Question

To explain why the United States uses the imperial system of measurement instead of the metric system, which is commonly used in Europe, which of the following statements is most accurate?

A. The imperial system was used when America was founded and thus became an unchangeable norm.
B. Americans tried to use the metric system, but there was no system of enculturation to support the change.
C. American cultural values led to a resistance in changing their norms of measurement.

Answer 1

The U.S. continues to use the imperial system primarily due to historical roots and cultural resistance to change, despite the metric system's adoption in law and its international prevalence.

Step-by-step explanation:

The United States uses the imperial system of measurement instead of the metric system due to historical and cultural reasons. When America was founded, the imperial system was already in place, and efforts by Thomas Jefferson to adopt the metric system based on powers of 10 were unsuccessful. Consequently, the imperial system became embedded in American society. Although the metric system is legally adopted in the United States, in everyday practice, Americans continue to use imperial units such as pounds, miles, gallons, and yards.

Reasons for this persistence include cultural values that lead to resistance against changing traditional norms, the absence of a strong enculturation process to support the shift, and the reality that the metric system has never gained widespread everyday use in the United States, despite its advantages and international acceptance.