ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Ancestry of the people of the United States

Okay, so you know how everyone is born from their parents, right? And then their parents were born from their parents, and so on and so on. Well, the same thing goes for where people's families come from.

When we talk about the ancestry of the people in the United States, we are talking about where their families originally come from. Some people may have ancestors that come from Europe, like from Italy or Germany, or from Africa, or from Asia, or even some from the Native American tribes.

Many years ago, some people from these different places decided to come to what is now the United States. Some came because they wanted a better life for themselves, others were brought here against their will as slaves, and some were here already living on this land before anyone else.

Over time, all these different people started living and working together, sharing their cultures and traditions, and eventually, they all became part of what we call the United States. So, when we talk about the ancestry of the people in the United States, we are really talking about where their families originally came from. And because we have so many different people from so many different places, that makes us a diverse country with lots of different cultures and backgrounds.