Well I guess that ends that particular argument

Umm...

"America the Beautiful" was written in 1895. Don't think I can agree with you on that one.

Jay wrote: Not to mention that NOBODY called your country "America" before 9/11. It was always "the U.S.", or "the States", or "the USA". It still is in a lot of the world for that matter.

I agree. I always hates it when Jeremy Clarkson goes on and on about how bad Americans are at geography. I'd like to show him that page of the atlas so he can see that America consists of several very different countries...

"America" (My Country 'tis of Thee)

"God Bless America "

"America" (From West Side Story)

etc, etc, etc

There were thousands of references to America as a reference to the United States of America LONG before 9/11

Okay, fair enough. What I meant was that nobody in common speech or popular media did. Then suddenly all the chest-thumpers pulled the idea out of those old patriotic songs because why? They thought the colloquial name was beneath them? But somehow now it's standard.

I'll just counter my own argument here and mention that Mexico is also officially the United States of Mexico but nobody ever calls it anything other than just Mexico... Or do they?

United Mexican States

Jay, are you saying that West Side Story was not part of popular media?

Gotta love these young people.

The word "America" first showed up on a map in 1507.

In English it has been an acceptable reference to the United States of America since the 1800's. In recent years, the PC crowd has suggested some alleged "offense" to other countries in the Americas.

It was used by both Alexander Hamilton and James Madison in the Federalist Papers as a reference to the United States of America.

It's not about racist 9/11 chest thumping.

But I guess if we say something contrary to that enough times on the int3rn3t, or blame Jeremy Clarkson's map reading skills, it might become truth.

Sorry. I get a little pissy with revisionist history and half truth.