Bradley Project 2008-Bradley Project On America_s National ...

32 I The Bradley Project on america’s National identity I e pluribus unumand that the overwhelming number ofimmigrants, a short-time removed fromtheir native countries, became identifiedwith America’s culture and institutions.also loyal to the ideals of democracy—political equality, private property, andreligious freedom—and eagerly embracingthe American proposition.German-speaking soldiers fought on theUnion side in the Civil War, Japanese-American units had exemplary combatrecords in World War II, and todayAmericans whose ethnic heritages spanthe globe are defendingFirst-Generation AmericansThose who arrived in the early decadesof the twentieth century were intenselycommitted to becoming Americans.When one immigrant wrotehis autobiography, heAmerica abroad.“You can go to live in proudly titled it TheMany Americans accepted,even welcomedTurkey but you can’t Americanization of EdwardBok, and his storybecome a Turk. You can’t goimmigrants. And most to live in Japan and becomemirrored that of manyimmigrants embraced Japanese. But … anyoneof his fellow immigrants.America, enjoying its from any corner of the worldmany freedoms andoften relishing theirnewfound identity. Whatmade relative harmonypossible was the combinationcan come to America and bean American.”– Ronald ReaganIn the open responsesection of the Harrissurvey, one respondentwrote, “I am told that mygreat-great grandfatherof economic opportunity and aself-conscious effort to become Americans.Not merely a nation of immigrants,America was a nation of immigrants whowere expected to—and usually did—fullyembrace their new country. Assimilatedimmigrants rapidly became Americans,not only grateful for land and jobs, butsaid the proudest day of his life was whenhe legally became a United States citizen.”These newcomers insisted their childrenlearn English and they quickly becameknown as among the nation’s most patrioticcitizens.New immigrants and citizens alikeunderstood that a common language and