The USA

The United States is a huge country located in North America. Its location gives it wide variations in many aspects such as language, food, customs, pastimes and arts. The US was inhabited by many aborigines tribes but in 1513 conquerors from Spain, Portugal and then Britain started to arrive to the territory of the US. The American culture was born as a mixture of Native American's and immigrant's culture. Nowadays there are many cultural facts that put the US in the top place of world's culture.

Arts and music are one of the most important legacies that the US has given to the world. American arts are enhanced in styles created by American painters, such as Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollock.

Andy Warhol's Banana

While the biggest musical influences of the US are Jazz, Blues, Pop, and Rock with artists such as Bessie Smith, Madonna and Elvis Presley. The US has one of the biggest musical markets of the world, especially of pop music. The most famous pop musicians, such as Madonna, Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez, Miley Cirus, are from the US. Rock music has also a wide market in the US, with artists as Elvis Presley, KISS, Twisted Sister, Whitesnake, Metallica, Megadeth and so on.

Bessie Smith's St. Louis Blues

Literature for example has given many important authors and masterpieces to world's culture. Some important writers from the US are Thomas Jefferson, known by his "United States Declaration of Independence"; William Hill, Edgar Allan Poe, Sinclair Lewis, T.S. Elliot, Ernest Hemingway, Isaac Bashevis Singer and Toni Morrison.

Thomas Jefferson's "United States Declaration of Independence"

The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe

Talking about social sciences and education, the main characteristic of the US is the strong feeling of patriotism. Every single citizen loves his/her country as much as s/he loves his/her relatives.
Education in America is free, being most of the schools public. Child education is compulsory. The ages for compulsory education vary by state. It begins from ages five to eight and ends from ages fourteen to eighteen.
After finishing high school the students have the opportunity to attend to an undergraduate school, and then they can go to the university or college.


Customs and traditions in the US show the mixture of the different cultures. They can be divided in general customs and traditions, and American customs and traditions. In the general ones we have Christmas, New Year and Columbus Day. The American celebrations include Memorial Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day, Halloween and Thanksgiving Day.

The most important one is Independence Day - celebrated on July 4th - commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain. It is the national day of the United States. Some customs on July 4th are the fireworks show, picnics, barbecues, decorations in red, white and blue, and parades.

Fireworks in Disney

Another important part of American culture is the Mythology. Among the American myths, the most important are A gift from Saint Nicholas, Aunty Greenleaf and the White Deer, Babe the blue ox, Christmas gift, Ghost pilots of Times Square, Ghost of Pearl White, Lincoln death train, Mississippi Mosquitoes, and Red dwarf of Detroit.

Food is another important part of American culture. Among the most popular recipes we have cheese cake, brownies, turkey, apple cake, baked country ham, blueberry pie, buffalo wings, caramel apples, chili con carne, corn dogs, jambalaya, lemonade, macaroni and cheese, and of course fast food (French fries, hamburgers, sundaes, etc)

Hamburger

Corn dogs

Cheese cake

Jambalaya 

The final topic is Pastimes. The most important and popular pastimes in the US are sports. People in the US practice, attend and watch to sports. The four main sports of the US are Basketball, Football, Baseball and Ice Hockey. The most important is American Football, with important championships and organizations. Football's most popular championship is the Super Bowl; it is the most watched TV event and the biggest annual sporting event in the US. 

Super Bowl 2011

Finally, the US is known for being a multicultural country. Most of the world's cultures are mixed and coexist in the US.

Arts and Music

Arts

Arts include painting, drawing and sculpture.

At the begining, American art was really close to european art. During the colonial time the only kind of painting was the portrait.

This is the most famous one, George Washington by Gilbert Stuart, also known as The Athenaeum and The Unfinished Portrait, 1796, is his most celebrated and famous work.

Since the eighteenth century, the main topics in painting were history and everyday life.

For example we have The Bath, by Mary Cassatt

The twentieth century was divided on three periods.

In the first one, in the early 20th century, the realism was the most important trend, with examples as Edward Hopper and Thomas Hart Benton.

Edward Hopper's Morning Sun

The second period, in the mid 20th century, was strongly influenced by modern European art after the World War II. It was represented by abstract art.
One of the most important trends of the period was abstract expressionism, exemplified by the inventor of action painting, Jackson Pollock.

Another important trend of the period was pop art, it was led by Andy Warhol.

Jackson Pollock painting

 Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup and Marilyn Monroe

The third period was led by photorealism with artists such as Chuck Close and Richard Estes.

Sunday afternoon in the park, by Richard Estes.

Music

The first musical expressions in the US were created by Native American people.

Music in the US is influenced by immigrants that arrived to the territory on the 17th century. Immigrants came from United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Germany and France.

Many musical styles were born in the US, and the most important are the following:

Blues

Blues were born among African-American communities of primarily the Deep South of the US at the end of 19th Century. The term "the blues" refers to the "blue devils", meaning melancholy and sadness.

Some important blues singers and composers are Bessie Smith, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and B.B. King.

B.B. King

Bessie Smith

 Jazz

It was born out of a confluence of African and European music traditions. The term Jazz began as a West Coast slang term and was first used to refer to music in Chicago about 1915.

Some famous jazz players are Louis Armstrong, Chuck Mangione, Freddie Hubbard and Charlie Parker.

The Save Brubeck Quartet's Take Five

Country Music

Is a popular American musical style that began in the Southern United States in the 1920s.

The main instruments used in country music are the fiddle, guitar and banjo. Country music was created by African-Americans and European-Americans.

Some important country musicians are Vernon Dalhart, the North Carolina Ramblers, Roy Acuff, Johnny Cash, Jim Reeves.

Roy Acuff's Wabash Cannonball

Rock

Rock was an urban style that started its popular period as Rock & Roll, and it became completely popular with Elvis Presley. From Rock & Roll and many other music styles were also born very popular genres such as Heavy Metal, Hard Rock and Punk Rock.

Elvis Presley's Jailhouse Rock

Rock & Roll all night by KISS

Twisted Sister's I wanna rock

Pop

Pop music is commercially recorded music, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.

The US is home to many pop icons, such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga and young pop musicians as Miley Cirus, Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato.

Bad by Michael Jackson

Madonna's Like a virgin

Lady Gaga's Poker face

For more information about Arts and Music of the United States, read the following ESSAY