Who Named the United States? (Short Animated Documentary)

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  • čas přidán 16. 01. 2020
  • The United States of America. The USA. America. The Land of the Free. These are just some of the names for that continental sized nation which Alaska wishes it could touch. You'll be surprised to know that other names were considered for the new nation during the American Revolution against Britain and that a name wasn't settled on until the Constitutional Congress. Until other ideas, like Columbia or Fredonia were proposed. So why did the Founding Fathers choose the name 'United States of America'. Find out in this video, the latest in my very short, animated historical documentaries (about history).
    God Bless Fredonia.
    Twitter: / tenminhistory
    Patreon: www.patreon.com/user?u=4973164
    Merch: teespring.com/stores/history-...
    Special Thanks to the following Patrons for their support on Patreon:
    Alen
    Kevin Sanders
    Chris Fatta
    Richard Wolfe
    Stefan Møller
    Ian Jensen
    D. Mahlik
    anon
    sharpie660
    Andrew Niedbala
    Qi Xiao
    Wolf
    Ariadni Voulgari
    John Garcia
    Mitchell Wildoer
    Paul McGee
    Nathan Perlman
    Bernardo Santos
    Christopher Godfrey
    Perry Gagne
    Shaun Pullin
    Danny Ansteht
    James Castañeda
    Sam
    Chris Hall
    August Block
    Henry Rabung
    Joooooshhhhh
    Magdalena Reinberg-Leibel
    Vesko Dinev
    Yasin Ayas
    Troy Schmidt
    Mitchell Watene
    hamid kadiwala
    Blake Dryad
    Adam Barrett
    I’m Not In The Description
    Lachlan
    Haydn Noble
    FuzzytheFair
    Liam Gilleece
    Byzans_Scotorius
    Jeffrey Schneider
    Sources:
    (Bawl-)Fredonia: Renaming, Remapping, and Retelling the United States in the Early Republic by Christian Quendler
    The Naming of America by Franz Laubenberger and Steven Rowan

Komentáře • 3,9K

  • @merrittanimation7721
    @merrittanimation7721 Před 4 lety +4010

    USA: "Columbia is a dumb name."
    Gran Colombia: "Well if you're not going use it I might as well."

    • @Ake-TL
      @Ake-TL Před 4 lety +93

      Merritt Animation USA: “F*ck!”

    • @ricardoguanipa8275
      @ricardoguanipa8275 Před 4 lety +126

      Meanwhile in the former Viceroyalty of Nueva Granada: " [Colombia] , Uff pero que nombre tan Verraco pues"

    • @fischlmakesmondstadtgreata7113
      @fischlmakesmondstadtgreata7113 Před 4 lety +68

      @asdf Fun fact, there is a Town in Ohio which has a Hitler Road, Hitler Park and Hitler Cemetery.

    • @hans9862
      @hans9862 Před 4 lety +20

      @@fischlmakesmondstadtgreata7113 was it named before or after the rise of Adolf

    • @andreassrensen4245
      @andreassrensen4245 Před 4 lety +44

      asdf, Please don’t lessen the horror of Hitler by comparing him to Columbus.

  • @ravenlord4
    @ravenlord4 Před 4 lety +4662

    They should have named it "Atlantis" just to screw with historians and archeologists a thousand years from now.

  • @undo9981
    @undo9981 Před 3 lety +2997

    citizen: "what should we call or nation?"
    some guy named Fred:"I have a brilliant idea"

    • @jodofe4879
      @jodofe4879 Před 2 lety +213

      Well, it worked for Romulus.

    • @1987MartinT
      @1987MartinT Před 2 lety +108

      No, Fred! We're not naming the country after you! Sit down until you have something useful to say!

    • @canadiancupcake2443
      @canadiancupcake2443 Před 2 lety +54

      meanwhile Frank and Romulus

    • @ThePreciseClimber
      @ThePreciseClimber Před 2 lety +25

      @@jodofe4879 And also a certain Walt with Disneyland.

    • @jayczzzya
      @jayczzzya Před 2 lety +3

      If only he was as clever as Samuel Wilson of New York.

  • @tboneforreal
    @tboneforreal Před 2 lety +1630

    Fun Fact: The "DC" in Washington, DC stands for District of Columbia so they did get to use Columbia for the name of the capital at least.

    • @stevenpeay923
      @stevenpeay923 Před 2 lety +276

      And funny enough, what is now the state of Washington was going to be called "Columbia", but people were worried it would get confused with the District of Columbia. So, ironically, they named the new state Washington, an even more confusing name

    • @gustavosauro1882
      @gustavosauro1882 Před 2 lety +88

      @@stevenpeay923 this fact fills me with rage

    • @uldisbergvalds1
      @uldisbergvalds1 Před 2 lety +19

      @@gustavosauro1882 I agree with you

    • @BogusmanTheSwagman
      @BogusmanTheSwagman Před 2 lety +61

      Washington, Da Capital

    • @risannd
      @risannd Před rokem +27

      @@stevenpeay923 District of Columbia back then is composed of several cities and counties, namely Georgetown, Washington City, Washington County, Alexandria City and Alexandria County (later ceded back to Virginia). Later, these cities and counties are merged into single entity called Washington DC.

  • @dna0303
    @dna0303 Před 4 lety +3423

    USA: *Tries to change name to Colombia
    *That username is already taken*

    • @the0ne809
      @the0ne809 Před 4 lety +26

      Someone already patented a similar name. Sorry. Lol

    • @nadie516
      @nadie516 Před 4 lety +125

      Not only the name was taken, the country that used it was name "the great columbia". Pro gamer move against the unitedstatians

    • @Darkfawfulx
      @Darkfawfulx Před 4 lety +30

      Well there are two Congos....

    • @grantorino2325
      @grantorino2325 Před 4 lety +48

      Columbia, not "Colombia."
      And while most people preferred "America" as our country's name, "Hail Columbia" became our national anthem for a few short years, the waterway that led Lewis and Clark to the Pacific got christened the "Columbia River," our nation's capital was baptized "the District of Columbia," and "King's University" in New York City was renamed "Columbia University."

    • @mikespearwood3914
      @mikespearwood3914 Před 4 lety +14

      @@grantorino2325 Literally the same thing except for spelling.

  • @ivanivanofivansson8551
    @ivanivanofivansson8551 Před 4 lety +9277

    Fredonia... Sounds like a minecraft village made by 12 year olds.

    • @johnsphpaulin1162
      @johnsphpaulin1162 Před 4 lety +559

      True, but so would any other nations name if hadn't been adopted. Imagine living in a world where France still called itself Gaul and hearing France for the first time.

    • @mbogucki1
      @mbogucki1 Před 4 lety +203

      @@johnsphpaulin1162 Gaul would be an awesome name. Gauls win wars, French do not. 😂
      But to be honest I always like Francia vs. France.

    • @kevinboros7427
      @kevinboros7427 Před 4 lety +348

      @@mbogucki1 France actually has the greatest military record of all time.

    • @johnsphpaulin1162
      @johnsphpaulin1162 Před 4 lety +290

      @@kevinboros7427 yeah, but they lost to that one guy with the weird mustache. So clearly they're incapable of ever winning the war ever again.

    • @johnsphpaulin1162
      @johnsphpaulin1162 Před 4 lety +106

      @@mbogucki1 but the Gauls didn't win there Wars, that's why it was a Roman province for most of its existence

  • @karnickel-s33d16
    @karnickel-s33d16 Před 3 lety +674

    The author Washington Irving had proposed that we rename the USA to "Appalachia" after our Eastern mountain range. This would be problematic since no one in the USA can agree on the pronunciation of the Appalachians.

    • @somebodysomewhere6770
      @somebodysomewhere6770 Před 2 lety +82

      People from Appalachia say Appalachia correctly. Also I don't think Appalachia would be a good name for the US because then people would get confused trying to distinguish Appalachia the region vs. Appalachia the country.

    • @Fudz4
      @Fudz4 Před 2 lety +24

      I have always liked Appalachia or 'The United States of the Appalachias'. Worth considering that it would have been the better name if you were anti expansionist and wanted to limit the Union to just the 13 states and the acquired eastern territory.

    • @BeaglzRok1
      @BeaglzRok1 Před 2 lety +12

      @@Bone_Thug It most certainly is not. "A-puh-lay-chee-uh" is clearly correct, even if locals say "she-uh." "Appa-lacha" meanwhile sounds like something you'd get at a coffee shop.

    • @DevinMcSalty
      @DevinMcSalty Před 2 lety +2

      Only people that don’t know how to speak(mostly people with 3 teeth) say it anyway other way than the correct way.

    • @chrisklenke9681
      @chrisklenke9681 Před 2 lety +15

      @@somebodysomewhere6770 people from south Appalachia say it like "app-uhl-atch-uh" and people from north Appalachia say it like "app-uh-lay-shuh"

  • @robertwelding1633
    @robertwelding1633 Před 3 lety +430

    There was already the United Provinces of the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain, so the name, United States of America, simply followed an established pattern.

    • @braziliantsar
      @braziliantsar Před 2 lety +18

      Yeah except they weren't the united states of America as a whole, but for some north american, anglo colonies, with the exception of Canada.

    • @i_likemen5614
      @i_likemen5614 Před 2 lety +31

      It wasn't all of America though. It is like France calling themselves "The United States of Europe"

    • @altu9204
      @altu9204 Před rokem +34

      @@i_likemen5614 I interpret the name more as a descriptor than an actual name; the States United which are in the Americas.

    • @georgehh2574
      @georgehh2574 Před rokem +14

      @@i_likemen5614 Not really, it's like saying "states of America which are united"
      not
      "America's states are united"

    • @zsombortelek8411
      @zsombortelek8411 Před rokem +5

      It was actually named the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands, United Provinces was just a nickname. But I see your point.

  • @aliensinnoh1
    @aliensinnoh1 Před 4 lety +9129

    “No one would call themselves United Statesian”
    People who speak Spanish: *sweat nervously*

    • @OMGitshimitis
      @OMGitshimitis Před 4 lety +428

      Can you explain for someone who doesn't speak Spanish?

    • @varana
      @varana Před 4 lety +2153

      @@OMGitshimitis One of the Spanish words for US Americans is "estadounidense", from estado = state and unido = united, so quite literally "unitedstatesian". (Just the other way around, as usual in Spanish.)

    • @emptank
      @emptank Před 4 lety +872

      Eh, better than just gringo i guess.

    • @EliasDeFilippo
      @EliasDeFilippo Před 4 lety +354

      We also use yankis for you.

    • @aliensinnoh1
      @aliensinnoh1 Před 4 lety +208

      @@EliasDeFilippo Sad Red Sox fan noises.

  • @azulaquaza4916
    @azulaquaza4916 Před 4 lety +2452

    Captain Fredonia: I can do this all day

    • @Crick1952
      @Crick1952 Před 4 lety +64

      I want this as a Marvel What if..? comic so badly

    • @The-Samuil
      @The-Samuil Před 4 lety +163

      Fredonia sounds like one of those fake countries in the DC Universe

    • @BCrane-ej4iq
      @BCrane-ej4iq Před 4 lety +47

      @@The-Samuil You mean like Latveria from Marvel?

    • @fighterck6241
      @fighterck6241 Před 4 lety +45

      I grew up in a town outside of Buffalo called Fredonia. Never much thought about it...

    • @lukesalazar9283
      @lukesalazar9283 Před 4 lety +7

      @@fighterck6241 huh. Cool

  • @ReinoldFZ
    @ReinoldFZ Před rokem +130

    Growing in Spanish it was confusing because the Spanish word "América" is used for "the Americas" in English, so each time it was mentioned in movies I thought it was meant in reference to the whole two land masses of South and North America, not a country. Now I use America in English for the country, and in Spanish América for the Americas. It is just how language evolves differently for very similar words, like that Simpson episode about inflammable xp

    • @thehumanoddity
      @thehumanoddity Před rokem +7

      In the US, the term North and South America is used with the separating point being Panama; and Central America being used to refer to between Mexico and Panama. I guess since "American" picked up as the demonym of the United States, the choice to separate the two in the American English language was chosen.

    • @rc1982
      @rc1982 Před rokem +6

      In (Brazilian) Poetuguese, "America" is ambigous between "the Americas" and "the USA"

    • @Nostripe361
      @Nostripe361 Před rokem +2

      @@thehumanoddity I think some of us use America for the us and use Americas when talking about the continents

    • @bigscarysteve
      @bigscarysteve Před 10 měsíci +4

      @mechupaunhuevon7662 I was born in and have lived my whole life in America, and I have never heard anybody here refer to the country as "the States." That sounds like something somebody from the UK or Ireland or Australia or New Zealand would say. I do hear people in media call the country "the United States" often (and incorrectly) enough, but in real life, everybody here calls it America.

    • @cygnals524
      @cygnals524 Před 7 měsíci

      @@bigscarysteve I agree & I was born, raised & lived here my entire life as well. If anything, when asked where we were born most of answer with the name of the city first then the state. So, when someone asks me where I was born I never once have answered with the US or America, I reply with Concord, NH. If someone online asks me where I am from & I know they are in another country I will say I am an American & then tell them what city & state so they know what part of the country I am from.

  • @merouln700
    @merouln700 Před 2 lety +286

    While the people of the USA are referred as "américains" in French, things that are related to the country itself can sometimes be referred as "états-uniens" which is literally "united statesian".

    • @kannonball5789
      @kannonball5789 Před 2 lety +5

      If you are referring to the nation itself as the Untied States would it not be Les États-Unis?

    • @spartanx9293
      @spartanx9293 Před 2 lety +8

      I will henceforth refer to the French as Republicans

    • @jaciel610
      @jaciel610 Před 2 lety +14

      @@spartanx9293 no, also France is not taking the name from a continent.
      It’d be confusing to call themselves Europeans, if they were the “republic of Europe” or “the United States of Europe”

    • @spartanx9293
      @spartanx9293 Před 2 lety +8

      @@jaciel610 the United States was the first independent country of European descent founded in North America can you name a single other country that meets these qualifications the general rule you also follow what the people living in the country call themselves we call ourselves Americans and we don't give two s**** what other people think if they don't like it tough they should have founded their country before us

    • @jaciel610
      @jaciel610 Před 2 lety

      @@spartanx9293 ah your comment is a complete USA stereotype “we don’t give two S** about (what) other people”.
      That says a lot, enjoy your big ego, bye.

  • @StefanoBertacchi
    @StefanoBertacchi Před 4 lety +6229

    It's funny because in Italian, for calling Americans, we have "Statunitensi" that is literally "United Statesian" :D

    • @StefanoBertacchi
      @StefanoBertacchi Před 4 lety +130

      @Stephen Jenkins it's true, but I like and I use the other word because it is actually the correct one :)

    • @chaosXP3RT
      @chaosXP3RT Před 4 lety +282

      Just call us Yankees

    • @steveperez178
      @steveperez178 Před 4 lety +411

      @@chaosXP3RT Please, no one do this.

    • @SoooooWhatt
      @SoooooWhatt Před 4 lety +353

      As an English-speaking American that is taking a Spanish class, I have heard a similar Spanish word for inhabitants of the United States: "estadounidense", which also literally means "United Statesian", but is supposed to be translated as "American". Additionally, the term "Americano" (male) or "Americana" (female) is used to refer to an inhabitant of the landmass "América", which is counted by Spanish speakers as one continent, but by English speakers as two continents: North America and South America.

    • @DylanDude
      @DylanDude Před 4 lety +68

      The “correct” version would be the one actually used in the United States, wouldn’t it?

  • @samaritan3712
    @samaritan3712 Před 4 lety +3561

    Obviously the United States's parents named them like that, duh.

    • @romulusnuma116
      @romulusnuma116 Před 4 lety +177

      Would the parents in this case be Britain and France?

    • @blueangel4ever370
      @blueangel4ever370 Před 4 lety +122

      And now the US is taking over Daddy Britains business of manipulating and controlling countries. Yay

    • @potatominded1370
      @potatominded1370 Před 4 lety +40

      Panteleimon Ponomarenko Oh my god! It’s Panteleimon Ponomarenko!

    • @kykokyko6677
      @kykokyko6677 Před 4 lety +6

      *States'

    • @brandonlyon730
      @brandonlyon730 Před 4 lety +39

      @@blueangel4ever370 I mean other every nation has done that at some point. Even in modern times France help manipulated the Libyan Civil War’s outcome.

  • @Hotshot2k4
    @Hotshot2k4 Před 3 lety +80

    Oh, so that's why Bioshock Infinite's floating town was called "Columbia"

  • @Esprix
    @Esprix Před rokem +5

    Is that Ben Franklin covered in kisses at @1:03? LOL

  • @AFGuidesHD
    @AFGuidesHD Před 3 lety +3196

    Fredonia?
    Nah, I'm thinking more Freedomland

    • @Perririri
      @Perririri Před 3 lety +67

      How about *Fascistland* ; especially if Trump is reelected?

    • @chadkingoffuckmountain970
      @chadkingoffuckmountain970 Před 3 lety +223

      @@Perririri I wouldn't call him a fascist. A big dummy, sure, but he ain't no fascist.
      Now Oswald Mosley? THAT'S a damn good fascist right there.

    • @Blu_Jay07
      @Blu_Jay07 Před 3 lety +136

      @@Perririri What has Trump done that you think makes him follow the same ideology Hitler and Mussolini did?

    • @bobing1752
      @bobing1752 Před 3 lety +30

      I think America has lost it monopoly for freedom for a long time now. It's no longer the land of the free

    • @bobing1752
      @bobing1752 Před 3 lety +16

      @@AzaiReacts well that's a matter of opinion. I really don't think so, but you must admit that the US aren't the only place for freedom now

  • @ricardoguanipa8275
    @ricardoguanipa8275 Před 4 lety +1011

    Alternative universe where Freedonia Stuck and all pop music developped the same:
    Bruce Springsteen - Born In Freedonia
    Miley Cirus - Party in Freedonia
    Green day - Freedonian Idiot
    Don McLean - Freedonian Pie
    Hulk Hogan's theme - I wanna be a Freedonia

  • @MHLegacy
    @MHLegacy Před 2 lety +31

    (2:52) Also, prior to the American Civil War, "United States" was generally treated as a plural noun (e.g. "these United States") whereas after the Civil War, it was more commonly treated as a singular noun ("the United States").

  • @JBaum55
    @JBaum55 Před rokem +51

    I guess another point to make is that before the Civil War, and especially in the early years after the Revolution, many Americans viewed their identities by their states first rather than by the larger country (I.e. Someone would consider themself a Virginianan or New Yorker before an American). This identity weven related to how people referred to the country, calling them *these* United States rather than *the* United States. I'd imagine part of why the naming came and stuck was because many would consider the idea of a United States peoples and the naming of a single group as not being as important as their own individual identities, or felt it devalued those local ones.

    • @ETS186
      @ETS186 Před rokem +1

      Except for a New Yorker or Texan 😂

    • @dhowe5180
      @dhowe5180 Před rokem +1

      I think that’s still the case for many parts of the US. Here in Washington State many people have a firm identity as a Washingtonian just as much as an American.

    • @eq1373
      @eq1373 Před rokem +1

      They still do

    • @diegoxavier9107
      @diegoxavier9107 Před 7 měsíci

      ​@@dhowe5180It's honestly a really cool part of living in the US. And because of how huge and diverse the country is, you can even find racial differences depending on where you are. People of Western European descent in the North, Latinos in the South/Southwest, Asians on both coasts. Pretty neat

  • @KitchenSinkSoup
    @KitchenSinkSoup Před 4 lety +3006

    Fredonia is the most American name for something I've heard though.

  • @w5527
    @w5527 Před 4 lety +831

    Always my favorite flag cause “Stars, yo.”

  • @Augustus-mk1du
    @Augustus-mk1du Před 3 lety +147

    “No one would call themselves United Statesian”
    who the heck would call themselves fredonians

    • @Psychol-Snooper
      @Psychol-Snooper Před 2 lety +38

      Followers of Fred.

    • @Steeyuv
      @Steeyuv Před 2 lety +12

      The Marx Brothers - who actually did that, their film Duck Soup.

    • @JackHankeAnd
      @JackHankeAnd Před 2 lety +16

      Honestly it sounds like an actual nationality. I unironically wish it had stuck; I’m sick of hearing people argue about whether Americans are hubristic for calling themselves “Americans” despite being only a part of the American continents.

    • @diegoxavier9107
      @diegoxavier9107 Před 2 lety +10

      @@JackHankeAnd It's kind of a dumb argument, really. Like, what else would they call themselves? Statesmen?
      That's actually a pretty cool name, now that I think about it. A tad confusing, but meh. Still, anything other than "American" that's derived from the name of the country would sound incredibly awkward in English

    • @Raphie009
      @Raphie009 Před 2 lety

      I've started calling us "Statesmen" specifically due to what Jack Hanke mentioned above. People in the U.S. being referred to as "Americans" exacerbates the already present eclipsing of Latin America and the Caribbean.

  • @Official2Shitty
    @Official2Shitty Před 3 lety +27

    God imagine you vote for someone and he spends his time in office trying to rename the country “Fredonia”

  • @corporalzeph2518
    @corporalzeph2518 Před 4 lety +2475

    Missed opportunity to have named the continent after Amerigo's last name, because then we'd be called "the United States of Vespucci" which is more badass

    • @doug814
      @doug814 Před 4 lety +144

      Yea that is pretty badass

    • @kristijanEX
      @kristijanEX Před 4 lety +608

      I can already see all the shit rappers rhyming Vespucci with Gucci.

    • @excho
      @excho Před 4 lety +381

      I can already hear Hispanophones from the alternate universe mockingly nicknaming it "Vesputa".

    • @bengahzijr.4293
      @bengahzijr.4293 Před 4 lety +133

      And we would be called “Vespuccians”.

    • @warrcoww6717
      @warrcoww6717 Před 4 lety +118

      And in LA they’d have Amerigo Beach...

  • @kulera
    @kulera Před 4 lety +1758

    Mexico’s official name is “The United Mexican States”. There has been small talk to simply change it to “The Republic of Mexico” or just simply “Mexico” but it’s just easier to keep things as they are even though no one calls it by its official name.
    Fun fact: Colombia’s official name was “The United States of Colombia” for a short period before becoming “Republic of Colombia” and changing its states to departments.

    • @537monster
      @537monster Před 4 lety +150

      It would feel kind of weird to read an official document from Mexico and just see “Mexico” on top.
      It just sounds wrong. Countries normally like to state their government type first.
      Like the Republic of Korea or the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It just seems more official that way.

    • @spencerhahn1635
      @spencerhahn1635 Před 4 lety +111

      Canada is "The Dominion of Canada", and "The Dominion" or "Our Dominion" were once intelligible synonyms for the country. "Canada Day" was "Dominion Day" until the eighties, and you can still see some old storefronts, trucks, brands etc. with names like "Dominion Grocery" or whatever, and one of our largest banks is still called Toronto Dominion.

    • @schadenfreude000
      @schadenfreude000 Před 4 lety +51

      I'm a translator and it's always weird to have to write "United Mexican States" on the top of official documents.

    • @kulera
      @kulera Před 4 lety +25

      Nigel Appleby It’s United Mexican States not United States of Mexico

    • @schadenfreude000
      @schadenfreude000 Před 4 lety +7

      @@kulera True, that was a typo.

  • @blackhawk4ful
    @blackhawk4ful Před 3 lety +765

    “No one would call themselves United Statesian”
    latin americans: *allow us to introduce ourselves*

    • @paraguayopromedio123
      @paraguayopromedio123 Před 3 lety +20

      Well in Spain is also called United Statesian (in Spanish/Castillian Estadounidense)

    • @jiraffe9600
      @jiraffe9600 Před 3 lety +35

      I’m mean, he said themselves.

    • @MrMackievelli
      @MrMackievelli Před 3 lety +22

      That's great and all but they don't live in the USA. We call ourselves what we want.
      Thing is unless we are in another country we usually refer to ourselves by our states(I'm Kansas or Arizona etc).

    • @MrMackievelli
      @MrMackievelli Před 3 lety +1

      @Xavier Lekubarri no, our constitution would never allow it.

    • @OneHandedClapper
      @OneHandedClapper Před 3 lety +5

      @@MrMackievelli what do you mean they don't live in the US if they are almost 20% of the population. That's even bigger than the black population (~13%) for reference.

  • @kungfuskull
    @kungfuskull Před 3 lety +521

    As an american: I kinda wish, even jokingly, that we sometimes called ourselves Fredonians and Fredes 🤣

    • @ErikPT
      @ErikPT Před 3 lety +21

      Nah then we’d equate to Swedes and Finish lol

    • @davecullins1606
      @davecullins1606 Před 3 lety +13

      Honestly, I'd sound stupid to me.

    • @StanbyMode
      @StanbyMode Před 2 lety +7

      @@davecullins1606 not to me

    • @juwebles4352
      @juwebles4352 Před 2 lety +43

      Make your own reality, gaslight people into believing that fredonia is real and you are a fredish person, reality is but a thin malleable film.

    • @taxinvasion260
      @taxinvasion260 Před 2 lety +12

      I mean we'd get less shit about using "America" to refer to our country from everyone else in the Americas...

  • @Zapranoth-lf8nt
    @Zapranoth-lf8nt Před 4 lety +390

    Little known tidbit: before the Civil War, it was much more common to refer to the United States in the plural..."The United States ARE...", while after the Civil War, it became standard to say "The United States IS..."

    • @thunderbird1921
      @thunderbird1921 Před 3 lety +36

      In The Madness of King George (set five years after the Revolutionary War), PM William Pitt says to George III "They are now called the United States, sir." George III replies, "Are they? Goodness me!"

    • @dennisswaney644
      @dennisswaney644 Před 3 lety +24

      That is because Lincoln succeeded in destroying the FEDERAL system the Founders created which resulted in a CENTRALIZED national government that most of the Founders did NOT want!. Also when referring to just the national government or being referred to by an outsider, the singular "THE" is used; when referring to the group of states internally then the plural "THESE" can be used. Examples: "I'm traveling to THE United States"; "I'm traveling in THESE United States".

    • @benn454
      @benn454 Před 3 lety +91

      @@dennisswaney644 Look at this poor schmuck still trying to fight the Civil War. Sad.

    • @Jotari
      @Jotari Před 3 lety +36

      @@dennisswaney644 Well if you're saying "I'm traveling to THE United States" than THESE isn't really appropriate. It would have to be "I'm traveling to THOSE United States."

    • @Delgen1951
      @Delgen1951 Před 3 lety

      @@Jotari use the right tense.

  • @JazenValencia
    @JazenValencia Před 4 lety +181

    Every July 4th my British friend Josh says Happy Treason day. lol

    • @ErikPT
      @ErikPT Před 3 lety +5

      Odd I call my mate in East Coast on thanksgiving a festive day! Though, he’s more cheeky on 4th of July lol

    • @thomaspickard4138
      @thomaspickard4138 Před 3 lety +4

      😂😂😂

  • @amhattami
    @amhattami Před 3 lety +14

    imagine the us was named fredonia
    "hey, haven't seen you around for awhile"
    "yeah, i've just come back from fred"

  • @Cyrus87
    @Cyrus87 Před 2 lety +161

    I’ve read somewhere that the origin of the name “America” deriving from Amerigo Vespucci is actually disputed. I know it’s taught in schools, and is mostly considered to be the truth now. Some historians have posited that it actually got its name from a trader in Bristol called “William Ap Meric”. Some of the reasoning behind this is because when land was claimed by settlers it was common to use the last name of the company that owned the boat.
    Not staying it as fact, just thought it was interesting and wanted to share.

    • @MaylocBrittinorum
      @MaylocBrittinorum Před 2 lety +36

      It was actually Richard ap Meryk (or Richard Amerike in English), a merchant of Welsh origin. However, given that the Waldseemüller map (the first record of the name "America") used the name only to refer to modern South America (explored by Vespucci) while Richard's expedition explored North America, it's unlikely (not impossible, of course, but in matters of history you can rarely be 100% sure of anything).

    • @absalomdraconis
      @absalomdraconis Před 2 lety +2

      @Room 315 : Were the mountains already called that at the time?

    • @TommygunNG
      @TommygunNG Před 2 lety +5

      It was Vespucci.
      But here's one theory a Jewish historian who adhered to Anglo-Israelist doctrine suggested: A Greek word for "worry" is "meros" or something like that. Since this is to be a land of opportunity, it would with "without worry," or "a-meros." ==> "America."
      There's no evidence for this whatsoever, regardless of your opinion of Anglo-Israelism. But the other alternatives are little more than people desperately trying to come up with an alternative just to be funny.

    • @samuelnakai1804
      @samuelnakai1804 Před 2 lety +18

      All that I'm getting from these discussions is that multiple acts of providence shows that these continents were always destined to be called America.

    • @TommygunNG
      @TommygunNG Před 2 lety +7

      @@samuelnakai1804 It does make one wonder.

  • @andrewpatane3971
    @andrewpatane3971 Před 4 lety +348

    Nice touch adding the lipstick marks to Ben Franklin’s face 1:04

    • @thebutzel9752
      @thebutzel9752 Před 4 lety +22

      Andrew Patane Ah, so that’s who it was. That makes a crap ton sense now that you said that

    • @appleslover
      @appleslover Před 4 lety +15

      Why so?

    • @3bydacreekside
      @3bydacreekside Před 4 lety +75

      @@appleslover The dude loved to flirt, fuck, and freak the fuck out everyone.

    • @hfar_in_the_sky
      @hfar_in_the_sky Před 4 lety +76

      @@appleslover Benjamin Franklin was quite the lady's man during his time (to a somewhat notorious degree) and even into his 50s still got women fawning over him wherever he went. His list of purported trysts is honestly rather impressive.

    • @ottovonbismarckboi9112
      @ottovonbismarckboi9112 Před 4 lety +23

      Hfar he must of had a big PP

  • @toniponix
    @toniponix Před 4 lety +752

    Hamilton: "What are you gonna do, shoot me?"
    Burr: *sweats nervoulsy*

  • @Theire1
    @Theire1 Před 4 měsíci

    to Refleked our levil of edumacation we be called "Merica

  • @LevisaProductions
    @LevisaProductions Před 4 lety +118

    Funnily enough, there is a Fredonia, New York.
    (I would know, I got a flat tire there).

  • @brucecarter5450
    @brucecarter5450 Před 4 lety +325

    "Alexander Hamilton: What are ya gonna do, shoot me?"

    • @Spongebrain97
      @Spongebrain97 Před 4 lety +16

      Denzel Washington whoops out his pistol from American Gangster

    • @mezene99
      @mezene99 Před 4 lety +20

      @@Spongebrain97 *Fredonian gangster

    • @nebulaone908
      @nebulaone908 Před 4 lety +8

      Don't worry, he can Alexander handle it.

    • @spk1121
      @spk1121 Před 3 lety +4

      @@nebulaone908: A Jacksfilms fan, I see

  • @Kerriangel
    @Kerriangel Před 4 lety +867

    "We're out Nerds."
    The collapse of the British Empire in a nutshell

    • @Vienna3080
      @Vienna3080 Před 4 lety +35

      Add a few dead bodies and boats and it’s accurate

    • @PedroAntonio0796
      @PedroAntonio0796 Před 4 lety +45

      Actually, British Empire became even bigger after it.

    • @Udontkno7
      @Udontkno7 Před 4 lety +1

      Pedro Antonio Blanco Villar they’re talking about the whole.

    • @bigmanjorge
      @bigmanjorge Před 4 lety

      @@Vienna3080 and the several masscres

    • @spartanx9293
      @spartanx9293 Před 4 lety +1

      The British are snobs not nerds

  • @mundogameplay1341
    @mundogameplay1341 Před 4 lety +188

    Fredonians....It seems like something of the Hobbit Movie

    • @Zephaniah700
      @Zephaniah700 Před 4 lety +14

      Or the Marx brothers'.

    • @TJDious
      @TJDious Před 4 lety +7

      @@Zephaniah700 His excellency's car!

    • @grovercleveland8572
      @grovercleveland8572 Před 4 lety

      or despicable me 3

    • @509Gman
      @509Gman Před 3 lety +3

      @@Zephaniah700 I’m so sad that i had to scroll this far to find the “Duck Soup” reference recognition

    • @boldandbrash259
      @boldandbrash259 Před 3 lety

      Or Lotr

  • @jesseberg3271
    @jesseberg3271 Před 4 lety +167

    "Hail, hail Fredonia, land of the brave and free!"

    • @johnaucamp7106
      @johnaucamp7106 Před 4 lety +16

      Had to scroll a long way down to find someone who posted this reference...

    • @cgaccount3669
      @cgaccount3669 Před 4 lety +2

      Except for the slaves lol. Well, everyone else banned slavery long ago so why not call the USA ketchup? Like catch up... to the rest of the world lol

    • @johnaucamp7106
      @johnaucamp7106 Před 4 lety +19

      @@cgaccount3669 The above reference is to the 1933 movie Duck Soup, which was set in a country called Fredonia.

    • @KolchaksGhost
      @KolchaksGhost Před 4 lety

      CG Account Russia: *SERFISM INTENSIFIES*

    • @Cliff_Dixon_42
      @Cliff_Dixon_42 Před 4 lety +5

      JOIN THE ARMY AND SEE THE NAVY

  • @ace1776
    @ace1776 Před 4 lety +530

    Fredonia? Everybody would just start calling us “ the freddys” and think of it “death to fredonia”, just doesn’t sound right.

  • @stevenjlovelace
    @stevenjlovelace Před 4 lety +175

    While "Fredonia" seems like a dumb name nowadays, it's interesting that your example of a non-named country has the same meaning. The Franks were an ancient Germanic tribe whose name (possibly) mean "Free", as in the modern expression, "Let me be frank (free/candid) with you." So France also means "land of the free" in a roundabout way.

    • @Arjibi
      @Arjibi Před 2 lety +15

      French revolution approved

    • @buddermonger2000
      @buddermonger2000 Před rokem +16

      So... having gone over it, they're actually more likely to have been named after their weapon "Frankon" (which looked a lot like a javelin) in a process similar to the Saxons (after a dagger they called a "sahson" now called a seax). However, within the Gallo-Romance language "francus" Took the meaning "free" as they were exempt from the laws and thus "free" of them. It turned into the old French "franc" and from there also took on the meaning "noble" later on for the more obvious reason that well... the nobles were Franks.

  • @ricardoguanipa8275
    @ricardoguanipa8275 Před 4 lety +505

    "The Freedish"

  • @Digephil
    @Digephil Před 4 lety +52

    Honestly not a bad idea for a whole series, the stories behind many countries' and states' names are very interesting.

  • @knazibaz
    @knazibaz Před 4 lety +69

    I love how History Matters just makes really interesting documentaries about things you never even knew you wondered about.

  • @cursedex3755
    @cursedex3755 Před 4 lety +238

    History Matters: "This nation is called the United States Of America"
    King George III: *Angry colonising sound*

    • @DaveMiller6042
      @DaveMiller6042 Před 4 lety +11

      Laughs in American.

    • @paniniweewee5857
      @paniniweewee5857 Před 4 lety +7

      the war of the 2 Georges

    • @davidwuhrer6704
      @davidwuhrer6704 Před 3 lety +1

      It is a bit backwards. They were colonies _before_ "Farmer" George III.
      They became independent thanks to a loan from Louis XVI which they never paid back.

    • @annyeonghaseyothisfight5897
      @annyeonghaseyothisfight5897 Před 3 lety

      Angry beef plant sound

    • @ErikPT
      @ErikPT Před 3 lety +1

      @@davidwuhrer6704 not until we entered WW I and II though we still owe France money lol, no wonder Macron issued digital taxes on us.

  • @SupremeLeaderKimJong-un
    @SupremeLeaderKimJong-un Před 4 lety +202

    0:58 That’s a red stache, he’s a comrade

    • @sg27182
      @sg27182 Před 4 lety +13

      Did you comment on the Drew Durnill video?
      "Missouri has a lot of Italians in the St Louis area, I knew it would be something Italian or ribs."

    • @ruthenium5765
      @ruthenium5765 Před 4 lety +1

      @Silas Griffin he comments on a lot of videos

    • @plasmacatbooks4245
      @plasmacatbooks4245 Před 3 lety

      Of course kim Jung un would notice that

  • @Ethredge27
    @Ethredge27 Před 4 lety +43

    I want a shirt for 4th of July with that “stars, yo” flag on it

  • @sviatoslavs.1305
    @sviatoslavs.1305 Před 4 lety +233

    Ok, gents, now whenever this channel mentions US in any video, we shall refer it as "Fredonia" just for memes (like that death sound).

  • @ilFrancotti
    @ilFrancotti Před 4 lety +383

    The official name of a citizen from USA in Italian is "Statunitensi" but most call them "Americani" - Americans.

    • @yoavmor9002
      @yoavmor9002 Před 4 lety +10

      Gives translation to Americani but doesn't give translation to Statunitensi
      Sidenote: It's clear what it means, don't bother editing a translation in.

    • @ilFrancotti
      @ilFrancotti Před 4 lety +21

      @@yoavmor9002 I didn't because it doesn't exist in English.

    • @Max15691
      @Max15691 Před 4 lety +50

      In Latin America , we call them "estadounidenses" wich is basically "unitedstatians". We use the word "americanos" for any people from America, the whole continent, almost never referring to the people of USA.

    • @garabic8688
      @garabic8688 Před 4 lety +14

      @Max15 so us over in the United States refer to ourselves as Americans and our country we call the United States or just America.

    • @ilFrancotti
      @ilFrancotti Před 4 lety +32

      @@Max15691 that would be the correct way. But calling someone from Mexico, Brazil, Argentina or even Canada "American" would feel very weird and misleading for us.

  • @OptimusWombat
    @OptimusWombat Před 4 lety +27

    Freedonia (with two "e") was featured in the Marx Brothers' "Duck Soup".

    • @rastalique8114
      @rastalique8114 Před 3 lety +1

      Sadly, that movie predicted the break up of Yugoslavia.

  • @aotoda486
    @aotoda486 Před 4 lety +30

    1:03 oh, Franklin...

  • @HigHrvatski
    @HigHrvatski Před 4 lety +31

    Amerigo Vespucci put the little bumps for the mountains on the map.

  • @pridelander06
    @pridelander06 Před 4 lety +70

    Your last sentence involving the Civil War reminds me of a quote from historian Shelby Foote which went along the lines of:
    "Before the war, you'd say 'These United States are,' and after the war, you'd say 'The United States is.' The war made us an 'Is'."
    So I appreciate that coda very much.

  • @arneholmstad4709
    @arneholmstad4709 Před 4 lety +78

    2:24 Alexander Hamilton "What are you going to do, shoot me?"
    This

    • @smc1942
      @smc1942 Před 3 lety +2

      Burr; "oh, alright. If it'll shut you up."

  • @brunopastorini1248
    @brunopastorini1248 Před 4 lety +8

    Besides having adopted the name 'Columbia', interestingly there's a city in Colombia called 'Fredonia', which for some reason also uses the flag of Bulgaria.

    • @Cjnw
      @Cjnw Před 4 lety

      Фръдония

  • @Weesel71
    @Weesel71 Před 4 lety +24

    And the national dish would have to be Duck Soup.

  • @user-te1fn8cj5r
    @user-te1fn8cj5r Před 2 lety +10

    "Columbia"
    User name is already taken.
    "xX_Columbia_Xx"
    Username confirmed.

  • @Pyrospriter042
    @Pyrospriter042 Před 3 lety +9

    Fredonia, NY out here like "I think that would've been a GREAT name for the country!"

  • @cacline72
    @cacline72 Před 3 lety +9

    Teacher: What are you laughing at?
    Me: Nothing
    My Head: United Statesians

  • @somebuddyX
    @somebuddyX Před 2 lety +5

    Fredonia sounds like it's the United States' counterpart from Grand Theft Auto.

  • @stanklepoot
    @stanklepoot Před 4 lety +22

    "Turns out you suck" is the perfect sign when you think about just how quickly they went from being colonists who were proud to call themselves British, to a nation determined to rid themselves of British rule and become independent. Historically speaking, it's the blink of an eye, really.

  • @dylanselhorst7608
    @dylanselhorst7608 Před rokem +5

    I love you so much. Your videos rock and you rock. I watch these videos every time I find myself in the restroom (water closet, or whatever) and that’s not meant as an insult.
    I’m an American student of history who has watched your videos since I have no idea when and I love them so, so much. Keep it up you rock.

  • @Verelkia
    @Verelkia Před 2 lety +27

    Another name that was purposed was actually "United States of Appalachia", named after the Appalachian Mountains, a mountain range where the first colonies were. Honestly like that name a lot more, because "America" is way too associated with the continents, and Appalachia feels more like a specific thing to the United States. Plus its catchy, and we can keep the "USA" thing. 🇺🇸
    There was even a purposely to make the pacific states their own nation (Washington, Oregon, part of California, and a part of British Columbia that was owned by the United States). Its name was gonna be "State Of The Pacific" but could have also the name "Cascadia", named after the Cascade Range.

  • @kauffner
    @kauffner Před 3 lety +9

    John Adams used "United Colonies" in a resolution he proposed on March 14, 1775. "United States of America" first appears in a draft of the Articles of Confederation by John Dickinson which circulated beginning June 17, 1776. In Jefferson's "original Rough draught" of the Declaration of Independence, he wrote it as "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA." This draft circulated beginning June 21. This was apparently a bit much for some members of Congress. In the July 4th version of the declaration, it was toned down to "united States of America." I don't think anyone was going to change the name after it appeared in the declaration, even with the "u" lower cased. But all the same, Congress passed a resolution on September 9 to officially change the name of the country from "United Colonies" to "United States."

    • @daviddorsett7550
      @daviddorsett7550 Před 11 měsíci

      It is my understanding that the way English was written at that time nouns were capitalized and adjectives were not. That is why the name was written as "the united States of America" in the Declaration of Independence; but usage was inconsistent. Later in the Declaration the term "United Colonies" was used with both words capitalized.

  • @trupizza671
    @trupizza671 Před 2 lety +38

    The United States of America is a very poetic name in my opinion. It says exactly what it is: a Union of States from America. Plus, it just sounds downright awesome to say.

    • @BigBoss-sm9xj
      @BigBoss-sm9xj Před 2 lety +4

      Lol very cool to say

    • @drksideofthewal
      @drksideofthewal Před rokem +7

      Americans tend not to realize that “state” means “country” to most people outside the US. It’s actually pretty badass that the name implies a Voltron of countries.

  • @claytonbrooks4826
    @claytonbrooks4826 Před 3 lety +8

    I still love "Usono" in Esperanto

  • @Rodion302
    @Rodion302 Před 3 lety +3

    Man! I love this Channel!! It is so great and Informative! Keep Up the Work P.S. I love the animation

  • @EvansdiAl
    @EvansdiAl Před 4 lety +145

    clicked faster than americo vespucci saying THIS MY LAND

    • @sviatoslavs.1305
      @sviatoslavs.1305 Před 4 lety +6

      Pretending to be a smartass, I see?
      Ok.

    • @warbler1984
      @warbler1984 Před 4 lety +7

      He was a cartographer...not a claimer of lands

    • @lorisuprifranz
      @lorisuprifranz Před 4 lety +2

      His name was Amerigo with the g, still a better name than Colombia since Amerigo was the first to understand that America was a continent on itself ( by exploring South America, so little connections to the usa)

    • @EvansdiAl
      @EvansdiAl Před 4 lety +1

      @@lorisuprifranz In Spanish it is spelled with a C

    • @lorisuprifranz
      @lorisuprifranz Před 4 lety +1

      @@EvansdiAl Ok but he was Genoese, so it's original spelling was with the g

  • @davidreichert9392
    @davidreichert9392 Před 2 lety +4

    Great video. It would be good to see more videos on the origin of country names. Or even cities / provinces etc.

  • @carolynthomas3938
    @carolynthomas3938 Před 2 lety +8

    The thumbnail mentions it but he left it out in the video. Usona is an acronym of United States of North America, which is really cool. The name Usono for the US is used in Esperanto, a constructed language made in the 1890s.

  • @77777Spooky
    @77777Spooky Před 4 lety +8

    "What are ya gonna do? Shoot me?" The shade under those trees, damn.

  • @KidsCalledmeMrGlass
    @KidsCalledmeMrGlass Před 4 lety +25

    England: I know it was you Fredonia,😗 you broke my heart💔

  • @pj.sinclair
    @pj.sinclair Před 3 lety +6

    1:45 i have never seen a more cursed-looking United States in my life

    • @Ramosway2
      @Ramosway2 Před 2 lety

      Well the uk and usa owned the Oregon territory at the same time but it dis not like the map

  • @vercingetorix3414
    @vercingetorix3414 Před 3 lety +8

    The Earliest known use of the term, "United States of America", was in a letter written by General Stephen Moylan in January of 1776, thus predating the use of that term in the Declaration of Independence later that same year.

  • @rags417
    @rags417 Před 3 lety +10

    Another interesting fact - until the 1830s the US was the term used to refer to the collection of states that made it up, after that it was generally considered to be its own entity. What this meant in practice was that the phrase "the United States of America ARE..." changed into "the Unite States of America IS...".

  • @brianfox771
    @brianfox771 Před 4 lety +68

    I have a silver dollar from 1798 that says "United States of America."

    • @user-xb9yv2ci4c
      @user-xb9yv2ci4c Před 4 lety +20

      I pay you 50 cents for it.

    • @TheLocalLt
      @TheLocalLt Před 4 lety +16

      Brian Fox that’s because the United States of America existed in 1798 lmao
      Edit: that’s cool as fuck

    • @brianfox771
      @brianfox771 Před 4 lety

      @@TheLocalLt That's just what the Masons and Illuminati want you to think. ;) :P

    • @brianfox771
      @brianfox771 Před 4 lety +1

      @@user-xb9yv2ci4c Well 50 is more than 1 so that sounds like a great deal to me. Sold!

    • @LazyAndFabulous
      @LazyAndFabulous Před 4 lety

      @@brianfox771
      Well the Inflation exist

  • @jayayywhy4374
    @jayayywhy4374 Před 4 lety +7

    i hope the alternate universe me living in Fredonia is living a good life

  • @LEFT4BASS
    @LEFT4BASS Před 4 lety +102

    I think part of the reason we never came up with a name was that the United States wasn’t supposed to be a single nation when it began. Each state was meant to be an independent nation, similar to separate nations under the EU.

    • @garypulliam3740
      @garypulliam3740 Před 4 lety +11

      Precisely.

    • @lukeirot
      @lukeirot Před 4 lety +13

      Well it isn't quite that simple because for a while no body knew what it should be structured like.

    • @siononalundula1699
      @siononalundula1699 Před 4 lety +20

      LEFT4BASS that’s not true. At all. The United States was always meant to be a Federation, never a Confederation. Those are very different things. In a Confederation there are several countries that work together as an organization, but where the central government of each country still has the last say in all matters of their own nation. In a Federation, (like the United States, Russia, Germany, Brazil, Canada and many others) although each state/province has high degree of autonomy, the Federal government has the overarching sovereignty and they have the last say. The United States was founded as a country, not a group of countries. A Federation, not a Confederation.

    • @cramer4506
      @cramer4506 Před 4 lety +46

      @@siononalundula1699 Technically, the USA was created as a Confederation and shifted to a Federation with the adoption of the American Constitution.

    • @siononalundula1699
      @siononalundula1699 Před 4 lety +15

      Cramer I think you’re right, actually. It was created as a group of states mainly to break free from the British, and then was formally made into a Federation with the Constitution. You’re right.

  • @Zapranoth-lf8nt
    @Zapranoth-lf8nt Před 4 lety +9

    I like the first line in the Constitution as depicted: Section I...we shall establish a Congress, and they won't do anything"...😄🤣

  • @lawrencedoliveiro9104
    @lawrencedoliveiro9104 Před 3 lety +16

    The nice thing about “Columbia” is that it could be translated as “land of doves”.

    • @kookamunga4714
      @kookamunga4714 Před 2 lety +1

      America means "winner winner chicken dinners"

  • @hhill2880
    @hhill2880 Před 4 lety +12

    Your icon came up and I didn't even have to think about it
    Your CZcams has become an impulsive addiction of mine
    And I thank you for your work

  • @paradoxequinox4104
    @paradoxequinox4104 Před 3 lety +7

    2:23
    That grave man...
    Alexander Hamilton- "What are you gonna do, shoot me?"

  • @Lloyd_lyle
    @Lloyd_lyle Před 3 lety +8

    Hamilton’s last words: *“what are you gonna do? Shoot me!”* lol 2:23

  • @mrnonsense1031
    @mrnonsense1031 Před 4 lety +10

    1:40 "stars, yo" 😂

  • @MrSimythe
    @MrSimythe Před 4 lety +7

    1:40 Stars, yo!

  • @theweirdofengland
    @theweirdofengland Před 4 lety +6

    Interesting that the Declaration of Independence describes it as the "united States of America", a bit like the "united Kingdom of Great Britain" contained in the Acts of Union. In both cases the "u" was uncapitalised, but while the Kingdom of Great Britain wouldn't properly become the "United Kingdom" until union with Ireland a hundred years after the Acts, the "United States" somehow quickly became capitalised and official.

  • @oliversherman2414
    @oliversherman2414 Před rokem

    I love your channel keep up the great stuff!!

  • @Axemantitan
    @Axemantitan Před 3 lety +6

    The chance to call the country Freedonia was permanently lost in 1933 when the Marx Brothers used it in their movie "Duck Soup."

  • @emizerri
    @emizerri Před 4 lety +4

    I was literally thinking this last night, I guess CZcams is listening to my thoughts now

  • @jarzz3601
    @jarzz3601 Před 2 lety

    love these short videos that awnser questions I never thought to ask

  • @alexeisaular3470
    @alexeisaular3470 Před 2 lety +2

    United States: “our name is America”
    The world: “I will name you United States”

  • @craigthenf273
    @craigthenf273 Před 4 lety +3

    You should do one going in to the orginal of each states name you could separate it by region or something so it wouldn't be to long of a vid

  • @rileym411
    @rileym411 Před 4 lety +3

    That Alexander Hamilton gravestone is beautiful

  • @newcourier7446
    @newcourier7446 Před 2 lety

    Congrats on 1 million subs!

  • @NicolaW72
    @NicolaW72 Před rokem

    Thank you very much for telling this Part of the History!🙂👍

  • @dahawk8574
    @dahawk8574 Před 3 lety +4

    2:29 - "United Colonies" is a name that was used for a grand total of 1 year.
    More precisely, March 14, 1775 - July 2, 1776.
    So 15 and a half months. Therefore, "known them as their entire lives" applied to NO ONE age 2 and up.

    • @alanb8884
      @alanb8884 Před 3 lety

      Good point. Even though they weren't all, I believe it was just 'The Colonies'

    • @dahawk8574
      @dahawk8574 Před 3 lety +1

      ​@@alanb8884, I suggest that it is revisionist to hold that the group which broke off to form the USA was known as 'The Colonies'. Contrary to popular belief, there were not "Thirteen Original Colonies". The colonies which formed British America numbered far more than 13. There was Canada to the north. Florida to the south. And a whole bunch of others that never joined the USA. And even among only those which formed the USA, the "original" number here was not 13.
      So to say "The Colonies" was an ambiguous term. Go back to 1754, when Franklin proposed his Albany Plan of Union, the term used in that document was "the Several Colonies" (used consistently three times, including the title). That made it clear that it was only a group of SOME of "The Colonies" of British America. Nowhere near all of them. Georgia was not included. Not then in 1754. Fast forward to the start of the Revolution, and Georgia was not included in the First Continental Congress. Independence was declared by the Second Continental Congress, and when that body first formed in May of 1775, Georgia was STILL not included. Yet today it is remembered as one of the 'Original Colonies', when this track record shows that it was not. There were *11 Original Colonies.* Not 13. Delaware is the other one included in the 13 count, when accurate history shows that it was part of Pennsylvania. Notice that Franklin's famous 'Join or Die' snake does not have any part listed as "Delaware".
      Then you can also look to years after the USA was formed. In the Articles of Confederation, there was a blanket provision for Quebec to join any time they wanted. So was Canada part of 'The Colonies'? Again, such a term is too ambiguous.
      In the Revolutionary War, the first amphibious assault done by the American Marines happened down in Nassau. Why? Because the Bahamas was yet another colony in British America. There were *MORE THAN 40* colonies and territories owned and run by the British in British America before the US split off. So much for "the 13 original colonies".

  • @Tracer_Krieg
    @Tracer_Krieg Před 2 lety +6

    There was one more name that came up during the 20th Century: Usonia. First coined by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, he used it to refer specifically to the United States in difference to the other North American nations and it's own brand of architecture. He has used it to referred to his particular idea of changing the overall architecture of the nation, and proposed it's use to better describe the USA.
    Fun fact: the name was used for the alternative American nation of the Federal Union of Usonia in the Dieselpunk game Iron Harvest, with a fundamentally different early history in the form of a bloodier war of independence (of which Canada sided with the Colonies), the earlier collapse of American slavery, an alternative civil war occurring with the Pacific States such as California in the 1870's, and no national involvement in the Great War... and also armored airships and helicopters are in service in the 1920's.

  • @itsgodnga
    @itsgodnga Před 3 lety +1

    I always love the little bits in the background like graffiti on portraits or Ben Franklin walking about covered in kisses

    • @davegreenlaw5654
      @davegreenlaw5654 Před 2 lety

      I was scrolling through the comments here just waiting for someone to finally mention Ol' Ben with the lipstick smeared all over his face. 😁

  • @davidharrison7825
    @davidharrison7825 Před 3 lety

    I love this episodes small little eastereggs in the background, eas pretty funny to catch