Jessie Ede Blog 4 Being American

I tend to view nationality or, to be more precise, nation of origin as an accident of birth. My immediate reaction to the question "What makes you American?" is that I was born in the United States of America so that is where I got my passport. This may put me in line with the Spanish Americans (that is, those born in Central and South America) in chapter 4 of Anderson, who claimed the title due to birth. The social inability of those born in the newly colonized states to ever rise to the rank of those with European heritage is not a practice I was previously unaware of, but I think cross-applying it to today is an interesting thought exercise. For example, if I left tomorrow, moved to any other country, and never moved back to the United States of America but instead lived there for the rest of my life, would I ever cease to be American? I am sure full assimilation to the new community and country where I moved would take some time but since I am only 21 I would like to think I have around or at least sixty years left on Earth. In sixty years or so of living in one place would I be able to claim the higher status of being a local? Or would I always be an outsider? Clearly, the cultural implications are not the same as they were when the Americas were being colonized and I do not anticipate that this fictional move would result in my subjugation, but I think it may be an easier way for those of us born into the privileged position of American to think about what it looks like to step outside our nationality without traveling.