Below you will find a speech by Theodore Roosevelt made in 1907. To an extent I believe in the words he spoke. I believe in being an American, America itself, and the allegience he speaks of. I do though find it conceited and arrogant to speak of sole loyalties; one language, one flag. How many of our ancestors and past generations had strong bonds to their previous countries, their previous homes? How many lived in communities made almost entirely of German, Polish, Italian immigrants and spoke their primary languages around the dinner table or to their neighbor at the town market? I accept there is room for heritage, I support the history that makes us Americans. There is definitly a difference between immigrants from generations past and present and sometimes for many people that may be difficult to swallow. The truth seems to be that respect from both sides needs to occur and compromise must come forward to resolve this issue.
"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
Ok, I give you permission to sing the National Anthem in Spanish, I think it's rather impressive that you want to. In return though, please make an effort to get your citizenship and follow the laws established by our country's government. That's a compromise if I ever heard one.
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