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

Theodore Roosevelt indeed wrote these words, but not in 1907 while he was still president. The passages were culled from a letter he wrote to the president of the American Defense Society on January 3, 1919, three days before Roosevelt died.

"Americanization" was a favorite theme of Roosevelt's during his later years, when he railed repeatedly against "hyphenated Americans" and the prospect of a nation "brought to ruins" by a "tangle of squabbling nationalities."

He advocated the compulsory learning of English by every naturalized citizen. "Every immigrant who comes here should be required within five years to learn English or to leave the country," he said in a statement to the Kansas City Star in 1918. "English should be the only language taught or used in the public schools."

He also insisted, on more than one occasion, that America has no room for what he called "fifty-fifty allegiance." In a speech made in 1917 he said, "It is our boast that we admit the immigrant to full fellowship and equality with the native-born. In return we demand that he shall share our undivided allegiance to the one flag which floats over all of us."

Borrowed from this website.

 

You know...i really don't have a problem with any of that...except perhaps the language study in schools...its still important to learn other languages - but not so that we can communicate with illegal aliens within our own country.

He's even quite generous with the language bit...5 years is waaaay longer than it takes to pick up a language...note that i didnt say master a language...but you can certainly learn enough to get around within a year

 

Your aware that in some public schools in California they don't teach in English?

 

No, I'm afraid I wasn't aware of that. I think its ridiculous.

 

See we have so many Hispanic Immigrants in this state that it would be "unfiar" to teach them in English so they are taught in Spanish, and take an ESL (English as a Second Languge) class the same way I might take a Spanish class.

See not only do we make no attempt to intergrate these people into American society, we do everything we can to make sure they never do.

You might recall the big fuss over "Ebonics" a few years back? That all started in Oakland, California because Blacks felt they deserved the same concideration as Hispanics, and they wanted to be tuaght in Ghetto Slang because English was too difficult for them. Thank god no one bought into that one.

Well I guess that's "Diversity" for you.

*edit* Just saw this on the Drudge Report. It weems you don;t even need to know English to Vote in this state.

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/05/10/D8HH7HV80.html

 

que?

me hablo english un pocco.....

en espanol por favor.

 

me and the wife went shoping the other day at a rainbow we hadent ben to in quite a wile .and all the sineidge wus in spanish ,mung and samali.no english at all.

a cupal of yers back a samoli woman sued a SA store at the airport beacus thay would not hier her beacus she did not speek a lick of english.now i dont know if a judg ruled or thay caved but thay ended up hiering an enterprater at 30+bucks an hower so she could work there then found out that the prodomidently samoli (male)taxi drivers wouldent eavin go to her checkout line beacus she is a samoli female.

up hear in MN we have as mutch a problem whith leagl as we do illeagle.and sins i work whith them i know mostly about somaliens.many drivers reafus or treet badly whimen,gays,black americans and many pasingers imbibing alcahall.thay site realigus reasons.now me being a white american if i did any of thows things i would loos my job and probaly spend a lot of time in the papers and the corts.isent that like being a member of pita and working in a sloter hous and reafusing to do any slotering beacus its agens yore belefs and still expecting to get a check???the cab buisnes is doun more than 50% frome 5 or 6 yers back and in that time the somali drivers went frome about 5% to over 90% of the drivers.thay blame the econame and gas prises.no seing trhe fact tha gas prises should compel persons to take a cab rather than filling up there suv's.there is sertinly more i could say but ill stop for now

 

Mis pantalones estan en fuego!

 

I don't remember much from highschool spanish... but why are your pants on fire...

 

**warning...rant**

I am a rare breed, a conservative liberal. (yes, it does exist! and I don't just sit the fence. ) I think that Roosevelt's statements should become a federal policy. I believe we should embrace our immigrants. But they should also embrace us. If they want to be an American, then they need to do what is needed to become an American. Where is our national pride? You can still practice your culture, as a matter of fact it is wonderful if you can, but you also need to understand that you are an AMERICAN. Not a Mexican-American, a Somoli-American, etc. If you want to live in this country as a voting citizen, then you need to do what is required.

Many foreign nationals that have become Americans went through the process of learning English, learning our history and political system. They were proud the day they received their citizenship and should be. They earned it. Don't you think that it is a spit in their eye to make illegal immigrants citizens simply because they got here? Multi-lingual signs should be removed except in airports and border crossings. Schools should be taught only in English. (other languages must be taught as well as cultures, but students should be required to be able to learn in English.)

In order to have this work, there needs to be classes available for immigrants to learn how to become American. I know they are already there, but I think we need more and I also believe that they should be government paid if they aren't already. This is how we help our immigrants become citizens, to feel apart of this country instead of separate. If you don't want to become apart of us, then, you need to find a place you do belong.

**rant off**

Otherwise, let's dance and party!
.....duh duh do be do be da da do ding ding a ling a dong