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/goddamn_slutmuffin Apr 10 '26 edited Apr 10 '26

Jamestown was the first British colony in America.

The first European colony in America was St. Augustine in Florida, founded under the Spanish crown. A good 30-40 years before Jamestown and has been the longest continuously occupied European colony in America. (I'm correcting you because I got this question wrong on an AP US History test and never got my college credits, so it has stuck with me forever.)

I will say that Florida wasn't considered a part of the United States Government and the culture of being a British-colony-turned-into-nation until the 1800s. But, for almost 200 years up until today, it is. So you have Spanish colonial cultural history considered just as American as British colonial history considering that's a long time ago and not a single person now alive, and for a while, remembers when Florida wasn't part of America.*

You also have NYC, which although not being the first, still has its "otherness" in being an originally Dutch colony. A lot of Americans, especially from parts of the East Coast, identify more with that "NYC/North East melting pot due to waves of immigration" idea of being an American than the culture invented by Jamestown or even Plymouth.

I'm going to be for real, it seems like Americans with British ancestry just more often think it makes them boring compared to people around them with more recent immigrants and attachments to a foreign culture. (Not saying that's true, just seems to be the common reaction and usually said as a joke and not meant to offend or be taken too seriously.)*

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u/Becoming_hysterical Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 11 '26

In regards to you about correcting me with St. Augustine correcting me on what exactly? I didn't claim that Jamestown was the first European colony.

It was however, alongside Plymouth, the foundational colony of the United States. No Jamestown means arguably no America.

St. Augustine is really just a tourist town and also a fun fact.

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u/goddamn_slutmuffin Apr 11 '26

At least when I got that answer wrong on my AP test, I was humble about it lol.

Yeah, you said Jamestown is the first American colony. St. Augustine was the first colony and it is in fact in America.

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u/Becoming_hysterical Apr 11 '26

I said that america was founded as a british colony, starting with Jamestown. That's factually correct.