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The American way of life, or simply the American way, is the unique lifestyle, real or imagined, of the people living in the United States of America. It refers to a nationalist ethos that purports to adhere to principles of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." At the center of the American way is the American Dream, the idea that upward mobility is achievable by any American through hard work. This concept is intertwined with the concept of American exceptionalism, the notion that the American way is only possible in the U.S. because of the unique culture of the nation. This way of life, which developed from the 17th century onward, is an example of a ''behavioral modality'', a set of behavioral norms which develops in a group. Author William Herberg offers the following definition:〔Herberg (1955), p. 79〕 As one commentator notes, "The first half of Herberg's statement still holds true nearly half a century after he first formulated it", even though "Herberg's latter claims have been severely if not completely undermined... materialism no longer needs to be justified in high-sounding terms". In the National Archives and Records Administration's 1999 Annual Report, National Archivist John W. Carlin writes, "We are different because our government and our way of life are not based on the divine right of kings, the hereditary privileges of elites, or the enforcement of deference to dictators. They are based on pieces of paper, the Charters of Freedom - the Declaration that asserted our independence, the Constitution that created our government, and the Bill of Rights that established our liberties."〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The National Archives and Records Administration Annual Report 1999 )〕 ==See also== * Protestant work ethic * American Dream * ''American Way'' (magazine) * Culture of the United States * People for the American Way * Richard Hamilton (artist) * The American System (economic plan) originally called "The American Way". 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「American way」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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