Build Understanding « the american idea Background Review Coming to America In his essay, Theodore H, White asserts that For Literary immigration is key tothe idea of America Since is founding, the Reading sc United States has wekcomed more immigrants than any other Vocabulary Buide ration. From 1820 to 1930, about 60 percent ofall immigration see page $18, worldwide was to the United States. From 1905 to 1914, more than a milion people immigrated to the United States each year, seeking opportunity or fleeing eppression, Connecting to the Literature Reading/Writing Connection White identities many reasons that Americans can be proud of their country. The Fourth of July, the Statue of Liberty, veterans on parade—these are some of the ‘reminders of that prids, Explain the significance of something that makes you fee patriotic, Use atleast three of the following | words: communicate, display, sign, vey. ‘America in Search Theodore H. White (915-195 A Boston native, Theodore H. White worked as a newsbay fr ‘the Boston Globe to help pay for his education at Harvard . President, 1960. "Thee ino exctement anywhere in the pial world, short of war, to match the excitement of the American, er = presidential campaign,” White observed. Today, he is viewed fac a Fast Facts stirring fe > President Kennedy's widow, jacqueline Kennedy, chose thus uns White to write a magazine essay honoring her husband. ist (Go Woline vst w continen Author Link Wi Cime American Idea Lal os OM avtc eH. White of Histon Search oft evident, that all men are create aie Dover he next two centres the call woul reach he polo earary Analyte pettoes af Europe. the padelds chine, tara At ihe ands and ownemen their ade and Interpretive Essays thus unstting a is the calf ative that os he call, that we now celebrate. So me of the frst Europe Beran io ot vorship God in their own way, others to seek theirfortunes, But, over a century-and-a-half, the new world changed those Europeans, above all the Englishmen who had come to North America. Neither King ner Court nor Chuirch could stretch over the ‘ocean to the wild continent. To survive, the first emigrants had to learn to govern themselves. But the freedom of the wilderness whet led their appetites for more freedoms. By the time Jefferson drafted his eall, men were in the fel fighting for those new learned free- om, kaling and being illed by English soldiers, the hest-trained troops in the world, supplied by the work's greatest navy, Oniy Something worth dying for could unite American volunteers and keep them in the field—a stated cause, a lag, a nation they could call thetr own, When, on the Fourth ef July, 1776, the colontal leaders who had bbeen meeting as a Continental Congress in Philadelphia voted to approve Jefferson's Declaration of Independence, it was not puffed up thetori for them to pledge to each other “our Ives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.” Unless their new “United States of America won the war, the Congressmen would be judged traitors as relentlessly as would the ire s-under-arms in the fee The new Americans were tough men fighting for a very tough dea. How they won their battles i a story for the schoolbooks, stud ‘ed by scholars. wrapped in myths by historians and poets. But what 's most important is the story of the idea that made them into-a yation, the idea that had an explosive power undreamed of in 1776. All other nations had come into being among people whose fam ites halved for time out of mind on the same land where they ‘were born. Englishmen are English, Frenchmen are French, Ch hese are Chinese, while their governments come and go: thelr national states ean be torn apart and remade without losing their nationhood. But Americans are a nation born of an idea: not the Place. but the idea, createc the United States Government. ‘The story we celebrate... 1s the story of how this idea worked ‘self out, how it stretched and changed and how the eall for “life liberty and the pursuit of happiness” does stil. as it did in the beginning, mean different things 1 different people ‘The debate began with the drafting ofthe Declaration of inde- pendence. That task was let to Jefferson of Virginia, who spent two ‘Weeks in an upstairs room in a Philadelphia boare hing a draft while ng house pen: John Adams and Benjamin Franklin questioned, edited, hardened his phrases. By the end of that hot and mugay June, the three had reached agreement: the Declaration contained the ringing universal theme Jefferson strove for and, at the same time, voiced American grievances toughly enough to please the fetsty Adams and the pragmatic Franklin, After brief debate, Con gress passed it 528 w Types of Nonfiction Vocabulary g emigrants on res) m pea leave theicoup region to senle elsewhare relentlessly (an 16) adv. without or easing up hana Reading skill Distinguishing Fact From Opinion Idontfy one fact and ‘one opinion expressed in the ossay 0 for. i i faa neat 5 tan cee ninistrat pected the | jon Acts? the tc French sub en weleo frends, be terval sat they 1 spondence ‘Adams he sane € the day fre the Dedlar ls dea news of Ac The couric then a you When we von Ada, the messe of their de Hall in wl Divine at‘As the years wore on, the great debate expanded petween Jefferson and Adams, The young nation — (MCU TENSES Gy ourished and Jelfersan chose to think of America’s fromise asa call tol he world, ts promises univer- History Connection ra few weeks befor= he dled. he wrote, “May i€be The American Revolution White wattne world, what I believe it wil be ( some parts makes a umber of references to the fener, to others later but finally to al) the signal of era ofthe American Revolaton smtsing men to burs: thelr chains.” To Adams, the» The Declaration of independence fall meant something else—it was the cal for Amer ‘waitin by Thomas leffeson, the can independence, the comerstone of an American Declaration announced the colo e ‘ies decision in 1776 to break away cir argument ran through thelr successive ‘tom Great Britain. n the opening net ann ae paragraph efesonreerso rmallenabe (un af yen bal) rights—those rights that cannot be taken of given away. + Irregulars-Under-Arms The colo “aMministrations, Adams, the second President, sus: Aeted the French Revolutionaries; Alen and Sedt Ton Acts? were passed during his term ofolfce to protect the American state and its iberties against French subversion. But Jefferson. the third Prest Msteumno fought the Bish inthe thane welcomed the French. The two men, once close Revolution could be considered frends, became archrivals, Sti, as they grew old iregulars-under-arms. As rebels, rer caiy ded: there was gory enough (o share in they did not belong toa regularly wihat they had made: in 1812, they began a corre establishes army. Tpondence that has since become classe, remember. GEpREETTTETRTRETE tng and taking comfort tn the triumphs of their youth. What contrasting views ofthe jams and Jefferson lived long lives and died on American idea are represented by the same day-—the Fourth of July. 1826, 60 years to __Ieffeson's “unalienable ght" andy ‘Adams's views on immigration? the day from the Cortinental Congress's approval of the Declaration, Legend has it that Adams breathed an his death bed, “Thomas Jellerson still survives. Ascourters set out fiom Braintree? carrying the ews of Adams's death, couriers were riding north from Virginia with the news of Jefferson's death, The couriers met in Philadelphia. Horace Greeley then a youth im Vermont, later remembered! When we learned... that Thomas Jefferson and Joba sms, the author and the great champion, tespecively, ofthe Leclaration, had both died on that day. and that Vocabulary Builder subversion (Seb vor han) a. activity the messengers bearing South and North, respectively. the tins Steir decease, hac met in Philadelphia, under the shadow of that Hatin whieh our infependence was declared, t seemed that a Drie testo a senny wed nel sancti the Pent Seething etbised Rh Scatanncs opie 8 Rte mass imereanaopaee pinethe Skills The American Idea Thinking About the Selection 1. Respond: Which idea about America meant the most to you? Why? 2. (2) Recall: dently tree groups that White says heard the all of the American idea. (b)Infer: How didi affect them? 3. Compare and Contrast: What differences does White see between early American settles and people living elsewhere? 4. (@) Interpret: What does White mean when he writes, “Americans ae a nation bom of an idea”? (b) Extend: What might White say defines somebody or something os American? 5. (@) Take a Position: Do you agree with White that "ie, erty and the pursuit of happiness” means diferent things to diferent People? Why oF why not? (b) Discuss: Share your eas in a small group. (¢) Evaluate: Decide which ideas are the most interesting, and presex them to the whole class Literary Analysis 6. The author ofthis interpretive essay focuses on the “American idea.” (a) Briely summarize White's view, (b) Identity two histor cal details that he uses to support or illustrate his view. 7, Use a char lke this one to organize details ofthe analytic sec- ions of White's essay Tople:_ fjetterson’s Supporting Postion —_}_ Heras | xpeo Adams's —|Sepporing cer Position Details __] 71 8. Explain how White uses the story about Adams and jefferson and ‘other details and persuasive appeals to strengthen his presents. tion of an “American idea” Reading Ski 9. List two facts that Whit includes about people or events 10, (a) List two opinions trat White includes about people or events. (b) Which facts does he use to support each opinion? QuickReview Essay ata Glance White explores the concept of America 8 nation tied togetes by an idea of freedom (Go @nline Assessment Wt 00 S:hceo Web Cate ego Interpretive Essay. brief work of ‘onfiction in which author discusses the meaning orsign Analytic Essay: brief work of nonfiction in which a writer explores a subject by breaking it nto parts Statement of Fact: statement that can be proved true or false Opinion: a belief or Viewpoint Persuasive Appeals: the case a writer ‘makes fora position Vocab practice tens 2 sod) Bente ‘Adsing fromthe these de Writin Witea @ his centc + Beto + Org of ee Wi For Gran Build tz Exter isteni state anc + Prog + Use Add ing Resear founder: Choose have sut reference and pro