Usonians and America

If you are born anywhere in Europe—Portgual, Bulgaria, France, Crete, UK, you are considered “European”. We usually refer to those who reside or have some background in the geographical area between Mexico and Canada along with the other two non-continental territories as “Americans”. Surely it is a simple and convenient term for a demonym, although what makes it inclusive to those only in the boundaries of the USA?

There likely must be some underlying historical precedent at work.

The US State while conceived in a tyrannical fashion started out as relatively isolationist or non-interventionist. This would soon come to end as the 19th century continued. The Monroe doctrine become one of the central tenets of US foreign policy later expanding into the ideas of big stick, Wilsonianism, Trumanism, and countless other bigger than themselves, presidential doctrines regarding the importance of the “shiny city on the hill”. This policy can be traced back to Mr. Hamilton(along with a lot of the Federalists) desires for the new US State to maintain control of the sphere of influence in the western hemisphere. This was well received by future presidents including Adams and Jefferson and eventually the goal came to fruition when James Monroe became president and stated the doctrine in one of his annual State of the Union addresses.

The Monroe doctrine's original stated purpose at least on paper, was to resist further European colonialism of the new world. You see, the US had to be the authority of this new world and being one of the first places to become independent from the old world it had the responsibility to ensure other nations could be independent as well. Unraveling this political speak, it plainly meant the US must use their military and economic powers to intervene with coup d’etats, sanctions, conquests or any other acts of aggressions for the purposes of establishing and securing their own hegemony in the Americas. The evidence should be more than enough when you look at the histories of every country “south of the border”. You’ll see they all have some footprints from US imperialism.

James Duff Law coined the term Usonian in 1903 as in one of his letters he says:

“We of the United States, in justice to Canadians and Mexicans, have no right to use the title ‘Americans’ when referring to matters pertaining exclusively to ourselves.”

It was later used by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who tried to make this an actual word beyond his vision for distinct architecture. But for whatever unfortunate circumstances it never became an official word outside of the underrepresented Esperanto language. Wright wrote in 1927:

“But why this term “America” has become representative as the name of these United States at home and abroad is past recall. Samuel Butler(misattributed) fitted us with a good name. He called us Usonians, and our Nation of combined States, Usonia”

Sometime in my earlier years, when I was attending a private school in Rio de Janeiro we were discussing an historical topic related to the Age of Discovery. Having a vivid memory of this day, I made a statement regarding the affairs of the British and was corrected by my history teacher for calling the USA, America. He said repugnantly, “Which America?” never encountering this way of thinking back home, I responded, “The United States”. “Ah, they are actually called norte-americanos(North Americans), specifically Estadunidenses(Usonians),” he said.

So now I’m never really surprised as some seem to be when I see how Usonians botch, hijack, and misuse terms like “liberal” to mean almost the opposite of how many others view them.