When you think of an "American" do you think of a citizen of the United States?

Question

I understand that anyone from either of the American continents is technically an American. However Americans from the USA use this term to designate themselves as citizens of The United States of America. Just as someone from Argentina is an Argentinian, or from Peru a Peruvian, or from Mexico a Mexican. Lately I hear a lot of people saying "we are Americans too" when they are from Mexico or other places. You wouldn't hear a Canadian call themselves an American, I don't think.
This is a new thing for me. I've never had anyone think me narrow minded for calling myself an American, for being an American, maybe : ) but not for calling myself one. Any feedback is good. I just like to hear what people think.

Answer 1

I think that citizens of USA love to shorten things, look at our nick names. I myself love nicknames. And so as we grew in population it because easier to say we are Americans. I might say to you, that when I travel in Euro, or Mexico, I do not say I am an American, I say I am from the USA. In Euro, most people will say...ah...an American! and then the conversation goes on from there.

You are correct, the Americas, of us, are Americans in that respect. But I really don't think it is meant to be an in your face things. Its just something that has evolved.

Ever noticed that when you are in your state and you hear say my accent, you will ask what state I am from. As a whole, the Americans in the USA have certainly used the term to put us on the map...so to speak and unlike Mexico, Argentina, Peru, or Canada, we have in our name United States of AMERICA, there's the difference and there in lies the reasoning. We are Americans from the United States.

Answer 2

Yes, I do. I've always thought of myself as American, too. I apply Latin or South to the other regions of this continent. I've never been told that I'm not an American for living in the United States of America, it just fits, doesn't it? No, I doubt that Canadians are calling themselves Americans either. If everyone else is an American too, maybe I'll go back to being called by my state name. Just kidding, I'm proud to be called an American from the USA.

Answer 3

Hi, your question is very interesting. America is actually the term used to call the entire American continent, that is, from Canada to Argentina. It was called America after Americo Vespuccio at the time it was discovered. In Argentina and all the other South American countries, we refer to people from the United States as "Northamericans", not as "Americans". We are all Americans, and not just technically like you say, but in all senses; it is a matter of identity. People in Europe are more keen on this difference, because they are better informed and have a more general approach on general culture than most people in the United States. They understand America is the entire continent and not just the United States, which actually has nothing to do with what most of America is really like. You can only learn about this by traveling through Center or South America... I hope I've answered your question, bye!

Answer 4

In the same sense of the word that people from Mexico call themselves Mexicans, and people from Canada Canadians etc. We from the States call ourselves Americans. If we wanted to be technical we could call ourselves United States of Americans but seriously how many people would call us that. Most intelligent people know that when someone says American they are referring to someone from the United States of America. Just because someone is from the continents of North or South America does not make them "American".

Answer 5

You are correct, anybody from the American Continent is an American. I know that people from the U.S.A. call them selves "Americans".

The question is what came first. Did the people from the U.S. Called themselves "Americans" or other countries called them "Americans"?

If you are a U.S. Citizen and you travel to Europe. People there are going to call you "American". If you are a Mexican citizen or Panamanian Citizen, the people over there are not going to call you "American". They are going to call you Mexican or Panamanian.

I understand that U.S. Citizens have embrace the word "American" as a synonym of U.S. Citizen, but it is just a work, because legally, that is in U.S. Court, an "American" is anybody from the American Continent.

Answer 6

I like your question and you have a point. I too grew up calling myself an American but many people in Latin America have asked me why do people from the US call themselves Americans when we are all Americans...so come to think about it and studying history and the Continent, they are right...only in the Mexican border will people still call people from the USA, Americans... any other place in Mexico and Countries in Latin America they call Americans "Estado Unidenses"... I think they make sense, so I too pay more attention to my vocabulary now and say that people from the USA are from the USA but it makes more sense in Spanish than in does in English...since all the Countries in Latin America do speak Spanish with the exception of Brazil.. "Estado Unidenses" does make sense in Spanish. Someone told me once too that anybody in any European Country is called European because they were born in that Continent so the same should be true in North, Central and South America.... Americans also get called North Americans by Latin America.

Answer 7

Yes, I automatically think as Americans as from the USA.

The reason why there is this talk being pushed forward is because they are trying to create the North American Union where the USA is nothing more than a STATE as a whole.

Answer 8

Legal US Citizen/Resident is an American.
Anyone else claiming to be an American is doing so for the North American Union spew and/or US entitlements.

Answer 9

There is a basic data issue here, amongst the word play to try to leverage from 'native of a set of continents' to 'rights to go to schools in this country'.

Most Latin American countries are apparently taught that there is ONE continent of "America". We learn that there are two, North America and South America. So to us, people not from our country are from 'the Americas' not America. To them, they are from their country, within 'America'. We are America as the United States of Brazil is Brazil and the United States of Mexico is Mexico.

However, if one group is taught growing up that oranges are apples and another that bananas are apples, they may never agree on the name of the fruit.

Answer 10

The world wide description of a citizen of the United States of America is an "American". During the cold war do you think when Russian refered to the enemy as Americans they meant citizens of the United States or citizens of Columbia? Citizens of Brazil? During World War II when the Japanese refered to the enemy as Americans do you think they meant citizens of the United States of America or citizens of Mexico? Citizens of Paraguay? Citizens of Chilie? You get the picture.