More importance of ancestors/clans in America

[Copperhead]

What would it take to have something similar to clans or tribes (not just for natives) in America?

Obviously there probably couldnt be anything like the Somalis or Pashtuns because England never had that structure but maybe more mixing with the natives and such so that by the revolution a sizable chunk are mestizo in some way.

Could this lead to by modern day in america most people can trace their ancestry back to specific people and hold their ancestors in high regard?

Ex- My family is descended from Robert E. Lee or this random revolutionary war hero or some Cherokee chief.

This is just a thought exercise since I love blending cultures as well as the clan and tribal societies with their importance of community and family

 

[pa_dutch]

That's pretty much how the US already is, with different ancestry groups like Irish, Italian, Chinese, Mexican, African-American, German, Dominican, Filipino, Somali, Korean, Cajun, Polish, Cuban, Persian, Nigerian, Swedish, Samoan, Haitian, Indian, etc. Growing up in a very Catholic area of the Northeast, kids in my school were very proud to call themselves "Irish," "Italian," "Polish," etc. That's a very New World thing.

 

[Quintuplicate]

That's pretty much how the US already is, with different ancestry groups like Irish, Italian, Chinese, Mexican, African-American, German, Dominican, Filipino, Somali, Korean, Cajun, Polish, Cuban, Persian, Nigerian, Swedish, Samoan, Haitian, Indian, etc. Growing up in a very Catholic area of the Northeast, kids in my school were very proud to call themselves "Irish," "Italian," "Polish," etc. That's a very New World thing.

How about Anglo?

 

[pa_dutch]

How about Anglo?

English? Yeah, there's a lot of that, too, of course. Some people are more conscious of it than others, some people downplay it in favor of another, more "exotic" part of their heritage, and some people dismiss it and call themselves just "American" instead.

...This is also a segway into another way Americans honor their ancestors, with organizations like "The Mayflower Society," "Sons (or Daughters) of the American Revolution," "The Jamestowne Society," "Bloodlines of Salem," etc.

 

[Byzantion]

What would it take to have something similar to clans or tribes (not just for natives) in America?

Obviously there probably couldnt be anything like the Somalis or Pashtuns because England never had that structure but maybe more mixing with the natives and such so that by the revolution a sizable chunk are mestizo in some way.

Could this lead to by modern day in america most people can trace their ancestry back to specific people and hold their ancestors in high regard?

Ex- My family is descended from Robert E. Lee or this random revolutionary war hero or some Cherokee chief.

This is just a thought exercise since I love blending cultures as well as the clan and tribal societies with their importance of community and family

Hatfield McCoy?

 

[Gisele]

As mentioned, this is already how America works. There is lots of importance on family name and your "dynasty". Look at the families that have many members in fields like politics, entertainment, business, etc. Looking at many notable Americans, its not uncommon to Google them and find on their Wikipedia page or elsewhere that they're the son or daughter of someone very famous/powerful or that their great-great-great grandparent was [insert name here] or that they're related to [insert name here].

Beyond that, a lot of Americans will say they're [insert any country/ethnicity here] (as mentioned by "pa_dutch"), even if they're born and raised in America, only have American citizenship and may not have even visited the country of their families homeland. And many hold up their heritage to a very high regard . There are tons of neighbourhoods and areas in American cities where a large chunk of the population share the same ethnic/cultural background.

One thing I noticed though is that when it comes to those of Anglo/English origins, people will either mention it or simply call themselves "American", unless they have more "exotic" origins (meaning non-Anglo), which they then might try to "play up".

 

[Kerney]

That's pretty much how the US already is, with different ancestry groups like Irish, Italian, Chinese, Mexican, African-American, German, Dominican, Filipino, Somali, Korean, Cajun, Polish, Cuban, Persian, Nigerian, Swedish, Samoan, Haitian, Indian, etc. Growing up in a very Catholic area of the Northeast, kids in my school were very proud to call themselves "Irish," "Italian," "Polish," etc. That's a very New World thing.

I would argue that this is a regional thing. It is strong in the NE and in the South and I've seen it first hand. On the other hand, I grew up in Denver and nobody gave a damn about ancestry, no more than they cared about high school and college football (the broncos on the other hand were important). I think it's weaker, generally, the further west you get, away from the old immigrant neighborhoods though the importance increases somewhat when you hit the west coast.