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Seeking to determine precisely what it means to be an American, John Harmon McElroy compares the cultural history of the United States with the cultural histories of Brazil, Canada, Europe, and Spanish America.McElroy demonstrates that American culture is the least European of the four continental cultures developed after 1492. He believes the essential variance stems from the fact that the United States is populated by people and their descendants who chose the United States as home. In contrast, because immigration to Canada, Brazil, and South America was controlled by the European governments, they reflect a stronger European cultural outlook and orientation than the United States.