Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Overview[edit]
Main articles: Race and ethnicity in the United States, Colonial United States and Immigration to the
United States
The majority of Americans or their ancestors immigrated within the past five centuries, with the
exception of the Native American population and people from Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, and
the Philippine Islandswho became American through expansion of the country in the 19th
century,[42] and American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Northern Mariana Islands in the 20th
century.[43]
Despite its multi-ethnic composition,[44][45] the culture of the United States held in common by most
Americans can also be referred to as mainstream "American culture", a Western culture largely
derived from the traditions of Northern and Western European colonists, settlers, and
immigrants.[44] It also includes influences of African-American culture.[46] Westward expansion
integrated the Creoles and Cajuns of Louisiana and the Hispanos of the Southwest and brought
close contact with the culture of Mexico. Large-scale immigration in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries from Southern and Eastern Europe introduced a variety of elements. Immigration
from Asia, Africa, and Latin America has also had impact. A cultural melting pot, or pluralistic salad
bowl, describes the way in which generations of Americans have celebrated and exchanged
distinctive cultural characteristics.[44]
In addition to the United States, Americans and people of American descent can be found
internationally. As many as seven million Americans are estimated to be living abroad, and make up
the American diaspora.[47][48][49]
Self-identified Race
White alone
African American
Asian
American Indians and Alaska Natives
Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders
Two or more races
72.4%
12.6%
4.8%
0.9%
0.2%
2.9%
6.2%
100%
The United States of America is a diverse country, racially, and ethnically.[53] Six races are officially
recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau for statistical purposes: White, American Indian and Alaska
Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and people of
two or more races. "Some other race" is also an option in the census and other surveys.[54][55][56]
The United States Census Bureau also classifies Americans as "Hispanic or Latino" and "Not
Hispanic or Latino", which identifies Hispanic and Latino Americans as a racially
diverse ethnicity that comprises the largest minority group in the nation.[54][55][57]
Ran
National
Percentag
Pop.
Code
talkers(Navajo)
Florence Owens
Pushmataha(Choctaw)
origin
e
of total
population
Cheroke
0.26%
819,105
Navajo
0.1%
332,129
Choctaw
0.06%
195,764
Mexican
0.05%
175,494
0.05%
170,742
Sioux
0.05%
170,110
All other
1.08%
3,357,23
America
n Indian
Chippew
a
America
1.69%
5,220,57
n Indian
(total)
Asian Americans[edit]
Main articles: Asian American and Asian Hispanic and Latino Americans
Another significant population is the Asian American population, comprising 17.3 million in 2010, or
5.6% of the U.S. population.[b][78][79] California is home to 5.6 million Asian Americans, the greatest
number in any state.[80] In Hawaii, Asian Americans make up the highest proportion of the population
(57 percent).[80] Asian Americans live across the country, yet are heavily urbanized, with significant
populations in the Greater Los Angeles Area, New York metropolitan area, and the San Francisco
Bay Area.[81]
They are by no means a monolithic group. The largest sub-groups are immigrants or descendants of
immigrants from Cambodia, Mainland China, India, Japan, Korea, Laos, Pakistan, the Philippines,
Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Asians overall have higher income levels than all other racial groups
in the United States, including whites, and the trend appears to be increasing in relation to those
groups.[82] Additionally, Asians have a higher education attainment level than all other racial groups in
the United States.[83][84]For better or worse, the group has been called a model minority.[85][86][87]
While Asian Americans have been in what is now the United States since before the Revolutionary
War,[88][89][90] relatively large waves of Chinese, Filipino, and Japanese immigration did not begin until
the mid-to-late 19th century.[90] Immigration and significant population growth continue to this
day.[91] Due to a number of factors, Asian Americans have been stereotyped as "perpetual
foreigners".[92][93]
Asian ancestries[78]
Ran
Ancestry
Percenta
Pop.
ge
of total
population
Chinese
1.2%
3,797,379
Filipino
1.1%
3,417,285
Indian
1.0%
3,183,063
Anna May
Jose
Kalpana
Wong(Chinese)
Calugas(Filipino)
Chawla(Indian)
Maggie
Seo Jae-pil(Korean)
Ellison
Q(Vietnamese)
Vietname
0.5%
1,737,665
Onizuka(Japanese)
se
Korean
0.5%
1,707,027
Japanese
0.4%
1,304,599
Other
0.9%
2,799,448
5.6%
17,320,85
Asian
Asian
American
(total)
adjective, the term is usually spelled African-American.[100] More recent immigrants from Africa may,
or may not, self-identify as "African-American";[101][102] and may experience conflict with American-born
African-Americans.[103][104][105][106]
The first African slaves were brought to Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. The English settlers treated
these captives as indentured servants and released them after a number of years. This practice was
gradually replaced by the system of race-based slavery used in theCaribbean.[107] All the American
colonies had slavery, but it was usually the form of personal servants in the North (where 2% of the
people were slaves), and field hands in plantations in the South (where 25% were slaves);[108] by the
beginning of the American Revolutionary War 1/5th of the total population was enslaved.[109] During
the revolution, some would serve in the Continental Army or Continental
Navy,[110][111] while others would serve the British Empire in Lord Dunmore's Ethiopian Regiment, and
other units.[112]By 1804, the northern states (north of the MasonDixon line)
had abolished slavery.[113] However, slavery would persist in the southern states until the end of
the American Civil War and the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment.[114] Following the end of
theReconstruction Era, which saw the first African American representation in Congress,[115] African
Americans became disenfranchised and subject to Jim Crow laws,[116] legislation that would persist
until the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act due to the Civil Rights
Movement.[117]
Ran
Ancestry
Percenta
Pop.
group
ge
estimate
of total est.
population
Dred Scott
Jamaican
0.31%
986,897
Haitian
0.28%
873,003
Nigerian
0.08%
259,934
Trinidadia
0.06%
193,233
Frederick
Douglass
Jr.
Colin
W. E. B. Du
LeVar
Powell(Jamaican
Bois(Haitian and
Burton(Nigerian)
and Scottish)
Ghanaian)
n and
Tobagoni
an
Ghanaian
0.03%
94,405
Kareem AbdulJabbar(Trinidadian
Barbadian
0.01%
59,236
Sub-
0.92%
2,864,067
0.85%
2,633,149
13.6%
42,020,74
Jack
Shirley
Johnson(Ghanaian) Chisholm(Barbadian)
and Tobagonian)
Saharan
African
(total)
West
Indian
(total) (exce
pt Hispanic
groups)
Black and
African
American
s (total)
3
2010 United
States
Census
[95]
Hispanic/Latino Americans are very racially diverse, and as a result form an ethnic category, rather
than a race.[120][121][122][123]
People of Spanish or Hispanic descent have lived in what is now the United States since the
founding of St. Augustine, Florida in 1565 by Pedro Menendez de Aviles. In the State of
Texas, Spaniards first settled the region in the late 1600s and formed a uniquecultural group known
as Tejanos.
Ran
National
Percenta
origin
ge
Pop.
of total est.
population
Mexican
10.29%
31,798,2
Eva
Humbert Roque
Flix
Longoria(Mexican)
Versace (Puerto
Rodrguez(Cuban)
58
Puerto
1.49%
Rican
Cuban
4,623,71
6
0.57%
1,785,54
7
Salvadora
0.53%
Dominican
Rican)
Fernando del
Guatemal
an
Daphne
1,648,96
8
0.45%
1,414,70
Sofia
Raquel
Bill
Vergara(Colombian
Welch(Bolivian)
Guerin(Nicaraguan)
American)
Al
0.33%
1,044,20
9
All other
2.64%
8,162,19
3
Hispanic
16.34%
50,477,5
and Latino
94
American
(total)
of the Asiatic Exclusion League," the presiding Judge Hutton concluded that Syrians had
descended from Hebrews, who descended from "the Semitic family of the 'Indo-Aryan race,'" but
because the Mongol conquerors had killed the Syrian men, and interbred with the Syrian
women, "western nations have been unable to restore [the Syrians'] original characteristics"
(6). [136] Shishim won, was granted citizenship, and from 1909 on, Middle Easterners were legally
considered "white" in the United States.
However, in 1910, Congress passed a bill that defined "Armenians, Assyrians, and Jews" as
"Asiatics," while still approving their claims to citizenship.[137] This declaration, while not taking
away their citizenship, affirms the ethnic origins and identities of Armenians, Assyrians, and
Jews as "non-white."
Over the decades of the 20th century, as more Jews, Arab Americans, Mexican Americans, and
other ethnic groups, had their increased populations in the Untied States, the racial
discrimination they faced also increased. Due to the ruling in Shishim's case and the
interpretation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution,
United States citizens could not sue one another for discrimination if they belonged to "the same
race."[138] In 1987, the Supreme Court ruled "unanimously today that Arabs, Jews and members
of other ethnic groups may sue under a post-Civil War law's broad prohibition against
discrimination."[139]
Following the events of September 11, 2001, [140] the United States Census Bureau still considers
MENA Americans as "white,"[141] and only counts Jews as members of a religion.[142] Many
members of these groups, from Jews, to North Africans, to Arab Americans, do not consider
themselves "white."[143][144][145]
In addition, as modern scientific data has improved, more information on the true origins and
ethnic distinctions have emerged. For example, studies have shown that Jews share more
genetic relativity to other Jews around the world than to the surrounding non-Jewish ethnic
groups.[146] Some studies also suggest that other Middle Eastern (non-Jewish) ethnic groups
remain one of the closest relations to Jews.[147]
The United States Census Bureau is presently finalizing the ethnic classification of MENA
populations. This process does not pertain to Jewish, Muslim, Christian or Sikh adherents,
whom the bureau tabulates as followers of a religion rather than members of an ethnic
group.[148] In 2012, prompted in part by post-9/11 discrimination, the American-Arab AntiDiscrimination Committee petitioned the Department of Commerce's Minority Business
Development Agency to designate the MENA populations as a minority/disadvantaged
community.[149] Following consultations with MENA organizations, the Census Bureau announced
in 2014 that it would establish a new MENA ethnic category for populations from the Middle
East, North Africa and the Arab world, separate from the "white" category that these populations
had previously been tabulated under. The expert groups felt that the earlier "white" designation
did not accurately represent MENA identity, so they successfully lobbied for a distinct
categorization.[150]
As of December 2015, the sampling strata for the new MENA category includes the Census
Bureau's working classification of 19 MENA groups, as well
as Turkish, Sudanese, Djiboutian, Somali, Mauritanian, Armenian, Cypriot, Afghan, Azerbaijani a
nd Georgiangroups.[151]
Middle Eastern Americans in the 2000[152] - 2010 U.S. Census,[153] the Mandell L. Berman
Institute, and theNorth American Jewish Data Bank[154]
Ancestry
Afghan
2000
2000 (% of US
population)
2010 (% of US
2010
population)
53,709
0.0191%
79,775
0.0258%
1,160,729
0.4125%
1,697,570
0.5498%
385,488
0.1370%
474,559
0.1537%
81,749
0.0290%
106,821
0.0346%
Azerbaijani
14,205
0.0050%
Cypriot
7,643
0.0027%
Georgian
6,298
0.0022%
Iranian
338,266
0.1202%
Arab
Armenian
Assyrian/ChaldoAssyrian
463,552
0.1501%
Middle Eastern Americans in the 2000[152] - 2010 U.S. Census,[153] the Mandell L. Berman
Institute, and theNorth American Jewish Data Bank[154]
Ancestry
Israeli
2000
2000 (% of US
population)
2010 (% of US
2010
population)
106,839
0.0380%
129,359
0.0419%
6,155,000
2.1810%
6,543,820
2.1157%
9,423
0.0033%
606
0.0002%
Tajik
905
0.0003%
Turkish
117,575
0.0418%
"Middle Eastern"
28,400
0.0101%
"North Caucasian"
596
0.0002%
1,347
0.0005%
290,893
0.0942%
8,568,772
3.036418%
9,981,332
3.227071%
Jewish
Kurdish
Syriac
"North Caucasian
Turkic"
TOTAL
195,283
0.0633%
Although tabulated, "religious responses" were reported as a single total and not differentiated,
despite totaling 1,089,597 in 2000.[152]
Independent organizations provide improved estimates of the total populations of races and
ethnicities in the US using the raw data from the US Census and other surveys.
For example, although any respondents who self-identified as Jewish were included under the
religious responses in the census, as Jews are an ethnoreligious group with culture and ethnicity
intertwined, estimates from the Mandell L. Berman Institute and the North American Jewish Data
Bank put the total population of Jews between 5.34 and 6.16 million in 2000 and around
6.54 million in 2010.[154] Similarly, the Arab-American Institute estimated the population of Arab
Americans at 3.7 million in 2012.[155]
The majority of Arab Americans are Christian.[156][157] Most Maronites tend to be of Lebanese,
Syrian, or Cypriot extraction; the majority of Christians of Cypriot and Palestinian background
are often Eastern Orthodox.
Estimated African MENA populations in the United States:
Egyptian American: 190,078 (2010 census.[159] In 2008 them were estimated in 800,000 2,000,000[160])
Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, is Honolulu County in Hawaii,[163] and Los Angeles
County in the continental United States.[161]
Ran
Ancestr
Percenta
ge
Hawaiia
0.17%
Pop.
527,077
Duke
Dwayne
Kahanamoku(Hawaiian) Johnson(Samoan)
Samoan
0.05%
184,440
Chamorr
0.04%
147,798
Sonny
Sandoval(Chamorro)
Sione
Pouha(Tongan)
Tongan
0.01%
57,183
Other
0.09%
308,697
0.39%
1,225,19
Pacific
Islander
s
Native
Hawaiia
n and
Other
Pacific
Islander
(total)
Ran
Specific
Percenta
Combinatio
ge
ns
of total
Pop.
population
White;
Black
0.59%
1,834,2
12
Booker T.
Olivia Munn(Asian
Washington(African
American and
White;
0.56%
1,740,9
Some
White)
24
Other Race
White;
0.52%
1,623,2
Asian
White;
34
0.46%
1,432,3
Native
09
American
(Haitian, African
(Cherokee) and
American), Native
White
American
(FrenchNorman,
(Mississauga andOjibwe)
German,Scots-Irish,
Scottish))
African
0.1%
314,571
0.08%
269,421
0.58%
1,794,4
American;
Some
Other Race
African
American;
Native
American
All other
specific
02
combinatio
ns
Multiracial
2.9%
9,009,0
Americans
(Total)
73
Ra
Ancestry
Percent
nk
group
age
of total est.
Pop.
estimate ef
s
population
John
John F.
George
Steinbeck(German)
Kennedy(Irish)
Washington(English)
German
14.60%
46,162,5
[177]
57
Irish
10.50%
33,348,0
[177]
49
English
7.70%
24,483,2
[177]
25
American
7.00%
22,217,9
[177]
31
Italian
5.40%
17,222,4
[177]
21
Mexican of
5.40%
(European,
16,794,1
[182]
11
North African
descent)
Polish
3.00%
9,383,33
[177]
8,227,93
asque)
Scottish
1.70%
5,310,28
5
[177]
[177]
10
Dutch
1.40%
4,271,86
[177]
11
Norwegian
1.40%
4,484,16
[177]
White and
231,040,
European
398
[172]
American (Tot
al)
National personification[edit]
"Uncle Sam" is a national personification of the United States. The image bears resemblance to the
real Samuel Wilson. The female personification, primarily popular during the 18th and 19th centuries,
is "Columbia".
Language[edit]
Main articles: Languages of the United States, English language, American English and Englishonly
Language
English
Percent of
Number of
population
speakers
80%
233,780,338
20%
57,048,617
12%
35,437,985
0.9%
2,567,779
Tagalog
0.5%
1,542,118
Vietnamese
0.4%
1,292,448
French
0.4%
1,288,833
Korean
0.4%
1,108,408
German
0.4%
1,107,869
Spanish
(excluding Puerto Rico and Spanish Creole)
Chinese
(including Cantonese and Mandarin)
English is the de facto national language. Although there is no official language at the federal
level, some lawssuch as U.S. naturalization requirementsstandardize English. In 2007,
about 226 million, or 80% of the population aged five years and older, spoke only English at
home. Spanish, spoken by 12% of the population at home, is the second most common
language and the most widely taught second language.[184][185] Some Americans advocate making
Religion[edit]
Main article: Religion in the United States
Affiliation
Christian
Protestant
% of U.S. population
70.6
46.5
Evangelical Protestant
25.4
Mainline Protestant
14.7
Black church
6.5
Catholic
20.8
Mormon
1.6
Affiliation
% of U.S. population
Jehovah's Witnesses
0.8
Eastern Orthodox
0.5
Other Christian
0.4
Non-Christian faiths
5.9
Jewish
1.9
Muslim
0.9
Buddhist
0.7
Hindu
0.7
1.8
Unaffiliated
Nothing in particular
22.8
15.8
Affiliation
% of U.S. population
Agnostic
4.0
Atheist
3.1
Total
0.6
100
Religion in the United States has a high adherence level compared to other developed
countries, as well as a diversity in beliefs. The First Amendment to the
country's Constitution prevents the Federal government from making any "law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." The U.S. Supreme Court has
interpreted this as preventing the government from having any authority in religion. A majority of
Americans report that religion plays a "very important" role in their lives, a proportion unusual
among developed countries, although similar to the other nations of the Americas.[191] Many
faiths have flourished in the United States, including both later imports spanning the country's
multicultural immigrant heritage, as well as those founded within the country; these have led the
United States to become the most religiously diverse country in the world.[192]
The majority of Americans (76%) identify themselves as Christians, mostly within Protestant and
Catholic denominations, accounting for 51% and 25% of the population respectively.[193] NonChristian religions (including Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism), collectively make up
about 4% to 5% of the adult population.[193][194][195] Another 15% of the adult population identifies as
having no religious belief or no religious affiliation.[193] According to the American Religious
Identification Survey, religious belief varies considerably across the country: 59% of Americans
living in Western states (the "Unchurched Belt") report a belief in God, yet in the South (the
"Bible Belt") the figure is as high as 86%.[193][196]
Several of the original Thirteen Colonies were established by settlers who wished to practice
their own religion without discrimination: the Massachusetts Bay Colony was established by
English Puritans, Pennsylvania by Irish and English Quakers, Maryland by English and Irish
Catholics, and Virginia by English Anglicans. Although some individual states retained
established religious confessions well into the 19th century, the United States was the first
nation to have no official state-endorsed religion.[197] Modeling the provisions concerning religion
within the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, the framers of the Constitution rejected any
religious test for office, and the First Amendment specifically denied the federal government any
power to enact any law respecting either an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free
exercise, thus protecting any religious organization, institution, or denomination from
government interference. The decision was mainly influenced by European Rationalist and
Protestant ideals, but was also a consequence of the pragmatic concerns of minority religious
groups and small states that did not want to be under the power or influence of a national
religion that did not represent them.[198]