The document describes the seven characteristics of a civilization as they apply to the United States: 1) A highly developed way of life seen through important infrastructure like bridges and museums. 2) Freedom of religion with major churches representing Catholicism, Judaism, and Islam. 3) Advanced forms of communication including email, texting, social media, and letters. 4) Groundbreaking technologies like airplanes and computers. 5) A democratic government with elections and separation of powers. 6) A social structure from impoverished to middle class to wealthy. 7) A stable food supply from diverse farms across the country.

1. United States of America
The seven characteristics that make the U.S.A. a civilization
By: Lily Fischer

2. The 7 Characteristics of a Civilization
• 1. Highly Developed Way of Life
• 2. Religion
• 3. Communication
• 4. Technology
• 5. Government
• 6. Social Structure
• 7. Stable Food Supply

3. Highly Developed Way of Life
Bridges are very important in daily life
in the US. they transport cars and
trucks across oceans, lakes, rivers etc.
The bridges that you see on the top
are the Lake Pontchartrain causeways.
It is the longest bridge in the US and
it’s in New Orleans. It is approximately
24 miles (38 km) long .The Highest
bridge in the US is the Golden Gate
Bridge which is in San Francisco. The
Golden Gate Bridge is more famous
around the world. Not many people
know about the Lake Pontchartrain
causeway. It is 220 feet (67 meters)
high. It is the bridge on the bottom.
They transport cars and trucks across
ocean, lakes, rivers etc.

4. Highly Developed Way of Life
• Museums are buildings that display
items of cultural or historical interest.
The Guggenheim for example is a
popular museum in New York. It is
full of modern art. All of the Art is
different, there could be abstract
paintings, portraits, sculptures, pupp
ets or even collages. Another
museum is the Museum of Natural
History. Here the items on display
represent items of historical interest
such as dinosaur
bones, cuneiform, old clay pots etc.

5. Religion
• In the US you can be whatever
religion you want to be. You can be
Muslim, Jewish, Christian or you
could have no religion at all. I think
that is one of the most important
things about religion in the US. A
famous Catholic church in the US is
the St. Patrick’s Cathedral. It is in New
York City. The Spanish and
Portuguese Synagogue is a famous
Jewish temple in the US. It is also in
New York City. Masjid Al-Baqi is a
Muslim mosque in Massachusetts.

6. Communication
• Email is a form of communication
that we use in the U.S. today. It
uses technology and the written
language to communicate with
each other over distances
without having to send a letter.
• Texting is also a form of
communication that uses
technology and the written
language to communicate over
long distances.

7. Communication
• Social Media is another form of
communication that allows you to
talk in a chat so that everyone
can see what you wrote and reply
or comment. Some Examples of a
Social Media are
Facebook, Twitter, and Buzz
• Letters are also a form of
communication that are sent
across the world by ships and
trucks. A lot of people don’t use
letters anymore because they can
be slow.

8. Technology
• A plane was a very important
advance in technology. It brings
people to places around the
world that they either can’t get to
or it is a very long drive. Before
planes were invented people
traveled by car and boat .The
Wright Brothers invented the
airplane on December 17, 1903.
The brothers names were Orville
and Wilbur.
Orville Wilbur

9. Technology
• The Computer was another
advancement in Technology that
has become a necessity to daily
life today. The computer helps
you with many things such as
projects like this, sending
emails, researching etc.
• The invention of Medical
Technology such as X-rays and
CAT scans help doctors diagnose
problems

10. Government
• In the US we have a Democratic
government which means there
are free and fair elections. It also
means that we have a 2 party
system made up of elected
Democrats and Republicans.
Every 4 years there is a
presidential election. The current
president of the US is Barack
Obama he is a democrat. A
president is the official head of all
government in the US. This year’s
election will be in November.

11. Social Structure
• In the US there is a highly developed
social structure. At the bottom there
are the penniless people. Some of
them are less fortunate than others
and have no home and cannot
support their families. In the middle
there is the middle class people. They
are the people that do well in life and
have enough money to support their
families. At the top of the social
structure are the wealthiest people.
This wealth is sometimes inherited
and sometimes comes from hard
work.

12. Stable Food Supply
• In the US there are many grocery
stores such as
ShopRite, Wegmans, Whole Foods
etc. All of those places get food
shipped in from farms and so really
our stable food supply comes from
farms. It comes from all different
farms because some farms just grow
veggies and others just grains. Some
of the meat that stores have comes
from places where they breed the
animals and then kill them for their
meat and fur. When people think of
farms they think of animals like
pigs, cows and chickens but in reality
most farms don’t have any animals at
all.