Being an “American” is an identity and name that many citizens and residents of the United States use to identify themselves. It is used exclusively in popular culture, literature and journalism in reference to the citizens of this country of 318.9 million. Being American is synonymous with being a part of a country that values democracy, freedom and the pursuit of happiness.

However, these traits are not exclusive to the United States. In fact, these ideals and commitments to justice appear in a multitude of constitutions across the world. These ideas are most poignant and sacred in a specific area of the world: North America and South America. This suggests a common history and heritage among all nations in the Americas, not just the U.S.

Therefore, we do not own the title of “Americans.” This is a title for all people in the Americas, from the top of Canada to the bottom of Chile.

There are plentiful examples for the shared ideals among the nations of North and South America. For instance, in the Chilean constitution, there are specific protections for “freedom of conscience” and “the right to personal freedom.” These are not foreign ideas for the typical U.S. citizen; they actually sound quite familiar to amendments in the United States’ Bill of Rights and its protections of a citizen’s “life, liberty, or property” in the Fourteenth Amendment, as well as the freedom of speech in the First Amendment.

Detractors may say that many nations in Latin America do not abide by these principles (Chile had the brutal dictator, Augusto Pinochet, from 1973-1990) and do not share this commonality with the democratic U.S. Though many Latin American nations have been dominated by dictators and strong armed governments in the past, the people have rejected these governments based on their inherent beliefs of individual rights and the rule of law.

Common themes such as these are found throughout the constitutions of nations in North and South America. They show a shared and common appreciation for values of individuality and protections from the government. 

The story of the U.S. revolution has been told numerous times, and it is a fixture in history for the colonists’ rejection of the colonial empire of Britain. This led to a spark of revolutions in Central America and South America during the 19th century against the colonial empires of Spain and Portugal, which had reigned in similar injustices on the native people. This period of change and growth through revolution is a truly unique period in history, and triumphant in its successes. The liberation of modern day Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador was led by the revolutionary leader Simón Bolívar, who is immortalized in a similar way as our own George Washington. It was portrayed as a common struggle for all of the Americas, as one people, to fight back against tyranny and create nations that represent the people of the Americas.

There is historical precedent for this idea of a collective American identity across North and South America. In fact, often during the 1800s, on the Fourth of July people of the United States would celebrate the triumphs of Latin American countries in their respective revolutions. This patriotism also translated into actual policy: the United States was one of the first countries to extend diplomatic recognition to the countries of Peru, Chile, Argentina, Mexico and Colombia.

The Americas have faced similar contemporary problems as well. Almost every nation in the Americas has indigenous people, some of whom have been untouched by the outside world and have their own unique cultures and languages. Should there be a process of assimilation? Should they be left alone? How are past wrongs made right again?

These are questions that nations such as Ecuador have tried to answer by having programs, museums and initiatives that preserve the indigenous language Quechua. The United States has taken similar actions and should continue to learn from and follow countries like Ecuador. With all of this accounted for, it is difficult to justify how the United States gets sole use of the word “American.” American culture is not restricted to the culture of the United States, it is the shared culture among all nations of the Americas which transcends borders and languages.

Now the problem is, what do we call people of the United States? Unfortunately, “United Statesians” does not roll off the tongue well.

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