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There's a phenomenon in censuses where some people identify as "American" ethnically. There's a wikipedia article about it, here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_ancestry
Also, there was a video I was watching about the demographics of Appalachia. Around 6:00, he mentions that many people from this area are the ones identifying as "American". Here is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zuOnvK1dwI
So you can't tell a white person who is native to Britain from a white person who is native to Spain? Or you mean to tell me that on average, you can't tell, say, an Italian from a German just by looking at them? I guess you think all white people and every nationally and ethnic group in every part of Europe are physically indistinguishable, huh? You're probably also the type of person who thinks everybody who is Asian looks Chinese.
There actually used to be a website that tested people's ability to tell the difference between different East Asians. Even Asians themselves did poorly, debunking the idea that there are consistent and noticeable physical differences among Chinese, Japanese, etc. My adopted Korean cousin even took the test and bombed terribly, after bragging about how she could tell the difference between different East Asians.
I think people like to think there are physical differences among nationalities within a continent like that, but I really don't think there are, not consistently anyway. Just the other night my husband and I were watching Would I Lie to You and there's the bit where a guest comes out and each contestant has to explain how they know that person while the other team guesses who is lying and who is telling the truth. This German woman was talking about how she knew him from Germany, and both my husband and I said "It's got to her [telling the truth] because he LOOKS German." Keep in mind this is a British TV show, my husband is British, and I lived in the UK for many years. And honestly, this guy looked like he would fit right into a Nazi uniform, lol. Was he German? Nope, he was British and the German woman was lying.
I’m a German that come to America in 1954. In 1983 returned to my village of about 400 with my American wife and son, they could not speak a word of German. My German has also changed and some locals ask if I was Swiss from America since I spoke English.
Someone asked if I would speak to another American that there that could not speak German. I approached him and spoke English. He said you’re from Texas right, I said yes and told him the name of my Texas town and the company I work at. He replied that his mom worked at the same place.
He asks me what I was doing here and was it for the local festival. I said partly, but this is my home town and pointed to the building that I once lived in.
So to my American friend I was a Texan, to the Germans I was Swiss and to my wife I was American. We assimilate, and in just 30 years no one knows what you are.
What would it be? I mean, Russian ethnicity is a Slavic ethnicity, German ethnicity is a Germanic ethnicity, Polish ethnicity is a Slavic ethnicity, etc.
Um...predominately Scots-Irish on the East Coast, along with African.
Predominately French from Canada along the Mississippi through Louisiana.
Iowa, Pennslyvania - German
The Dakotas - Native American and Scandinavian, Russian
California - Spanish, Anglo, Russian, Native American
South Western states - Native American, Spanish, Anglo, some German
Different peoples like different climates, and have differing and comingling ancestry. In the early days different Nationalities settled in different places. The Pennsylvania Dutch ( Deutch - German descent) and the Amana Colony in Iowa.
Rivers have always been thoroughfares for trade. The French were in this hemisphere mainly for trade and took advantage of portage as the best method to achieve trade. Creole and Acadian culture stems from those people comingled with African and living life along the Mississippi.
People from cold climates like Sweden and Norway had no problem adjusting to the harsh climates of Minnesota, and North & South Dakota.
Early settlers need to get along with Native populations, and many marriages between early settlers and Native people took place. Its just easier not to want to war with someone if they are your family.
Recent immigrants probably don't see themselves as "American" - at least not in the sense of when they talk about "my country" they might mean the country of their birth, and not the one they recently pledged allegiance to. This doesn't make them any less American.
Others may come from stock that settled here hundreds of years ago, and no body talks about coming from anywhere else. They might not speak a different language, or follow different customs anymore, and when asked what they are, will simply answer "American".
Its all relative to any given Americans situation. The culture is basically the same, just with regional differences.
Americans are still ethnically diverse and are very used to ethnic backgrounds and seem to enjoy and celebrate “approved” ethnic differences. It is common to have people ask about another’s ancestry or be curious. There are judgements and stereotypes at play. We even assign nationalities to food or objects although those nationalities don’t. (Like French fries, English muffins, Dutch uncle, French drain, Danish pastry, Chinese checkers, Turkish taffy, India ink, Colombian coffee.) We tend to celebrate the melting pot...holidays, food, neighborhoods. Some nations or ethnicities don’t get that treatment— maybe that is due to recent arrivals and ethnic backgrounds not being well known (Bosnian, Hmong, Korean, Salvadoran, etc.) When I’m in Europe I am usually considered to be German, which is half of my ancestry.
American people mostly share the same culture, language, mentality and values. This makes "American" an ethnicity in my opinion. So, what kind of ethnicity American is? Germanic, Celtic, Slavic, Mediterranean, etc?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Huckleberry3911948
It’s 500 years old everyone in the world knows what an American is except us
Quote:
Originally Posted by msgsing
We're a melting pot remember. Take your pick of ethnicity.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mustangppilot
The United States of America, the correct name of this country has too many different ethnic groups, so is a multi cultural multi ethnic society.
In a word, mutts!
The United States of America is full of mixed cultures, languages, mentality and values.
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You're probably also the type of person who thinks everybody who is Asian looks Chinese. 
