Why do southerners put "American" as their ancestry on the census? (safe, eat)

[yayoi]

Originally Posted by lisak64

I never understood how people don't know where there ancestors come from. How does this happen. Wouldn't each generation pass this information on? How does it get lost?

Slavery (oftentimes can only pinpoint to west and west central Africa), adoption, passing for another race and/or ethnicity, don't care etc...

[ladysrodgers]

I'm a Heinz 57 of most of the caucasian races, and a tiny bit of American Indian thrown in. I call myself an American.

[HipLib]

Originally Posted by Smoker

I noticed this years ago in fill-out forms with no multiple choice answers. Most people would answer that they are, for instance, German and Irish. Southerners rarely had an answer like that. Some would write hillbilly, some American, and many left that answer blank. I got the impression that southerners don't know their ancestry.

This is somewhat true. Most southerners are the decendants of Scots Irish that came here in the 1700's. Most of them were illiterate and didn't leave behind any sort or written family history. After this much time passes without any documentation about the old country, the countries of origin can be forgotten. Most southern families are able to go back 100 or 150 years or so in their geneology but few know anything of their origins.

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by yayoi

Slavery (oftentimes can only pinpoint to west and west central Africa), adoption, passing for another race and/or ethnicity, don't care etc...

The slave traders were from Western Africa (yes, black Africans were apart of the slave trade), but the slaves came from all over-mostly central, though. I think that America has been around long enough for people to start claiming it as their ancestry. When people ask what I am, I simply say American-unless I am being cheeky, in which case I will say Californian. It's kind of odd; If I traveled to any other country, I would be identified as an American-but in America everyone wants to identify themselves with where ever their roots are from before they came to America.

I know where my ethnic blood comes from-but I was born here, my parents were born here, grandparents-not too sure.

[Wandering Mind]

ill just put a word in as a southerner whos family has been here at least 3 generations (not america, i mean the middle TN area).

ive looked, and ive found nothing on how you can find your ancestry, so id imagine its a "we dont care" thing, so i end up calling myself american.

[RuralCoastalGuy]

Patriotism...something other parts of the country lack

[cpg35223]

Let's see...I have German, English, Scot, Irish, Welsh, and French Huegenot blood in me. What the heck else would I choose? For most of us, our ancestors migrated centuries ago, so choosing a Mother Country seems to be a pointless exercise, don't you think?

[Merlander]

Originally Posted by Smoker

I noticed this years ago in fill-out forms with no multiple choice answers. Most people would answer that they are, for instance, German and Irish. Southerners rarely had an answer like that. Some would write hillbilly, some American, and many left that answer blank. I got the impression that southerners don't know their ancestry.

Interesting that you mention German and Irish. Based on the 1990 census, those were the two largest, ethnic groups in the U.S.

#1 was German, #2 was Irish. Starting in 2000, the choices were no longer there. I guess someone decided we no longer needed to know.

[ecam222]

This melting pot has been stirred and stirred...and I'm getting dizzy.

[krudmonk]

Why? Because 9-11 NEVER FORGET GO COWBOYS THE SOUTH WILL RISE AGAIN. That's why.