The United States of America is a country with a history of over 200 years. But it develops so quickly. It is partly because of the rootlessness of American people. America is an immigration country. Most of Americans are immigrants. Their roots are in Europe, Asia, Africa and other places in the world. So they are rootless. Referring to the rootlessness of Americans, it is necessary to discuss their rootedness. Americans also have their roots. They bring their own cultures, religions, customs, ideas, and manners of doing things and the like. And they make them prosperous. The United States is a nation created by immigrants, and immigrants continue to affect the nation greatly. It forms a unique culture. By the reason of the rootlessness of American people, many kinds of different cultures coexist at the same time in the United States. America becomes a “melting pot.” And American people explore westward and migrate westward constantly. It makes American culture have affinity for its openness: open land, open society, open court, open competition, open debate, open dialogue and so forth. The rootlessness has much influence on American society. Different cultures affect Americans in many fields, and push the country forward continuously.
Abstract...................................................................I
Key Words..................................................................I
摘要.......................................................................II
关键词.....................................................................II
Introduction...............................................................1
I. The Rootedness ofAmericans..............................................2
A. The Native Americans....................................................2
B. The European Immigrants.................................................2
C. The African Immigrants..................................................4
D. The Asian Immigrants....................................................5
E. The Jewish Immigrants...................................................5
II. The RootlessnessAmericans..............................................5
A. Territorial Expansion...................................................6
B. The Main Culture of the United States...................................7
C. Non-mainstream Culture..................................................8
III. The Influence of Rootlessness on AmericanLife.........................10
A. Liberty and Democracy...................................................11
B. Equality................................................................11
C. Individualism...........................................................12
D. Free Movement...........................................................12
E. Optimism and Pragmatism.................................................12
F. Innovation..............................................................13
G. Adventure...............................................................13
H. Diversity of Names......................................................14
I. Various Languages.......................................................14
Conclusion.................................................................15
Acknowledgements...........................................................16
Notes......................................................................17
Bibliography...............................................................18
