I’m from the Dominican Republic, and one of the things that surprised me when I arrived in this country was hearing people call The United States of America by the name “America.”
Signs like, “Welcome to America” and “God bless America” made me feel confused.
I also heard a few presidential candidates saying on national television, “In America, we think..;” newspapers that wrote, “America votes for its next president on Nov. 8” and some of my professors and classmates saying, “America is a country that…”
This caught my attention, because in the Dominican Republic I was taught that “America” is the name of a whole continent —divided among North, South, Central America and the Caribbean— and that “The United States of America” is only one of its 35 countries.
I also remember my primary school teachers telling us the continent received its name in honor to the navigator Américo Vespucio and that North America is made up of The United States, yes, but Canada and Mexico, too.
Its other territories consist of Bermuda, Greenland, Saint Pierre and Miquelon.
Meanwhile, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama form part of Central America.
South America has the twelve sovereign states, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela. It also has other dependencies such as Aruba and Curacao.
It’s not just the Dominican Republic, it would likely be the same with other countries. For example, if someone in Argentina asks a girl from California, “Where are you from?” And she responds with “America,” I’m pretty sure the Argentinean would probably ask, “But, from what country, The United States?”
According to Merriam-Webster, the word America is defined as “either continent (North America or S. America) of the western hemisphere; the “Amer-i-cas,” the lands of the western hemisphere including North, Central, S. America & the W. Indies,” or the “United States of America.”
Meanwhile, one of the most influential Hispanics dictionaries — Panhispanic Dictionary of Doubts — defines the United States of America as a country of America, with Washington D.C as its capital and its demonym as “estadounidense (United Statesian in English).”
One definition of America that particularly amused me was, of course, from Urban Dictionary, “A country that claims the name of an entire continent to itself alone for no compelling reason. Mexicans, Colombians, Brazilians they’re Americans too.”
You’re probably asking yourselves “How should I refer to my country, then?”
Well, websites like “USA is Not America” suggest that when you want to refer to The United States of America; to do it as “U.S.” or “the States,” or whatever you want, but not only as America.
I think those names are fair enough, especially with all the other countries that make up this vast continent.
As well, the site gives a few examples of some wrong and correct uses of the term America. The most powerful ones:
Wrong: America is my country and I love it.
Right: The United States is my country and I love it.
Of course, I know that just by writing this article The United States isn’t going to stop calling itself “America.” The term’s employment is based on ideological and historical aspects that are deeply rooted in the mentality of the people in this country.
But to me, education is a powerful tool – one that could help us work toward creating a better world, for everyone.
At least someon address this!
German Arciniegas, addressed your very point in his book, “America: a Cultural History”. Another example of is “West Indian”, which, for some are the people of former English colonies in the Caribbean. However, the demonym refers to those from ALL the Caribbean Islands, regardless the European power that colonized them. The use of “American” or “West Indian” to self-identify, and to the exclusion of others, seems to originate with the British. Haven’t you noticed how they name their own military branches, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, ect. While other countries identify their military forces with the name of the country, Royal Norwegian Air Force, Royal Jordanian Air Foce, Royal Thai Navy.
Thank you, R. Maldonado. You make a good point.
For Latin Americans, AMERICA is a continent, not a country.
Referring to the United States as America is arrogant, typical of a mentality of dominance and control.
What about calling China as Asia, Italy as Europe?
I think the other Asian or European countries wouldn’t like it.
Why the rule for the US is different, why they can put names as they like?
In my country, Brasil, everybody says “Estados Unidos”, America for us is the whole continent.
Americans, Canadians, Mexicans, most if not all Carribean nations, and all the nations down to and including Panama, from a country standpoint form what we call the continent of North America.
Where Panama connects to Columbia begins the continent of South America.
The term American being relegated to the people of the United States of America, this is not a matter of arrogance, but a matter of accuracy regarding national identity.
Americans also have demonyms from the State they inhabit (Texan, Californian, Illinoisan, Ohioan ):
The origin of the American’s nation goes back to 1776 and careful study of America’s founding documents evinces as much (see https://archives.gov). If you’re an American I highly suggest you read the founding documents and notice the styles used in the names created by the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation and Constitution for the United States of America as well as the Organic Act of 1871.
Mexicans (via the English language) are called as such because Mexico is comprised of states, forming a federation styled “Estados Unidos Mexicanos” (please excuse no latin font). You can consult the below websites for evidence.
Therefore a Latin American is not an American (in a national sense), and “Latin American” is a classification based on the primary language of the countries/nations it includes whereas South American is geographical. If you tell a U.S. Immigration Officer you’re American knowing full well you’re Columbian or Mexican, you’d be lying.
Nearly all the Latin American countries have relatively young histories (less that 100 years since their formations). Concerning their formation anniversaries Americans are nearing 250 years and the Mexicans 225 years.
Hope this sheds some light.
US Embassy in Mexico
https://mx.usembassy.gov/es/
Mexico Government website
https://www.gob.mx/presidencia
Mexico Wiki
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9xico