Q: How are Americans "constructed"? Who is responsible for this construction project?
Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, the construction of
Americans also depends on who is doing the viewing. Americans are not
so much constructed as cobbled together. We have come from many
nations. My own ancestors came from Sweden and Prussia in the early
20th century. They came seeking economic and political independence.
They farmed the plains of Minnesota for a few generations, until my
immediate ancestors wised up and moved to the city... Others have
infinitely different genealogies and life circumstances.
Despite our walks of life, we seem to share (from the Founding Fathers'
construction) a common goal of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness". When the nation was formed, the rabble on this side of the
Atlantic threw their lot in together as a nation of strong states. When
the "peculiar institution" of slavery, along with the right of a state
to withdraw from that Constitutional contract, broke up our nation, we
reformed with a more subservient state government. So one would say
that we are a society of "one nation, under God" that hopefully no one
else can put asunder.
I'm glad that [name deleted] mentioned the current border "crisis" that
sweeps our Southwest US. It calls into question what defines an
American. Are immigrants Americans? Does it depend on how long you've
been here, or by what means you arrived? When my relatives arrived from
Sweden, they were contractually obligated to farm and settle in the
Upper Midwest... for that reason they were allowed in through Ellis
Island. Does the fact that they followed the prevailing immigration
rules mean that they are more American than a Ecuadorian who just came
across the border by way of a coyote (a human smuggler)? Or does the
illegal nature of his entrance negate his potential standing in society? And
is that a permanent condition, or just a black mark to be erased
with congressional amnesty?
So the construction of an American is still a definition in progress.
From the perspective of an illegal immigrant, the definition means
"anyone who made it". By a Mayflower descendant's opinion, perhaps it's
slightly stricter than that. The jury is still out on this question.
Hopefully it'll be fairly defined and that everyone will be happy with
the outcome. (That may be a very optimistic goal.)
Sources: US Declaration of Independence, Pledge of Allegiance.