Because “American” is not their word for themselves. It is the Latinized last name of the Italian explorer (Amerigo Vespucci) who explored the continents.
It would be offensively ironic to name the original dwellers of this land mass after the guy, it would be assimilation.
Not really. Those are human made concepts, so you must start from the inception of the concept of immigration. Good luck finding the exact date, since it predates written language :/
What if we called the original people Americans, and the newcomers immigrant Americans?
Clarity: Native American -> American
American -> Immigrant American
Because “American” is not their word for themselves. It is the Latinized last name of the Italian explorer (Amerigo Vespucci) who explored the continents.
It would be offensively ironic to name the original dwellers of this land mass after the guy, it would be assimilation.
All life on land is an immigrant is it not?
Not really. Those are human made concepts, so you must start from the inception of the concept of immigration. Good luck finding the exact date, since it predates written language :/
And due to the transitive property of humans, if we follow this through to its logical conclusion then native Americans are immigrant Americans too