Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907.

'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

You know of course that the anti-Americans (liberals) would label him a rapist
tom

Did you mean racist? I say, right on TR. Did you know that in order to emigrate to Australia, you first have to prove that you're either a native English speaker, or have taken classes to learn English?

Damm over helpful spellcheck lol

tom

That mean no Mex flags, no cinco de mayo? No need to have signs in other languages everywhere?

Yes!

I don't care if you claim to be American, Irish American, Italian American, African American, Arab American......

Get a fuggin job and further yourself and your community.

This means you California!

Can I still call myself a capitalist-American?

Ironic huh, that should be redundant.

Exactly Take a look at every country that has more than one language they
are constantly have problems. Cheers NC

Spot on. All of you.

Mexican flags flying all over the place, and pressing 2 for English pisses me right off!

Assimilation wasn't as easy as TR made it sound, nor as many of us believe, though it happened in years gone by more than it happens now. I was thinking this week that some of the Europeans who came here resisted assimilation for two or three generations. The Italians, for example, seem to have great pride in being Italian. (My daughter says that pride comes across as somewhat irrational, like being proud of being tall. She says it would be like her bragging about being Danish.)

Many Euros (Italians, Poles) arrived here to live in urban ghettos (using its original meaning, not meaning inner city slums). For a few generations they married one another and maintained a strong family structure, but as the nation changed they did what everyone else did -- moved to new places thanks to greater economic opportunities, which also gave them new opportunities to marry outside their ethnicity and religion.

They did, for the most part, learn English and conduct trade and social transactions in American English. There was also a moral equivalency thanks to the Catholic faith they were rooted in, which also gave them something in common with many Americans of other ethnicities. Though they were looked down on by some, their social cohesiveness enabled them to make their way without burdening society, and today we see only a remnant of the culture they had 60 to 100 years ago.

I watched this growing up. I lived in a part of town that was almost exclusively Italian, and all my friends were second or third generation. As they graduated high school, then college, fought America's wars, scattered across the country, married and had kids, it was impossible to keep the culture going, though they still have deep respect for the old ways. My observation is that it took them longer than we generally think to become completely assimilated, and as my daughter observed, they still retain a pride in their Mediterranean roots. I have some good friends who are Italian, and one childhood friend never fails to call me every year on my birthday.

Steve.

99% of the immigrants these days come for the free handouts not to assimilate.





'Death to America! Now where is my welfare check ?"

"We can have no '50-50' allegiance in this country. Either a man is an American and nothing else, or he is not an American at all" - Theodore Roosevelt


I'm with Mr. Roosevelt all the way on this.