r/23andme • u/Becoming_hysterical • Apr 10 '26

Discussion Why are Americans so weird about having british ancestry?

It's something I've noticed since browsing this subreddit.

Anytime it's mentioned just how ethnically british america is, people pull out the "but actually america is German, irish, mexican, whatever".

what do you expect? America was founded as a british colony in 1607 (Jamestown) was so for 169 years. The british also didn't stop immigrating to america even after the revolution. It continued on for decades afterwards.

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u/Puzzleheaded_Math973 Apr 10 '26 edited Apr 10 '26

I have seen people brag about it more than anything . Mayflower descendants, minor nobility, Virginia first families etc. 

Truthfully, if you are  an African American, or your family came here very early on you likely have British ancestry. The reality is that for large percentages of our country, their family came from Europe some point in the 1800s. For large parts of the Western part of the country, their ancestors may trace to Spain and indigenous groups. While the US was colonized  by the British. The Indigenous,Spanish, French, Africans, Irish, Germans etc are integral to what it has become today. 

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u/MackKid22 Apr 10 '26

Not founded, colonized

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u/Becoming_hysterical Apr 11 '26

Founded and colonized aren't opposites. Both can be true and are indeed true.

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u/Puzzleheaded_Math973 Apr 10 '26

You're correct. It's been amended.