Are Americans of German descent Germans?

[Armenum]

I know in the midwest of America there is a large German ancestry there. But do you consider those 3rd, 4th, 5th generation German Americans German? First of all I can say that those people in midwest and the Germans in Germany have probably nothing in common in terms of culture. Also, many of those people married other ethnic groups and maybe they just ended up with German last name. It's probably rare to find a pure German American most likely they have Irish, French, English, etc. blood in them as well.

So maybe this leads to a bigger question. Is the label "American" or "Canadian" denoted to someone who just has US/Canada citizenship? Or is that label given to someone who has embraced the American/Canadian culture by growing up as that label and thus considers themselves to be that label? What is considered a "real" or typical American/Canadian?

[Thorn777]

Why are you so often looking for complicated answers to uncomplicated questions?

[Armenum]

Why are you so often looking for complicated answers to uncomplicated questions?

I don't think the definition of an "ethnic group" is a very uncomplicated question...

The thing I'm trying to get here is that simply, what makes one American/Canadian? Is it just citizenship, is it being a certain amount of generation American, is it just plainly stating that one is that nationality. It's not as straight forward as ethnic groups in Europe for example.

[Ciabhán]

I don't think the definition of an "ethnic group" is a very uncomplicated question...

The thing I'm trying to get here is that simply, what makes one American/Canadian? Is it just citizenship, is it being a certain amount of generation American, is it just plainly stating that one is that nationality. It's not as straight forward as ethnic groups in Europe for example.

If they were born in the United States they are American. If they were born in Germany and live in the United States they are German. Being 'of (insert ethnicity) descent' does not effect it. I've never understood Yanks and this obsession with being something other than American.

[Armenum]

If they were born in the United States they are American. If they were born in Germany and live in the United States they are German. Being 'of (insert ethnicity) descent' does not effect it. I've never understood Yanks and this obsession with being something other than Americane

Well, I'm not American, but it's a question I always had regarding Americans, because so many of them refer to themselves as "some ethnicity"-American rather than just American. I would think being lets say French-American means you dual citizen or maybe half half.

[removeduser_4536284751384]

If they were born in the United States they are American. If they were born in Germany and live in the United States they are German. Being 'of (insert ethnicity) descent' does not effect it. I've never understood Yanks and this obsession with being something other than American.

I was born in England to Irish parents and only lived there for 7 years

I have an Irish accent and no English blood, I'm not English.

[Salem1]

If a German guy moves to America, he will be a German living in America. If he gets kids that grow up in America, they will be Americans with German/part-German descent. If they get kids in America, they will be Americans. I could elaborate and explain for different situations, but that's a simple path to follow.

[C-Rob]

they still call 7th geneartion blacks african americans so... Yes.

[jankren]

they still call 7th geneartion blacks african americans so... Yes.

African Americans, not Zimbabwean Americans or Kenyan Americans.

Unless you are Sarah Palin so you dont know that Africa is a continent.

[uzi716]

they still call 7th geneartion blacks african americans so... Yes.

Well that is a bit different, its pretty easy to identify black people's ancestry but for white people it gets very difficult.

Personally I feel that if you are born and raised in America you are an American. You can still acknowledge your ancestry but can't call yourself that.

[DekuTrash]

Well that is a bit different, its pretty easy to identify black people's ancestry but for white people it gets very difficult.

I would assume it would be the other way around. Seeing how as many black people can't trace families back very far.

[vopohame]

That is because Uzi actually distinguishes between various white cultures but lumps blacks in this vast racial-super culture without having coming from different people groups.

[Wolfgang von Zweibrücken]

If the question is "Are Americans of German descent German citizens?" Then the answer is obviously "no"; If the question is "Are Americans of German descent Ethnic Germans?" Then the answer is "yes". The problem is that what constitutes being a "German" falls somewhere inbetween being a German citizen and being an Ethnic German.

As I and others have pointed out, part of being an American is keeping track of your roots, even if you are 4th or 5th generation. A family does not magically stop being "German" (or whatever) and transform into "American" after a certain generation. I think anyone who bothers to keep track of their roots deserves to use the "hyphen" and anyone who either chooses not to or is incapable of tracing their roots can be a "hyphen-less" American.

[Stavroforos]

Usually people who are hyphenated Americans are ones who come from a non-Northern European culture, which is why you see Italian Americans, Greek Americans, Turkish Americans, Chinese Americans, and so on. These are usually the people who keep more of their old culture alive rather than completely integrating, because such an integration would be more strenuous for say a Turk than it would be a German.

That being said, some communities still do identify with their past, such as the Pennsylvania Dutch and some German communities.

[Pickle_mole]

Usually people who are hyphenated Americans are ones who come from a non-Northern European culture, which is why you see Italian Americans, Greek Americans, Turkish Americans, Chinese Americans, and so on. These are usually the people who keep more of their old culture alive rather than completely integrating, because such an integration would be more strenuous for say a Turk than it would be a German.

That being said, some communities still do identify with their past, such as the Pennsylvania Dutch and some German communities.

i would go further and say the only time you see a country/continent put before american is when they are not white. I for example am half albanian half northern european and in america im just white, now if i was an arab or some other non white you usually see them put their ethnic place of origin in front. Blacks are a wierd example since they have been here the longest second to white people yet they dont even put their african nation before america, its just african. Your first gen nigerian immigrant might be nigerian american but his son would be african american.

[Stavroforos]

i would go further and say the only time you see a country/continent put before american is when they are not white. I for example am half albanian half northern european and in america im just white, now if i was an arab or some other non white you usually see them put their ethnic place of origin in front. Blacks are a wierd example since they have been here the longest second to white people yet they dont even put their african nation before america, its just african. Your first gen nigerian immigrant might be nigerian american but his son would be african american.

I wouldn't go that far myself.

[Manco]

i would go further and say the only time you see a country/continent put before american is when they are not white.

That's patently false. Italian-Americans, Irish-Americans, Greek-Americans, Scottish-Americans, Swedish-Americans,... Oh look, all 'white'

[Pickle_mole]

That's patently false. Italian-Americans, Irish-Americans, Greek-Americans, Scottish-Americans, Swedish-Americans,... Oh look, all 'white'

false? what scot-american will respond when you call them white with "excuse me but im SCOTTISH-american, not white!", dont be silly.

[vopohame]

yeah scot american is a stretch and people of scottish ancestry virtually all identify themselves as americans. You can see that on the census map when the question is posed to people and the regions that say they are american are virtually all from scottish heritage dominated areas.

[Farnan]

false? what scot-american will respond when you call them white with "excuse me but im SCOTTISH-american, not white!", dont be silly.

Not many Blacks will say "They are African-American, not Black"

Really the people who use African-American are mostly bureaucrats and politicians.