No

The United States is, and has always been, a country of immigrants.

Historically, most immigrant arrivals to the United States have been from European countries. Early European culture and philosophy came to serve as the political foundation of our nation. Enslaved and free Africans also made critical contributions, which are too numerous to name--and, in many cases, tragically unrecorded.

Over time, trends changed, with the early English, French, and Dutch migrants replaced by Germans and Irish and Italians. Beginning in the early 20th century, immigrants from outside of Europe began seeking entry to the United States: first, the Chinese and Japanese, and later, peoples from across Latin American. Today, countries like India and Nigeria provide many aspiring immigrants.

I am not trying to adopt the posture of being all-inclusive or overtly accommodating. The United States is grounded in a secular tradition of decidedly Western origin. We should not forget this fact, nor should we neglect it but to compensate for past injustices.

Rather, it is imperative that we continue to foster--in native-born Americans, in first-generation immigrants, and in all those who might come after us--a deep appreciation for the fundamental freedoms to which our society has always claimed to aspire (yet has often failed to attain). This is because our identity as Americans is derived far more from respect for our Constitution than any notion of color, race, or religion. It is an identity which is accommodating, and one which not only tolerates differences in belief and practice but ensures their protection.

And it is, ultimately, an identity contingent not upon any claim to ancient culture but conditioned solely by a willingness to abide by the principle that all men are created equal, and that all men are so entitled to "government of the people, by the people, [and] for the people," no matter how they might look or appear.