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I believe this was the assignment - something about hyphens or what not.

I think it would be a little presumptuous to say that the hyphen in this context is a strictly American phenomenon, but it is probably safe to say that a hyphen next to "American" is more common than with other nationalities. This is unsurprising; the United States is a nation built by immigrants, a cultural melting pot. While other nations may be defined by a common background and ethnicity, the American identity and nation is defined by the multitude of ethnicities and nationalities that share in it.

The hyphenated identity shows that people are able to come to the United States and become American while still retaining their heritage (as opposed to having to lose a core part of themselves).

On an related note, there was a question today in class about how we identify ourselves. Personally, I do not feel particularly attached to my religion, ethnicity, or nationality. To me, they really should not matter. But I guess if I had to define myself along religious/ethnic/national lines, I'm a Filipino agnostic-leaning Catholic who happens to be an American national.

Sorry if this was a little rambling.