Do you know what it means to be an American? Of course—and yet, a majority of the Supreme Court is still confused.
This week, the Court issued a catastrophic decision to uphold permanent birthright citizenship for the children of illegals simply because they were born on U.S. soil.
As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday, the Court’s decision is a reminder that each of us must understand and fight for the true definition of “American,” a citizen of the greatest nation on earth.
As Wade Miller, executive director of the Center for Renewing America, said recently in Chronicles Magazine: “American citizenship must mean something again: full allegiance to this nation and membership within a people who govern themselves, not a free pass based on where you drop anchor.”
He’s right. To be an American means far more than simply holding a set of vague economic propositions or reciting platitudes. America is not an idea, a saying, or a creed.
We are a people, joined together by a common history, language, and national vision.
U.S. citizenship has always been more than just a document listing the location of one’s birth. It is a sacred gift—paid for with 250 years of blood and human toil—and it is the sacred duty of every American to defend it.
Our people and our history are what make our country great. You know what that history is: Two hundred and fifty years ago, a group of 56 men used quill and ink to sign their names to a piece of parchment that put the theory of a self-governing nation into reality. They pledged “their Lives, their Fortunes and their sacred Honor.”
Their grit and determination—their American spirit—turned thirteen fledgling colonies into the most powerful nation in the world. This is the spirit that settled the West. That laid 1,900 miles of railroad from the East Coast to the West Coast. That pioneered flight, won two world wars, and put a man on the moon.
The American spirit knows no bounds.
We are also one nation under God, and God’s abundance in America is self-evident. It is the first rays of sunlight spilling over the granite cliffs of Yosemite. The endless Great Plains with buffalo roaming. The breathtaking California coastline with ancient redwoods.
It is standing beneath the towering faces of Mount Rushmore. It is the Rockies, the deserts, and the cypress-dotted swamps sprawling across the South.
The United States covers the same landmass as 44 countries in Europe. God’s beautiful design can be seen across every hill and valley, every river, and every ancient mountain.
Simply put, America is built differently.
Our glorious land and our love for our nation have always been the envy of the world. This is the very reason America needs defending—by Americans.
We can start by pushing back on the idea that anyone who stops even momentarily on our soil deserves to inherit the blessed title of “American.” Citizenship must be intentional, and must come with a learned and full dedication to embracing our language, our history, and our patriotic vision.
On this 250th birthday of our great nation, we must remember who we are as a people and the providential nation that we inhabit.
We must defend it rigorously, because the enemy is at the gates.
ICYMI…
- VP of Programs, Rachel Bovard in First Things: Is Trump v. Barbara the New Roe?
- The Federalist: Hemingway: SCOTUS’ Birthplace Citizenship Decision Is ‘Devastatingly Bad’ For the Future of America
- Institute for Sound Public Policy: Trump v. Barbara: What the Ruling Actually Means – And What Comes Next