What Does it Mean to be an American?
Thank you very much Judge Hurd for the opportunity to join you, our new citizens and their families on this very special occasion. My wife Beverly and I are honored to be here.
Ever since this nation's founding in 1776, people have debated the question, "What does it mean to be an American?" Over the years, there have been many different answers to this question, depending on historical circumstances.
We have a harder time answering this question than most nations, because our country is composed of so many different races, religions, languages and cultures.
One tradition holds that the essential metaphor or symbol for this nation is the melting pot, the idea that we are all assimilating to become a new nation, a new people unlike any other in the world.
Another tradition holds that we will all become more like the English founders of the nation, sharing a heritage of language, laws and customs.
A third tradition holds that the essential nature of this country is cultural pluralism, in which individuals interact in public spaces, but ethnic and religious cultures preserve their special identities.
A fourth tradition proposes that each cultural group must remain free to resist the melting pot and to remain completely separate.
While historians have argued about the best metaphor to apply to the United States-is it a melting pot, a salad bowl, an orchestra, a mosaic, or something else?-I believe that all these traditions are alive and well, that they are not sharply differentiated in reality, and that most Americans participate in more than one of them at any given time. Many people have indeed melted; they are Americans who blend different cultures, with a touch of Irish, German, English, Spanish, African, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Italian, Bosnian, Croatian, Indian, Vietnamese and so many others.
At the same time, the English heritage of this nation is undeniable: most of us speak English, and we all live under the protection of a Constitution written by people of British descent. Nonetheless, many Americans partake of cultural pluralism, living in thriving ethnic communities with distinctive restaurants, schools, languages, churches, associations and newspapers. And, among a small minority of Americans, cultural separatism survives, most notably among certain communities of faith, like the Amish and the Hasidim; they are free to avoid any form of assimilation to the mainstream and equally free to enter into the mainstream on a part-time basis.
There are two basic facts about American pluralism. First, we Americans belong to many groups; second, none of these groups (with the exception of the largest, most inclusive of them: the group of American citizens whom you have now joined) is legally defined. The borders of these other groups are not policed; there is no singular, authorized or orthodox account of their meaning or membership.
So, what is the essence of being an American? I believe that it is our system of freedom under the law. Americans are free to lead their lives as they see fit, so long as they do not interfere with any one else's rights. As Americans, we have the freedom to be alike or to be different because of the laws and institutions defined in our Constitution. The Constitution and the Bill of Rights contain the democratic framework that protects our right to define for ourselves what it means to be an American.
The word "Americanism" has existed since the eighteenth century and is most often used to define the virtues in which we believe. Among those virtues are a commitment to the principles of individual responsibility, personal freedom, civic duty, political equality, and economic opportunity. The more diverse we become, the more most Americans have insisted on our common membership in a distinctive political culture.
An American, as you know, is technically one who is either born in the United States, or who, if born elsewhere, has sworn to support and defend the Constitution and the laws of the United States. American citizenship, in other words, does not rest, at least in theory, on common ethnic origins. It rests on common legal standards and common political ideals.
For too much of American history, however, practice has fallen behind theory. The full rights and responsibilities of citizenship, which you now enjoy, at first were restricted to adult white males. African Americans were slaves until 1865; women could not vote until 1920. But a basic theme of American history has been the movement, uneven but steady, from exclusion to inclusion.
This movement has been fueled by the egalitarian political principles enshrined in our Constitution and Bill of Rights, principles that constantly inspire and encourage Americans to live up to our own proclaimed ideals.
Our history as a nation has been multicultural. African Americans fought beside whites in the War for Independence against Great Britain. During the Civil War from 1861-1865, almost 200,000 black Americans served in the Union Army. During the Second World War, from 1941-1945, the defenders of our nation included Navajos Indians from the reservations, Chicanos from the barrios, African- Americans from the ghettos and even Japanese-Americans who had been incarcerated in internment camps in their and our own country. These groups struggled and sacrificed for a double victory-against fascism abroad and racism at home.
By participating in our nation's struggles, America's different ethnic groups have advanced a more inclusive understanding of what Abraham Lincoln, our greatest president, described as a new nation, dedicated to the "proposition" of equality among its citizens. President Lincoln also observed that the realization of this national vision was "unfinished work."
Your basic rights as citizens of the United States are clear. They include freedom of speech and expression, of association and assembly, and of participation. Full citizenship also includes the right to travel freely and to participate in economic and social life on fair and equal terms.
The responsibilities of citizens are as important as the rights accorded citizens. These responsibilities include compliance with legitimate laws and institutions, but also the willingness to do your fair share to create and sustain them. Perhaps the most important responsibilities of citizens are to make appropriate use of your liberty and to respect the rights of others. I am confident that each of you will bring honor and commitment to these endeavors.
In concluding, allow me to join with your families and friends in celebrating this auspicious and momentous occasion. I hope that each of you will regard your membership in the citizenry of the United States as one of your most important, life-long associations. May this occasion, and all that citizenship symbolizes bring honor to our country and an appreciation of our common humanity and respect for our individual differences.
