Nationalism is good for a country especially when all of the citizens have equal access to the benefits of citizenship. America has had a very difficult and uneasy relationship with its minority citizens. American Indians have been displaced and ensconced on Reservations. Japanese-Americans were interned in concentration camps during World War II. African-Americans gained full legal rights of citizenship in the 1960s. Hispanics are lumped into one group of illegal citizenry threatening the very fiber of our workforce and borders though many are rightfully Americans. Arab-Americans are treated as suspect within the larger War on Terror. The list goes on.
America has the potential for more inclusion. Many strides have been made especially over the past 40 years. Every single person came to America originally for one thing, the chance of economic opportunity and prosperity. Few countries offer that option to most of their citizens without barriers of class or societal order. For this we should be grateful.
Happy Birthday America!
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