Homecoming Marine by Norman Rockwell
Michael Guillaume Jean de Crevecouer, Letter from an American Farmer; 1782; What Is an American? Annals of America, Vol. 2 p. 583
“What then is the American – this new man? He is an American who, leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds. His country is now that which gives him land, bread, protection, and consequence (Ubi panis ibi patria – where my bread is earned, there is my country) is the motto of all immigrants.
Here individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men, whose labors and posterity will one day cause great change in the world. Americans are the western pilgrims who are carrying along with them the great mass of arts, sciences, vigor, and industry which began long since in the east; they will finish the great circle. The Americans were once scattered all over Europe; here they incorporated into one of the finest systems of population which has ever appeared, and which will hereafter become distinct by the power of the different climates they inhabit. The American ought, therefore, to love this country much better than that wherein either he or his forefathers were born. Here the rewards of his industry follow with equal steps the progress of his labor; his labor is founded on the basis of nature, self-interest. Wives and children, who before in vain demanded of him a morsel of bread, now, fat and frolicsome, gladly help their father to clear those fields whence exuberant crops are to arise to feed and clothe them all, without any part being claimed, either by despotic prince, a rich abbot, or a mighty lord. Here, religion demands but little of him; a small voluntary salary to the minister and gratitude to God.
The American is a new man, who acts upon new principles; he must, therefore, entertain new ideas and form new opinions.
Men are like plants; the goodness and flavor of the fruit proceed from the peculiar soil and exposition in which they grow. We are nothing but what we derive from the air we breathe, the climate we inhabit, the government we obey, the system of religion we profess, and the nature of our employment.
Europe has no such class of man. The early knowledge they acquire, the early bargains they make, give them a great degree of sagacity. As freemen, they will be litigious; pride and obstinacy are often the cause of lawsuits; the nature of our laws and government may be another. As citizens they will carefully read the newspapers, enter into every political disquisition, freely blame or censure governors and others. As farmers, they will be careful and anxious to get as much as they can, because what they get is their own. As northern men they will love the cheerful cup. As Christians, religion curbs them not in their opinions. The general indulgence leaves everyone to think for himself in spiritual matters; the laws inspect our actions; our thoughts are left to God.
After a foreigner from any part of Europe has arrived and become a citizen, let him devoutly listen to the voice of our great Parent, who says to him: “Welcome to my shores, distressed Europeans; bless the hour in which thou didst see my verdant fields, my fair navigable rivers, and my green mountains! If thou wilt work, I have bread for thee; if thou wilt be honest, sober, and industrious, I have greater rewards to confer on thee – ease and independence. I will give thee fields to feed and clothe thee; a comfortable fireside to sit by, and tell they children by what means thou hast prospered; and a decent bed to repose on. I shall endow thee, besides, with the immunities of a freeman. If thou wilt carefully educate your children, teach them gratitude to God, and reverence to that government, that philanthropic government which has collected here so many men and made them happy. I will also provide for thy progeny. And to every good man this ought to be the most holy, the most powerful, the most earnest wish he can possibly form, as well as the most consolatory prospect when he dies. Go thou, and work and till; thou shalt prosper, provided thou be just, grateful and industrious.”
The Naturalization Oath of United States Citizenship:
“I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.”
