The question might be what is nationality anyway, and if one is not a citizen, does that make them less of a person? Lisa Carrington, author of “Nationality – The Essence of Being a Girl” certainly thinks there are differences regarding the four nationalities that make up America. She states in her book that Americans have more pride in their heritage than they do in their paycheck or benefits. This makes an American who is loyal to their ancestors and love all Americans regardless of their background.
So what is the nationality anyway? According to the Merriam Webster’s dictionary nationality is defined as nationality, or genealogy: “of or relating to a nation, people, race, or community.” The root word is “Nation” so I guess if you want to know if you are American, your bloodline is American. The definitions of other cultures and nationalities are more difficult. Some might consider a Chaldean, Chinese, Iranian, or Croatian national to be a nationality instead of just a person with an ethnic background.
A good example of the difficulty of defining nationality would be looking for information on marital records in the United States. There are many different states with different requirements for marriage records. One would have to look at each state to determine their regulations and how one can acquire marriage records through that state. As one looks to find their American identity through marriage records, they will want to understand their ancestry, their family roots, and how to find their roots so they can trace their ancestry back to when they were a national.