MEMBERS:

 Đặng Hà Anh
 Hoàng Thị Vân Anh
 Lê Thị Kim Anh
 Nguyễn Thị Tuyết Anh
 Nguyễn Lê Minh Anh
 Phùng Tú Anh

Name Class Student ID Part Mark

Nguyễn Thị Tuyết Anh K50N4 14D170213 1.1 & 1.2
Đặng Hà Anh K50N3 14D170143 1.3
Hoàng Thị Vân Anh K49N4 13D170211 2.1
Lê Thị Kim Anh K51N4 15D170211 2.2 & 2.3
Phùng Tú Anh K50N1 14D170003 3.1 & 3.2
Nguyễn Lê Minh Anh K51N1 15D170002 3.3 & 4

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OUTLINE:
1. Overview of the Traditional American Values and Beliefs:
1.1. What are values and beliefs?
• What are belief?
• What are values?
1.2. American beliefs and six basic values.
1.3. Summary of U.S. History.
2. Pairs of American values and beliefs:
2.1. Individual Freedom and Self-Reliance
2.2. Equality of Opportunity and Competition
2.3. Material Wealth and Hard Work
3. Comparison with Vietnamese:
3.1. About Individual Freedom and Self-Reliance
3.2. About Equality of Opportunity and Competition
3.3. About Material Wealth and Hard Work
4. Conclusion:

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1. Overview of the Traditional American Values and Beliefs:

1.1 What are values and beliefs?

What are belief ?
Beliefs are the assumptions we make about ourselves, about other people and things in
the world and about how we expect things to be. Beliefs are how about we think things
really are. They tend to be deep set and our values begin from our beliefs.
What are values ?
Values are about how we have learnt to think things ought to be or people ought to
behave, especially in terms of qualities such as honesty, integrity and openness-which
people are asked what are their values tend to be the main values.
1.2. American beliefs and six basic values.
 American beliefs:
As we talk about basic Americans beliefs, we must remember that not all americans hold
these beliefs, nor do all Americans believe these things to the same degree. The way in
which some Americans practice their beliefs may also differ, resulting in a great variety
of lifestyle. What we will attempt to do here is to define and explain the traditional,
dominant cultural values that have for so many years attracted immigrants to the United
State .
 Basic American beliefs:
- Practicality
- Prychology of abundance
- Mobitity
- Patriotism
- Progress/ keep moving
-Volunteerism
 Six basic American values:
- Individual freedom
- Self-reliance

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 - Equality of opportunity
- Equality of competition
- Material wealth
- Hard work

Six basic values that have become “traditional” American values. Three represent
traditional reasons why immigrants have been drawn to America: the chance for
individual freedom, equality of opportunity, and material wealth.
In order to achieve these benefits, however, there were prices to be paid: self reliance,
competition, and hard work.

1.3. Summary of U.S. history:

1.3.1. The Early America
The first inhabitants of North America lived at least 15,000 years ago. And were called
as the native Americans. After Spain sent Columbus on his first voyage to the New
World in 1492, other explorers followed who are the first Europeans to arrive in territory
of the modern United States.
The earliest settlers came to the North American continent to establish colonies that were
free from the controls that existed in European societies. They want to escape the control
placed on their lives by king and government, priests and churches, noblemen
aristocrats. In 1776, the British colonial settlers declared their independence from
England and established a new nation, the United States of America. When the 21th
century begins, the United States probably has a greater diversity of racial, ethnic,
cultural, and religious group that any other nation on earth due to the large immigration.

1.3.2. The Context of Traditional AmericanValues: Racial, Ethnic, Religious, and

Culture Diversity

- Racial and ethnic diversity

Americans self-described as belonging to these racial groups:

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 White American, European American, or Middle Eastern American: those having
origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.
 Black or African American: those having origins in any of the native peoples of Sub-
Saharan Africa.
 Native American or Alaska Native: those having origins in any of the original
peoples of North, Central and South America, irrespective of whether they maintain
tribal affiliation or community attachment.
 Asian American: those having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far
East, Central Asia, North Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Indian subcontinent.
 Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islander: those having origins in any of the
original peoples of Polynesia, Melanesia, or Micronesia.
 Middle Eastern American: from the Middle East, North Africa and the Arab world.
 Some other race: respondents may write how they identify themselves, if different
from the preceding categories (e. g. Roma or Aboriginal/Indigenous Australian)
 Two or more races, widely known as multiracial: those who check off and/or write
in more than one race.
- Cultural Diversity

The United States is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world. Nearly
every region of the world has influenced American culture, most notably the English
who colonized the country beginning in the early 1600s. U.S. culture has also been
shaped by the cultures of Native Americans, Latin Americans, Africans and Asians.
The United States is sometimes described as a "melting pot" in which different cultures
have contributed their own distinct "flavors" to American culture. Some described The
United States as a “salad bowl”, implied that immigrants retain their cultural identity in
their new home.

- Religious Diversity

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 Religion in the United States is characterized by a diversity of religious beliefs and
practices. Various religious faiths have flourished within the United States. A majority
of Americans report that religion plays a very important role in their lives, a proportion
unique among developed countries.
The majority of U.S. adults self-identify as Christians with 70.6% of the adult population
identified themselves as Christians, with 46.5% professing attendance at a variety of
churches that could be considered Protestant, and 20.8% professing Catholic beliefs.
Other religions (including Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam) collectively make
up about 6% of the population.

The system of basic American values emerged in the late 1700s and began to define the
American character in a nation that has always consisted of people from many different
countries. By the time the Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville visited the United States in
the 1830s, he was able to see these American values in action.
Historically, the United States has been viewed as “the land of opportunity,” a place
where immigrants could have individual freedom, an equal chance for success, and the
ability to have a better standard of living. In order to have these benefits, however, they
had to take care of themselves, compete with others, and work hard to fashion a new
life. In time, their experiences led to the development of the core American cultural
values that still shape America today.
This system of values consists of three pairs of benefits individual freedom, equality of
opportunity and material wealth (or the American Dream) and the price people paid to
have these benefits self-reliance, competition, and hard work.

2. Pairs of American values and beliefs:

2.1 Individual Freedom and Self-Reliance
The earliest settlers came to the North American continent to establish colonies that were
free from the controls that existed in European societies. They wanted to escape the
controls placed on many aspects of their lives by kings and governments, priests and

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churches, noblemen and aristocrats. To a great extent, they succeeded. In 1776, the
British colonial settlers declared their independence from England and established a new
nation, the United States of America. In so doing, they defied2 the king of England and
declared that the power to govern would lie in the hands of the people.
They were now free from the power of the kings. In 1787, when they wrote the
Constitution for their new nation, they separated church and state so that there would
never be a government-supported church. This greatly limited the power of the church.
Also, in writing the Constitution they expressly forbade titles of nobility to ensure that
an aristocratic society would not develop. There would be no ruling class of noblemen
in the new nation.

The historic decisions made by those first settlers have had a profound effect on the
shaping of the American character. By limiting the power of the government and the
churches and eliminating a formal aristocracy, the early settlers created a climate of
freedom where the emphasis was on the individual. The United States came to be
associated in their minds with the concept of individual freedom.

This is probably the most basic of all the American values. Scholars and outside
observers often call this value individualism, but many Americans use the word
freedom. It is one of the most respected and popular words in the United States today.

By freedom, Americans mean the desire and the right of all individuals to control their
own destiny without outside interference from the government, a ruling noble class, the
church, or any other organized authority. The desire to be free of controls was a basic
value of the new nation in 1776, and it has continued to attract immigrants to this
country.

There is, however, a cost for this benefit of individual freedom: self-reliance. Individuals
must learn to rely on themselves or risk losing freedom. They must take responsibility
for themselves. Traditionally, this has meant achieving both financial and emotional
independence from their parents as early as possible, usually by age eighteen or twenty-

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 one. Self-reliance means that Americans believe they should take care of themselves,
solve their o wn problems, and “stand on their own two feet.”

Tocqueville observed the Americans’ belief in self-reliance in the 1830s:

They owe nothing to any man, they expect nothing from any man; they acquire the habit
of always considering themselves as standing alone, and they are apt to4 imagine that
their whole destiny is in their own hands.

This strong belief in self-reliance continues today as a traditional American value. It is

perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of the American character to understand, but it
is profoundly important. Most Americans believe that they must be self-reliant in order
to keep their freedom. If they rely too much on the support of their families or the
government or any organization, they may lose some of their freedom to do what they
want. Even if they are not truly self-reliant, most Americans believe they must at least
appear to be so. In order to be in the mainstream of American life—to have power and/or
respect—individuals must be seen as self-reliant.

For example, if adult children return home to live with their parents because of economic
conditions or a failed marriage, most members of the family expect this to be a short-
term arrangement, until the children can find a job and be self-reliant. Although
receiving financial support from charity, family, or the government is possible, it is
usually expected to be for a short time, and it is generally not admired. Eventually, most
Americans would say, people have a responsibility for taking care of themselves.

2.2 Equality of Opportunity and Competition:

- Equality of opportunity
The second important reason why immigrants have traditionally been drawn to the
United States is the belief that everyone has a chance to succeed here. Generations of
immigrants have come to the United States with this expectation. They have felt that
because individuals are free from excessive political, religious, and social controls, they

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have a better chance for personal success. Of particular importance is the lack of a
hereditary aristocracy.
Because titles of nobility were forbidden in the Constitution, no formal class system
developed in the United States. In the early years of American history, many immigrants
chose to leave older European societies because they believed that they had a better
chance to succeed in America. In “the old country,” the country from which they came,
their place in life was determined largely by the social class into which they were born.
They knew that in America they would not have to live among noble families who
possessed great power and wealth inherited and accumulated over hundreds of years.
The hopes and dreams of many of these early immigrants were fulfilled in their new
country. The lower social class into which many were born did not prevent them from
trying to rise to a higher social position. Many found that they did indeed have a better
chance to succeed in the United States than in the old country. Because millions of these
immigrants succeeded, Americans came to believe in equality of opportunity.

It is important to understand what most Americans mean when they say they believe in
equality of opportunity. They do not mean that everyone is—or should be—equal.
However, they do mean that each individual should have an equal chance for success.
Americans see much of life as a race for success. For them, equality means that everyone
should have an equal chance to enter the race and win. In other words, equality of
opportunity may be thought of as an ethical rule. It helps ensure that the race for success
is a fair one and that a person does not win just because he or she was born into a wealthy
family, or lose because of race or religion. This American concept of “fair play” is an
important aspect of the belief in equality of opportunity.

- Equality of competition

There is, however, a price to be paid for this equality of opportunity: competition. If
much of life is seen as a race, then a person must run the race in order to succeed; a
person must compete with others. If every person has an equal chance to succeed in the

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United States, then it is every person's duty to try. Americans match their energy and
intelligence against that of their neighbors in a competitive contest for success. People
who like to compete and are more successful than others are honored by being called
"winners". On the other hand, those who do not like to compete and are not successful
when they try are often dishonored bу being called "losers". This is especially true for
American men, and it is becoming more and more true for women.
The pressures of competition in the life of an American begin in childhood and continue
until retirement from work, learning to compete successfully is part of growing up in the
United States. In a recent opinion poll, 60 percent of the American people agreed with
this statement: "It is not healthy for young people to refuse to believe that winning in
competition is important". That is 60 percent believed competition and the desire to win
are healthy and desirable.
The pressure to compete causes an American man to be energetic, but it also places a
constant emotional strain on him. When he retires at age 65, he is at last free from the
pressures of competition. But then a new problem arises. He tends to feel useless and
unwanted in a society that gives so much prestige to those who compete well. This is
one reason why older people in the United States do not have as much honor and respect
as they have in other, less competitive societies. In fact, any group of people who do not
compete successfully—for whatever reason— do not fit into the mainstream of
American life as well as those who do.
Business competition, for example, is seen by most Americans as encouraging hard
work. If two businesspeople are competing against each other , the one who works harder
is likely to win. The one who spends less time and effort is likely to lose. Because
businesspeople continually compete against each other , they must develop the habits of
hard work in order not to fail.
Competition in business is also believed to strengthen the ideal of equality of
opportunity. Americans compare business competition to a race open to all, where
success and status go to the swiftest person, regardless of social class. Gaining success

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 and status through competition is often seen as the American alternative to systems
where social rank is based on family background.

2.3. Material wealth and hard work

The third reason why immigrants have traditionally come to the United States is to have
a better life—that is, to raise their standard of living. For the vast majority of the
immigrants who came here, this was probably the most compelling reason for leaving
their homeland. Because of its incredibly abundant natural resources, the United States
appeared to be a ‘land of plenty’ where millions could come to seek their fortunes. Of
course, most immigrants did not “get rich overnight,” and many of them suffered
terribly, but the majority of them were eventually able to improve upon their former
standard of living. Even if they were not able to achieve the economic success they
wanted, they could be fairly certain that their children would have the opportunity for a
better life. The phrase “going from rags to riches” became a slogan for the “American
Dream.” Because of the vast riches of the North American continent, the dream came
true for many of the immigrants. They achieved material success and many became very
attached to material things. Material wealth became a value to the American people.

One reason is that material wealth has traditionally been a widely accepted measure of
social status in the United States. Because Americans rejected the European system of
hereditary aristocracy and titles of nobility, they had to find a substitute for judging
social status. The quality and quantity of an individual’s material possessions became
an accepted measure of success and social status. Moreover, as we shall see in later
chapters, the Puritan work ethic associated material success with godliness.
Americans have paid a price, however, for their material wealth: hard work.
The North American continent was rich in natural resources when the first settlers
arrived, but all these resources were undeveloped. Only by hard work could these natural
resources be converted into material possessions, allowing a more comfortable standard
of living. Hard work has been both necessary and rewarding for most Americans

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 throughout their history. Because of this, they came to see material possessions as the
natural reward for their hard work. In some ways, material possessions were seen not
only as tangible evidence of peoples work, but also of their abilities. In the late 1700s,
James Madison, the father of the American Constitution, stated that the difference in
material possessions reflected a difference in personal abilities.
As the United States has shifted from an industry-based economy to one that is service
or information-based, there has been a decline in high-paying jobs for factory workers.
It is now much more difficult for the average worker to go from rags to riches in the
United States, and many wonder what has happened to the traditional American Dream.
As the United States competes in a global economy, many workers are losing their old
jobs and finding that they and their family members must now work longer hours for
less money and fewer benefits. When the economy weakens, everyone suffers, and there
are greater numbers of the working poor—those who work hard but have low-paying
jobs that do not provide a decent standard of living and may not provide health insurance.

Most Americans, however, still believe in the value of hard work. Most believe that
people should hold jobs and not live off welfare payments from the government. There
have been many efforts to reform the welfare system so that people would not become
dependent on welfare and stop looking for jobs to support themselves. Limitations have
been put on the number of years a family can remain on welfare, but the system still has
many problems. One of the most critical problems is the cost of health care in the United
States and the fact that many employers no longer offer health insurance to their
employees. It is often the children who suffer most, particularly in families of the
working poor. Another issue is government benefits to immigrants and immigrant
children; many of these families are living in poverty.

3. Comparison with Vietnamese:

3.1. About Individual Freedom and Self-Reliance:
In the past:

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 American
All individuals had the ability to control
their own destiny without outside
interference from the government, a
ruling noble class, the church, or any
other organized authority.
 They created a climate of freedom
where the emphasis was on the
individual.
Vietnamese
People formerly lived in the co-operative
model and they work together. The State
had the power to decide everything,
therefore, individualism was not
featured.
 As the result, the nature of
Vietnamese at that time did not
have self-reliant thought. They
depended on the State a lot.

At present:
American Vietnamese
Individualism is powerful. Collectivism is powerful.
For example: For example:
- Many young people do not live with -There may be a lot of generations living
their parents and choose to live alone under one roof. They live, share and
when they are 18 years old. support each other.
- There are often only two generations of
parents and their children living together.
Self-Reliance is forceful. This is the price There is better changes in thinking of
to be paid for the individual freedom. self-reliance in comparison with that
before. However, it’s not as powerful as
Americans. Individuals become more
likely to develop themselves.
People don’t rely too much on the support A large number of Vietnamese,
of their families or the government or any especially children often rely much on the
organization because they realize that support of their family. Families and
they may lose some of their freedom to communities can have a significant
do what they want if they depend on that influence on individual behavior.
a lot.
Americans believe they should take care Vietnamese usually have the group-
of themselves, solve their own problems, oriented spirit. They has lived in
and stand on their own two feet. relationships tied tightly with their
families, neighbors and society. People
can be willing to receive assistance from
other people to deal with problems.
In family: Americans want to make In family: Normally, grandparents and
decisions independently, therefore, they parents have strong influence on their
do not like to be told what to do by children’s decisions.
grandparents or parent …

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 Self-Reliance is reflected in education: Lots of Vietnamese students have few
Most American students are very own opinions in class and often count on
independent. They are encouraged to their teachers.
self-think and express their own views in
class.
3.2 Equality of Opportunity and Competition
American
The immigrants who came to
the United States believed
that everyone had a chance to
succeed here. In fact, the
In the hopes and dreams of many of
past these immigrants were
Equality of fulfilled in the United States.
Opportunity
- Americans do not treat
people differently by relying
on their status in social life or
At their wealth. At work, it is
present the same and that means no
one is given more priority to
their work just because of
their great family
background.
- In the United States,
everybody has the same
rights. Besides, people
including women as well as
men of all ethnic and cultural
groups obtain equal chances
for success. To protect this
right to equality, there are
even laws promulgated.
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Vietnamese
Vietnamese women had
limited rights and less access
to education, labor market
opportunities, productive
resources and some other
aspects than men. These are
because of Vietnamese’s
thinking and lifestyle deeply
influenced by Confucianism
which stresses social order.
This has led to gender-based
discrimination.
- There still exist inequalities
of opportunity based on
social status. In fact, the
social rank is often built on
the family background. If
you have a great family
background or you have
inherited privilege, you will
be given more priority to
your work.
- Gender discrimination
leading to inequality of
opportunity only exists in
some regions of Vietnam
now, however, this also
means this discrimination has
still existed. According to
United Nations report, there
exist three key aspects of
gender inequality in Vietnam
including economic power,
political voice and the legal
 rights. Partially, Vietnamese
women hasn’t had equal
chances for success.

Towards American, life is Vietnamese have strong

seen as a race. A person must
run the race and compete
with others in order to obtain
success.
Competition For example:
- In business, the promotion
of competition associated
with freedom has devised an
economic system to go with
it – free enterprise.
- In education area, students
are encouraged to answer
questions for which their
classmates do not know the
answers.
In fact, any individuals or
group of people who do not
compete effectively – for
whatever reason – do not
accord with the mainstream
of American life.
sense of community.
According to Vietnamese’s
conception, each individual
is a member of a family or
group, which means demand
and benefits of the group are
sometimes even more
important than these of
individuals.
For example:
-Since being very young
children, they are taught to do
a lot of things about honor to
their families and harmony
with other people as well.
As the result, Vietnamese
value cooperation over
competition. They prefer
working as a team to ensure
the success of the whole
group to achieving success
by themselves.

3.3 Material wealth and hard work:

Americans Vietnamese
Both countries are famous for the incredibly rich in natural resources. While
people call America “land of opportunity” where everyone can come and
make their “ from rags to riches” dreams come true, Vietnam is a country with
variegated natural deposits such as coal, goal and oil; besides, fat lands, wide-
long coast and perennial forests are also undeniable advantages.
Similarities
American and Vietnamese are appreciated to hard-working. To American, the
main secret of wealth are the beliefs determination, hard work and desire to
progress. When the first settlers arrived, they put painstaking efforts into
converting natural resources into material possessions, hence, make either
themselves or the country get rich.
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 Hard working is a basic virtue of Vietnamese people, from the past until now.
American see material wealth as a To Vietnamese, the concept of a good
measure of social status. If a person name is better than any material
is rich, he or she is respected and possession in this world. By securing
admired. a good name for himself, a man can
command respect and admiration
from his fellow countrymen.
In the past: Now: In the past: Now:
Hard work is the The shift in the As an Degeneration in
price of material economy lead to agricultural work ethic, many
wealth or the shift in country, people people want to do
material individuals’ had to work days a job with less
Differences
possessions are beliefs. Many and nights to pressure but
natural reward workers no support their higher salary.
for the hard longer believe lives and
work. that hard work appreciate every
necessarily single results.
brings great
material rewards
as they have to
work for long
hours with low
salary.

4. Conclusion:
Many things have changed throughout the history, but those values and beliefs still stand
the test of time and prove their important roles in the development of the America. Our
group hope that this presentation can give you a closer look into American culture to
understand the thoughts and feelings of the American and to spot the difference between
American and Vietnamese culture in order to appreciate others’ culture and continue to
build our own culture.

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 Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Independence - Freedom - Happiness

Hanoi, 6th October 2017

MEETING MINUTE
Subjects: American Culture
Group: 1
Location: Classroom C13
Number of participants: 6/6
Content :
1) Make the outline.
2) Divide topic into small parts.

Name Class Student ID Part

Nguyễn Thị Tuyết Anh K50N4 14D170213 1.1 & 1.2
Đặng Hà Anh K50N3 14D170143 1.3
Hoàng Thị Vân Anh K49N4 13D170211 2.1
Lê Thị Kim Anh K51N4 15D170211 2.2 & 2.3
Phùng Tú Anh K50N1 14D170003 3.1 & 3.2
Nguyễn Lê Minh Anh K51N1 15D170002 3.3 & 4

Hanoi, 6th October 2017

Leader

17
 Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Independence - Freedom - Happiness

Hanoi, 10th October 2017

MEETING MINUTE
Subjects: American Culture
Group: 1
Location: Yard of the library.
Number of participants: 6/6
Content
1) All of member complete the slide.
2) Members practice presenting.
3) All of members give some comments.

Finish the meeting.

Hanoi,10th October 2017

Leader

18