Coming to America
Why the melting pot should be a source of national pride

I feel like I owe some apologies. At the start of the week, this Englishman and his English wife stood in a room with a couple hundred strangers in downtown Manhattan and renounced all "allegiance and fidelity" to any foreign prince (sorry William), potentate (beg pardon Charles III), and state (forgive me Britannia) of which we had "heretofore been a subject or citizen." And after pledging to support and defend the Constitution and laws of the U.S. against all enemies, foreign and domestic, something magical happened: We became Americans. Now, outwardly expressing my joy at this metamorphosis was difficult, because a certain British stoicism — I believe the scientific term is "emotional stuntedness" — is encoded in my DNA. My natural impulse in such moments of wonder is to mutter, "Well, this is a lot of fuss about nothing," and then start talking nervously about scones or the weather. But as a newly minted American, I forced myself to enjoy the occasion, clap, and even, dare I admit it, let out a "Whoop!"
It was an event worth cheering. Few people ever get to decide their nationality; for most it's an accident of birth. But here was a room full of Britons, Russians, French, Dominicans, Chinese, Mexicans, and many other nationalities who'd spent years and sometimes decades working through the labyrinthine immigration system to become Americans. For many, dual citizenship was not an option. Naturalizing in the U.S. meant giving up citizenship in the country of their birth. That's a remarkable sacrifice, but also a testament to the promise of the U.S. While only 67 percent of Americans now say they are extremely or very proud of the U.S. — 23 points lower than in 2003 — many people from around the world still regard this as a nation where they can work toward a better life; a dynamic democracy that is far from perfect but, as Armenian-American historian Vartan Gregorian wrote, is perfectible. For this new American, at least, that's something to be proud of.
This is the editor's letter in the current issue of The Week magazine.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Theunis Bates is a senior editor at The Week's print edition. He has previously worked for Time, Fast Company, AOL News and Playboy.
-
Deportations ensnare migrant families, U.S. citizens
Feature Trump's deportation crackdown is sweeping up more than just immigrants as ICE targets citizens, judges and nursing mothers
-
Trump shrugs off warnings over trade war costs
Feature Trump's tariffs are spiraling the U.S. toward an economic crisis as shipments slow down—and China doesn't plan to back down
-
Trump is not sure he must follow the Constitution
speed read When asked about due process for migrants in a TV interview, President Trump said he didn't know whether he had to uphold the Fifth Amendment
-
Trump judge bars deportations under 1798 law
speed read A Trump appointee has ruled that the president's use of a wartime act for deportations is illegal
-
'It is not enough to simply defend the status quo'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump says he could bring back Ábgego García but won't
Speed Read At a rally to mark his 100th day in office, the president doubled down on his unpopular immigration and economic policies
-
A 'meltdown' at Hegseth's Pentagon
Feature The Defense Secretary is fighting to keep his job amid leaked Signal chats and staff turmoil
-
Reining in Iran: Talks instead of bombs
Feature Trump edges closer to a nuclear deal with Iran—but is it too similar to former President Barack Obama's pact?