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Chapter 1:

A Changing

America

Copyright © 2011, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Emilio Flores/CORBIS

The American People

– 2010: 310 million people– Baby-Boom Generation:

post WWII birthrate soared

– Birthrates falling but immigration increasing

– Population shifting from Frostbelt to Sunbelt

– Diverse Population


Solus-Veer/Corbis


• U.S. is a multiracial and multiethnic society.

• Latinos are the fastest growing ethnic group.

• Immigrants constitute one eighth of the nation’s population.

Population Diversity

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

An Aging Population


– U.S. population is aging• 2010: 40+ million people over age 65• Stress on U.S. financial solvency

– Medicare – Medicaid - Social Security

Judy Ben Joud/Shutterstock


Geography

• US population has been shifting to the South and the West.

• We are moving from the Frost belt to the Sunbelt.

• Population shifts affect the political balance in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Income Distribution– Rising gap between

rich and poor– Important because

• a healthy democracy depends on the existence of a large middle class


Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo


Poverty

– Poverty Level Greater for:

1) Minority groups

2) Children

3) Families headed

by women

Rolf Haid/dpa /Landov

Poverty threshold: •2009 poverty threshold was $22,050 for a family of 4•14.3% of Americans live in poverty

The United States and the World

• U.S. is the foremost nation in the world– Militarily

– Economically

– Culturally


Greg Baker/AP Photo

The U.S. Economy– Gross Domestic Product (GDP) = value of goods and

services produced by a nation annually– U.S. GDP in 2009 was $14 trillion– Largest in the world – High standard of living – Relatively strong– Outpaced rates of

growth in competitor economies in recent years


The Global Economy• Domestic economy is affected by the global

economy:• NAFTA and WTO: trade agreements reduce

barriers to trade among countries of the world• High-technology industries require skilled

workers• Hurts nations with low-skilled, poorly

educated workers• Developed nations find low-skill jobs leaving

for those nations where wages are lower


American Political Culture


• Political Culture: the widely held, deeply rooted political values of a society

• Democracy: system of government in which ultimate political authority is vested in the people

• Capitalism: economic system characterized by individual and corporate ownership of the means of production; a market economy based on supply and demand