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FOLK LIFE
USA culture reflects Folk life in the names they bear from birth, invoking affinities with saints, ancestors, or cultural heroes. Folklife- as part of usa culture - is your grandfather and great-uncles telling stories of your father when he was a boy. It is the secret languages of children, the codenames of CB operators, and the working slang of watermen and doctors. It is the sung parodies of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," and the parables told in church or home to delight and instruct.
It is African-American rhythms embedded in gospel hymns of usa culture, bluegrass music, and hip hop of usa culture, and it is the Lakota flutist rendering anew his people's ancient courtship songs. In passing the American Folklife Preservation Act in 1976, Congress bolstered its call to "preserve and present American folklife" as a culture of usa by establishing the American Folklife Center. It includes the Archive of Folk Culture, which was founded in the Music Division at the Library of Congress in 1928 and has grown to become one of the most significant collections of usa culture research materials in the world, including manuscripts, sound and video recordings, still photographs, and related ephemera. Following are the contributions of America as the culture of usa to the world.
BASEBALL
The sport that evokes more nostalgia among Americans than any other is baseball. So many people play the game as children that it has become known as "the national pastime." It is also a democratic game. Unlike football and basketball, baseball can be played well by people of average height and weight.
BASKETBALL
Another American game that has traveled well is basketball, now played by more than 250 million people worldwide in an organized fashion, as well as by countless others in "pick-up" games. Basketball originated in 1891 when a future Presbyterian minister named James Naismith (1861-1939) was assigned to teach a physical education class at a Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) training school
POPULAR MUSIC
The first major composer of popular music with a uniquely American style was Stephen Foster (1826-1864). He established a pattern that has shaped American music ever since combining elements of the European musical tradition with African-American rhythms and themes.
PEOPLE
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 almost 700,000 persons a year.
MEDIA
The average American, according to a recent study, spends about eight hours a day with the print and electronic media which reflects the rich culture of usa - at home, at work, and traveling by car. This total includes four hours watching television, three hours listening to radio, a half hour listening to recorded music, and another half hour reading the newspaper.
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