Americans, a Question of Identity

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[T]he Illinois River valley has a distinctive feel, along with the area around it....

In the early days of the independence of the United States of America, each of the thirteen former British colonies were thought to be quasi-sovereign entities under the Articles of Confederation. Almost everyone identitfied primarily as citizens of their home state; few identified primarily (if at all) as Americans. Even with the new Constitution, this concept of state identity remains: Powers not delegated specifically to the federal government are left to the states and the individual; the Senate gives each state (regardless of population size) equal representation; the Electoral College tends to give small states disproportionate influence (and works as winner-takes-all by state). Nowadays, with mass communication, ease of travel, and the commonness of moving from state to state, I imagine most U.S. citizens see themselves primarily as Americans rather than, say, Missourians or New Yorkers. For this reason, relics like the Electoral College, disproportionate influence in the Senate, and state-by-state variance in laws no longer makes sense; we're all Americans.

Now the question is, if you're from the U.S., do you primarily identify as American or as a citizen of your state? Do you think this should change our current federal governmental framework?

I was talking about the west coast, specifically the claim in the post ahead of mine that San Francisco is the only distinctive spot on the west coast; I meant, of course, the Illinois River in Oregon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois_River_(Oregon)

That should have been specified. The Illinois River in Illinois is more notable. I didn't even know there was a river named Illinois in Oregon. I bet very few people who don't live near it even know it exists.