American identity is a little understood aspect of youth development, and one that is important to youth civic development and engagement. This article introduces the problem of American identity as a multidisciplinary issue, provides a historical analysis of the philosophical foundation of the nation, and integrates the different disciplinary perspectives to gain insight into the conflicts that challenge the perpetuation and growth of American identity. The analysis in this article contextualizes American identity such that the complexity of the problems can be more fully understood by those who seek to conduct research on civic and national identity among American youth.