The Youth for Western Civilization present a lot of fallacies in their argument. The Western civilization that they describe to be in favor of includes the entire Western Hemisphere, meaning not just the U.S. but also Mexico, Canada and the rest of Central and South America. I believe that these students who state that they are in opposition of political correctness, among other things should stop using a euphemism to describe their ignorant ideas.

Former U.S. Treasurer Angela “Bay” Buchanan was on campus to discuss the “phenomenon of non-assimilation.” The problem with this statement is that it perceives non-assimilation of immigrants to be something new. The “initial immigrants,” as sophomore Devin Saucier wrongly described, were seen by society as unable to assimilate. In the 1800s the immigration problem in America included Chinese as well as eastern and southern Europeans.

The U.S. government created laws such as the Chinese Exclusion Act and quotas to limit undesirable people from entering the U.S. This is where illegal immigration began. It did not begin in the U.S.-Mexico b±order but instead in the Canadian border with Chinese immigrants trying to enter the U.S. The “initial immigrants” did not assimilate easily into American culture; it was the children of these immigrants that began to accept the language and other norms of American society.

Saucier claims that these new immigrants fail to assimilate. Americans made these same claims in the early 20th century about Eastern and Southern Europeans. After blacks, Italians were the group of minorities that suffered the most lynchings because of their lack of assimilation to the American culture. Derogatory terms such as “hunky” were used to described Hungarian laborers because they took American jobs and could not speak English. That was over a century ago, and things haven’t changed.

While sitting through Buchanan’s lecture, I felt sorry for those sitting around me. I felt sorry because she was throwing incorrect information about immigration acts and our Founding Fathers to the audience. A person who does not know American history will be easily swayed into believing what Buchanan said because they feel the information sounds valid. Buchanan said during the years between 1924 and 1965, there was no immigration and described it as time for the assimilation of immigrant children to American society.

This is a fallacy because the 1924 Immigration Act allowed immigration into the U.S. at a more restrictive amount based on the 1890 census. Buchanan also stated: “Washington won’t enforce immigration laws.” Washington has failed to stop illegal immigration since the early 20th century.

 The reason why immigration was halted in America after 1924 was the Great Depression in 1929, which led our country to poverty. My outrage for Buchanan’s beliefs arrived when she spoke in favor of passing a law that would not grant citizenship to the babies of immigrants born on American soil. The 14 Amendment of the Constitution grants citizenship rights to people born or naturalized within the U.S. If the government denies citizenship to those born on American soil, then who qualifies for citizenship?

I personally believe it is important to assimilate to the society in which you reside within. But I do not believe it should be at the expense of who you are. The world is not black and white. It is possible to know multiple languages and be part of multiple cultures. While Saucier states that immigrants root against the U.S. in sporting events, I believe that Americans root for the world when they root the U.S. in sporting events.

Whether your favorite team is the Houston Rockets and you support Yao Ming, an immigrant from China, or Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks, an immigrant from Germany; you are supporting athletes who are immigrants. Assimilation to the American culture is important, but knowing the English language doesn’t define what it means to be an American. I believe that knowing the “American Creed” is much more important. The true American believes everyone is born equal and with the ability to have social mobility through hard work. This is the “natural aristocracy” our Founding Father Thomas Jefferson believed in, that education and hard work is what should be merited instead of an elitist society.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.” My advice to the YWC is not to stop believing in their views because they have that right as Americans to the freedom of speech and assembly, but rather to be informed and to spread facts instead of a false ignorant message. It is not the immigrants who need to learn American history; it is the members of the YWC. They fail to realize America was built on the back of immigrants, from the Puritans seeking refuge from religious persecution to the present day immigrant looking for a better future for their family.

—Laura Garcia is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Science. She can be reached at laura.a.garcia@vanderbilt.edu.