What does America really stand for?
What America still truly stands for is the establishment of the right of the people to govern themselves, and choose their leaders by majority vote.
What are some words that represent America?
“Shameful,” “depressing,” “turmoil” and “joke” – these were all words used to describe America in a recent poll ... with only 15% of respondents using a positive word. Some of the positive words were “good,” “home” and ...
What does 'American' actually mean?
What Does 'American' Actually Mean? In Latin America, "American" means anyone from the American continent. U.S. citizens claiming the word are considered gauche or imperialist.
What does USA stand for?
What does USA stand for? USA stands for United States of America Suggest new definition This definition appears very frequently and is found in the following Acronym Finder categories:
Is America a Latin word?
Etymology. New Latin America, feminine latinized form of the Italian forename of Amerigo Vespucci (1454–1512).
What was the name of America before it was called America?
Before that time, there was no name that collectively identified the Western Hemisphere. The earlier Spanish explorers referred to the area as the Indies believing, as did Columbus, that it was a part of eastern Asia.
Where did the term American come from?
The naming of the Americas, or America, occurred shortly after Christopher Columbus's first voyage to the Americas in 1492. It is generally accepted that the name derives from Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian explorer, who explored the new continents in the following years on behalf of Spain and Portugal.
What is the real name of America?
Several names of the United States of America are in common use. Formal alternatives to the full name include the "United States", "America", as well as the initialisms "U.S." and the "U.S.A."; colloquial names include "the States" and the "U.S. of A."
Who landed in America first?
Five hundred years before Columbus, a daring band of Vikings led by Leif Eriksson set foot in North America and established a settlement.
What does America symbolize?
Most Americans would say that the United States represents freedom and liberty. According to the first amendment written in the constitution, all citizens have the freedom of religion, speech, and assembly. Others might respond that America represents opportunity.
When was America first called?
1507German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller is credited with first using the name America in 1507 on a large 12-panel map based on traveling accounts of explorers of the New World, and in particular those of Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci.
Who founded America?
Explorer Christopher Columbus (1451–1506) is known for his 1492 'discovery' of the New World of the Americas on board his ship Santa Maria.
What did the Native Americans call America?
Turtle Island is a name for Earth or North America, used by some Indigenous peoples, as well as by some Indigenous rights activists. The name is based on a common North American Indigenous creation story and is in some cultures synonymous with "North America."
What was America called in ancient times?
Mesoamerica, the Woodland Period, and Mississippian culture (2000 BCE – 500 CE)
What was America before 1776?
On Sept. 9, 1776, the Continental Congress formally changed the name of their new nation to the “United States of America,” rather than the “United Colonies,” which was in regular use at the time, according to History.com.
What was America called in the 1600s?
the New WorldAmerica, along with the entirety of the North and South American continents, was called the New World during the 1600s.
What does "America A" mean?
America A- (pro)-Mer (Mercia-Mercy)- I ( being)-Ca ( female gender specific) A merciful lady.
What is the military definition of America?
Military Dictionary and Gazetteer (4.78 / 14 votes) Rate this definition: america. One of the great divisions of the earth’s surface, so called from Amerigo Vespucci, a Florentine navigator, who visited South America in 1499.
How big is America?
The Nuttall Encyclopedia (4.55 / 11 votes) Rate this definition: America. including both North and South, 9000 m. in length, varies from 3400 m. to 28 m. in breadth, contains 16½ millions of sq. m., is larger than Europe and Africa together, but is a good deal smaller than Asia; bounded throughout by the Atlantic on the E. and the Pacific on the W.
How many miles are there in the North and South America?
It is composed of two vast peninsulas called North and South America, extending in a continuous line 9000 miles, connected by the Isthmus of Panama or Darien, which is only 28 miles wide at its narrowest part.
How many states are there in the North American Republic?
North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776. America noun. North America and South America and Central America.
What is the origin of the name Americus?
Etymology: From Americus, Latinized form of the forename of (1451-1512), Italian explorer. The United States of America. Etymology: From Americus, Latinized form of the forename of (1451-1512), Italian explorer.
When was America populated?
America was populated, according to the most accepted theory nowadays, approximately 40 thousand years ago . Etymology: Amerigo Vespucci > America. Submitted by jasonb on November 11, 2020.
How to use America in a sentence
Federal oversight, by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Interior, she says, isn’t going to fix America ’s environmental problems.
Cultural definitions for America
An American patriotic hymn from the nineteenth century, sung to the tune of the national anthem of Great Britain, “God Save the Queen.” It begins, “My country, 'tis of thee.”
What is the idea of America?
America is the idea that you can invest yourselves in making a better life, and it will not be stolen from you. People came from Europe, where the crown was absolute. Religious oppression was pervasive. And the divide between rich and poor was so incredibly wide that today's leftists aren’t able to comprehend it.
Why did America grow?
America grew out of the great hopes of people "yearning to breathe free." Our forefathers came from countries with state religions, where disagreeing with the crown often led to a death sentence. So the United States became a unique place where certain freedoms were enshrined in a Constitution that all other laws must answer to. More than that, America is not just a place, it is an idea that lives in a place, a dream that is so important that we must state it clearly.
What is the 4th amendment?
The Fourth Amendment protects us from nosy government officials. They have to get a judge to agree that we've likely committed a crime before searching our stuff. And they can't just take our things. Kings used to be able to do both. Without private property, your effort can be stolen by the government.
Why is America a shining city on a hill?
America is that shining city on a hill because the government is restricted. It can't just do what it wants. We can argue about how the American dream has been distorted by centuries of growing government and judicial malfeasance. All that is true.
What are the two major neighbors of the United States?
But the United States has two major neighbors in North America: Canada and Mexico. Neither one of them comes to mind when anyone anywhere in the world hears the word "America." It's always the United States, that "shining city on the hill" Ronald Reagan spoke about as he reflected on newcomers to America.
Who was the first millionaire in America?
John Jacob Astor came to America with the shirt on his back. He took a simple skill, a sharp mind, and great effort to become the first multimillionaire in America. In short, he invested himself in a better life and succeeded. So that others could do the same, our Constitution guarantees the necessary conditions for this to happen.
Do true Americans have the same commitment as they have been for the centuries that preceded us?
I believe that true Americans are just as committed now as they have been for the centuries that preceded us. The people on that ship in 1630 faced dangers they couldn't know. Pioneers throughout history put their lives on the line again and again. And every buck private or SEAL Team member is ready to do the same today.
When was America used metaphorically?
Beginning in the 17th century, America was used metaphorically by English writers to refer to a place in which one longs to reach.
Who created the map of America?
German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller is credited with first using the name America in 1507 on a large 12-panel map based on traveling accounts of explorers of the New World, and in particular those of Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci. The map, entitled Universalis Cosmographia, was included in the book Cosmographiae Introductio ...
What About Columbus?
Columbia (from the name of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, who was, incidentally, a friend of Vespucci's) was also used as a substitute for America, but that, deservedly so (in retrospect), never caught on.
Which geographer feminized the Latin form of Vespucci's given name, Americus?
Waldseemüller labeled the part of the world that he envisioned as explored by Vespucci, America, feminizing the Latin form of Vespucci's given name, Americus. He chose the feminine form to be consistent with the Latinized names of other countries at the time, such as Europa and Asia. It was geographer Gerardus Mercator who extended the name America to include all of the Western Hemisphere.
Why is the United States different from other countries?
From the very beginning, the United States of America was different than any other country, due to who founded it and what principles were established for this country. This difference can be easily seen in the Declaration of Independence. The most famous lines in American history, and pretty substantial ones for the rest of world history as well, ...
What was the Declaration of Independence?
The super powers at the time were all ruled by a monarch, so a country that was founded by the people without a ruling class or aristocracy like European countries, was completely “revolutionary.” The Founding Fathers did not stop there, The Declaration goes on to state that, “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal…endowed…with certain inalienable rights, among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” These amazing words gave the common person just as much right and protection as the wealthy. With the Declaration, America declared its independence from not only the rule of England but from the binds of its government systems. How amazing is that? The U.S and its beliefs changed the course of history with a single declaration! A little geeky, I know, but our history is remarkable.
What does "American" mean in Latin America?
In Latin America, "American" means anyone from the American continent. U.S. citizens claiming the word are considered gauche or imperialist. So what's the solution?
What does "American" mean in France?
There's also the question of what "American" means to those in other countries or of other tongues. "In France, it's 'Americans' that's largely used (to refer to people from the USA)," Martine Rousseau and Olivier Houdart, editors of French newspaper Le Monde's language blog, wrote in an email.
What does "Estadounidense" mean in Spanish?
In Latin American Spanish, estadounidense is the widely used term to refer to someone from the U.S. Francophone Canadians and Latin American Spanish-speakers, therefore, both go for their language's equivalent of "United Statesian," a term that surely has been uttered as a self-identifier by "United Statesians" themselves very few times, if at all. Even this more specific adjective could incite further debate: Mexico also contains "United States" in its official title, as did Brazil until 1930.* Brazil, fascinatingly enough, is the exception to the broader Latin American rule, though the country has always remained largely independent of the Spanish-influenced narrative the majority of Latin America shares. Brazilians, like Canadians, actually do use "American"--in Portuguese, "americano/a"--to refer to those from the U.S.
Is "Americano" a Spanish word?
In other words, what the word "América" or "americano" means in Spanish may render it a different word entirely from its apparent English equivalent. While they seem to be linguistic parallels, it could be that "americano" is not a direct or even appropriate translation of "American," and vice versa.
Is "American" a loaded term?
Beyond vagueness, "American" also can be interpreted as a loaded term when verbalized by people from the U.S. As one Argentine friend explained, "Someone from the U.S. calling him or herself 'American' is equivalent to people from the U.S. traveling anywhere in the world and expecting everyone to speak English." In other words, many link the practice to that negative U.S. tourist stereotype: rude, culturally unaware and self-centered.
What is America?
America is simply a place on earth where people thrive with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. There is a saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words;" but to me, the word America is worth a thousand pictures. I have seen many pictures of America, but not one has captured how majestic it truly is.
What does it mean to be an American?
Being an American means that you have the right to the Pursuit of happiness. ... This goes to show yet another example of what it means to be an American. ... To me being an American is about embracing your individuality, because after all everyone's different, and this wouldn't be America if everyone was the same. ...
What does the Constitution mean to you?
What the Constitution Means to Me The Constitution means a lot to me. ... This part of the Constitution gives more meaning to what the Constitution means to me. ... The Constitution is what America's government is base on. ... To me the Constitution is to explain all the regulations of America and to be a guideline for the generations to come. In all, the Constitution is what makes America the United States of America. ...
How has America evolved?
America has evolved from a place where the men dominated all aspects of life to a place where women and men share basically the same equality in the household, workplace, and social scenes. Although crime and racism rage throughout the country, people are not being executed for their beliefs.
What does freedom mean?
Freedom means the supremacy of human rights everywhere. ... Even for me, since I was little, going to America was a biggest desire. ... That's why I think that being an American means constantly being proud of who you are and loving your country no matter what. ... Those are ideas on what America was built on. ... And that's what America is, a promised land....
What does "American" mean in English?
In modern English, American generally refers to persons or things related to the United States of America; among native English speakers this usage is almost universal, with any other use of the term requiring specification. However, some linguists in the past have argued that "American" should be widened to also include people or things from anywhere in the American continents.
What does the adjective "American" mean?
When used with a grammatical qualifier, the adjective American can mean "of or relating to the Americas", as in Latin American or Indigenous American. Less frequently, the adjective can take this meaning without ...
What are some cognates of American?
French, German, Italian, Japanese, Hebrew, Arabic, and Russian speakers may use cognates of American to refer to inhabitants of the Americas or to U.S. nationals. They generally have other terms specific to U.S. nationals, such as the German US-Amerikaner, French étatsunien, Japanese beikokujin (米国人), and Italian statunitense. These specific terms may be less common than the term American.
What is the prefix for African Americans?
Compound constructions which indicate a minority ethnic group, such as " African-Americans " likewise refer exclusively to people in or from the United States of America, as does the prefix " Americo- ". For instance, the Americo-Liberians and their language Merico derive their name from the fact that they are descended from African-American settlers, i.e. Blacks who were formerly enslaved in the United States of America.
What is the demonym for the Americas?
Demonym for the Americas. The meaning of the word American in the English language varies according to the historical, geographical, and political context in which it is used. American is derived from America, a term originally denoting all of the New World (also called the Americas ). In some expressions, it retains this Pan-American sense, ...
When was the term "American" first used?
In the following century, the term was extended to European settlers and their descendants in the Americas. The earliest recorded use of "English-American" dates to 1648, in Thomas Gage 's The English-American his travail by sea and land: or, a new survey of the West India's.
Who said the name of American belongs to you in your national capacity?
U.S. President George Washington, in his 1796 Farewell Address, declaimed that "The name of American, which belongs to you in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of patriotism more than any appellation.". Political scientist Virginia L. Arbery notes that, in his Farewell Address:
