The historical development of “America”: a man’s name > a “discovered” continent > a differentiating location > an imperial shorthand > an expression of devotion > a galvanizing ideal.*
A basic navigating framework I find useful for any setting is that of “Inter-Christianity“ (see August 2017 blogpost). That is, fundamental identity markers for people who are “in Christ” include international, interconfessional, interdisciplinary, intergenerational, and interdependent; markers inherent to those categories include inter-ethnic and inter-class. Living with an “inter-Christian” identity overrides other claims to loyalty and self-identity.
“National” identity seeks to stake a basic claim of loyalty in citizens’ hearts. For those of us who are U.S. citizens, we are regularly admonished to fulfill our various “sacred” duties and to treasure “sacred” rights. After all, the admonitions claim, the “United States of America” is the greatest nation in the history of the world and should thus have the “most lethal fighting force” in the world. Questioning, and certainly opposing, such claims might be theoretically and legally permitted but can be socially, politically, and emotionally cast as blasphemous.
I grew up in the US during the Cold War. I have lived substantial portions of my adult life in various other parts of the world, as well as in various locations within the US. Along with giving shape to living with the above-sketched “inter-Christian” identity, these life experiences have helped to reshape much of what I grew up assuming about “America” and its place in the world.
* Elaborating Sources:
Continental Congress (1777). “Articles of Confederation.” National Archives. https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/articles-of-confederation
Federal Convention (1787). “The Constitution of the United States.” National Archives. https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution
Immerwahr, D. (2019). “When Did the US Start Calling Itself “America,” Anyway?” MotherJones. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/07/when-did-the-united-states-start-calling-itself-america-anyway/
Library of Congress (n.d.). “Recognizing and Naming America: Waldseemüller’s 1507 Map.” https://www.loc.gov/collections/discovery-and-exploration/articles-and-essays/recognizing-and-naming-america/
Lincoln, A. (1863). “A Proclamation.” National Archives. https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured-documents/emancipation-proclamation/transcript.html
Moran, G. (2018). America in the United States and the United States in America. Bloomington, IN: iUniverse.
Representatives of the united States of America (1776). “Declaration of Independence.” National Archives. https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/declaration-of-independence
