The Society of Folk Dance Historians (SFDH)

The Society of Folk Dance Historians (SFDH)

United States of America

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BACKGROUND

Information: A country.

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a federal republic composed of fifty states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions.

Paleo-Indians migrated from Siberia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago.

Though its population is only 4.3% of the world total, the U.S. holds 33.4% of the total wealth in the world.

The American Revolutionary War was the first successful colonial war of independence against a European power. Americans had developed an ideology of "republicanism" asserting that government rested on the will of the people as expressed in their local legislatures. They demanded their rights as Englishmen and "no taxation without representation." Britain recognized the independence of the United States following their defeat at Yorktown in 1781. Differences of opinion regarding the slavery of Africans and African Americans ultimately led to the American Civil War.

The United States remained neutral from the outbreak of World War I, in 1914, until 1917 when it joined the war as an "associated power." The United States emerged from World War II as a global superpower, the first country to develop nuclear weapons, the only country to use them in warfare. After World War II the United States and the Soviet Union jockeyed for power during what became known as the Cold War, driven by an ideological divide between Capitalism and Communism. At first effectively neutral during World War II while Germany conquered much of continental Europe, the United States began supplying material to the Allies in March 1941 through the Lend-Lease program. On December 7, 1941, the Empire of Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, prompting the United States to join the Allies against the Axis powers.

About 82% of Americans live in urban areas (including suburbs); about half of those reside in cities with populations over 50,000. The United States is home to many cultures and a wide variety of ethnic groups, traditions, and values. Aside from the Native American, Native Hawaiian, and Native Alaskan populations, nearly all Americans or their ancestors settled or immigrated within the past five centuries.

National Dance: Square Dance

Location: North America

Regions: Appalachia, Cajun Country, Ozarks

Language: Predominantly English

Religion: Predominantly Christian, Protestant

DOCUMENTS

AMAN International Folk Ensemble, an ensemble.
American Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, an organization.
Appalachia, a region.
Americas, a region.
Boys' Night Out in Leadville, an article.
Canadian Breakdown, a dance.
Charleston, a dance.
Contra, a dance family.
Country Dance, a dance family.
Country Dance and Song, a magazine.
Country Dance and Song Society, an organization.
Country Dance Book, a book.
Folk Dance Decline and Resurrectijon, an article.
Folk Dancing in North America, an article.
Festival Records, an article.
Folkraft Record Company, a recording company.
Glover's Reel, a dance.
Greenland, a country.
Hawai'i, a culture.
Heel and Toe Polka, a dance.
Jefferson and Liberty, a dance.
Let's Bring Folks Back to Recreational Folk Dancing, an article.
National Folk Organization: Why, Where and How, an article.
National Geographic Magazine Folklore Index 1914-1997, a list.
Native American, a list.
NFO News, a magazine.
North America, a region.
Old Square Dances of America, a book.
Opsa, a dance.
Organization of American States, an organization.
RCA Victor, a recording company.
Square Dance, an article.
Square Dancing, an article.
Styles of Appalachian Clog Dance, an article.

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