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.
