United States of America

By: Lily Fischer

The seven characteristics that make the U.S.A. a civilization

The 7 Characteristics of a Civilization

• 1. Highly Developed Way of Life

• 2. Religion

• 3. Communication

• 4. Technology

• 5. Government

• 6. Social Structure

• 7. Stable Food Supply

Highly Developed Way of LifeBridges are very important in daily life in the US. they transport cars and trucks across oceans, lakes, rivers etc. The bridges that you see on the top are the Lake Pontchartrain causeways. It is the longest bridge in the US and it’s in New Orleans. It is approximately 24 miles (38 km) long .The Highest bridge in the US is the Golden Gate Bridge which is in San Francisco. The Golden Gate Bridge is more famous around the world. Not many people know about the Lake Pontchartrain causeway. It is 220 feet (67 meters) high. It is the bridge on the bottom. They transport cars and trucks across ocean, lakes, rivers etc.

Highly Developed Way of Life

• Museums are buildings that display items of cultural or historical interest. The Guggenheim for example is a popular museum in New York. It is full of modern art. All of the Art is different, there could be abstract paintings, portraits, sculptures, puppets or even collages. Another museum is the Museum of Natural History. Here the items on display represent items of historical interest such as dinosaur bones, cuneiform, old clay pots etc.

Religion

• In the US you can be whatever religion you want to be. You can be Muslim, Jewish, Christian or you could have no religion at all. I think that is one of the most important things about religion in the US. A famous Catholic church in the US is the St. Patrick’s Cathedral. It is in New York City. The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue is a famous Jewish temple in the US. It is also in New York City. Masjid Al-Baqi is a Muslim mosque in Massachusetts.

Communication

• Email is a form of communication that we use in the U.S. today. It uses technology and the written language to communicate with each other over distances without having to send a letter.

• Texting is also a form of communication that uses technology and the written language to communicate over long distances.

Communication

• Social Media is another form of communication that allows you to talk in a chat so that everyone can see what you wrote and reply or comment. Some Examples of a Social Media are Facebook, Twitter, and Buzz

• Letters are also a form of communication that are sent across the world by ships and trucks. A lot of people don’t use letters anymore because they can be slow.

Technology

• A plane was a very important advance in technology. It brings people to places around the world that they either can’t get to or it is a very long drive. Before planes were invented people traveled by car and boat .The Wright Brothers invented the airplane on December 17, 1903. The brothers names were Orville and Wilbur.

Orville Wilbur

Technology

• The Computer was another advancement in Technology that has become a necessity to daily life today. The computer helps you with many things such as projects like this, sending emails, researching etc.

• The invention of Medical Technology such as X-rays and CAT scans help doctors diagnose problems

Government

• In the US we have a Democratic government which means there are free and fair elections. It also means that we have a 2 party system made up of elected Democrats and Republicans. Every 4 years there is a presidential election. The current president of the US is Barack Obama he is a democrat. A president is the official head of all government in the US. This year’s election will be in November.

Social Structure

• In the US there is a highly developed social structure. At the bottom there are the penniless people. Some of them are less fortunate than others and have no home and cannot support their families. In the middle there is the middle class people. They are the people that do well in life and have enough money to support their families. At the top of the social structure are the wealthiest people. This wealth is sometimes inherited and sometimes comes from hard work.

Stable Food Supply

• In the US there are many grocery stores such as ShopRite, Wegmans, Whole Foods etc. All of those places get food shipped in from farms and so really our stable food supply comes from farms. It comes from all different farms because some farms just grow veggies and others just grains. Some of the meat that stores have comes from places where they breed the animals and then kill them for their meat and fur. When people think of farms they think of animals like pigs, cows and chickens but in reality most farms don’t have any animals at all.