Why does the U.S. call itself "America"?

[beli]

When I went to school, a million years before youse lot, Australia was considered the worlds largest island. Prior to this it was a continent. I was under the understanding Australia is once again an Island.

I will ask tomorrow at work. My office is right outside the geography, geology, and geophysics museum (or whatever its called these days )

 

[A_Wanderer]

I was going to post some surveys of the continental shelf but they were too big. Here is the page that outlines reason for continent status; it contrasts Greenland and Australia for examples of islands and contients. Having an independent tectonic plate is a counted as a distinguishing factor between continent and island.

http://users.erols.com/jcalder/CONTISLAND.html

 

[beli]

Wanderer, are you studying geosomething?

I read the Greenland/Australia debate. Its one of the first items on the google list. I still want to ask the academics. It's not a difficult thing, I work at a Uni. Unfortunately academics are everywhere on a University campus

 

[beli]

Wanderer are you saying The Americas are three continents or two?

 

[A_Wanderer]

Just refering my K.C. Condie.

The America's though ~ you have the North American plate which has the continental US and Alaska, Canada and Mexico. But Greenland is also part of that same plate. South America sits own a seperate plate, and then there are the smaller plates like the Nazca, Juan de Fuca and Carribean Plates.

But of these you only have two large pieces of continental crust with their own tectonic plates, North and South America. Greenland is on the North American plate so it is not considered a continent in it's own right.

Good idea to ask, it will probably stick with the traditional Island Continent definition.

 

[ABEL]

i don't know if the original question was answered or not. i've read most of the replies in this thread but not all.

after doing a little google search i found that the term "america" was actually given by europeans.

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/1492/invent.html

http://www.ibiblio.org/expo/1492.exhibit/a-America/america.html

 

[u2bonogirl]

leave it to somebody to find the real answer and spoil our fun

 

[Kieran McConville]

Actually, the term "America/Americas" was created overseas. During the Age of Exploration and after the land masses now known as North and South America were, at first refered to as The New World and later The Americas, long before 1776.

Just curious, Australia is a continent too. Do you consider it arrogant for them to call themselves Australians?

Um, Australia is a continent yes... but the only thing in Australia IS Australia (the nation). Not much room for offence there!

 

[stevec]

LOL I still think of you all quite lovingly as "Colonials" - we'll bring you back into British rule one of these days! I'm KIDDING of course, before anyone nukes me.

I've met a lot of people from the US over the years and I think for the most part, they have referred to themselves as being "from the US" as opposed to "I'm American".

Whether that's a conscious thing or not I don't know, but I have to say that I personally never considered the term "American" to be arrogant. I think that because it's been a term that's been in circulation for such a long time, few people (certainly on this side of the pond) question its use.

As Bono says "Outside it's America!"

 

[U2@NYC]

Just curious, Australia is a continent too. Do you consider it arrogant for them to call themselves Australians?

Funnily enough... the word in Spanish is not Australia for the continent, it is Oceania... so there are two different words. According to what I studied, New Zealand is also in Oceania... where is New Zealand according to what you studied? Australia? Asia?

 

[A_Wanderer]

Oceania is Australia, New Zealand and some of the outlying islands.

 

[VertigoGal]

I think I do remember being taught that Oceania was the name of the continent, not Australia...

 

[A_Wanderer]

I am thinking Soccer qualfiers

 

[sallycinnamon78]

yeesh that's pretty bad

as a matter of interest, what state did you live in?

Illinois: 9 months.
Wisconsin: 1 year.
New Jersey: 1 year.

 

[BonosSaint]

It's kind of like a sweet pastry dough rolled into a shape of a beavertail and then fried. Comes with powdered sugar or cinnamon or other toppings.

Just back from Ottawa. Beaver tails are wonderful.

When I go to Canada, I say I'm from the States. If someone asks my nationality, I'm American. I wouldn't take offense if anyone challenged me on that description, but I wouldn't go into angst over it. As someone has commented, we've been called America by ourselves and by the rest of the world long before we were a superpower, when we were a fledgling curiosity. We will be called America long after we stop being a superpower. It's just a name used to identify us. No big deal.

But I am delighted to share American status (continentally speaking) with Canada. Canada's my favorite country and a kickass neighbor.

 

[u2bonogirl]

and we call the american flag the.....american flag
Not the U.S. flag
Or the united states of north america flag
just a thought

 

[beli]

Oceania is,as A_Wanderer described, the name of a region consisting of Australia, New Zealand, Polynesia, etc

Australia is Latin for South Land. I would expect the word for "Australia" in Spanish, (a Latin based language) to be very samiliar to "Australia".

PS I didnt make it to the Geo Museum today. I will try again tomorrow.

 

[sulawesigirl4]

Les Etats Unis. (French)

Ameriki (that's the Bambara word).

Toubabu! (what every white person gets called here in Mali).

I hear these interchangeably but if I get the choice I like to be known as [my name], not as some person from some country or "white girl".

Typical day in my life in Mali

Random child on side of road: "Toubab! Toubab!"
Me: "Eh! Togo te n bolo? N togo te toubab de, ale ye Koumba ye!" (what...I don't have a name? My name's not "Toubab", it's Koumba")

 

[medmo]

People from the US are referred to as Americans not because they chose to be, but because they were called this by the British during the colonial days.

People living in what was to become the United States, for the most part, still saw themselves as Britons in the days leading up to the Declaration of Independence. The word "Americans" was used by the British in a derogatory way, as if to say "no, you're not really British, you're American".

Even after the revolution, there was no sense of national cohesion, and most people would have referred to themselves, and preferred to be referred to as, Virginians, New Yorkers, etc. That's why the country almost fell apart early on, and probably would have without George Washington.

If you had referred to someone from Pennsylvania as an American in 1776, he probably would have been confused or offended or both. It wasn't until well into George Washington's time as president that Americans came to see themselves and refer to themselves as Americans, and this was 15 or 20 years after independence was declared.

Bottom line is, Americans aren't called Americans because they asked to be. It was just something that stuck.

 

[Angela Harlem]

Beli is at work so I can sneak a reply without pissing her off I wonder if it is mainly us outside folk who call folk from the US, Americans. Infact, now that I think about it, most of you guys and in general, refer to yourselves as US and such and it is us rest of the worlders who do the "American" crime. Except for the Canadians who are obviously as informed on the topic. Perhaps it is not arrogance at all which is the problem, but naivety from the rest of the world?

 

[XHendrix24]

Beli is at work so I can sneak a reply without pissing her off I wonder if it is mainly us outside folk who call folk from the US, Americans. Infact, now that I think about it, most of you guys and in general, refer to yourselves as US and such and it is us rest of the worlders who do the "American" crime. Except for the Canadians who are obviously as informed on the topic. Perhaps it is not arrogance at all which is the problem, but naivety from the rest of the world?

Nah, that idea makes too much sense.

It's easier to just blame the Americans.

 

[sallycinnamon78]

Nah, that idea makes too much sense.

It's easier to just blame the Americans.

Okay... South Park sing-a-long time:

BLAME CANADA! BLAME CANADA! (THEY'RE NOT EVEN A REAL COUNTRY ANYWAY.)

Disclaimer: Blame South Park! I have nothing against Canada. Kyle's mom did it.

 

[VertigoGal]

Okay... South Park sing-a-long time:

BLAME CANADA! BLAME CANADA! (THEY'RE NOT EVEN A REAL COUNTRY ANYWAY.)

Disclaimer: Blame South Park! I have nothing against Canada. Kyle's mom did it.

This guy at my school always wears an "Invade Canada" shirt....

 

[U2@NYC]

Beli is at work so I can sneak a reply without pissing her off I wonder if it is mainly us outside folk who call folk from the US, Americans. Infact, now that I think about it, most of you guys and in general, refer to yourselves as US and such and it is us rest of the worlders who do the "American" crime. Except for the Canadians who are obviously as informed on the topic. Perhaps it is not arrogance at all which is the problem, but naivety from the rest of the world?

Your "rest of the world" comment is too much of a generalization... no one in Latin America, for instance, calls U.S. citizens, Americans... they are either "estadounidenses" or "yanquis".

 

[beli]

Beli is at work so I can sneak a reply without pissing her off I wonder if it is mainly us outside folk who call folk from the US, Americans. Infact, now that I think about it, most of you guys and in general, refer to yourselves as US and such and it is us rest of the worlders who do the "American" crime. Except for the Canadians who are obviously as informed on the topic. Perhaps it is not arrogance at all which is the problem, but naivety from the rest of the world?

lol. Depends what circles you circulate in, I guess.

Besides some of the people from the USA on this very board say 'Americans' .

But yes, you are correct in that I'm too tired to be pissed off today. lol

 

[Angela Harlem]

Your "rest of the world" comment is too much of a generalization... no one in Latin America, for instance, calls U.S. citizens, Americans... they are either "estadounidenses" or "yanquis".

I hoped it would be clear enough that those who share the American continent would be excluded, along with the Canadians. And I suppose yanqui is better than seppo