“Just because a mouse lives in the cookie jar, does not make him a cookie.”
This folk wisdom is attributed to Casper ten Boom in The Hiding Place.
It has obvious relevance in the setting of mass migration and changing national identities.
Not everyone who is physically present and residing in a particular country has enough in common with the citizens of that country to identify with them.
The notion of an Englishman, or a Cambodian, or an Egyptian implies a certain level of commonality with those who share the same identity.
Given that many immigrants to the United States claim the entitlements and privileges of Americans, it is reasonable to ask “What is an American?” What do Americans have in common that justifies their sharing an identity?
Any attempt at defining Americanism is bound to be overly ambitious, particularly within the constraints of a 1,200-word essay. The result will necessarily be somewhat subjective. Nevertheless, something must distinguish Americans from non-Americans.
There are different ways in which one may attempt to define an American. The question may elicit technical, sentimental, or practical definitions. The question here is taken to be substantive; i.e., what does claiming to be an American mean in practice?
The question does not seem to have a precise answer because there is a great deal of variation in the attitudes, values and experiences of people who are undeniably American.
Nevertheless, there are certain essential qualities to those features that define an American.
The things that Americans have in common, and by which they can identify as Americans, must be enduring and robust.
Not only do Americans have things in common with their contemporaries, but with their predecessors as well.
What defines an American is not a set of rigidly shared values, a common language, or a homogeneous American culture.
Americans can think, believe, and want different things. What Americans have in common is not what they think, but rather what they respect.
An American is someone who respects a distinctly American worldview, even if they do not totally agree with it.
This worldview is the equilibrium about which political fashions, ideological fads, and cultural influences ebb and flow. It is enduring, and grounded in such principles as the recognition of the nuclear family as the organizing unit of society, respect for the rule of law, and the ability for individuals to make their lives better or worse depending on their own choices and actions.
It values personal responsibility, the peaceful resolution of disputes, and the authority of parents.
It also demands the uniform application of the laws to deter antisocial and harmful behaviors.
It recognizes an inherent right to self-defense and the right to peacefully challenge the actions of government.
The American worldview is demonstrated by those things that Americans commonly regard as virtues; e.g., self reliance, keeping one’s word, observing the law, and behaving with a sense of responsibility for the common good of the country.
Being an American is not a matter of believing dogma. One can be an American and disagree that individuals should have a right to bear arms, or that freedom of expression includes offensive ideas. An occasional American may believe that certain groups should enjoy special privileges or that that all cultures are equal.
But regardless of these individual beliefs, Americans respect that the distinctive and prevailing American worldview does not agree with them, and is unlikely to do so in the near future. A worldview does not change over a few election cycles or in response to cultural fads, intimidation, or propaganda.
An American who wishes to change the prevailing worldview must do so through the long, arduous and uncertain process of non-violent persuasion.
Of all of the potential elements of the American worldview, the most fundamental is that proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence; that “All Men are Created Equal.” It is the idea that human beings have a dignity that transcends considerations of race, tribe, or creed.
This claim invites obvious objections. Certainly, the principle that all men are created equal was not a universally observed tenet at the American founding.
Critics might charge that the history of slavery, the Trail of Tears, the Chinese Exclusion Act, and such demonstrate that the founding ideal was perhaps no more than a slogan. But this charge, which can be illustrated by indisputable facts, misses the larger truth.
The phrase “All Men are Created Equal” was not a description of an established practice, but rather a declaration of a truth that was shaping the moral sensibilities of the West. This evolving idea can be seen in the primary institution that America’s detractors rely upon to discredit it: slavery.
The idea that the absolute ownership of human beings was wrong because of some characteristic common to all humanity arose no later than the first century A.D.
The Roman emperors Claudius and Nero enacted laws providing for some small measure of the humane treatment of slaves.
The Stoic philosopher Seneca advised treating slaves well.
Gregory of Nyssa declared in the fourth century that slavery was always wrong because man was created in the image of God.
The Dominican Friar Bartolome de las Cases advocated against the enslavement of indigenous people in the Spanish colonies in the Americas, although he did not at first object to the importation of African slaves.
Western thought as it continued to develop during the Enlightenment contemplated at least some form of spiritual and civic equality.
This trend persisted into and beyond the founding of the United States.
The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territories.
Slavery was gradually being rejected in France, Britain and elsewhere in Europe on decidedly moral grounds. The dawning recognition that all men are created equal in some significant way was a Western idea that was recognized and adopted by the American Founders. It is part of the American worldview.
The culmination of this idea of the inherent dignity of the human person led both to the abolition of du jure slavery throughout the world and the adoption of the presumption that all men are equal before the law.
Being an American does not mean accepting the premise that all men are created equal, but it does require respecting the role of that principle in the American character and in American life. This means respecting the idea that religious belief does not confer privileges to violate the rights of nonbelievers, or that the law can be ignored in interactions with people outside of the tribe, special identity group, or ideological faction.
Being an American means not coming to America parasitically, solely “for a better life,” but rather to be part of a better society.
Being an American also means having some measure of affection for the idea of America.
It does not mean blind patriotism or ignoring the inevitable flaws inherent in any society or country. It does mean respecting the values that are traditional in America, even if one does not share them. It means that, if one wants to change those values, he does so in a manner that respects the rule of law, non-violent dispute resolution and the dignity of others.
It means valuing a high trust society and cherishing the blessings of American liberty.