They criticize me for harping on the obvious; if all the folks in the United States would do the few simple things they know they ought to do, most of our big problems would take care of themselves.
Calvin CoolidgeRead
Restricted immigration is not an offensive but purely a defensive action. It is not adopted in criticism of others in the slightest degree, but solely for the purpose of protecting ourselves. We cast no aspersions on any race or creed, but we must remember that every object of our institutions of society and government will fail unless America be kept American.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes that restricted immigration is a protective measure for national identity rather than a criticism of others.
Calvin Coolidge's quote reflects a viewpoint on immigration that frames it as a defensive act necessary for preserving the integrity of American society. He argues that restricting immigration is not an attack on any particular race or religion but a means of safeguarding the values and systems intrinsic to the American way of life. The statement underscores the belief that maintaining a cohesive national identity is vital for the success of societal institutions.
Themes
ImmigrationIdentityProtectionNationalismSociety
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion on immigration policies during a political debate.
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America's present need is not heroics, but healing; not nostrums, but normalcy; not revolution, but restoration; not agitation, but adjustment; not surgery, but serenity; not the dramatic, but the dispassionate; not experiment, but equipoise; not submergence in internationality, but sustainment in triumphant nationality.
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No method of procedure has ever been devised by which liberty could be divorced from local self-government. No plan of centralization has ever been adopted which did not result in bureaucracy, tyranny, inflexibility, reaction, and decline.
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Whether one traces his Americanism back three centuries to the Mayflower, or three years to the steerage, is not half so important as whether his Americanism of today is real and genuine. No matter by what various crafts we came here, we are all now in the same boat.
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The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country.
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