We see ourselves as a nation of immigrants. Where you came from, perhaps you had a social contract passed down through generations of the history of your people

We see ourselves as a nation of immigrants. Where you came from, perhaps you had a social contract passed down through generations of the history of your people/ tribe/ ethnic group. But you gave that up when you came here. Americans see themselves as the descendents of their own unique "first generation" ancestor who broke ties with his people of origin and came here to stand on his own two feet. We don't see ourselves as responsible for YOUR first generation ancestor's home country problems or failure to make it here. We may in our newly formed ethnic enclaves take care of each other, but that's opt in. Patriotism to us is about preserving that independence- not a shared lineage. I am generalizing here obviously, but you were asking a kind of zeitgeist question. Hope I help something click for you.