"When a person is naturalized as a U.S. citizen, they receive not just a new citizenship but also typically a few other objects: an American flag, a copy of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and a greeting from the president. Of these, the last is the most ephemeral-just a form letter-but it can reveal a great deal about how the writer thinks about the country he leads."
"For Trump, the nation is less a melting pot where different cultures combine harmoniously than a crucible where foreign notions are burned off and a homogeneous mix emerges. "America has always welcomed those who embrace our values, assimilate into our society, and pledge allegiance to our country," he writes. "By taking this oath, you have forged a sacred bond with our Nation, her traditions, her history, her culture, and her values.""
Naturalized citizens typically receive an American flag, copies of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and a presidential greeting. The recent presidential greeting emphasizes culture, tradition, and assimilation as the foundations of national identity rather than abstract founding ideas or ideals. The greeting adopts a warm, welcoming tone despite recent policy actions that have tightened both illegal and legal immigration. The message portrays the nation as a crucible that burns off foreign notions to produce a homogeneous civic culture. Philosophical notions of citizenship as both freedom and obligation are acknowledged but reframed away from intellectual underpinnings.
Read at The Atlantic
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