Of course my learned friends seem to forget that until about a hundred
years ago, someone visiting Europe from accross the pond would style
himself as being Texan, Arkansian, Californian, etc.

In other words, until the importance of statehood was gradually swept
under the carpet, people from a member state of the US of A were
usually only called 'Americans' by outsiders - who frequently had no
clue where or what Arkansas, Wyoming or Indiana was.

So I believe that the term "American", as well as bunching together
the member states of the United States of America as simply "America",
was most probably just a question of conversational convenience,
before becoming something of more sinister policy, stateside,
later-on.

That said, technically there is no such country as the U.S. of A.,
there are 50 countries that are members of it. Just like there is no
country called E.U., even though the Eurunionists (c)08 are trying
hard to make it one, and to ensure that all "Europeans" are included
in it in the future.

Notably, if you ask the average Brit overseas where is from (ignoring
the fact that he schould be correctly called (Great-)britannian if he
isn't Irish or Channelois), he will most probably reply that he is
Scots or English or possibly even Welsh, rather than that he is a
Brit.

During travels in my youth, Germans usually answered the question with
the name of the state or even city they were from (ie. from Hannover,
in Lower Saxony, you know, in Germany), by the way.
Americans at the time, by and large, did likewise (ie. Evansville,
Indiana, you know, the US).

So it seems that Germans and Americans and probably others mentally
only accepted the concept of nationality more recently, with the
exemption of subjects of the Empire, who claimed pedigree from Britain
(non-English), the UK (English), or an actual continent (Africans)
rushing to point out their Britishness (ie. British Africa, British
India, British Carabeean, etc.)

In the end, titling oneself as being the national of one country or
another is probably doing one's roots a disfavour. After all,
nationalities are not a natural occurance, no matter how much public
schooling and the press are trying to make it sound as if they were.
Indeed nobody was ever subject of a country, only of another person.
There ain't no such thing as a British subject, say. There are only
subjects of the Queen.

I for one refuse to be subject to anyone that doesn't provide me with
consideration I value in return. I'm an Earthling by birth, Human by
genetics, and for sale to the highest bidder in terms of temporary
citizenship. Meaning, I reside in the place that treats me best until
another place will treat me better. Nationalities are for the working
class.

Cheers,
Robert.