“In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who
comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to
us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it
is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or
birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming
in every facet an American, and nothing but an American…There can be no
divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but
something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one
flag, the American flag… We have room for but one language here, and
that is the English language… and we have room for but one sole loyalty
and that is a loyalty to the American people.”
Theodore Roosevelt – 1907
1 comment:
British by birth, English by the grace of God....American by choice. TR was right for the most part, but for a 1st gen immigrant, subsuming ALL of ones cultural identity is very hard. It really comes down to one test; if we went to war with your former country, for whom would you be willing to fight?
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