American Values and Beliefs

THE U.S. CONSTITUTION
We the People of the United States, in
Order to form a more perfect Union,
establish Justice, insure domestic
Tranquility, provide for the common
defence, promote the general Welfare,
and secure the Blessings of Liberty to
ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and
establish this Constitution for the United
States of America.

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united
States of America: The want, will and hopes of the
people
When in the Course of human events it becomes
necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands
which have connected them with another and to assume
among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal
station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God
entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind
requires that they should declare the causes which impel
them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men
are created equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among
these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. —
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted
among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent
of the governed,

— That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of
these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and
to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles
and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most
likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will
dictate that Governments long established should not be changed
for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath
shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are
sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which
they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and
usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design
to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their
duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for
their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of
these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains
them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of
the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and
usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an
absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be
submitted to a candid world.

From BARACK OBAMA’S INAUGURATION SPEECH
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are
real. They are serious and they are many. They will not
be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this,
America: They will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen
hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and
discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty
grievances and false promises, the recriminations and
worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our
politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of
Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things.
The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to
choose our better history; to carry forward that precious
gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to
generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all
are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full
measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we
understand that greatness is never a given. It must be
earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or
settling for less. It has not been the path for the
fainthearted for those who prefer leisure over work, or
seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it
has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things
some celebrated, but more often men and women
obscure in their labor who have carried us up the long,
rugged path toward prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly
possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a
new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the
West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard
earth.

Time and again, these men and women struggled and
sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live
a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our
individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or
wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most
prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less
productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less
inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were
last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains
undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow
interests and putting off unpleasant decisions that time has surely
passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves
off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of
the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act not
only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We
will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines
that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore
science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise
health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and
the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we
will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the
demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with
which we meet them may be new. But those values upon
which our success depends hard work and honesty,
courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and
patriotism these things are old. These things are true.

They have been the quiet force of progress throughout
our history. What is demanded then is a return to these
truths. What is required of us now is a new era of
responsibility a recognition, on the part of every
American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation
and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept
but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there
is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our
character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence the
knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain
destiny.

OBAMA’S LETTER TO HIS DAUGHTERS
•
Dear Malia and Sasha,
I know that you've both had a lot of fun these last two years on the
campaign trail, going to picnics and parades and state fairs, eating all sorts
of junk food your mother and I probably shouldn't have let you have. But I
also know that it hasn't always been easy for you and Mom, and that as
excited as you both are about that new puppy, it doesn't make up for all the
time we've been apart. I know how much I've missed these past two years,
and today I want to tell you a little more about why I decided to take our
family on this journey.
When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me—about how I'd
make my way in the world, become successful, and get the things I want.
But then the two of you came into my world with all your curiosity and
mischief and those smiles that never fail to fill my heart and light up my day.
And suddenly, all my big plans for myself didn't seem so important

anymore. I soon found that the greatest joy in my life was the joy I saw in
yours. And I realized that my own life wouldn't count for much unless I was
able to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fulfillment
in yours. In the end, girls, that's why I ran for President: because of what I
want for you and for every child in this nation.

I want all our children to go to schools worthy of their potential—
schools that challenge them, inspire them, and instill in them a
sense of wonder about the world around them. I want them to have
the chance to go to college—even if their parents aren't rich. And I
want them to get good jobs: jobs that pay well and give them
benefits like health care, jobs that let them spend time with their
own kids and retire with dignity.
I want us to push the boundaries of discovery so that you'll live to
see new technologies and inventions that improve our lives and
make our planet cleaner and safer. And I want us to push our own
human boundaries to reach beyond the divides of race and region,
gender and religion that keep us from seeing the best in each other.
Sometimes we have to send our young men and women into war
and other dangerous situations to protect our country—but when we
do, I want to make sure that it is only for a very good reason, that
we try our best to settle our differences with others peacefully, and
that we do everything possible to keep our servicemen and women
safe. And I want every child to understand that the blessings these
brave Americans fight for are not free—that with the great privilege
of being a citizen of this nation comes great responsibility.

That was the lesson your grandmother tried to teach me when I was
your age, reading me the opening lines of the Declaration of
Independence and telling me about the men and women who marched

for equality because they believed those words put to paper two
centuries ago should mean something.
She helped me understand that America is great not because it is
perfect but because it can always be made better—and that the
unfinished work of perfecting our union falls to each of us. It's a charge
we pass on to our children, coming closer with each new generation to
what we know America should be.
I hope both of you will take up that work, righting the wrongs that you
see and working to give others the chances you've had. Not just
because you have an obligation to give something back to this country
that has given our family so much—although you do have that
obligation. But because you have an obligation to yourself. Because it
is only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself
that you will realize your true potential.

These are the things I want for you—to grow up in a
world with no limits on your dreams and no
achievements beyond your reach, and to grow into
compassionate, committed women who will help build
that world. And I want every child to have the same
chances to learn and dream and grow and thrive that
you girls have. That's why I've taken our family on this
great adventure.
I am so proud of both of you. I love you more than you
can ever know. And I am grateful every day for your
patience, poise, grace, and humor as we prepare to start
our new life together in the White House.
Love, Dad

CULTURAL VALUES OF AMERICANS

US middle class values by Edward Stewart
•
Form of activity: orientation to action, “getting
things done”, fast pace, on the move, motivation,
measurable and visible achievements,
competition.
•
Form of social relations: equality, confrontation,
informality, cooperation and fair play, the need to
be liked.
•
Perception of the world: nature and the physical
world should be controlled in the service of
human beings, materialism, progress
•
Perception of self and the individual:
independence, self-reliance, individualism

AMERICAN VALUES (from Kohls and Knight)
•
Control over environment
•
Change as positive
•
Control over time
•
Equality/fairness
•
Individualism/independence
•

Self-help/initiative
•
Competition
•
Future orientation
•
Action/work orientation
•
Informality
•
Directness/openness/honesty
•
Practicality/efficiency
•
Materialism/acquisitiveness