🌍 Indigenous Peoples

• Estimated population: 5–10 million in the current U.S. territory.
• Over 500 tribes, hundreds of dialects, grouped into 6 major language families.
• Regions: North-East, South-East, Plains (Midwest), North-West Coast, Alaska (Inuit).

⚖️ Society & Governance

• Hunters & Gatherers: small, egalitarian groups.
• Chiefdoms: one leader per tribe.
• Confederacies: several leaders for larger alliances.
  → Indigenous societies were organized and political long before European arrival.

🌾 Agriculture & Food

• Main crops: corn, beans, squash (the “Three Sisters”).
• Fishing and hunting varied by region (buffalo, fish, etc.).
• Good health before European diseases caused massive population decline.

✝️ Religion & Spirituality

• Deep connection to nature, animals, and ancestors.
• Spirituality reflected harmony with the environment.

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🌍 Mayflower (1620)

• Ship carrying the Puritans (Pilgrims) seeking religious freedom.
• Became a cultural symbol of American origins.
• Landed in the “New World,” long before the U.S. existed.

🏠 The 13 Colonies (East Coast)

a) New England Colonies

• New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey.
• Economy: fishing, shipbuilding, trade.
• Religion: Puritan settlements.

b) Middle Colonies

• New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware.
• Diverse population, fertile land, early agricultural industry.

c) Southern Colonies

• Maryland, North & South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia.
• Plantations, slavery, cotton, tobacco.

💡 Motivations for Settlement

1. Religious freedom
2. Economic opportunity
3. A new start / “American Dream”

⚖️ Economy & Trade

• Transatlantic trade: colonies exported raw materials (cotton, tobacco) and imported luxury goods (guns, silver, alcohol, clothing).
• Mutual dependence between colonies.
• British policy of “Salutary Neglect” allowed local self-government as long as Britain profited.

💥 Growing Independence

• Motto: “No taxation without representation.”
• Tea Act (1773) → Boston Tea Party → protest against unfair taxes.
• First sign of revolution.

✊ Toward Revolution

• Thomas Paine – “Common Sense” (1776): urged independence and redefined America as universal.
• American War of Independence (1775–1783): led by George Washington.
• Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776) → written by Thomas Jefferson.
• Treaty of Paris (1783) ended the war with British defeat.
• French aid (Lafayette, Statue of Liberty) was crucial.

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📜 The Constitution

• Written in 1787, ratified in 1791.
• Established the rights of U.S. citizens and the framework of government.

🏛️ Structure: 3 Branches of Government

1. Legislative – Congress
2. Executive – President
3. Judicial – Supreme Court
   → System of checks and balances: each branch limits the others’ power.

⚖️ The Bill of Rights (1791)

Purpose: prevent government abuse and guarantee individual liberties.

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🕰️ Major Waves of Immigration

1. Colonial Period (1607–1820) → Anglo-Saxon settlers.

2. 1st Great Wave (1826–1880) → Irish & German immigrants.

   • Irish famine, German economic/political troubles.
   • Rise of nativism (hostility toward immigrants).

3. 2nd Great Wave (1880–1924) → 23 million arrivals (Italians, Eastern Europeans, Jews, Russians).

   • Ellis Island: main immigration checkpoint.
   • Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) banned Chinese workers until 1943.
   • Fear of losing Anglo-Saxon identity → Immigration Act of 1924 (limited to 2% of each nationality, based on 1890 census).

🌏 Modern Immigration (1943–Today)

• Ban lifted for Asian countries (China = WWII ally).
• New waves from Latin America, Asia, and Africa.
• Motivations: education, work, family.
• U.S. has no official language → bilingual reality (English/Spanish).

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📘 Definition

• Term coined by James Truslow Adams (1931) during the Great Depression.
• “A dream of hope, equality, and opportunity” for all Americans.
• Rooted in the Declaration of Independence (1776) and Constitution (1789).

🌍 Historical Roots

• Manifest Destiny (1843): belief that expansion westward was God’s will.
• Painting “American Progress” (John Gast, 1872) → Goddess Columbia bringing light and civilization westward.
• Trail of Tears (1830s): forced displacement of Native Americans, symbol of the dark side of “progress.”

💰 20th Century: American Disillusionment

• Post–WWI trauma → loss of idealism.

• The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925) → critique of moral decay, greed, and corruption.

• Symbolism:

  • Green Light → hope & desire → becomes unreachable (disillusion).
  • Valley of Ashes → moral decay, capitalism’s waste.
  • Self-made man → illusion of reinvention, superficial success.
  • Daisy → illusion of perfection; dream vs. reality.
  • Rat race → endless, hollow pursuit of wealth.

💔 Message

• The dream becomes corrupted: from liberty and happiness → to money and status.
• Human beings are driven by dreams but never fully satisfied.
• “Fake it until you make it” → illusion of success and identity.

🏠 Post-WWII: Consumerist Age (1940–1970)

• Economic boom: GDP doubled, mass prosperity.
• 62% of Americans became homeowners.
• Rise of consumerism and gendered ideals (housewife culture).
• Growing critique of overconsumption and materialism.

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🎥 Key Elements of Film Analysis

• Mise-en-scène: setting, costumes, lighting, actor movement.
• Cinematography: camera angles, distance, movement.
• Sound: dialogue, music, silence.
• Editing: pace, rhythm, transitions.
• Performance: expressions, tone, gestures.

📷 Camera Angles

💡 Lighting

• Low-key → shadows, suspense.
• Backlighting → silhouette, focus.
• Bright light → realism, clarity.

✂️ Editing Techniques

• Slow motion → emotion, tension.
• Cross-cutting → build suspense between scenes.
• Match cuts → visual connection between shots.

🎶 Soundtrack

• Sets mood, supports narrative (sad, tense, joyful).
• Modern films (like The Great Gatsby, 2013) use contemporary music to modernize old themes.

📝 Review & Writing Tips

• Use genre vocabulary: drama, thriller, action, romance.
• Comment on acting, direction, script, setting, plot, and music.
• Useful adjectives: captivating, complex, tense, amusing, realistic, surprising.
• Example: “A must-see film with outstanding performances and powerful imagery.”

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✅ Summary Table: Big Ideas