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Resources on American family life, diversity, religion, and social issues. American Folklife: A Commonwealth of Cultures Brief text summary of America's varied cultural traditions and the efforts to preserve it. Inventors, Technicians, Businessmen, and Pioneers Diversity in America A portrait of the American melting pot, with projections for black, Hispanic, Asian, white and Native American populations. Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin U.S. census data on race breakdown in America.

U.S.LIFE > People > General Demographic & Population Statistics > USA Quick Facts InfoUSA is maintained by the Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP), U.S. Department of State Information on this section is not intended to constitute advice nor is it to be used as a substitute for specific counsel from a licensed professional. You should not act (or refrain from acting) based upon information in this section without independently verifying the original source information and, as necessary, obtaining professional advice regarding your particular facts and circumstances. The numerical data in this section is solely for informational purposes.

Please consult the original sources for updated information. U.S. LIFE > People > Diversity > People: One from Many The story of the American people is a story of immigration and diversity. The United States has welcomed more immigrants than any other country -- more than 50 million in all -- and still admits between 500,000 and 1 million persons a year. In the past many American writers emphasized the idea of the melting pot, an image that suggested newcomers would discard their old customs and adopt American ways.

Typically, for example, the children of immigrants learned English but not their parents' first language. Recently, however, Americans have placed greater value on diversity, ethnic groups have renewed and celebrated their heritage, and the children of immigrants often grow up being bilingual. The first American immigrants, beginning more than 20,000 years ago, were intercontinental wanderers: hunters and their families following animal herds from Asia to America, across a land bridge where the Bering Strait is today. When Spain's Christopher Columbus "discovered" the New World in 1492, about 1.5 million Native Americans lived in what is now the continental United States, although estimates of the number vary greatly. Mistaking the place where he landed -- San Salvador in the Bahamas -- for the Indies, Columbus called the Native Americans "Indians." During the next 200 years, people from several European countries followed Columbus across the Atlantic Ocean to explore America and set up trading posts and colonies.

Native Americans suffered greatly from the influx of Europeans. The transfer of land from Indian to European -- and later American -- hands was accomplished through treaties, wars, and coercion, with Indians constantly giving way as the newcomers moved west. In the 19th century, the government's preferred solution to the Indian "problem" was to force tribes to inhabit specific plots of land called reservations. Some tribes fought to keep from giving up land they had traditionally used. In many cases the reservation land was of poor quality, and Indians came to depend on government assistance. Poverty and joblessness among Native Americans still exist today.

The territorial wars, along with Old World diseases to which Indians had no built-up immunity, sent their population plummeting, to a low of 350,000 in 1920. Some tribes disappeared altogether; among them were the Mandans of North Dakota, who had helped Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in exploring America's unsettled northwestern wilderness in 1804-06. Other tribes lost their languages and most of their culture. Nonetheless, Native Americans have proved to be resilient. Today they number almost 3 million (0.9 percent of the total U.S. population), and only about one-third of Native Americans still live on reservations.

U.S.LIFE > People > Biographies of Famous Americans > Steven Spielberg Steven Spielberg is the most successful director of our age and one of the most acclaimed of any era. His movies amuse and amaze us, startle and move us, make us laugh, cry, think and dream-in some cases all at once. In the 100 or so years that the world has been going to the movies "no director or producer has ever put together a more popular body of work," wrote Roger Ebert in Time... "That's why the movies we're now seeing are made in his image," continued Ebert. That image, powerful, dynamic and wondrous, was first outlined by his feature debut in 1974, The Sugarland Express, and subsequently enriched and refined by hit after hit, masterpiece after masterpiece: Jaws (1975); Close Encounters...

the Extra-Terrestrial (1982); The Color Purple (1985); Empire of the Sun (1987); Jurassic Park (1993); Schindler's List (1993); Saving Private Ryan (1998); A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001); Minority Report (2002); Catch Me If You Can... Spielberg has been nominated for six Academy Awards for Best Director, winning twice, for Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan. Seven of his films have been nominated for Best Picture (Schindler's List won). As a producer, he's also been honored with the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. He is the director who defined the modern summer blockbuster with Jaws, made dinosaurs walk the earth in Jurassic Park, introduced us to both present and future aliens and robots in Close Encounters, E.T.,...

He is also the man whose most powerful films portray deeply flawed people; explore slavery and racism; war and the Holocaust; loneliness and friendship; terrorism; the search for identity and the quest for freedom. His has depicted the human comedy in comedy, fantasy, adventure and drama. "Steven's passion and enthusiasm for ideas and for human understanding is very much what fuels his work," says Harrison Ford. His films, particularly the early ones, often focused on children and young people. When young, he focused on making films: amateur 8 mm adventure and horror movies, often featuring his family and friends. His first professional short film was Amblin', which later became the moniker for his production company, Amblin Entertainment.

He left California State University in Long Beach early (although he returned four years ago to finish his degree) to accept a television directing contract with Universal Studios, which resulted in the cult Joan... That led to The Sugarland Express and then to Jaws. Famously a disaster-in-the-making, Jaws won three Oscars (editing, score and sound), grossed over $100 million (the first film to do so) and scared more people than anything that had come before. Its musical theme became synonymous for unbearable suspense and horror, and its composer, John Williams, became Spielberg's lifelong collaborator. As the first summer blockbuster, Jaws changed our movie-going habits and transformed Hollywood forever. Refusing to direct a sequel, he turned his attention from the seas to the skies and created the classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Another hit, another John Williams soundtrack, and his first nomination for directing. (It was honored for Vilmos Zsigmond's luminous cinematography and for Sound Effects editing. Much more great work was still ahead, of course.) The Indiana Jones films are landmarks of action movies. E.T. is many people's favorite fantasy film and the top-grossing film of all time for many years. The Color Purple was nominated for 11 Oscars.

Jurassic Park set new standards for visual effects and breathless adventure and was released the same year as Schindler's List, a watershed film in his career. It was huge at the box office, and it was listed by the American Film Institute as one of the 10 Greatest Films Ever Made. U.S.LIFE > People > Family Life & Children > Chart: Births, Infant Mortality, and Life Expectancy Graph and chart of birth, infant mortality, and life expectancy in the U.S. InfoUSA is maintained by the Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP), U.S. Department of State Information on this section is not intended to constitute advice nor is it to be used as a substitute for specific counsel from a licensed professional.

You should not act (or refrain from acting) based upon information in this section without independently verifying the original source information and, as necessary, obtaining professional advice regarding your particular facts and circumstances. U.S.LIFE > People > Diversity > Diversity in America Faith Family Charity Education Facts and Figures "America is a nation of nations, made up of people from every land, of every race and practicing every faith. Our diversity is not a source of weakness; it is a source of strength, it is a source of our success." -- U.S.

Secretary of State Colin Powell The people of the United States represent an array of ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds, all of whom help to make up the complex picture of what it means... The United States is often characterized as a nation of immigrants. Its rich heritage - often referred to as a "melting pot" - is in part due to successive waves of immigrants from around the world. The United States has welcomed more immigrants than any other country -- more than 50 million in all -- and today welcomes almost 700,000 persons a year. Americans have of necessity placed great value on diversity; ethnic groups have renewed and celebrated their heritage; and the children of immigrants often grow up experiencing the languages, traditions and cultures of both their... This enrichment through diversity thrives in America.

But before this mosaic of cultures found a home, the question certainly might have been asked, "Can a nation made of such varied backgrounds even hope to succeed?" As the American example shows, the... Among them is, of course, the vision of the nation's founding fathers in establishing a government of, by and for the people. When they established a democracy they provided a constitution that guaranteed certain freedoms like freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and freedom of religion. America's founders established a society that would embrace diversity and celebrate the differences that various cultures would bring to the United States. But, as different as the many cultures, religions and ethnic backgrounds of the American mosaic are, there is a core of values that all share. This is the glue that has led to the success of the American experiment.

Among those shared values are education, faith, family and charity. And those shared values which have contributed so much to the fabric and strength within America, also inform our efforts in reaching out and finding common ground with cultures from other shores. We invite you to explore with us the shared values which make America strong and proud, which enrich our society, and which serve as a foundation for open dialogue with other peoples. Back to Top Faith Diverse Peoples, Diverse Faiths Religion has played a significant role in every aspect of American life and culture. The United States has always been a country of diverse peoples and faiths.

From English Protestant reformers fleeing religious persecution at home, to Spanish and French Catholic colonizers, traders and missionaries, to Dutch Reformists, Anglicans, Quakers and others, even in the earliest days American colonies were home... Today, this rich tapestry of religious belief is woven with ever more threads. The United States now contains some 2,000 religious denominations. Americans are Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Taoists, Hindus, Zoroastrians or Sikhs, among many other faiths. More than 60 percent of Americans associate themselves with a specific religious denomination. Within these divisions lie a multitude of beliefs, sects and practices, making America a true microcosm of the world's religious diversity.

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Resources On American Family Life, Diversity, Religion, And Social Issues.

Resources on American family life, diversity, religion, and social issues. American Folklife: A Commonwealth of Cultures Brief text summary of America's varied cultural traditions and the efforts to preserve it. Inventors, Technicians, Businessmen, and Pioneers Diversity in America A portrait of the American melting pot, with projections for black, Hispanic, Asian, white and Native American popula...

U.S.LIFE > People > General Demographic & Population Statistics >

U.S.LIFE > People > General Demographic & Population Statistics > USA Quick Facts InfoUSA is maintained by the Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP), U.S. Department of State Information on this section is not intended to constitute advice nor is it to be used as a substitute for specific counsel from a licensed professional. You should not act (or refrain from acting) based upon info...

Please Consult The Original Sources For Updated Information. U.S. LIFE

Please consult the original sources for updated information. U.S. LIFE > People > Diversity > People: One from Many The story of the American people is a story of immigration and diversity. The United States has welcomed more immigrants than any other country -- more than 50 million in all -- and still admits between 500,000 and 1 million persons a year. In the past many American writers emphasize...

Typically, For Example, The Children Of Immigrants Learned English But

Typically, for example, the children of immigrants learned English but not their parents' first language. Recently, however, Americans have placed greater value on diversity, ethnic groups have renewed and celebrated their heritage, and the children of immigrants often grow up being bilingual. The first American immigrants, beginning more than 20,000 years ago, were intercontinental wanderers: hun...

Native Americans Suffered Greatly From The Influx Of Europeans. The

Native Americans suffered greatly from the influx of Europeans. The transfer of land from Indian to European -- and later American -- hands was accomplished through treaties, wars, and coercion, with Indians constantly giving way as the newcomers moved west. In the 19th century, the government's preferred solution to the Indian "problem" was to force tribes to inhabit specific plots of land called...