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There's not a clear and conscience alternative to "American." If you're trying to differentiate us from other people from the Americas you'd just say US Citizen. And while yes the entirety of this hemisphere is some variation of America be it North, Central, or South the other countries here have distinct names and we really don't.
At the risk of sounding like a typical US asshole, here goes nothing. This is how I've explained it to friends from Europe and it seemed to help.
If Brazil had decided to go by the name "United States of Brazil" we would still call them Brazilians because there is another country with the title "United States" that also exists. Similar to how we call people from the Peoples Republic of China, Chinese. We don't call them "People's Republicans" because that's a title not a unique identifier or name. What if that same country decided to go by the name the Peoples Republic of Asia instead, would we call them Peoples Republicans or would we call them Asians?
The title "United States" is telling you that this area is united together and the borders represent states, not country's. "America" tells you where those united states are, the continent of America. The term "American" is generalized and honestly doesn't accurately represent the vast cultural differences within the United States. The states often have their own rights and laws separate from the US government and also unique cultures. Ideally we would be called by our states name for its citizens like Californian or New Yorker, for example. Similar to how you would refer to people from Europe as European unless you wanted to be specific to Italy, then you'd say Italian. But sometimes you need a general term, hence "American."
All that being said, it is problematic and a massive reminder of this country's bloodthirsty and genocidal colonization of a large part of North America. Looking at the country's past shows that they were very much trying to also get central and south America as part of the United States. What better way to propagandize and make it look like they had every right to the rest of the Americas than to make it appear as though this country or that country already was America and therefore should be part of these United States? But however problematic it is this is the name we have now, for better or worse.
As an addendum of sorts. We Indigenous Americans would often much rather be called by the names of our sovereign Nations yet everyone calls us Native American. Why is that? Food for thought that might help with understanding the problematic struggle we have here. It's not simply us as citizens that perpetuate the issue, it's a global colonization effort whether the others realize they are participating or not. (Spoiler: they realize)
tldr: because colonization + United States is a title not a name
No problem, I'm always happy when someone is interested in learning more! I'm Muscogee Creek, specifically Thlopthlocco but Creek or Muscogee is preferable and easier for everyone lol. I'd recommend some books. One is not too long and it's the one I would start with, it will help reframe a person's understanding of who indigenous people are which I think is essential. Otherwise all further learning is being done behind a false idea of who Indigenous people are. Something I remember most from this book was along the lines of, "for many people Indians don't exist and if they do exist it's outside of their preconceived notion of who they are so to them they aren't real Indians. They have placed themselves as the experts on what it is to be Indian." The books, All the Real Indians Died Off: And 20 Other Myths about Native Americans by Dina Gilio-Whitaker and Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz. The second would be,
by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Id you'd like something quick and dirty online the War of 1812 was also the
, the first one. The Northern Creeks, my people, were fighting against being colonized further by the US, we didn't want to be Americans or give away anymore of our country. Jackson, the president on the $20, and his army
some still living and used our skin to make leather reigns for their cavalry horses. They then went to a nearby village slaughtered who they could and locked the remaining women, children, and elderly in their homes and burned them alive. He saved one baby, a boy, who he
, which is what he wrote in a letter to his wife. He meant to make an example of how we could be "civilized" and was going to send the Creek boy to West Point but the political climate had changed. Americans didn't want to see Indians "civilized" anymore they wanted us gone. He was never going to be able to pass the Indian Removal Act if people saw we were just like them so he sent the Creek boy to be a saddler instead. He died of TB not long after. Then Jackson sent thousands of us, starving and freezing, on a death march across the country to Oklahoma. (I had links in here for you. For the books and the pages about the war but they didn't seem to work. It's an easy wiki dive though.)
Totally more than you asked for but I got on a roll. It's rare someone asks so I try to post as much as I can so people don't have to go far to learn a bit more of the real history of the US. It's important we know so we all can heal and move forward, together.
Saving your response because I really want to read these. I love it when I come across a post like this. Teach me all the things I didn't know that I need to know! Healing together is the only way that we can move forward in a way that is actually progressive. Thank you for sharing.