the melting pot that is no longer

many issues important to americans come up during political races. this year is definitely no different, be it healthcare, war, taxes, immigration or a multitude of other social issues. so tonight in my inbox, i get an email from a relative of mine. the subject is "100 years later". under a picture of teddy roosevelt, it reads:

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

Every American citizen needs to read this!

KEEP THIS MOVING

i will say that i am not completely sure of my position on immigration. perhaps it is because it does not directly affect me. i understand that there are concerns with illegal immigrants coming to our country who do not pay taxes yet hope for the benefits of american citizens. i just think about some of the absurd comments people make about immigrants coming to our country (legally or illegally). some americans think that anyone who enters our borders should speak the english language. some feel that immigrants should confirm to the ideals of every american. even some politicians say that a wall should be put up across our southern border. but then i can't help but think about the foundations of our country; foundations created over 100 years before teddy roosevelt made the above comment.

correct me if my american history is incorrect, but a great majority of our ancestors were not original inhabitants of this country. we immigrated here from another country. our ancestors spoke different languages. we must remember that many of our ancestors came to this new country invading another's land. i guess you could compare that to illegal immigrants who cross our borders today.

again, america finds itself standing on a mountain of hypocracy. sometimes i wish it were as easy to escape american borders as it apparently is to get in.