Why don't many Southerners know their nationality? (live, move)

[DubbleT]

Deja Vu Why do southerners put "American" as their ancestry on the census?

Originally Posted by Hypnosis

What is the cause of this identity confusion?

Mostly because their heritage goes back in so many different directions that they don't usually identify with one ethnicity over another.

I am a mutt who most strongly identifies as Irish only because I have red hair, freckles, and an ancestor with the surname of Kelly as proof, but in reality I have no stronger ties to my Irish ancestry than I do to any of my many other bloodlines.

[Smash XY]

We have already tried to answer the question in another topic.

The best answer would be that the majority of white southerner are of English/Scottish/Scots-Irish ancestry or generally of British ancestry.
But these ancestors come for most of very far and like other region of America, the south is a melting-pot, even if diversity is more limited, so it's difficult to know precisely.

For those who say they're also of Cherokee descent, I have even more doubts about the true number...

By the way, their nationality is American, you may confuse nationality and ancestry.

[cacto]

I went to Ireland and England when I was younger wanting to see the "home" countries where my families came from and after returning I really realized that I was an American and there was no connection to those places. All the talk about Irish pride or Italian American whatever is crap because we're Americans and those ties are long gone.

[Milleka]

Originally Posted by Hypnosis

90% of the ones I've asked, they simply just don't know and reply "White" this is all they know. Is it lacking culture in these states? What is the cause of this identity confusion?

I'm pretty sure that, if you asked any Southerner what their "nationality" is, they would all most definitely reply "American". Also, to suggest that Southern states don't have "culture" is insulting. Besides- what is wrong with being "white"? Why would that identity be confusing? To me, it's a whole lot less confusing than this thread.

[Milleka]

Originally Posted by bryson662001

I am wondering what drew all those people who were born in Ireland, England or Germany to move to the southern U.S. Do they say if their move was permanent or temporary?

??? The immigrants that came to the US in the 1800's did so to keep their families from starving to death. (Among other reasons) They settled in the South because that's where there were established agricultural areas for the men to get work. I'm pretty sure (since it's been, like, 200 years now) that the move was permanent.

Where the heck are these people from who are asking these questions? This is truly one of the weirdest threads I've ran across in a while.

[Akhenaton06]

Originally Posted by cacto

I went to Ireland and England when I was younger wanting to see the "home" countries where my families came from and after returning I really realized that I was an American and there was no connection to those places. All the talk about Irish pride or Italian American whatever is crap because we're Americans and those ties are long gone.

I'm pretty sure you don't speak for everyone. Many Americans are just one generation removed from their European ancestral homelands and still have relatives there.

[Milleka]

Originally Posted by Akhenaton06

I'm pretty sure you don't speak for everyone. Many Americans are just one generation removed from their European ancestral homelands and still have relatives there.

For real. My principal's secretary is 1st generation Irish.

[Gnutella]

The big wave of European immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries largely bypassed the South, and record-keeping probably wasn't as good back then, so a lot of people in the South might not be as sure of their ancestry, although it's fair to say that most are probably English or Scotch-Irish.

[Mike1306]

Originally Posted by Smash XY

We have already tried to answer the question in another topic.

The best answer would be that the majority of white southerner are of English/Scottish/Scots-Irish ancestry or generally of British ancestry.
But these ancestors come for most of very far and like other region of America, the south is a melting-pot, even if diversity is more limited, so it's difficult to know precisely.

For those who say they're also of Cherokee descent, I have even more doubts about the true number...

By the way, their nationality is American, you may confuse nationality and ancestry.

The idea that the south is not diverse really needs to be put to bed. 4 out of the top 10 most diverse states are in the south, 7 of the top 15 and 11 of the top 20.

[TylerJAX]

The White Southerners with wealthy backgrounds usually have English roots and are usually Episcopalian or Methodist while the poorer White Southerners tend to have Scots-Irish backgrounds and tend to be Baptist.