The wisdom of Teddy Roosevelt

I have been doing some reading lately about Teddy Roosevelt, while I can't say I would agree with all his policies, we could certainly use someone of such leadership in our country right now, I find his views about immigration especially poignant considering how long ago he penned them and how relevant they continue to be.


"In the first place we should insist that the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equity with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming an American and nothing but an American. There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any flag of a nation to which we are hostile. We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people." Theodore Roosevelt in a letter to the American Defense Society in 1919.

"Every immigrant who comes here should be required within five years to learn English or to leave the country," he said in a statement to the Kansas City Star in 1918. "English should be the only language taught or used in the public schools."

“We can have no "50-50" allegiance in this country. Either a man is an American and nothing else, or he is not an American at all.”

I think that he said it better than I ever could have so I will leave it at that.