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..might be in fact, Anglo-Saxon, protestant, and white, he probably doesn't match the classic description of "WASP". It usually has something to do with money, the type of Protestant church he belongs to, and what part of the country he lives in. Many of our Presidents were WASPy, although not all.
By the way, would you consider FDR to be WASPy? I don't know his exact lineage, but "Roosevelt" is a Dutch name, so perhaps he wouldn't. But he might have some English blood on his mother's side, and he attended Harvard, and the Dutch in NYS go WAY back, so he might qualify there. Just a thought..
..might be in fact, Anglo-Saxon, protestant, and white, he probably doesn't match the classic description of "WASP". It usually has something to do with money, the type of Protestant church he belongs to, and what part of the country he lives in. Many of our Presidents were WASPy, although not all.
By the way, would you consider FDR to be WASPy? I don't know his exact lineage, but "Roosevelt" is a Dutch name, so perhaps he wouldn't. But he might have some English blood on his mother's side, and he attended Harvard, and the Dutch in NYS go WAY back, so he might qualify there. Just a thought..
I think of FDR as a WASP. Religiously, he was Episcopalian but of course that alone does not a WASP make. Even if he weren't a 'Pisky, the Dutch Reformed Church (now the Reformed Church in America) is a mainline church in that it is old, established, ordains women, is mostly liturgical (rather than freeform), has money and although it is more conservative than many of the other liberal/mainline churches, it is still more theologically liberal than most non-denominational and evangelical churches. FDR once said to a Catholic advisor that America is a Protestant country and that Catholics and Jews are here on sufferance.
I always thought WASP meant whites of Anglo Saxon/British ancestry: English, Welsch, and Scottish. Maybe I just getting it confuse with just being Anglo Saxon
I always thought WASP meant whites of Anglo Saxon/British ancestry: English, Welsch, and Scottish. Maybe I just getting it confuse with just being Anglo Saxon
Yeah I guess the Dutch heritage of FDR kind of mixes things up a little bit. But I think that the WASP acronym is more of a handy short hand than a way to specify true Anglo Saxon ethnicity. Some other posters have said that JFK had a pretty WASPy background and the only letter that he had under his belt was the W!
The Welsh and Scots are not Anglo-Saxon. Only the English are Anglo-Saxon.
I think the term 'WASP' was not really intended to be ethnically specific, though. It was a clever acronym for the old, moneyed "Establishment" class of the USA, who were, by and large, of English descent. In some areas, the Establishment included Dutch, Scottish, and maybe even some Welsh people.
My family is Irish Catholic but half English blood. They are pretty rich. I wouldn't call them WASPS exactly, being they're fairly liberal and not too religious.
Grandpa was a Protestant Englishman and Grandma was a Catholic Irish. Perhaps this is why these people aren't very religous? I have seen the same with mixed Jewish/Christian marriages.
Where I grew up, Catholic families were WAY more religious and conservative than WASPy protestant families who almost entirely belonged to mainstream denominations. I take it this is not the case in much of the rest of America (everything outside of the Northeast) based on comments here.
That said, I agree that families with a mix of religions tend to not make a big deal about it. Then again, it may be self-fulfilling. Many protestant families in my area were OK with mixed marriages whereas I almost got killed by a girl's father for coming around his daughter. She was forbidden to date non-Catholics and this was made explicit to me.
They are those who are:
1. White.
2. Of Anglo-Saxon heritage.
3. Belong to any of various Protestant denominations.
Glad I could be of help...
The best post in this thread. To put it in historical perspective the term was coinced to differentiate loyal British subjects from the Catholic Irish, Germans, Italians and Dutch who were considered a second category. Yes, the term is associated with one of the oldest cases of discrimination in America, well before other nationalities and races became targets. It's very precise and unambiguous as John so elequently explained in his post.
They are those who are:
1. White.
2. Of Anglo-Saxon heritage.
3. Belong to any of various Protestant denominations.
Glad I could be of help...
That's it!
Catholic=not WASP. Jewish=Middle Eastern.
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Same with my Dad's family
That's it! 
