WASPs

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I used to assume that the term WASP merely referred to US Citizens of English ancestry, or whatever British ancestry, but one day, years ago, I looked up the term in the Encyclopedia Britannia, at a local library. I was shocked. Turned out, WASP was not merely an Ethnic group but a whole category of Ethnic Groups, including of course, (1.), US Citizens of English ancestry, (2.), the Scots Irish, and (3.), German Americans, assuming they are Protestant.

I remember, in Gym Class, we had a very bigoted Gym Coach who made the claim, "Unless, of course, you are a pure blooded White Anglo Saxon Protestant, and can trace ALL your ancestors all the way back to the May Flower, you are not a real American!" I was more than a bit upset about that. The joke was on him, though, for by saying that he was excluding even most US Citizens of British ancestry. But, that was decades ago.

I fear Trump. After all, he seems to be in office merely to make other German Americans look bad. He does fit some unfortunate stereotypes of the Teutonic Race. That is precisely why his racist gaffes are so upsetting. Who is behind him? I wonder!

He’s just as much a WASP as he is German. His mother was Scottish.

I read his German grandparents had them German citizenship revoked as his grandfather skipped out on his mandatory military duty.

The term WASP has expanded its meaning over the years.

I’ve always known WASPS to be of English descent only.

The Scots-Irish were actually frowned upon by WASPS. They were seen as being more agrarian, rural types. Like country bumpkins. Though many early Presidents were actually Scots-Irish.

If an early President came from the South, they were usually Scots-Irish. If from the North, WASP.

My ancestors were already here to greet the WASPs, who gifted my ancestors with smallpox, syphilis, whiskey, and the Christian religion.

So is your teacher implying Native Americans aren't real americans? I mean what the hell all those people on the Mayflower were immigrants so...err yeah.

That is an interesting point. Should have brought it up to him, way back when.

A thought experiment. If recent immigrants and their children who have naturalised are "as American as anyone else". Were the original colonisers therefore Native American after a period of time?

As an American, I have never heard this term used my entire life.

"White people" are "mutts", all mixed.

Intriguingly, during the 1920's, those born in America were termed Native Americans, to distinguish them from recent immigrants, in any event!

Hate to keep picking on you, but you're wrong again.

I read a magazine article when I was a child in 1969, back when the term "WASP" first came into vogue, that defined "WASP" the wide way I use the term (not just English, but Teutonic Northwest European ancestry). So it has most certainly NOT "expanded" in meaning. Though I do admit that from the beginning the term may have always had two slightly different competing meanings: that of strictly English ancestry, vs that of any white bread White American.

I hate the term "American Indian" because the folks so named did not immigrate to America from India. And in urban parts of the US there are more and more folks of South Asian ancestry.

But the new fangled US alternative label for them is equally stupid because... of what you're saying....the term "native American" just means "anyone born in the US" (not an immigrant). "Native" (related to the word "nativity") just means "any local who was born where you are".

Most Americans of every race are "native American"( even if their parents were immigrants). The term "Nativism" has been long used in politics to mean essentially "anti immigrant". Pat Buchanan, and Trump, could both be called "Nativists". But neither is particular pro American Indian. And like you're saying - back in the 1920's political "Nativists" referred to non immigrant White folks as "Native Americans".

In Canada they use the term "First Nations People" for the original inhabitants of the continent, which is fine in spirit, but is long and unwieldy.

The people in question are actually "Indigenous Americans", or are "American Aboriginies" (sp?).

That is very interesting. Besides, where did the term "American" originate?

You can blame (early) mass media for that!

Columbus "discovered" America in 1492. And then launched other voyages. And soon other explorers followed in his footsteps at the turn of the 1500's century.

One of those earliest was another Italian working for Spain named Amerigo Vespucci.

Vespucci sailed down several hundred miles of the coast of what is now Brazil, and mapped it.

Meanwhile back in Europe there was a revolution underway in information technology (similar to what we are going through now) because Gutenburg had just recently invented movable type, making it easy to mass produce books, and news rags.

An early printer in Europe reported that this guy named Amerigo just discovered a whole new continent across the ocean - READ ALL ABOUT IT... lets name the place after him.

A little while later that printer printed a retraction saying "actually Amerigo is just further exploring something that this other guy named Columbus already found". But it was too late. Millions had read the first article. And...the name "America" was short, catchy, and it had a ring.

So as they uncovered the extent of the two continents of the New World that was the name that stuck to both North and South "America".

That little stretch of Brazil, shown as a slender little island in the Atlantic labeled "America", on a map in the 1490's was the first published map in history to show the name "America".

Wow, that is really neat!