USA or America is a culturally diverse nation, home to a wide variety of ethnic groups, traditions, and values. There is no "American" ethnicity, as nearly all Americans or their ancestors immigrated within the past five centuries. The culture held in common by the majority of Americans is referred to as mainstream American culture, a Western culture largely derived from the traditions of Western European migrants, beginning with the early English and Dutch settlers. German, Irish, and Scottish cultures have also been very influential.Certain Native American traditions and many cultural characteristics of enslaved West Africans were absorbed into the American mainstream.The development of the culture America: music, cinema, dance, architecture, literature, poetry, cuisine and the visual arts, has been marked by a tension between two strong sources of inspiration: European sophistication and domestic originality.
American music is heard all over the world, such as through MTV, Channel V, VH1 and by singers such as Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Madonna, Whitney Houston, American movies and television shows can be seen almost anywhere, and American movie actors and actresses are widely. This is in very stark contrast to the early days of the American republic, when the country was generally seen as an agricultural backwater with little to offer the culturally advanced world centers of Europe and Asia. At the beginning of her fifth century, nearly every major American city offers classical and popular music; historical, scientific and art research centers and museums; dance performances, musicals and plays; outdoor art projects and internationally significant architecture. This development is a result of both contributions by private philanthropists and government funding.
One way that American culture differs from that of similar countries is that American culture exhibits a tendency to hybridize pop culture and so-called high culture, and generally questions normative standards for artistic output.