Icons of American culture

American football

Icons of American culture encompass many kinds of cultural expression. Iconic status is hard to define but readily recognized as symbolizing the culture, history and heritage of the United States. Images, music, historic events and legends, vehicles, places and ideas may all be symbolic of the American way of life, its roots and the contemporary national identity. Icons deal not just with nostalgia, although that is an important component. The United States developed as a melting-pot of different cultures, and symbols of the new nation played a vital part in developing a sense of unity as a nation. In the twentieth century, regardless of political reality, American culture influenced every country in the world by exporting powerful symbols of unity and gratification: a comfortable life with many desirable possessions. A more cynical modern world sees through some of this, but with the reach of the internet and published media, iconic images remain hugely important.

Themes

This article is not a list of icons, but an outline for expansion.

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  Liberty: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free". America as a refuge from poverty and religious persecution: despite stringent immigration control, the myth persists.
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  The home and folk art: 'As American as apple pie'. Apple pie is common worldwide, but connotations of family and home are strictly local. Apples are not native to North America, and were therefore prized by the early settlers.
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  Untamed wilderness: a fresh start with limitless possibilities.
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  The pioneers: westward expansion, prevailing over hardship.
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  The Wild West, where inherited civilized values regulated a society living with extreme change and primitive conditions.
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  The Depression and Prohibition: surviving adversity again.
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  Consumption and commerce: the bissest show on earth. Bigger and better.
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  Vehicles and transportation: Henry Ford pioneered the large-scale production line, and thereby the affordable personal automobile.
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  Buildings and places: Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. Images of America are widely promoted by film and television.
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  Superior force: the US military, instantly recognizable.
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  Humvee: the coolest military vehicle ever. The popularity of the civilian Hummer is no coincidence. Film stars and rock music stations can afford the real thing, the Hummer H1.
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  Gangsters and outlaws: the chopper, once ridden only by dirty, dangerous bikers living on the margins of legality, now a full-blown American icon.
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  The urban jungle: danger and decay. The 'hip city' as mythologized by Chester Himes among others.
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  Hollywood: the film industry has produced more icons than any other branch of American culture.
• Literature: 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee, still studied in schools, represents fairness in conflict with prejudice.
  Literature: 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee, still studied in schools, represents fairness in conflict with prejudice.
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  Music: Chuck Berry in concert, 1997. The development of black music into jazz and then rock and roll established US artists in the forefront of popularity worldwide.
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  The flag, a national obsession.

See also

• Culture of the United States
• Americana