The American continent as a whole is not homogeneous from a historical and cultural point of view. In this sense, one can speak of two different blocks: Latin America and Anglo-Saxon America. Latin America (the term Hispanic America is sometimes used) is understood to be all nations that were colonized by Spain and Brazil. In contrast, Anglo-Saxon America refers to the United States and Canada, the two nations that were originally linked to Great Britain until they reached their independence.
Remarks on the concept of Anglo-Saxon America
The differences between Latin America and Anglo-Saxon America are not enough to understand the cultural division and, therefore, a series of considerations must be specified:
1) some territories are neither Latin nor Anglo-Saxon in origin (for example, Suriname was a Dutch colony and the territory of Saint Pierre and Miquelon is a French archipelago found in North America,
2) some territories that are currently considered part of Anglo-Saxon America were Spanish or Mexican territories during a long period of history and
3) a part of the current territory of Canada has French historical and cultural roots (in the province of Quebec French is the official language today).
Characteristics of Anglo-Saxon America
The main characteristic of this geographical area is the English language as the official language. English is official in the United States and the non-French-speaking part of Canada, as well as in a number of Caribbean nations (for example, Jamaica, Bahamas, Bermuda, or Saint Lucia).
Anglo-Saxon America has another unifying element, the Protestant religion. However, Protestantism is not homogeneous, since it presents all kinds of versions (the Mormon, the Evangelical, the Anabaptist or some minority groups such as the Quakers). On the other hand, it should not be forgotten that Anglo-Saxon America also has Catholic roots, especially of Irish and Italian origin.
The migratory phenomenon is another of the pillars of Anglo-Saxon America. Beginning in the early 1700s, the British-dominated American continent had a series of waves of migration. Originally, European emigration came from Great Britain for reasons of religious persecution, but over the years the emigration was mainly motivated by economic reasons.
Finally, ethnic multiplicity is another of the genuine features of Anglo-Saxon America. It must be borne in mind that the different migratory movements have their origin in widely dispersed territories (the African Atlantic coast is the origin of the black race of slaves that populated the American territory, in China there was an important migration in the 19th century to build the railroad in the United States and the American population of European origin includes all the ethnic diversity of the European continent).
Photos: iStock - in8finity / Artindo
