Throughout these accounts, Miller was gathering ideas that he later proposes will ‘remedy and prevent all the disorders’ of New York. Miller promotes  

‘the settlement & improvement of Religion & Unity both among the English subjects that are already Christians & the Indians Supposed to be made so is That his Majesty will graciously please to send over a Bishop to the Province.’ Which Miller suggests will free New York of all its ‘evils and inconveniences’ and reinstate order and religion.

Early Settlers in America - Francis Daniel Pas-torius

http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/becomingamer/growth/text1/pennsylvaniapastorius.pdf

The link above leads you to an account of Francis Daniel Pas-torius the founder of the first German settlement in 1683, where he has documented accounts of settlers in Pennsylvania; their religions, laws, history, government and farming.

"It is truly a matter for amazement....how quickly, by the blessing of God, it advances, and from day to day grows perceptibly."

Pas-torius wrote many accounts encouraging 'his countrymen' to emigrate to Pennsylvania, America. Reasons for this were to emphasise the benefits of emigrating; for the better way of life, constant growth in economy, infrastructure and inparticular the expected growths in prosperity.

"....so that none may know who has voted for or against him. Thereby is prevented all improper use of money and likewise the secret enmity of the defeated candidate" ..."Sunday shall be consecrated to the public worship of God."

The quotes above show the early stages of laws and government, which makes this account quite interesting to follow for example; where their voting began for members of the council and community, explaining why voting was to be done privately, in order to prevent inproper use so that the best man will be chosen.

"Another English Company has built the new city of Franckfurt..." ..."Neu-Castle lies forty English miles"

Pas-torius mentions 'English company' several times throughout his accounts emphasising how much of an impact English companies had on the early growth of America, for example he mentions distance as "English Miles". This would have been expected as America at the time was seen as part of the British Empire.

"...for only the day before yesterday the Governor said to me that the zeal of the High-Germans in building pleased him very much, and that he preferred them to the English and would grant them special privileges."
Through writing these accounts Pas-torius was still building land, houses and roads showing the growth of infrastructure and the hard work of Germans in Pennsylvania, which is what he was encouraging his countrymen to do and presenting opportunity.

The Mexican View on America

http://worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/brlatinamericara/184.php?lb=brla&pnt=184&nid=&id=

The link I have posted leads to an article reporting about protesters protesting against a House bill passed in December 2005 that includes erecting a 700-mile wall along the 2,000-mile US-Mexico border. I chose this article as some statistics match common stereotypes as well as some that surprisingly go against them.

One stereotype is that Mexicans urge to immigrate into America to seek opportunity which is supported by the high rate of immigration by immigrants of Hispanic and Latino origin into the states along the US-Mexico border.  In fact this rate of mass immigration (and high birth rates) of Mexicans is so high that it is predicted that by 2050 a ¼ of the American population will be of Hispanic and Latino decent. I was surprised that in this article it states that a majority of Mexicans (47%) said their lives would NOT improve if they illegally immigrated into the USA (45% said it would) and a 52% majority of Mexicans have an unfavourable view of Americans.  However it is also worth noting that this article was created in 2006, and the statistic supporting that Mexican lives would improve if they illegally immigrated into the states would be much higher in contemporary Mexico.

One stereotype is that Americans view Mexicans negatively, as 61% of Americans want their member of Congress to make immigration regulations more restrictive, and 80% of Mexicans believe Mexicans are discriminated against, yet however 67% of Americans agree that the US economy benefits from Mexican migrant workers. 

The Canadian View of America

http://www.pewglobal.org/2005/06/23/chapter-1-image-of-the-united-states/

 

Above is a link to the Pew Research Centre Website, which focuses on collecting data, statistics and information on a global basis. I found this website particularly useful in gathering a vast opinion from nearly every country particularly the west.  If you get the chance, I would definitely recommend spending some time just reading through some of the pages.
However I found Canada's view to be one that interested me the most, for what was once one of the supposed traditional American allies, it was intriguing to find that only 59% of Canadians have a favourable view of the U.S. Furthermore only 19% of Canadians believe that the U.S. takes Canadian interests into account when conducting its foreign policy. For a country so close to the United States, and one with a very similar culture, it is astounding to see that Canada dislike the Americans so prominently. However many Americans refer to Canada as ‘the back garden of the states’, this derogatory comment is enough to suggest that once again America sees itself ‘superior’ to its Canadian neighbours and thus could have some relation to the 2005 poll that resulted in 53% of Canadians believe that the Americans are ‘rude’. Furthermore, it is also evident that many Canadians feel that America takes Canada and its resources for granted. One of many, but perhaps the most significant growing issue, is that many American’s illegally cross the border to Canada just to exploit their free health care system. This website is very useful in providing statistics, and thus providing a general consensus of Canada’s opinion regarding its American Neighbours. However, its latest statistics were gathered in 2005, and thus provides some limitations when discussing Canada’s CURRENT view of America, which could have differed dramatically since 2005, if it mirrors anything like the changes seen from 2002 to 2005.

The Iranian View of Amerca

"The WPO and TFT polls found sharp contrasts in how Iranians view the United States, its government and people. The American people are predominantly viewed positively (about 50% positive vs. 30% negative, averaging the WPO and TFT surveys), while the U.S. government and President Bush are viewed very negatively (less than 10% positive compared to about 80% negative on the WPO survey). Iranian opinion of the "United States" is a composite of these and other impressions about American society and falls between these two extremes. About 30 percent of Iranians have a favorable opinion of the United States, compared to 60 percent unfavorable (average of the two surveys)."

This quote is taken from this article  posted on WorldPublicOpinion.org http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/brmiddleeastnafricara/527.php?nid=&id=&pnt=527

Ever since the 1979 Iranian Revolution in which 52 American diplomats were held hostage for over a year, the relationship between Iran and America; priorly a positive one, has remained hostile with a negative opinion being shown for America's foreign policy. This article from WorldPublicOpinion.org, suggests that now the Iranian goverment are starting to 'desire a "common ground" to be found between the two societies'.

It appears that although they may genuinely want to resolve any past issues with America, that there are other reasons for this desire to become allies again. As stated in the article, Iran have a rather inflated perception of how much power in the world the USA has.They are correct in thinking that America has a fairly large influence on the world, whether positive or negative, and in regards to their own distaste for their economy they would like to perhaps be more like America.

However, although this article is very observant of the current events in Iran, involving aspects other than their view on America, the opinions of the Iranian government cannot be be generalized to every citizen of Iran as I'm sure many still have distaste for America. Despite this, it is still an interesting insight in to Iran and how America is so influential to the world that they are willing to get past conflicts.

The German View of America

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/opinion-evil-americans-poor-mullahs-a-474636.html

The link above leads to an article written back in 2007 from a German news website. The article mostly reflects on how German people view Americans and Americanism more of a threat to them than Iran. It suggests that:

Forty-eight percent of Germans think the United States is more dangerous than Iran, a new survey shows, with only 31 percent believing the opposite.

Although the article is backed up with survey statistics it still shocked me to read about how Germany feels towards America. The writer is very aggressive suggesting that Americans are "evil" and President Bush is the new Hitler. It mainly shocked me because of the extreme comparison between Bush and Hitler and secondly because I did not think about America having a huge influence or effect on Germany. The article does comment on how Germany is affected by American culture in a way that they enjoy (e.g. watching American television) and then having negative views the next minute.

Part of the article that stuck out was about Germany's history with different cultures. It refers to an incident with Iran where a comment was made about an Iranian leader and that things did not end well. The writer suggests that making negative comments about America is much more "safe" and may suggest why this article seems so aggressive...because they will get away with it.

Not a day passes in Germany when someone isn't making the wildest claims, hurling the vilest insults or spreading the most outlandish conspiracy theories about the United States. But there's no risk involved and it all serves mainly to boost the German feeling of self-righteousness.

Obviously this article does not reflect every view of Germany but this seems like an important example of anti-americanism from a German perspective.

The French view of America

http://fistfulofeuros.net/afoe/how-anti-american-are-the-french/

The link I have posted leads to a website where a French blogger is discussing the idea of anti-Americanism, analysing an article from the highly regarded The Economist and re-evaluating common theories on others views of America. I am in agreement with author when they expressed their sense of shock at the approval rating of America actually increasing after the re-election of former President George W. Bush. I will admit I was under the impression that given the numerous negative statements made by the French about America, that the idea of a man being re-elected that was not what I would assume the French would approve of would almost guarantee the immediate increase of negative attitudes toward America. It was pointed out by the blogger that possibly the communication and translation barrier could have affected the collection of data, however, that to me does not seem a valid or problematic enough excuse and should not alter the results. I was most surprised by the bloggers comparison between the two countries and how one cause of anti-Americanism having been so high in France is because they are too alike and therefore feelings of threat or jealous may have risen. I appreciate that this article does not single out a certain class and it is actually challenged by the blogger, who reveals that not only “ordinary French people” are guilty of judgement, as are the elitist and each are further guilty of consuming products from the country they have such negative feelings for, America. It appears that the French view of America is subject to constant change and it should not be preconceived or stereotyped by outsiders. 

Map of the United States

United States of Movies!

This is a map that shows whereabouts certain films were set in America. I like this map because it hasn't just randomly picked films that merely took place in these certain states; instead films that put emphasis on the place at all times have been chosen. An example of this is Texas being represented by the Coen brothers' beautiful crime thriller No Country For Old Men. Though by no means representing the every aspect of Texas and Texans, I believe the depiction of widespread landscape can be applied to the whole of the state.

Another example is California being represented by the 1982 classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High. This film shows the sunny landscapes and attractions of California and even more so the teen American dream. With no real life threatening problems faced in the film it is showing the relaxed yet American dream chasing and aesthetically based aspects of California in the 80's, which is very much the way that California is shown by the media today.

In doing these things, this map also shows us just how influential each and every state of America is to the film industry, not just the Hollywood area. Every state has trademarks and traits and across the world without even consciously doing so we are able identify these, this is why I find this map so interesting and henceforth why I chose it.

Map of the United States

• 0-1 (white)
• 1-4 (yellow)
• 5-9 (yellow-green)
• 10-24 (green)
• 25-49 (teal)
• 50-99 (dark teal)
• 100-249 (blue)
• 250-66,995 (purple)

The map above shows the USA's  population density in persons per square mile taken in the year 2000. 

This map clearly shows that population density levels can be influenced by the USA's land elevation. There are low population density levels  in the west and high in the east. This is because the west has many mountain regions making it harder to built settlements, while the east has large flat grassland areas (easier to built settlements). The areas with high population density are also obtaining more and more people through immigration and emigration.  

As certain states are more populous than others they have more impact on political aspects particularly on a national scale simply because they consist more of the American population. California for example being the most populous and third largest US state, has the most representatives in the House of Representatives, therefore has more significance in politics and change. Other states that have high population density levels and have significant importance upon politics and change are Texas, New York and Florida. 

Map of America

McDonald's Restaurants in USA:

The map above shows the distance each citizen needs to travel to get to their nearest McDonald's restaurant. The brightest areas of the map are located in the highway areas where the population is high and the darkest areas of the map are where the population is low (mostly in the mountain areas). However, the reason I found this map interesting was firstly because of the amount of restaurants located in America and secondly the relation it has to the obesity levels of the country.

The amount of McDonald's restaurants clearly shows that there is a high demand for fast food products (and this map only shows the McDonald's chain) and it made me wonder why this was the case. McDonald's is known for it's fast and cheap services and I believe that this can relate to how America has a consumerist culture and the need to have particular brands and goods as quickly and easily as possible. It is all about convenience  for the customer.

Secondly, this map corresponds with the obesity levels in America. As more fast food restaurants are built, the faster the obesity levels in the United States increases estimating that 35.7% of American adults and 17% of American children are obese (The CDC suggested in 2010). Also, the areas in America that have the highest obesity rates, mostly in the southern and eastern areas have the most McDonald's restaurants and the states with the lowest obesity rates have the least about of restaurants. This map could therefore represents how McDonald's has impacted American society and the health of the American citizens living in the USA.

America According To Twitter

 

Since social networking has become so important in this day and age, I thought it would be interesting to find out what influences social networks such as Facebook and Twitter may have on America and of course how the world sees America. Whilst researching, I came across this map, which expresses America through the eyes of Twitter. 66% of twitter users don’t actually post their real ‘location’ i.e. state, town, street, etc. Thus if navigation was left to twitter, this would be a true reflection of America through the eyes of the world’s tweeter's. This map indicates the power of social media, for example places such as Miami Beach are being recognised more frequently by their nicknames such as ‘Million Dollar Sand Bar’, by not only Americans but also the rest of the world. Some suggest that this infinite access to social networks across the globe has allowed other cultures/countries to understand and see the American culture through their dialect. Considering That social networks such as twitter are still relatively new and developing, it would be interesting to see that, perhaps in ten year's time could many of America's attractions have new conventional 'nicknames' that the rest of the World would have already become accustom to through the likes of social media.

I found this map when searching on Google images, It was taken from the website; http://www.geekosystem.com/united-states-twitter-map/

Map analysis

After living in a state like Texas for six years I became well aware of how proud individuals can be of some of the things their place of residence are known for. Americans are not only proud of being from a country as vast and full of accomplishments as it is, but, are thoroughly expressive about their pride for their own state. Although it may appear on this map that Texas is most awesome for its production of wind power, they are well known for many things. Texas is usually stereotyped or remembered for its love of the rodeo, cowboys on horses, and for being the hub for oil corporations and their engineers. However, Texas really should be known for its vast landscape ranging from the expected flat lands, but also its mountains as one heads further west. Also, the states incredible wild flower fields and surprisingly vibrant art community. I will  admit I was quite surprised by some of the state’s answers for what they do well, for example I would never have guessed that California was the safest state for workers, seeing as there have been many issues , including wildfires and earthquakes, and due to its proximity to Mexico and hardly flawless crime rate. Often states are stereotyped but can surprise individuals with their accomplishments and hopefully an individual viewing this map will eliminate some of their preconceived notions, which I partially had, and remember that although there are a lot of negative opinions on the United States of America, they all have their own quirky and incredible talents that may just make you want to visit.