I do try to do some reading from various news sources each morning, and since I live in Brooklyn, it makes sense to me that one of the sources tends to be The New York Times. As I looked through its online component this morning, I ran across this article, and, as often happens, my reading prompted some thought on my part.
On this, the 234th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, my thoughts turn toward what it means to be American.
It is not so easy a question to answer as to ask. Even a simple geographic sense is somewhat frustrated. The term "America" refers to more than simply the United States; there are two continents that are included under the heading of "the Americas," and the United States is not even the largest nation among those of the two continents (that honor belongs to Canada). And even when the term is used (admittedly in an unfairly restrictive sense) to refer to those who live in the United States, it is not an accurate use.
For there is more to being "American" than simply living in a place. But I do not know how to speak to more.
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