Want fun ways to celebrate America’s unique culture? Try these all-American activities: tap dance, catch a baseball, and dunk carrots into ranch dip or dressing. 

Tap Dancing 
Enslaved people in America in the 1700s often weren’t allowed to play instruments. They stamped their feet to make music. Immigrants from Europe brought step dancing with them. They attached nails or coins to shoes for more sound. Dance styles began to blend. People started putting metal plates on shoes. Dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson was famous in the 1930s. He tapped up and down stairs. The Nicholas Brothers leapt over each other while tap dancing in the 1940s. They landed in splits!

Baseball
Immigrants also brought bat and ball games to America. “Base-ball” was first mentioned in a British children’s book in 1744. The bases were posts. Daniel “Doc” Adams was president of a “base ball club” in New York. He made formal rules in 1857. One new rule said: No more throwing balls at runners to get them out! They had to be tagged. In the 1920s, New York Yankee George Herman “Babe” Ruth made baseball more popular. He hit home runs that soared over the outfield wall. 

Ranch Dressing
Steve Henson worked in plumbing in the 1950s. He made meals for his crews in Alaska. He blended buttermilk, mayonnaise, herbs, and spices for a dressing. Folks loved it! Mr. Henson later bought land in California. He called it Hidden Valley Ranch. He served guests his dressing on salads. Word spread. He began selling and mailing packages of the herbs and spices. People from all 50 states and more than 30 countries bought them. Ranch is now the best-selling dressing in America. 

Why? God inspires people from every country to be creative. Each nation develops distinct forms of dance, sports, food, and more.