What is American Mythology?

 When we think about Greek mythology, we tend to think of the Hellenic era, and not separate the different time periods and sub-cultures. We generally just think of it all as "Greek." Same thing with Norse, Babylonian, West African, Egyptian, Japanese, Indian, etc., and British mythology, for most people, is pretty much just the Arthurian epics.

But when it comes to American mythology, we seem to have a pretty loose collection of sources to draw from, all of which *could* be considered "mythology," but none of them seem to fit the bill perfectly.

Maybe "American Mythology" is the pre-colonial myths and legends of the native people? Or maybe American Mythology is children's stories of Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny? Or maybe American Mythology is conspiracy theories about the Illuminati and UFOs? Or maybe American Mythology is about the old Tall Tales of characters like Paul Bunyan and John Henry? Or maybe American Mythology is cryptids like Bigfoot, Mothman and the Jersey Devil? Or maybe American Mythology is one of the different time periods whose stories have been exaggerated, such as Pirates of the Caribbean, the Wild West, or Prohibition-Era Gangsters? Or maybe American Mythology is one of the new religious movements to emerge in the U.S., such as the Mormons or the Adventists? Or maybe American Mythology is something more abstract, like the irrational belief that "hard work always pays off," or that "one vote can make a difference." Or maybe American Mythology is the way that we inaccurately portray real life through movies and television, such as the way cars explode so easily, or computer hackers typing super-fast, or people flying backwards when they get shot. Actually, I don't think we'll ever figure out what qualifies as "American Mythology." Maybe this is something for future anthropologists to figure out.