Mustang
Gold Member
- Thread starter
- #21
Here's the scenario.
On a particular day, two children are born at the exact same time. One is born Loredo, TX and has an American birth certificate.
The other child is born in Nuevo Loredo, Mexico, and has a Mexican birth certificate (translation: the child does NOT have an American BC).
The child born in America moves overseas to another country with his parents who may, or many not, be American. The other country is irrelevant to the story. The child never travels back to America prior to turning 18, although he's legally entitled to do so.
The Mexican-born child crosses the American border with his parents the next day and is raised in America AS an American without any knowledge that he was born in Mexico.
So, the question is WHICH young person at the age of 18 is really more American? Is it the one with the American BC who was raised in a foreign country. Or is it the foreign born child who was raised as American in America?
Which Child is 'More' American?
Legally? Spiritually? Morally? Ethically? Patriotically?
The question is vague.
What's vague about it? I think it's perfectly straight forward.
Obviously, a person with a BC proving he or she was born inside the US is LEGALLY an American...as in an American citizen. The question is whether or not there's more to being an American than simple geography or legally valid documentation which proves citizenship.
As an example, let's say that tomorrow someone discovers that John Wayne was actually born right across the border in Canada to a Canadian woman who immediately gave him up for adoption, but he was never actually legally adopted. Well, isn't John Wayne the quintessential American in the eyes of millions of people? Would this revelation (no, it's not actually true) make him any less American in the eyes of people?