Define American.
Is it any person on planet Earth resides in the U.S. who simply shares a set of ideas – an American Creed?
Or, is based on “blood and soil” connections by birth and ancestry?
It definitely isn’t the Ethno-nationalism of a “Whites Only” America, because our America became multi-racial in 1619 when English Europeans, Indians, and Black Africans intertwined their lives in colonial Virginia.
Being American means believing in some ideas – the American Creed – with all other Americans, using a common language – English, in a single place – our homeland – with a singularly unique history adopted personally – which means willful assimilation as an American.
And loving America fiercely.
The American Creed, so clearly captured in Samuel Huntington’s last book “Who Are We?”, comes from our formerly consensus Culture.
Our Culture is shaped by our American Biblical worldview with the following key points:
- The Christian God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit lives. God is unseen, but real and involved in every aspect of the world, nature, and people.
- Life is a sacred gift from God. Humans are created in God’s image.
- Law originates with God. The laws of nature are created by the Creator of nature. Consequently, they observed an evolving body of thought about “Natural Law.” Natural Law, like God’s explicit laws given in the Bible, is superior to man-made law. This includes the individual’s right of self-preservation over any law made by a king or a state.
- Individual rights come from God. Not man. Not tradition. Furthermore, God alone is just.
- Individualism is important. Humans find salvation as individuals. With salvation, comes individual responsibilities. Charity is a significant individual responsibility.
- God ordains personal property. Humans have a God-given right to own property. Furthermore, God ordains humans using their property to make a profit.
- Everyone who can work, must work. Individuals work to glorify God in the quality of their work.
- Wisdom is knowing God. God’s truth is truth.
- The Ten Commandments are the ethical and moral basis for society.
Those ideas are embedded in “The American Creed.” The first American Creed was called “Protestantism without God.” This is the essence of what it meant to be “American”.
The American Creed included:
- The English language
- Christianity – Biblical Worldview
- Religious commitment
- English Rule of Law
- Ruler’s responsibilities
- Individual rights
- Dissenting Protestant values of individualism
- Work ethic
- Enlightenment ability and duty to “do better” in civic society
- European art, literature, and history
And, when war comes, serve well to pay the Blood Tax of American citizenship.
Read the list again. An immigrant from a Sinic Buddhist culture, Indian Hindu culture, African tribal culture, Latin American Oligarchy, or European Socialism has to make a cognitive shift to fully assimilate as an American.
Less so for the European or Hispanic immigrant. But, still a significant shift in worldview and culture.
Furthermore, religion really matters. The U.S. was 98.2% Protestant at its founding. Roman Catholics and Jews were present from the start. So what was “Protestant” became “American” on July 4th, 1776.
Consequently, America is the safe home for Christians and Jews exclusively. Freedom of religion means any individual can be whatever they wish, but Hinduism, Paganism, Buddhism, Human Secular Totalitarianism, and above all, Islam above one per cent of the population presents an opposing worldview – based on the foreign religion.
America is a Creedal Nation. Plus. Plus.
+ The Land. An American is attached to this land. Wherever. Whatever farm, town, city or state. It’s theirs. Americans may be descended from refugees or come as refugees, but Americans aren’t going to go any further. This is it. Live or die here.
Many Americans whose families are “a People” and have 1, 2, or over 3 centuries here have a special, untranslatable attachment to their place. Their piece of America.
Conversely, some descendants from the Mayflower imagine they are citizens of the world. They walk away from their heritage.
+ Fierceness. Americans are known as a warlike people from the bloody conflicts where the Indians gave as good as they had – and lost – to becoming the Pax Americana global superpower with Imperial responsibilities without Imperial ambitions. Likewise, Americans are fiercely in love in with America. Passionate.
An American is a legal fellow citizen – important distinction – sharing our American Creed plus attached to our homeland and fiercely loving our country.
I served with American soldiers who spoke badly broken English and were as American as I am – as a direct descendant of a Revolutionary soldier of the Continental Line. They lived the American Creed, shared our faiths, and were attached to America as home with an absolute fierceness.
God Bless America
Read James Atticus Bowden at https://jatticus.wordpress.com/ and https://substack.com/@jamesatticusbowden and https://x.com/jatticusbowden
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