12 American Values at the Crossroads.docVIP

Chapter 12 American Values at the Crossroads: The United States in the 21st Century The sole certainty is that tomorrow will surprise us all. Alvin Toffler Before You Read 1. What are the major historical events that have shaped the United States in recent years? 2. What is the status of the United States in the world today? 3. What are some of the problems that Americans face now? 4. What do you think will happen to the American values in the 2lst century? Factors That Affect American History As the 21st century begins, the nations of the world are caught up in a whirlwind of change. While the global information network brings us closer together, the distance between the haves and the have nots seems to be widening. Where does the United States stand now? What will be its role in the new century? What will happen to this country and these people who have championed the values of individual freedom, self-reliance, equality of opportunity, competition, material wealth, and hard work? As the futurist Alvin Toffler has predicted, only one thing about the future is certain—we will all be surprised. Who, for example, would have predicted the disintegration of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s? And what does fate now have in store for the remaining super power? Since we cannot predict the future, we can only reflect on what has held the United States together for the last 200 years and guess about where Americans traditional values may lead the nation in the future. There are several factors that should be kept in mind. First, the United States has always had a racially and ethnically diverse population. Sometimes these people get along well together, and sometimes they do not. At times there has been great suspicion and even hatred between people of different races and national origins. But even in the darkest times, there have always been individuals who held up the ideals stated in the Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that al