Literacy Classes Help Define “American”

by

Kevin McKay

Literacy Coordinator, West Warwick Public Library

Recently I’ve been thinking about why “America” is the term used by many when referring only to the United States of America, and why only U.S. citizens are called “Americans.”  

One of my students from Mexico told me about an experience her eight-year-old son had in school.  During class one day a few students had correctly called themselves American because they were from the United States of America. The boy figured he was from Central America so he was obviously American as well.  His classmates told him he was not American, which caused a conflict that required the teacher’s attention.  After learning about the conflict the teacher looked at the boy and told him he was not American, that he was Mexican.  The boy was confused and spent the rest of the day wondering about his identity.  When the boy went home he asked his parents if he was American.  Both of his parents agreed, telling him that he was definitely American and not to be led to believe otherwise. 

Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 2^nd Edition defines “American” in a couple of different ways:

1.      of or pertaining to the United States of America or its inhabitants: An American citizen.

2.      of or pertaining to North and South America; of the Western Hemisphere; the American continents.

3.      of or pertaining to the aboriginal Indians of North and South America, usually excluding the Eskimos, regarded as being of Asian ancestry and marked generally by reddish to brownish skin, black hair, dark eyes, and prominent cheek bones. 

4.      a citizen of the United States of America.

5.      a native or inhabitant of the Western Hemisphere.

6.      an Indian of North or South America.

Webster’s definitions do not clearly explain what an American is because they include all inhabitants of North and South America yet also refer only to United States citizens as Americans. 

Who is an American?  Is a person more American because he is from the United States?  What is American? Many past immigrants dealt with these same questions.  The answers to these questions are forever changing.  As people migrate to the United States and bring with them different cultural traditions, they mix together and form a constantly changing identity that we rightly call “American”.  If we know, then, that the American identity is constantly changing, how can we define so narrowly what “American” is?  Is an American someone who moves to the United States and calls it home or is an American someone who lives in the Western Hemisphere, as Webster’s dictionary states?  Some believe an American is a person who moves to the United States, learns to read, write and speak English fluently and ultimately obtains his or her citizenship.    

A friend told me once that he was upset about bilingual signs everywhere.  He said, “We are in America, signs should be in English.” He believed it was rude and irresponsible if newcomers did not learn English as soon as they came to this country.  He believed that immigrants should study English before they came to the United States.  At a former job I overheard a co-worker say to a customer, “Speak American, you’re in the United States.”   I believe she meant to say, “speak English,” but her ignorance may have overshadowed her intellect.  Both of these people expressed their concern about immigrants and their lack of fluency in the English language.  Both people believe if you live in the United States you should use English.   I believe they do not understand the complexity of the situation many immigrants find themselves in after moving to the United States.

I teach many different people from all parts of the world and in each class I learn more about foreign cultures and how dedicated my students are.  Each student brings a wealth of knowledge and a unique identity.   Most immigrants that come to this country speak another language and therefore use it as their main form of communication.  Over time, however, most immigrants learn to speak, read and write English and ultimately learn to depend largely on English to communicate. 

But learning English is not easy.  While immigrants learn English they also usually need to work a full time job and sometimes a part time job as well as take care of their family.  It is often difficult for immigrants to balance all their responsibilities and learn English.  In my class, in the past year we instructed 124 adults and their children who were trying to learn English.  Most students who attend class at West Warwick Public Library understand the importance of learning English to improve their quality of life.  Most students hope to learn English in order to pursue their goals and dreams, but are also aware of their ethnicity.  Most immigrants understand that they should try to learn English in order to communicate.  But do immigrants need to speak English or live in the United States in order to call themselves American?

So I consider to ponder the question:  “What is an American?”