Anglais - Langue, société, culture Flashcards
What does the flag of the US look like? What is it called?
50 starts - 13 stripes
The Starts and Stripes
The Old Glory
What is the Capital of the US?
Washington DC
What was the first capital of the US?
Philadelphia
What is the biggest state of the US geographically?
Alaska (Texas - California)
What is the richest state of the US?
Connecticut
What is the poorest state in the US?
Mississippi
What is the most populated state in the US?
California
What is the less populated state in the US?
Alaska
1st Amendment of the Bill of Rights?
Freedom of speech
2nd Amendment of the Bill of Rights?
Right to carry a gun
Most spoken language?
English (Spanish)
Major ethnic group?
White Anglo Saxon Protestants (WASPs)
Biggest minority group?
Hispanic Americans (African Americans)
Difference between Black Americans and African Americans?
African Americans have slaves in their ancestors.
Black Americans refers to skin colour, not to descent.
Largest religious following in the US?
Christians (followed by Protestants)
Most religious area?
Bible Belt (Deep South except Florida) + Utah (Mormons)
Most religious states are Mississippi and Alabama
Least religious area?
West Coast (Unchurched Belt)
Is abortion legal in the US?
American women had the right of abortion since 1973, by the US Supreme Court (in the case Roe vs. Wade). Now it is up to the states to make the decision (Dobb vs Jackson). Bible Belt mostly rejects abortion, West Coast allows it.
Do same-sex couples have the right to get married in the US?
Since 2015, the US Supreme Court voted in favour of same-sex marriage (and marriage between every two people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender). Earlier it was up to the states.
Where do they eat cats and dogs?
Springfield, Ohio. Haitian immigrants. According to rumours of course.
Geography of the US
Situated on the American Continent (Americas).
6 times zones.
From Arctic Circle to Tropic of Cancer.
Southernmost state?
Northernmost state?
Florida (Key West is southernmost city)
Alaska
What are the Aleutian Islands?
A chain of fourteen volcanic islands.
Belonging to US and Russia.
Official American citizens but other rights as continental citizens.
What are the Appalachian Mountains?
A chain of mountains creating natural border.
Originally separated French and British Colonies.
What are the Great Plains?
Located in the middle of the country. Mainly composed of grassland and corn.
What are the Rocky Mountains?
Highest mountains of continental US.
Natural Borders in the US?
Appalachian Mountains
Great Plains
Rocky Mountains
Sierra Nevada
Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean
What is the national anthem?
The Star-Spangled Banner
What does the flag symbolize?
Symbol of what all Americans have in common. Common history. Unites them all.
What are the 5 regions of the US?
Northeast
South
Midwest
West
Pacific
Most populated city?
New York City (LA, Chicago, Washington DC (smaller than Brussels))
What are the English Only Laws?
Laws instated in some states, meaning that all administrative communications are in English. A translation can still be asked for.
What is a majority-minority nation?
That means that the minorities constitute more than 50% of the population, that the majority is not a majority anymore.
Important events in historical start of the US.
1492 - Christopher Columbus
Named by Amerigo Vespucci
European immigration
1765 - Stamp Act (King George III trying to
regain control by limiting access to
education, by taxing paper)
Samuel Adams - No taxation without
representation
Tea Act leading to Boston Tea Party (1770)
Revolutions
First Continental Congress
Battle of Lexington and Concord (Red
Coats vs Colonies)
4th July 1776 - Declaration of Independence signed by Jefferson and Continental Congress
2nd August 1776 - Founding Fathers sign Founding Documents
1787 - Today’s Constitution
Which are the 3 main British settlements at the start and their main characteristics?
- The Virginia Company (Jamestown)
Economic freedom
Introduced slavery in 1619 - The Plymouth Plantation
Religious freedom - Massachusetts Bay Colony
Much bigger settlement
Religious freedom - The Puritans
Came to stay
Calvinist doctrines brought by the Puritans that are still present in mind.
- Being good citizens and active members of society
- Charity
Values brought by the first permanent colonies
- Rights of the people
- Against government or crown
- Importance of strong community
- Importance of education
Which documents do the Founding Fathers sign?
The Founding Documents:
- Declaration of Independence
- US Constitution
- Bill of Rights
What is the other name of the Founding Fathers?
The Framers, they created the framework in which the country would function.
What is the Declaration of Independence?
List of grievances (complaints) about Georges III. Stating all the things that were done wrong and the reasons why the people have the right to be independent and free.
Who are the 7 Founding Fathers?
- Thomas Jefferson
- Samuel Adams
- George Washington
- Benjamin Franklin
- James Madison
- John Handcock
- Patrick Henry
What model of government did Jefferson propose?
A federation, a government for the people by the people.
What are the 3 branches in the Constitution? And what do they do towards each other?
Legislative - Executive - Judicial
They balance power, every branch is under scrutiny of the other 2.
How are presidents elected in the US?
Indirect voting system.
People vote for electors.
Electors vote for presidential tickets, called the Electoral College.
Every state has a number of points (number of senators + number of representatives).
The candidate having the majority of points wins.
Explain the legislative branch
Bicameral system: Congress is composed of two chambers.
Congress = Senate + House of Representatives
In the House of Representatives (435 representatives + Speaker of the House), each state is represented by a number of representatives, number determined proportionate to the people (Three Fifths compromise: 5 slaves = 3 white people in the count).
In Senate, every state gets 2 senators. (100 senators + President of the Senate)
When was slavery abolished?
1865
When was slave trade abolished?
1808 - “Act Prohibiting the Importation of Slaves”
Explain the executive branch
Composed of President and Vice-President.
15 Departments, headed by Secretaries (=ministres en français).
All the 15 Secretaries together are called the Cabinet. They guide the President’s decisions.
The Administration = President + VP + Secretaries.
Who is elected when in the US?
Presidents every 4 years.
Congressmen and women every 2 years, called midterm elections or legislative elections.
How long do Presidents, Congressmen, and Senators keep their power?
Presidents, 4 year term. 2 times max.
House of Representatives, 2 year term. As many mandates as they want.
Senators, 6 year term, elections every 2 years to replace 1/3 of the senators (33 senators).
Explain the judicial branch
The US Supreme Court = 9 Justices
(1 Chief Justice + 8 Associate Justices)
+ All the other lower courts at
state and district levels
Nominated by President and approved by Senate
Which officials are elected and which are appointed?
Elected officials :
- Congress members (senate and representatives)
- the President
- judges
- sheriffs
- etc.
Appointed officials:
- Cabinet members
- Justices to the US SC
- CIA director
- etc.
What are the 5th and 6th Amendments?
They are called the Miranda Rights.
They are the rights of the accused. The goal is that every citizen receives due process of law.
“Rights of the accused: to receive protection by all proper legal procedures (due
process of law); to be accused by a grand jury; to remain silent (Miranda Rights, to
“plead the Fifth”); not to be tried twice for the same crime (no double jeopardy)
To be told the charges; to receive a speedy and public trial
with an impartial jury; to have legal counsel”
What are the 13th - 14th - 15th Amendments?
Civil war amendments. Banning Slavery nationally. Giving former slaves citizenship and giving them rights to vote.
What are the 2 main political ideologies in the US? Explain.
Liberalism (left - blue - progressist - doves)
Diplomatic in the context of foreign affairs
Democratic Party (donkey)
Conservatism (red - right - hawks))
Harsher in military and foreign affairs.
Republican Party (Great Old Party - elephant)
In-between are called moderate.
What is the repartition of political ideologies in the US?
Coasts colour blue. Linked to direct contact with the world (used to difference and open to change) and higher level of education.
States where slavery was more present colour high red
Swing states, swinging back and forth between the different political ideologies. Also called purple states.
Explain Road to the White House
0) Early states - Testing the water
1) Primaries and Caucuses
2) Party National Conventions & Fall campaign - Media extravaganza
3) Election day (50% upcome)
4) Electoral college. December. Makes the results official.
5) Presidential Inauguration
What does it mean to be a minority President?
A President that is elected with a minority in popular votes but wins because of the points.
Which states did Biden flip?
Arizona & Swing states in the Rust Belt.
Trump had won over the Rust Belt (also called Manufacturing Belt) in 2016, convincing people that he could make a difference in their everyday lives (Make America Great Again & America First)
Who was the 1st President of the US?
Georges Washington
Who was the 3rd President of the US?
Thomas Jefferson
Who was the youngest President of the US?
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
What is important regarding John Fitzgerald Kennedy?
Period of de-segragation. He was assassinated in 1963. His VP Linden B Johnson took over and banned segregation.
What does melting pot society mean?
Blending of ethnic origins and cultures.
Today it is often replaced by salad bowl because that respects the differences, every part keeping its identity.
Or even chili bowl because sauce binding the separated elements.
What are the 4 major periods of American immigration history?
1) Colonial and Early National Period (1607-1820)
2) The First Great Wave (1820-1880)
3) The Second Great Wave (1880-1924)
4) Post-1965 Modern Period
Explain the Colonial and Early National Period. Give dates.
1607 - 1820
Initial European settlements creating a base population in the US.
Forced migration of enslaved Africans.
Territorial expansion through purchases and wars.
Pushing Natives away
1830 - Railroad construction “The Iron Horse”
1830 - Indian Removal Act and Trail of Tears
1876 - Custer’s Last Stand
1887 - General Allotment Act (Americanizing the natives, assimilation policies)
The Frontier Days
1845 - Manifest Destiny - Frontier Days - Pioneers
1849 - Gold Rush.
1853 – Gadsden Purchase
1862 – The Homestead Act (land for everyone, principle of first arrived, first served)
1889 – The Oklahoma Land Rush
Explain the First Great Wave (main events and dates)
(1820-1880)
Period marked by Irish, German, and Scandinavian arrivals (Northern and Western Europe).
Irish and Chinese building railroads.
Increased immigration because political instability and economic hardship in Europe.
US was attracting because giving free land, jobs, and freedom.
Old Immigrants.
Explain the Second Great Wave (events and dates)
(1880 - 1924)
Millions of immigrants. Peak between 1901 and 1910.
Southern and Eastern Europe + Asia.
Restrictive policies to slow down immigration (Chinese Exclusion Act & Immigration Act).
Screening of immigrants on Ellis Island (Island of Tears) and Angel Island.
New Immigrants.
Compare Old and New Immigrants
Protestants >< Catholic/Orthodox/Jewish
Small numbers >< Large numbers
English >< Greek, Italian, Russian, Polish,…
Assimilation >< clanish (due to language)
Hard-working >< unskilled
Literate >< illiterate
Gilded Age = growing gap between Elite and lower-clans
What is the 18th Amendment about?
Banning alcohol as action against Gilded Age.
Only amendment that was repealed (repealed by 21st Amendment).
Bootleggers try tp go around it.
What is the consequence of the Great Immigration Waves?
An identity crisis.
What does it mean to be American? Language, religion, being there for how long, …
Increases nationalism
What are the keyfeatures of American individualism?
- Self-reliance (personal responsibility and independence)
- Personal freedom (individual rights and personal choices)
- Achievement (success is personal achievement and career success)
Who are the main activists in the women’s suffrage movement? When did it start?
Early 20th century.
Alice Paul
Carrie Chapman Catt
1913 - Women’s suffrage parade
What does turbulent 50s and 60s mean?
Period of social uprisal in favour of women’s rights.
60s is Second Wave of Feminism - Feminine Mystique.
Period of desegragation.
What is intersectionality?
First used by Kimberlé Crensgaw in 1989.
A framework in US gender studies that examines how overlapping social identities create interconnected systems of discrimination or privilege.
Who was Abraham Lincoln?
16th President of the US.
From 1861 to 1865.
President during the Civil War.
Issues like
- Cotton Gin
- Louisiana Purchase
- Abolition of slavery (yes(Union)/no(Confederacy))
Figures on the 5$ bill
Who was Frederick Douglas?
African American slave
Escaped when starting to talk about abolition.
Leader of the Abolitionist Movement.
What are the Civil War Amendments?
13 - abolition of slavery (1865)
14 - citizenship (1866)
15 - voting right (1870)
What happens in 1896?
Plessy vs. Fergusson
Legalising segregation
Separate but equal doctrine
Explain 1st and 2nd Civil Rights Act
1st = 1866
Granting citozenship to African Americans
2nd = 1964-65
Eliminate segregation and voter suppression
