Those citing "American" ancestry in Alabama are of overwhelmingly English extraction, however most English Americans identify simply as having American ancestry because their roots have been in North America for so long, in many cases since the early 1600s.
ðoʊz sˈaɪɾɪŋ "ɐmˈɛɹɪkən" ˈænsɛstɹi ɪn ˌæləbˈæmə ɑːɹ ʌv ˌoʊvɚwˈɛlmɪŋli ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ ɛkstɹˈækʃən, haʊˈɛvɚ mˈoʊst ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ ɐmˈɛɹɪkənz aɪdˈɛntᵻfˌaɪ sˈɪmpli æz hˌævɪŋ ɐmˈɛɹɪkən ˈænsɛstɹi bɪkˈʌz ðɛɹ ɹˈuːts hɐvbɪn ɪn nˈɔːɹθ ɐmˈɛɹɪkə fɔːɹ sˌoʊ lˈɔŋ, ɪn mˈɛni kˈeɪsᵻz sˈɪns ðɪ ˈɜːli wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd sˈɪkshˈʌndɹɪd z.