Continentalism

Continentalism refers to the agreements or policies that favor the regionalization and/or cooperation between nations within a continent. The term is used more often in the European and North American contexts, but the concept has been applied to other continents including Africa and South America.

Historically, the United States of America saw itself as a blossoming continental nation-state. Accordingly, the first governing body for the North American colonists was called the Continental Congress, which sought to receive delegates from across the British colonized areas of the continent, including the future Canadian provinces of Quebec and Nova Scotia.

Continentalism later became largely associated with the ideology of Manifest Destiny, which included Spanish territories (now Latin America), the western U.S. as well as Canada. Due to this, the continentalism grew so much in the United States that it transformed into nationalism. Most of the inhabitants of this country, if not all, call themselves "Americans" as a demonym, and say America to refer to the country instead of the continents of North and South America. For a more extensive discussion over this polemical case, read the main article: Use of the word American.

In Canadian political history, continentalism has referred to policies that emphasize Canadian trade and economic ties within the North American continent, particularly the United States, over those with the United Kingdom and the British Empire. In the 19th century, continentalism was one of the three main theories of Canadian nationality, the others being pro-British Imperialism, and Canadian independence.

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