"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 outage 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 allgiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room but for one flag, the American flag...We have room but for 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."It seems President Roosevelt was against political correctness even in 1907. It's not African American. It's American. It's not Native American, it's American. It's not Mexican American, it's American.
Filed under US/Mexico Border
Technorati Tags: Teddy Roosevelt, Immigration, Assimilation
2 comments:
Roosevelt was also a fan of "active" foreign policy - which meant having an active military force.
Similarly, he said Irish and German immigrants who pleaded for neutrality were "unpatriotic", so he could hardly be called the definitively sane man when it comes to nationalism.
How about a political correctness that is pro American? Why can't that be labeled as PC? Funny that the quote "We have room but for one flag, the American flag...We have room but for one language here, and that is the English language" sounds alot like the "One country, one flag, one F**king language" that I posted in a comment a few days ago over at Gretas'. Keep on Keepin' On Chris.
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