Just curious: What race is an American?

Question

When foreigners say American(as in USA) what race do you generally mean?(or do you think they mean)

I asked 4 exchange students one from China, one from Brazil, and one from Germany, and one from Middle East(really Africa)
When I asked this question they said "white race" is what they mean when they refer to an "American" whether good or bad. Now why is that? Native Americans where the first here.

Anyone can answer, but I just wanted foreigners to answer as well.

edit

I said "where" instead of "were". sorry just a mistake.

I'm not sure if yall understand or not, but for example

When someone says "European" they generally mean someone who is "white" even though there are different races of European. Or if someone says "African" they generally mean someone who is "black" even though there are different races of people in Africa.

Fireball226
Read history: whites brought some black slaves with them to America, they planned on enslaving the Natives but they didn't and nearly destroyed them all. Remember black slaves where in Europe before they were in America.

Answer 1

Americans come in all races, colors, and ethnicities.

But when someone (foreign) says "American," I think they are usually referring to the white Americans who are descended from Europeans. The Native Americans are a minority now (sadly), and few people even think of them, when discussing "Americans."

Most of the American media, American politicians, and famous Americans in general, are white. So when people in other countries see an "American" on TV, in the newspaper, or in movies... Almost all of them are white.

Answer 2

I'm not American

When I hear read or talk about Americans I usually refer to white Americans because they're the dominant majority in the country but of course
African Americans are also included in my understanding of (Americans)

African Americans have a strong impact on the American culture and I like many black actors like Eddie Murphy , Morgan Freeman , Will Smith ,Martin Lawrence .......etc


I don't usually refer to Native Americans or Jews or Arab Americans or Asian Americans when using the term (Americans)

Answer 3

Before I moved to America the way I thaught of them was just a bunch of people who look different.. America isn't the only country with more than one race. In Palestine there are Arabs, Israelis, and whites. I mean on Arabic TV we have MTV and we see all the Latinos, Black, and Whites. Trust me, most foreigners know of the racial diversity in America

Answer 4

The foreign "IDEAL" of 'american' is your average white middle aged businessman. Pale skin, suit and tie kinda guy.

basically anyone wandering around DC making the decisions. THOSE are the assholes that represent this country as a WHOLE.

THOSE are the ones Al Qaida wants to kill. Not your average work a day joe.

Hell those are the assholes almost EVERYONE has a problem with now days.

Answer 5

American is not a race, it's a nationality. It means anyone from the U.S.A. If they meant American as in "white" people, they're ignorant. Of course, some Americans refer to Asians as Chinese, whether they're from China or not.

Answer 6

White, Black, and Asian. I'm not exactly sure where Native Americans fit in. Within the White, Black and Asian races, there are many, many ethnicities.

Answer 7

As an American, when I say American person, I am referring to an American citizen. Any color or heritage. I have friends born in other countries but are citizens now so they are Americans, too.

FYI, I am a white female born in Illinois

Answer 8

It's a nationality, not a race. All races are here. Americans are from all over the world.

Answer 9

I would guess they mean 'white European'. native Americans were first here, but whites make up the majority now.

I'm an American.of mainly European decent.

Answer 10

The reality of it should be that American is not a race, it's a Nationality.