Culture in the Colonies and Modern America - Essay Example

Culture in the Colonies and Modern America Culture is simply a way of life of a group of people. Culture encompasses the behaviors and the beliefs of a group of people. To a larger extent, the beliefs, are shared and accepted by the people without questioning and arguing. In addition, culture involves the values and symbols accepted by the group without much thinking about them. All the values, beliefs and behaviors of the group of people get passed to other generations through communication and imitation. The young people learn from the way the old conduct various activities in the community (Abbott, 1860). Therefore, the culture of any community in any part of the world is superior regarding the operations of people. It should be understood that there is no culture that is superior to the other; all cultures are superior in their different ways. Culture in all of its forms concerns itself with religion, food, and even on what to wear and the way of wearing it. Furthermore, different people from different origins have a language of communication that forms part of its culture. Marriage and music including the way people greet visitors are also some of the dimensions of culture. Therefore, culture is everything common and acceptable to a group of people. It is, therefore, the intention of this paper to provide a detailed discussion of the similarities and differences of cultures at the colonies to that of modern day America. In addition, the paper seeks to provide a brief description of John Adams movie. The culture of certain communities within the colonies and that of the modern day America remain different in a number of ways. The difference is, more so, regarding the so many communities living in these places. In addition, food and clothing of the different groups bring to the forefront the diversity of cultures even in areas that people may look at and think they are minute. The United States of America has a diverse culture of its people because of the large population of more than three hundred and twenty million people. In addition, the Native Americans, Latin Americans and the Africans and the Asians influenced the culture of United States because of migrations. To a larger extent, the United States is called the melting point because of the meeting of so many different cultures that meet and stand influencing other cultures. For instance, it is because of the diversity of cultures in America that the word “western culture” often refers to cultures in the United States and Europe. On the other hand, the culture of the communities in the colonies remained diverse because of the large number of immigrants into the American soil. So many immigrants came to the colonies with their cultures in all dimensions. The practice of a culture led to imitation hence the changes that happened. Later on, people reverted back to their original cultures hence remaining the same. American culture is both conservative and liberal. It is conservative because the Americans remain following their original culture that they saw as good. On the other hand, the modern day Americas’ culture is liberal as it accepted other good practices in other cultures. The fact that the American culture borrows from other cultures; it remains one of the most influential cultures today in the world. Cultures, in all its dimensions, change over time, but the changes in culture remain the same. The various aspects of culture that remained under criticism are now accepted and appreciated in their original forms. In other words, the changes made then are no longer relevant in the present time. The changes fail to solve a number of problems that people face in the present time. Each group of settlers had their own cultural customs that they came with to the colonies. The diverse cultures within the colonies made people in the colonies give value to different things. On the other hand, various customs for the different groups had a weight that could not be overlooked. For instance, it was an offense for the colonial families to observe Christmas as a holiday. In addition, the American Puritans passed a law forbidding celebration during the Christmas holiday. During this time, there were no exchange of gifts and the Santa and fancy lights. The laws made lives for the families in the colonies and in America worse as people never enjoyed what was of importance to them. However, as time went by, the laws faded, and people began celebrating the holiday. The freedom of celebrating this holiday was in any way as it was playful. People engaged in activities that made them happy as long as they remained peaceful. The reverting back to the happenings of the initial days shows that as things change the more they remain the same. Religion forms part of the culture in a number of communities. The way a group of people worships is different from a number of religions in the world. In the colonies and the United States, there were a number of religions that brought about conflict. For instance, the Spanish wanted to impose the Roman Catholicism whereas the New England wanted to impose religious uniformity. For peaceful coexistence, both the religions enhanced the teaching of morals that helped an individual grow to be respectful and obedient. Education remained one part that changed both in the colonies and in the modern day America. There were varied views regarding the education system in the colonies that led to a change in education. There was a lot of emphasis on education for both the young and the old with the intentions of knowing how to read and write. The reading and writing was more of the Bible as compared to other sectors. This made parents become strict to their children and by so doing; children were reduced to objects that could only be seen and not heard (Abbott, 1860). The children of this time only spoke when an adult spoke to them. Furthermore, the Connecticut required that the children be trained in an honest calling with the intentions of contributing to the colony and taking care of themselves. Most of the children at this time worked at various homes where they are assigned some work. The assignments that the children did at that time influenced and shaped their future lives. Most of the children became artisans and businessmen as these were the only jobs they did at the time. In the present America, things are different as children are empowered and allowed to pursue career lines of their choice. Children at the present time proceed to the university where they are trained for their chosen careers. The parents provide pens and books for their children to use in writing. Therefore, in the modern day America, the students pursue careers of their choice as opposed to those in the colonies. On the other hand, schools in the colonial times are different from the ones in our community today. Colonial schools operated the whole year with the same texts in their instruction. The same texts enhanced repetition of content and boredom for the bright students who often dislike repetition. The students at the colonial schools kept withdrawing from school and enrolling as the content never changed. Most of the lessons were about description of the school building, the number of students and teachers. In addition, there were no desks and back chairs but only benches and tables. In addition, the paper was a rare thing and was often made from of rags with no tape recorders to help record the content. Children of all ages were taught in the same room with the teachers staying with the children. Furthermore, the teachers were given corn or barley as payment for a job well done (Abbott, 1860). The act of the teacher staying together with the children lowered the self-esteem. The situation in the modern day America is, however, not any different as teachers stay in the same compound with students. In addition, the payment of the teachers is still going on only that it is money and not barley. Therefore, the more things change, the more they remain the same. The colonial families felt secure through living close together with broad streets between their homes. On the other hand, the floors, were of wood or bare earth with small windows that allowed the penetration of light. The houses had very little furniture with the husbands having the privilege of having a good chair. There was also a table meant for eating with wooden made plates. In addition, the beds were made of straws or feathers that were put on the floor. People felt very comfortable with these without much thinking as it was generally accepted. However, this arrangement contradicts the modern day America as people prefer living far away from each other. Most people are insecure when they live close together hence the change in the feeling of security. In addition, people live in permanent structures with well-designed places for eating, sleeping, and even sitting. Therefore, in all the lives, people seek to be secure and comfortable in their homes. John Adams movie is an American series movie that reports much of President Adams.. The movie produced in the year two thousand and eight, brings forth the political life of Adams and his role is laying group for a democratic country. The movie is in seven series each presenting the achievements and the challenges in realizing the United States. The series were directed by Tom Hooper whereas Paul Giamatti portrays John Adams. Through the series, one gets the understanding on the awards won by John Adams and the criticism, which came in equal measure. Adams got the highest number of Emmy awards that in any other series in history. The first part opens with Adams suffering from the British soldiers. Being a lawyer, he takes up the case without fear or favor because he believes in a fair trial. Adams in part one is portrayed as a thoughtful lawyer who is ready to protect his clienteles. The verdict in favor of the murderer raises tension in and gave chance to Adam becoming a Congressmen in the following election. The election of Adams led to a long search for independence. Adams’ flaws are revealed as he fails to show gentleness to his political opponents. The part presents Adams as a man with lots of respect for women, more so, his wife, Abigail. The third part of Adams movie presents Adams searching for foreign nation alliance. Herein, Adams learns from his mistakes and this play a significant role in ensuring his success. Adams travels to Dutch in seek for monetary support for the revolution. The next part, Adams is acquainted with the end of the radical war and the conquest of the British. Herein, Adams is presented with an appointment where he is the first ambassador to Great Britain. Later on, Adams returns back to the U.S. and gets reunited with his wife and children. He is then appointed the vice president with George Washington as the president. Abigail is brought out as an influential woman as she convinces the husband to accept the position of the vice president. Thereafter, there is the importance of unity, reunion and avoidance of unnecessary war. The last part presents john Adams in a lot of pain as the daughter and the wife die. John Adams is also very sick to a point of failing to attend his son’s election as president. In conclusion, cultures cannot be compared as they can only be contrasted. Each cultural practice in any community is the best for them and should not be seen as bad just because it contradicts yours. Therefore, culture is all that a community does and accepts without much thinking. However, cultures of all communities should be liberal to allow for inclusion of better practices from other cultures. The communities in the colonies and that of the modern day America have a number of practices in common. The reason for this is huge population and the many communities in both the colonies and the United States. References Abbott, J. (1860). American history. New York: Sheldon & Co. Read More