Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Were North and South American defined at that point? Or was this whole landmass just referenced as the Americas or America then? It seems redundant to name a country after a continent, particularly when the continent being referenced is a subset of a larger group of continents that are collectively referenced by almost the same name
Well, I found the following reference in a Wikipedia article (I am citing the reference, not Wikipedia):
Quote:
"America." The Oxford Companion to the English Language (ISBN 0-19-214183-X). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 33: "[16c: from the feminine of Americus, the Latinized first name of the explorer Amerigo Vespucci (1454–1512). The name America first appeared on a map in 1507 by the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller, referring to the area now called Brazil]. Since the 16c, a name of the western hemisphere, often in the plural Americas and more or less synonymous with the New World.
Since the 18c, a name of the United States of America. The second sense is now primary in English: ... However, the term is open to uncertainties: ..."
The italicized section (I added that emphasis) implies, as I have posited, that the term "America" is currently presumed to refer to the USA unless the context indicates otherwise and the word "Americas" is typically used when referring to the New World. And by extension, referring to someone as "American" implies that they are a citizen or resident of the USA.
And the last sentance is where our discussion comes in.
And in support of my reference to the American founding fathers (see what I did there?) referring to the USA simply as "America" I offer the following quote from George Washington, our first constitutional president:
Originally Posted By: George Washington
I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations of justice and liberality.
I'm pretty sure that's a reference to the United States of America, not the continent. And I doubt that the reference was an example of American hubris as although George was probably proud to be an American, the country of America made up a miniscule part of the Americas, pretty much wanted to be left alone at that point, and did not view itself as Britain's or any other nation's superior.