Nearly every country on Earth is defined by race or ethnicity. Not America. What makes the United States different? Dennis Prager outlines the values that have allowed the American people to flourish and, unlike immigrants almost everywhere else, transformed those who arrived from across the globe into full Americans—regardless of where they were born.
Script:
Race and ethnicity have defined every nation on earth. Except one: the United States of America. It is defined by values.
So, to understand America, you have to understand American values.
They are:
1. “E Pluribus Unum”
2. “Liberty”
3. “In God We Trust.”
I call this “The American Trinity.” I made up the name, but I didn’t make up the values. They are on every American coin.
The first, E Pluribus Unum, is Latin, meaning, “Out of many, one.” When first adopted as an American motto shortly after the American founding in 1776, it referred to the thirteen American colonies becoming one nation. Over time, however, most Americans understood the motto to mean one people from many backgrounds. To quote The E Pluribus Unum Project, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, “Over the years, E Pluribus Unum has also served as a reminder of America's bold attempt to make one unified nation of people from many different backgrounds and beliefs.”
In other words, America doesn’t care about your national or ethnic origins.
This explains why people who immigrate to America assimilate faster and more fully than immigrants to any other country.
Most of those who have immigrated to Europe, from, for example, Turkey – as millions have – are not considered fully German by fellow Germans or fully Swedish by fellow Swedes or fully Spanish by fellow Spaniards. This is even true of the children and grandchildren of those immigrants.
And, just as important, few of those immigrants – or their children or grandchildren – will ever feel fully German, Swedish, or Spanish. But a Turk who immigrates to the United States will be regarded as fully American – as American as any other American – the moment he or she becomes a citizen. And they – and certainly their children – will feel fully American.
Of course, America has not always lived up to this “e pluribus unum” ideal. But the ideal was always there. And it was applied to virtually every immigrant to America.
The second component of the American Trinity is liberty.
Now, you might ask, “Didn’t the French Revolution also enshrine liberty as a central national value? Wasn’t its motto “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”?
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race and ethnicity have defined Every
Nation on earth except one the United
States of America it is defined by
values so to understand America you have
to understand American
values they are one urbus Unum two
liberty three In God We Trust I call
this the American Trinity I made up the
name but I didn't make up the values
they are on every American coin the
first urbus Unum is Latin meaning out of
many one when first adopted as an
American motto shortly after the
American founding in
1776 it referred to the 13 American
colonies becoming one nation Over time
however most Americans understood the
motto to mean one people from many
backgrounds to quote the urbus unim
project funded by the National Endowment
for the Humanities over the years urbus
Unum has also served as a reminder of
America's bold attempt to make one
unified nation of people from many
different backgrounds and beliefs in
other words America doesn't care about
your National or ethnic Origins this
explains why people who immigrate to
America assimilate faster and more fully
than immigrants to any other country
most of those who have immigrated to
Europe from for example turkey as
Millions have are not considered fully
German by fellow Germans or fully
Swedish by fellow swedes or fully
Spanish by fellow Spaniards this is even
true of the children and grandchildren
of those immigrants and just as
important few of those immigrants or
their children or grandchildren will
ever feel fully German Swedish or
Spanish but a Turk who immigrates to the
United States will be regarded as fully
American as American as any other
American the moment he or she becomes a
citizen and they and certainly their
children will feel fully
American of course America has not
always lived up to this urbus Unum ideal
but the ideal was always there and it
was applied to virtually every immigrant
to America the second component of the
American Trinity is Liberty now you
might ask didn't the French Revolution
also enshrine Liberty as a Cal National
value wasn't its motto Liberty equality
fraternity the answer is yes America is
hardly the only country to enshrine
Liberty it is the only country to
enshrine Liberty urbus Unum and In God
We Trust what's the difference the
difference is this the moment you affirm
equality as the French Revolution did
you will lose Liberty it is a basic
American value that all human beings are
born equal and all must be equal before
the law but but ending up equal that's a
French and European value and if you
want people to end up equal you must
deprive them of Liberty which is exactly
what happened right after the French
Revolution and in every other society
that made equality its National goal
America gives people the Liberty to end
up wherever their abilities work ethic
and luck take them meaning unequal
therefore professional athletes will
make more money than teachers or doctors
that may be unfortunate but that is what
Liberty allows if you want equality you
will tell people how much they can earn
and that means the end of
Liberty and third in God we trust unlike
almost every other country America never
had a state religion but it was founded
on the principle that God specifically
the god of the Bible is the source of
moral values as a declaration of
independence put it all people are
endowed by their creator with certain
unalienable rights that among these are
life liberty and the pursuit of
happiness in other words rights come
from God not from men if rights are
given by men men can take them away the
American Trinity is the reason America
became the world's freest and most
prosperous country but many Americans
want to in the words of former president
Barack Obama fundamentally transform it
they wish to replace American values
with European
values equality of result and an ever
expanding state which greatly reduce
individual Freedom the celebration of
ethnic and racial identity which is the
opposite of ebus Unum and the removal of
God as the source of morality and
rights which set of values Americans
adopt will determine whether America
remains free prosperous and the Force
for good in the world that it has
been with the exception of the Civil War
this is the greatest internal battle in
American history I'm Dennis
Prager thank you for watching this video
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