An acronym is a type of abbreviation, though not all abbreviations are acronyms. But in any case, no one I know says “oos-uh” when pronouncing “USA”, so it’s just an abbreviation, not an acronym. /pedant
I don’t know if it’s a regionalism, but I use “The US” instead of “America” when talking about the country I live in. In my mind, saying “America” is too close to “'Murica,” which should only be used when you want to be really funny on the internet.
(Came for this.)
Last referendum in 2017 had a 23 % (more or less) turnout.
On the ballot, it was asserted that Puerto Rico is a colony. Which resulted in a boycott by major political parties. Puerto Rico is supposed to be a State within the United States and it sends a lot of money to the corporations controlling the crumbling Empire, but receives in exchange nothing in services.
A true referendum on independence should be done WITHOUT the inverventiion of mainland USA and especially the LOLigarchs, but it will not happen because, as most lands in that area, it serves as money-laundering and tax haven for the uber-rich.
Everything else apart from the 49 states (Alaska included) are bona fide colonies.
OK, I’ll bite… I thought North Dakota fixed its constitution and was now actually a state. 
Rename the USA, “Vespucciland”.
Conversely, rename the continents of the western hemisphere, “North and South Vespucci”. (I have no axe to grind.)
You’re welcome.
John Adams referred to the “American” people multiple times in his inaugural speech in 1797
There was briefly a sovereign nation named the United States of Indonesia from 1949-1950. Prior to that we had the United States of the Ionian Islands (1815-1864) and the United Belgian States (1789-1790). Even Mexico’s official name translates to “The United Mexican States.”
All the nicknames are problematic in their own way. Even using “America” to refer to the continents is inherently imperialistic.
Well, that sounds really catchy and easy to say in English…
“États-Unis” works in French, it’s easy to say and easily conjugates into “États-Unien”. But in English “United States” or even “the United States” will inevitably have an “…of what?” hanging on it, and “United Statesian” is just ridiculous. In my first language “Egyesült Államok” is too long, and it conjugates into “Egyesült Államok-beli” which is just cumbersome to write and to say. And since the full name is “Amerikai Egyesült Államok” (which already includes “of America” that in my first language is the same form as “from America” would be) - well, “Amerika” and “amerikai” (ie. “American”) are the easiest to use. People also use “USA” of course (pronounced as “oo-shah”) but as the “from there” form “amerikai” is pretty much unbeatable.
As any linguist can tell you, languages are lazy and evolve in the direction of least resistance, physically and mentally. You can try to set forms to use in certain speech registers, but colloquially people will just use what is the easiest.
The populaces of those lands should be given the choice of independence. That’s rather diffrent than cutting them loose for your satisfaction.
Heresy! The only people qualified to decide the status of US territories are people with opinions on the interwebs! /s
Yeah, countries with overseas colonies are absolutely crap…
Or, honestly, should I be talking about Georgia and Ukraine?
Who says we don’t get the hero we need…
John. Adams?! I know him. That can’t be…
But it’s true. He uses “America” almost immediately
When it was first perceived, in early times, that no middle course for America remained between unlimited submission to a foreign legislature and a total independence of its claims…
…followed by “the people of America” and that so-familiar phrase, “the American people.” Interesting!
How about
Democratic People’s Republic of North America ?
Don’t they each get to decide that for themselves, instead of adhering to your opinion on their sovereignty?
Great minds think alike!
Interesting discussion. I don’t recall having given it much thought!
For me, ‘America’ seems a bit illogical, and the ‘United States’ seems incomplete. ‘The States’ is just weird.
I probably use the first two occasionally without thinking (never the third), but I probably tend to favour ‘the USA’ (with the definite article, not ‘USA’ alone).
I don’t know whether I phrase it as a plural or singular; probably both. It’s certainly plural in French: ‘les États-Unis’.
That’s certainly my view. c.f. Scotland, Catalunya and Gibraltar. 
Maybe we can avoid all the confusion by collectively calling the 50 states New Canada.
I have been someone that dislikes the America name. I have thought it kind of … I mean the whole continent is North America how is one country all America ?
But it is neat to learn that I would have disagreed with lots more people in history, too.
For the record I love to hear “The Republic”.
