The Europeans that went to America were the ones doing that though
Yeah they were still Europeans when they named them. This should be the Obama award meme
They were. The American identity came later. Until the war of independence, settlers identified with the European countries of their heritage
…still do
It’s weird. Someone once told me her husband was German after I mentioned I lived there for a while. So I asked where they’re from, maybe I knew. “From Mississippi…”
I don’t live in America but I think most would consider themselves Americans. They are proud of the flag and the constitution and stuff. In the 1600s, you wouldn’t have figured a white person when someone said “American”. The whites were Brits or Germans or French, but not American. The natives were Americans.
Americans consider themselves Americans, but especially in the early days of the melting pot, cultural identity, and specifically that heritage was important. That’s why Americans are always saying they are Irish or Italian or whatever. The actual people from those countries laugh or get defensive about Americans who have never left the US claiming that heritage, but there’s a reason behind it.
In america we refer to our families by their heritage. Italian American. Irish American. Etc.
Italian American. Irish American. Etc.
My point exactly. They aren’t Italians who happen to live in America but Americans with Italian heritage. And I’m not talking about first or second generation but like “white” people in general. The concept of whiteness exists since they started to be Americans.
I’m not really sure what you’re saying. There were no white people before the USA?
They still are. Note how the USA helps Ukraine, primarily white country, but not so much countries that are primarily brown people.
They don’t help Ukraine because white.
They help Ukraine because fuck Russia.
See also Afghanistan (70s and 80s edition, not the remake)
A lot of the time they didn’t even bother appending “New.” We have way too many Berlins, Manchesters, Lebanons, etc.
Our native-inspired place names are the superior place names, anyway.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_place_names_of_Native_American_origin_in_the_United_StatesThanks for that! What a good idea for a road trip.
Funny you should say that
https://www.npr.org/2017/04/29/526157972/lebanese-photographer-visits-u-s-cities-named-lebanon
Meanwhile, the Americans that didn’t even put “new” in front of the city name and just called it Paris, Texas or some shit.
That’s a completely original name! Do you think Texans know anything about France?
Isn’t it named after a girl in a sex tape?
Yes actually. Paris Motel or something like that.
London, Ontario is one of the worst ones, and it’s not even in the US.
Greetings from Naples Florida
It must be horrible living there. You search for weather or news and get the more popular counterpart.
After they were actually American, they resorted to “What it was called by the people who lived here first, but pronounced wrong”
Hey, that’s just not true. Sure, the name of my state is Wisconsin, but we also have names based on “What it was called by the French, but pronounced wrong,” like Beloit (“buh-loit”), Butte des Morts (“boo-da-more”), and Lac Courte Oreilles (“la-coo-der-ray”).
true
who lived here first
Sounds like they still live here. And sounds like they were a homogeneous mass. There were differnt cultures living together and to choose a word they used, is a nice gesture, but still it was the whites who decided which one to pick
It’s weird they went with new instead of better. Maybe they weren’t very optimistic.
Better York
Less Crappy Orleans
Marginally Improved Haven
I think there is above 50 cities named “Villeneuve” in France (literraly meaning "New City)
Or Villefranche which means it was exempted from taxes.
Or how there are so many “St Something” that they had to add “de somewhere” to disambiguate lmao.
I’ve lived in 3 different places all named St Etienne.
New Zealand, named by America.
They named New Mexico, too, and it was so cool that aliens came to check out the city of Roswell.
No New Shitterton, though. :(
Essentially America came to be because they were looking to form a New Europe…so it tracks.
Explain new Mexico then. /s
To be fair, have you ever been to regular York? I have, it sucked. New York is a slight to moderate improvement.
For real? York is one of England’s most historically important cities. And a really nice city, too. What sucked about it?
Probably it being in England
I know, we’ll call it New Amsterdam!! How clever and inspired. Wait - wouldn’t New YORK be better? Oh man you just read my mind.
No new Scunthorpe though, for some reason 🤔
Big Jian Yang energy
Sometimes they didn’t even do that much. Which is why there’s a Portland in Maine and a Portland in Oregon