HOMEWORK-5

Valeria Fonseca López.

Reorganize the sentences to make a coherent paragraph. You have to find the
topic sentence, supporting idea (s) and examples. Rewrite the paragraph in
full. To begin you must locate the topic sentence and put it first.
American culture contains a strong religious current that has helped to shape its
culture. Since the country was founded by protestant exiles from England,
Americans have maintained religious ways of thinking, such as the value of
individualism, that have had a great influence on their culture. In his book Who Are
We: The Challenges to America’s National Identity, Harvard Professor Samuel
Huntington states that although not all are of the protestant religion, Americans
have absorbed the protestant belief that happiness and success in life can only
come when people take personal responsibility to make their lives a success.

Protestants believe that salvation depends on individual effort. The strong

protestant current in American history carries with it a significant element of
dissent from the structures of established authority and a preference for
individualistic ways. For example, Americans the admire “rags to riches” stories
of people like Andrew Carnegie who started his career in America in a series of
low-paying jobs and through hard work, perseverance, and sacrifice became rich
by founding US Steel, one of the most successful companies of 19 th century
America. Therefore, the Protestant current explains the fundamental capitalist
nature of American culture, a culture which celebrates competition, wealth
creation, and winners.