USA

1. USA American dream Social and economic inequalities Government solutions

2. Freedom and rights guaranteed by the Constitution Freedom • Americans should have the freedom to achieve a high standard of living without any interference from the government in the form of high taxation. Rights • Americans have the rights to own property and land, vote for representatives, pursue happiness and wealth without interference, own a gun and criticise the government. • Americans are guaranteed many rights in the constitution. This is seen in the Bill of Rights which is really just a list of key rights added on to the Constitution.

3. American Dream What is the American dream? • The American dream is based on the original ideas of the people who founded the USA over 200 years ago. • The basic beliefs associated with the dream are to be found in the US Constitution • The American dream is a phrase used to tie together all the main beliefs, values and rights which make Americans American.  • In practical terms the American dream refers to beliefs in being able to be successful by hard work and grabbing your opportunities. Examples of people who have achieved the dream would be the 2.3 million millionaires in the USA; Bill Gates the world’s richest man and Eminem who escaped 8 mile in Detroit to be the most successful music artist in America.

4. Evidence of wealth in USA In 1992 the GNP(wealth) of USA was $5.9 Trillion Average income per head of the population was $23 000 America makes and sells to the rest of the world more of the following products than any other country: Office machinery, cars, raw materials and chemicals The USA has more millionaires than any other country in the world- 2.7 million of them

5. In what ways does the economic system in the USA allow many American citizens to have a high standard of living • America is a capitalist country -This means that America has an ideology which allows its citizens to invest in any business they choose to and own private property. • If businesses are successful they will become wealthy - If they fail they will not make any money. • The government will not make them pay high taxes and allow them to keep a lot of wealth but they will not help out businesses when they fail • Businesses will compete against each other and the successful ones will be the ones with the best ideas and best prices who give the public what they want. • This capitalist system helps explain why America has some of the wealthiest t people in the world. It has more millionaires than any other country. It does however have a large amount of people who have failed to be a success in the system and live in poverty. • There is a lot of evidence to suggest that America is doing well under the capitalist system

6. Social inequality exists in the USA Crime Arrests according to race Burglary: Whites 68% Blacks 29% Murder Whites 43% • Blacks 55% Robbery Whites 38% • Blacks 61% % of prison population • Black 46.3 • White 39.6

7. Health Medicaid is the health insurance offered by the government to the poorest in society It is a good measurement of which groups are the poorest 5.7% of whites are on Medicaid 23% of Blacks 16.9% of Hispanics Private health insurance is where the best treatment is given and is also a good measurement of how wealthy a group is 64% of whites are covered privately46% of Blacks44% of Hispanics

8. Health inequalities Infant mortality rates Blacks 16.5 per 1000 Whites 8.1 per 1000  Life expectancy Blacks 70.3 Whites 76.0 AIDS sufferers who are black children are 3 times higher among blacks than whites and 2 ½ times among Hispanics 30% of Blacks and 25% of Hispanics compared to 18% of whites were classified as obese in 2004 – a new problem but same old inequalities

9. Education • Students who are black or Hispanic are less likely to complete high school • Hispanic students have lower rates of completion than Blacks or whites • Hispanics 32% finish to age 16Blacks rose to 84% Whites rose to 90% 57% of Hispanics graduated from High school compared to 89% of whites and 79% of Blacks • 26% of Whites got a college education compared to 17% of Blacks and 11% of Hispanics • In general the students least likely to complete high school are those who are Black or Hispanic and live in the South or west

10. Education and employment • Close links between education and employment – shorter time you spend at school the les likely you are to be in a well paid job • Even among people with the same qualifications inequality exists – Blacks earn ¼ less than whites even if both have a professional degree (law / medicine) • High school dropouts who are white are 2 times less likely to be unemployed • Black and Hispanic students expressed most concern ain a recent survey about safety at school

11. Family breakdown • 3 times as many blacks single parent families as white • Many young Black people join gangs as a substitute for families • In 2004 15% of gang members were girls

12. Economic inequality exists in the USA Poverty / wealth / unemployment • Double the unemployment rates of whites for Hispanics and Blacks • Blacks earn about 2/3 of whites • 23% of Hispanic families live in poverty and 24% of Blacks compared to 8% of whites • Children in poverty: 30% of Blacks, 28% of Hispanics , ( Many are Puerto Rican who are the poorest group among Hispanics) 10% of whites

13. Economic inequalities • Poverty levels - $18000 or below are classified as being poor • Still concentrated in manual labour and service sector jobs • Hispanics still on average earn about 1/3 less than whites • In 2004 45% of Blacks were classed as being on a middle income compared to 46 % of whites but 30% of whites were classed as being on a high income compared to 12% of Blacks • In employment many young Blacks are employed in service sector jobs like McDonalds (sometimes known as Mcjobs)

14. Describe and explain the social and economic progress made by ethnic minorities in recent years In 1966 42% of Blacks lived below the poverty line • ü        By 1993 this had dropped to 33% • ü        This compares well to the average poverty rate in the USA of 15% over the whole period • ü        In all major sports Blacks dominate eg. 60% of NFL players are Black • Drugs • ü        The use of illegal drugs is declining • ü        Cocaine & Crack Cocaine ( deadly combination drug associated with Blacks ) is declining in all age groups. • ü        In 1992 only 0.2 % of under 18s smoked crack • ü        18-25s - decreased use of crack from 3.1%- 0.7%

15. Overview of social and economic progress of minorities • In general terms all minority groups with the exception of Asians still continue to suffer from great inequalities • Asians have been the success story of all new immigrant groups and are used as a meter stick by which all minority groups are judged on social and economic progress • A general point is that in all racial groups except Hispanics it is the newest immigrants who seem to be most successful. New Black and Asian immigrant groups seem to be most self reliant and committed to education- led to higher success rates.

16. Smoking University of Michigan research department • Black youths have gone further than any other group in kicking the habit • smoking among youths down by 20% to 4.5% between 1977 and 2007 • Smoking seems to have gone out of fashion among Blacks in USA

17. Education • Twice as many Blacks can read adeptly in 1990 as 1975 • (Still only 20% of all Blacks compared to 50% of whites) • Number of Blacks attending college has risen from 15% in 1970 to 45 % in 1990 • The percentage of over 25’s who have graduated High School has increased from 50% in 1980 to 85% in 1993 • The number of Black high school drop outs is equal to whites for first time - 5% • The dropout rate has halved between 1970-1993

18. Economic progress: Blacks • At top end of job market equality is near • 30% of all Blacks now belong to the middle class as opposed to 5% before 1945 which is a massive growth • Poverty down to 30% from 42% in 1964 • Poverty rates down from 9.1 million in 1996 to 8.5 million in 1997 • Even those in poverty enjoy a degree of consumer comforts e.g. .Poor children are taller and heavier than 50 years ago • 97% own a TV and 70% own a car • College educated Blacks and whites equally likely to become executives • Many Blacks and Hispanics are joining the employed even if it is in low paid jobs

19. Case Study Asian successes • A higher proportion of Asians have earnings in the $50000 bracket • Between 1980-1990 the average income for Asian men doubled from 19000 – 40000 to make them the most rapid success story in the US • Incomes over 50 000 in % • Asians 46.2 • Whites 39.4 • Cubans 31.8 • Puerto Ricans 20.4 • Mexicans 16.9 • Japanese are the highest achievers among Asians • Integrated well into business community especially with business dealings with the East • Increasing number increasing in Higher Education as professors and lecturers

20. Explain in detail why the living standards of many members of ethnic minority groups in the USA have improved Affirmative Action • Affirmative Action is a strategy that gives all minorities advantages when applying for a government job or a place at College. • Government policies have given encouragement to employers and universities to make sure that a fair amount of ethnic minorities are employed / admitted • This has helped create a 50% black middle class earning above $40000

21. Progress through education • A good education is important for anyone wishing to improve their economic position • There is much evidence that the better education you have the better your chance of achieving the American dream. • Many ethnic minorities particularly Asians have used education as a way of achieving the American Dream.

22. For what reasons other than race have some American citizens made more social and economic progress than others in recent years Social Reasons Health Education Economic reasons Employment

23. Health care • Many Americans do not receive proper health care because they have to pay for it and they cannot afford it. • Those who can afford it pay for healthcare directly or through insurance schemes. The poorest in America have basic healthcare paid for by the government in the form of welfare. If you do not have insurance you may face the following consequences: no access to GP care which means disease cannot be detected and preventative methods can’t be used • Twice as likely to die than an insured patient when you arrive at the hospital door • You have less access to new technology which could save your life. • Nearly 86% of Americans are insured in some way but many of these are only insured for basic health needs • Those most likely to be insured are the elderly, employed and those with at least a high school diploma

24. Education • A good education is important for anyone wishing to improve their economic position • There is much evidence that the better education you have the better your chance of achieving the American dream • Average income of someone with no high school diploma is $14,000 • Average income of someone with a College degree is £32,700 • If you have a poor education then it can lead to unemployment : • 11% of population who dropped out of High School were unemployed • Only 2.8% of those with a high school diploma were unemployed • Only jobs available to high school drop outs are low paid service jobs or mcjobs

25. Unemployment • Certain parts of the USA suffer from higher rates of unemployment than others • Many inner city areas e.g. Detroit has double the unemployment rate of the US average and also rural areas are suffering from high rates of unemployment • Unemployment means you cannot meet your social and economic needs because: lack of money • poorer housing • poorer education • low standards of living

26. Why do many Ethnic Minority groups still suffer from Social, Political and Economic problems? Cycle of poverty • Many minority groups are trapped in what is known as the cycle of poverty • This means that because about 1/3 of Blacks live in poverty they struggle to get a good education which make sit very difficult to get a good job or go on to College and University, because of this they do not have much money and they bring up their family in the same fashion they were brought up in. •  It is very difficult because they have no choice over which school to attend they are often surrounded by crime, drugs, prostitution and poor housing. These factors all make it very difficult to escape and easy to get dragged into.

27. Poor Education • Because many Hispanics and Blacks do not achieve the full education standard and drop out early they have little chance to improve their situation • There is a direct link between education and wages The average wage of someone who has not completed High School is $ 14000 • The average wage of some one who has completed High school is $19000 • There is a close link between dropping out of High School and being unemployed • Of those completing High School only 2 % were unemployed. • Of those who did not complete High School 12 % were unemployed

28. USA Politics Participation/ Representation/ Rights and Responsibilities

29. Describe in detail the ways in which American citizens can participate in elections Political rights • Right to stand as a representative • Right to elect and campaign for representatives • Right to organise and criticise the government • Right to a free press

30. Examples of political rights and responsibilities Right to stand as a representative • The Constitution of the USA 1787 guaranteed Americans many political rights Standing as the President • To stand a President you must be a natural born citizen, 35 or over and have lived in the USA for 14 years • As well as this most Presidents tend to be very rich, have a lot of financial backing and generally belong to one of the 2 main Parties in the USA. George Bush highlights that it helps to come from a powerful influential family as his father was President from 1988-1992 Responsibilities • Can only be President for maximum of 8 years

31. Standing as a Senator • If you are over 30 you can stand as a Senator as long as you are a citizen for 9 years and live in the State you want to represent • 2 for each State • Examples include Barack Obama of Illinois and Hilary Clinton of New York

32. Standing for congress • Voted in every 2 years and you can stand as long as you are over 25, live in the State and have been a citizen for 7 years. • Examples include the Sanchez sisters who are Democrat congresswomen for California

33. Campaigning for President • Americans can join the main Parties and choose who they want to stand for their party in the actual election • These mini elections are called Primaries You can support your candidate by handing out leaflets , having bumper stickers, telephoning potential voters, donating cash to the campaign, attending campaign rallies, sending e - mails to friends, checking on the candidates website to se how to take part in your State. • In January this year supporters of Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton will get the chance to support their candidate in their bid to become President of the USA

34. State level At a State level Americans can participate on a regular basis by voting on propositions( proposed new laws that will only apply to that State or City) Examples New York City • Vote in 2007 on whether to collect rubbish as a whole or in separate tins/paper/glass compartments California • Proposition 209 - new law which ended Affirmative Action programmes in California

35. Lots of elected officials • Thousands of officials are elected every year at local, State and national level • On any one day voters can vote for up to 15 positions • People who want to be in public office e.g mayor, on a local school board etc must be elected • At State local and national level there are many opportunities for citizens to take part by standing themselves, campaigning on behalf of someone or voting at the elections themselves Examples • At Federal level( whole country) Members of House of Representatives, Senators, and President • At State level State Senator, Governor, State Supreme e Court • Local Level • County Sheriff, County coroner, town dog catcher, town mayor and many other positions

36. Examples of people who have been voted into public office • Hilary Clinton Senator of New York in 2000 • Ex Mayor of New York Rudolph Guiliani • President George Bush • Governor of California Arnie • Ex Mayor of Cincinnatti – Jerry Springer • Governor of Florida – Jeb Bush • Jerry Kilgore ex Governor of Virginia

37. Political Responsibilities • To vote in elections/ only vote once and accept the result.An example of this is the fact that despite the 2000 and 2004 Presidential elections being close the public accepted what many felt was an unfair result. To be the correct age and be a citizen of USA/ keep to election rules Example You have to be a citizen of USA to be a Senator but you have to be born in USA to be president • To organise in a peaceful manner/ not to break the law Example protesters over abortion in Florida over stepped their rights by killing an abortion doctor • Not to print lies or slanderous stories/ be accurate - tell the truth Example Newspapers can criticise George Bush over Iraq but thy have a duty not to print false photographs of what is happening in Iraq. A journalist from the New York Times was sacked for making up a story

38. For what reasons are Black and Hispanic American less likely to achieve political success in the USA • Out of 435 representatives in House of Representatives • Only 39 are Black - under 10% • Only 21 are Hispanic – E.g. Sanchez sisters from California • Only 5 are Asians Senate • Out of 100 Senators - Only 1 is Black – Barack Obama • 2 are Asian - • 0 is Hispanic • There has never been a Black, Hispanic or Asian President or vice President – Barack Obama has the best chance of being the first in 2008 At local level • Blacks make up 2.7% of local elected officials • Hispanics make up 1.4% and Asians make up 0.1%

39. Blacks Reasons for low turnout of Blacks and Hispanics Apathy • See little point in voting as no real change will occur to their everyday life. • Disillusioned with US political process Education • Still lower educational attainment levels for blacks and direct link between voting and educational attainment helps explain lower turnout Access • Making the trip to vote can be a dangerous affair for many Blacks living in poorer areas of towns

40. Lifestyle and disillusionment Lifestyle • Many Blacks are ill informed of political events due to lack of political education on current issues brought about by poverty stricken lifestyles e.g. more important issues to worry about than elections Disillusionment • Even where there has been success in politics e.g. Over 25 Black mayors of major cities in last 30 years little was able to be done to address the problems faced by Blacks due to lack of money.

41. Apart from voting describe two ways in which people in the USA can try to influence decisions made by the government Pressure Groups • There are a wide variety of Pressure or interest groups in the USA • They use a wide variety of tactics to try to influence the decisionmakers • They provide a good opportunity for Americans to participate in the democratic running of their country. • For many groups who feel the normal methods of participating are ineffective e.g. Disillusioned Blacks who would not vote or stand as a candidate then an interest group is a good alternative for getting their voice heard Examples of pressure Groups in action California for State-wide smoking restrictions The group wanted to change the laws on smoking in California to impose strict new regulations to stop smoking e.g. heavy fines for selling to under 16’s / 75% of seats in restaurants to be non smoking Members of the interest group got a petition of 600 000 signatures together and managed to get a vote on it held in California

42. Interest groups allow people to take part because a) Supporters could phone people up and try to persuade them to sign their petition • b) Supporters could lobby members of Congress • c) leaflets and posters were distributed • d) Supporters used the Internet to set up web pages and chat rooms to raise public interest Writing to US newspapers – Freedom of press and speech • Participating can mean something as simply as writing a letter explaining your point of view to a local or national paper • e.g. Writing a letter to the LA Times, New York Times , US Today or Wall Street Journal about the war in Iraq • This allows people to freely express their views and attempt to influence public opinion on an issue or be part of the countries attempts to affect a major political issue or decision

43. Why is it important that US citizens take part in politics? • US citizens get a lot out of taking part in their democracy. • It allows them to replace the Senators or President if they feel they are doing a bad job and not representing their views on issues such as gun control or immigration. For example Virginia Governor Jerry Kilgore lost his governorship when voters decided they did not like his anti immigrant policies • It allows them to express their views on key issues such as the war on terror. • They can vote for politicians such as Arnold Schwarzenegger Governor of California because of his support for Green issues.