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1、MERICAN CULTURAL TOLERANCE Abstract：As an emigrant country, the essential characteristic of America culture is its tolerance. It contributes to the formation the diversity of American culture. By tracing back to American history, this essay shows what caused American cultural tolerance. Through desc
2、ribing briefly the manifestation of American cultural tolerance from certain aspects and analyzing the major factors, it will give us a clue about the reason why America can be always prosperous. At last, the paper shows the limitation as well as advantages about the tolerance from the point of curr
3、ent status. Key words: cultural tolerance diversity manifestation1 IntroductionTolerance is a pragmatic reaction to the concrete fact that diversity exists. Diversity is the fact of the matter for US today: It consists of different people with their own ideas of the good. The fact of diversity leads
4、 to the practical demand that they tolerate it. As a tolerant society, it respects the autonomy of individuals, celebrates human ingenuity and diversity, and thereby secure and foster pluralism.1.1 Historical OriginTolerance was actively encouraged by William Penn. Colony established by William Penn
5、 on the western shore of the Delaware River in 1681 became noted for the variety of religious beliefs and forms of worship practiced by its settlers with diverse ethnic and linguistic backgrounds. Penns ideas were often inconsistent but even without a clear blueprint for the colony he envisioned, hi
6、s ideas concerning individual liberty of conscience, the constraints on faith or practice he believed necessary, and the role of the state in religious matters, as well as his attitudes toward people of different nationalities or beliefs, provide an important foundation for the development of Pennsy
7、lvania into a broadly tolerant society. Afterwards, to a certain extent, one after one colony which was set up took the Pennsylvania as an example.2 Manifestations of American Cultural ToleranceOne major reason that people from different countries are so desired to go to America is Americans enjoy u
8、nprecedented freedom and equality. As we all know, America protects citizens important liberal freedoms as a matter of right, enabling them to pursue whatever styles of life they find most fulfilling, without rendering them vulnerable to the whims and prejudices of others.In the U.S. today more indi
9、vidualsmen and women, white and black, straight and gayhave more control over the religions they practice, the person they marry, the friends they make and the lovers they take, the associations they join, the jobs they perform, the places they live, the clothes they wear, the books, magazines and n
10、ewspapers they read, the entertainments they enjoy, and the food and drink they consume than in any country at any time in human history. 2.1. Political ToleranceTolerance is a useful political expedient for dealing with the fact of diversity in the United States. In America, there are different kin
11、ds of political theories and ideas. During the North American colonial period, the knowledgeable leaders read the works of Plato, Aristotle, Cicero and so on. The elaboration which is about natural rights written by Jefferson is included in the Declaration of Independence. His idea was grown out of
12、John Locke teachings, but it was not the completely imitation of Lockes. Besides, American political system is influenced by the French enlightenment thinkerMontesquieu. As is well known, the separation of powers of his theory plays a crucial role in American politics. Whats more, the Anarchism tren
13、d is accepted by quite many people in America. Although Tomas Jefferson is not an anarchist, he said that the best government is the one which govern the least. We can see that what he said has the strong color of Anarchism. More importantly, the thoughts of “freedom” and “democracy” have been roote
14、d into the mind of Americans. These values grow up strongly on American soil. The inheritance from the thoughts of west Europe and the establishment of American regime made the tolerance of American culture develop unprecedentedly.2.2. Religious ToleranceApart from the Christianity, many immigrants
15、brought their own religious faiths, such as Muslim, Catholic, and Buddhism. Its amazing that they can coexist peacefully to some extent by now. Here some famous peoples opinions on the religious tolerance in the U.S.As a philosopher, Tocqueville felt deeply impressed not only by Americans religiosit
16、y, but also by the variety of ways they could express it. “Its incredible to see the infinite number of subdivisions into which the sects in America have split,” he wrote to a cousin. “Like circles traced successively about the same point, each new one a little farther away than the next”. Tocqueville was speaking mainly about the diversity he found within Christianity. In Penns opinion, if diverse forms of
