Title We are all Americans, pure and simple : Theodore Roosevelt and the myth of Americanism / Leroy G. Dorsey

Published Tuscaloosa : University of Alabama Press, [2007] ©2007

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Description 1 online resource (xii, 218 pages) Contents Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1. Roosevelt's Americanism and the Myth of Origin -- 2. Forging Americanism on the Frontier: Immigrants and The Winning of the West -- 3. Red into White: Native Americans and Americanism -- 4. Shaping the African American Image: Americanism and the "Negro Problem" -- 5. From Hero to Traitor to Good Citizen: Americanism and the Campaign against the Hyphen -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Bibliographic Essay -- Bibliography -- Index Summary "The turn of the 20th century represented one of the most chaotic periods in the nation's history, as immigrants, Native Americans, and African Americans struggled with their roles as Americans while white America feared their impact on national identity. This book examines Theodore Roosevelt's public rhetoric - speeches, essays, and narrative histories - as he attempted to craft one people out of many. Leroy G. Dorsey observes that Roosevelt's solution to the problem appeared straightforward: everyone could become "Americans, pure and simple" if they embraced his notion of "Americanism." Roosevelt grounded his idea of Americanism in myth, particularly the frontier myth - a heroic combination of individual strength and character. When nonwhites and immigrants demonstrated these traits, he believed, they would become true Americans, earning an exalted status that they had heretofore been denied." "Dorsey's analysis illuminates how Roosevelt's rhetoric achieved a number of delicate, if problematic, balancing acts. Roosevelt gave his audiences the opportunity to accept a national identity that allowed "some" room for immigrants and nonwhites, while reinforcing their status as others, thereby reassuring white Americans of their superior place in the nation. Roosevelt's belief in an ordered and unified nation did not overwhelm his private racist attitudes, Dorsey argues, but certainly competed with them. Despite his private sentiments, he recognized that racist beliefs and rhetoric were divisive and bad for the nation's progress. The resulting message he chose to propagate was thus one of a rhetorical, if not literal, melting pot." "By focusing on Roosevelt's rhetorical constructions of national identity, as opposed to his role as a policy maker, We Are All Americans offers new insights into Roosevelt's use of public discourse to bind the nation together during one of the most polarized periods in its history."--Jacket Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 203-215) and index Notes Master and use copy. Digital master created according to Benchmark for Faithful Digital Reproductions of Monographs and Serials, Version 1. Digital Library Federation, December 2002. http://purl.oclc.org/DLF/benchrepro0212 MiAaHDL English digitized 2010 HathiTrust Digital Library committed to preserve pda MiAaHDL Print version record Subject Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919 -- Political and social views SUBJECT Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919 fast Roosevelt, Theodore. swd Subject Rhetoric -- Political aspects -- History -- 19th century Rhetoric -- Political aspects -- History -- 20th century National characteristics, American. Americanization -- History Immigrants -- United States -- History Indians of North America -- Cultural assimilation -- History African Americans -- Cultural assimilation -- History HISTORY -- United States -- State & Local -- General. African Americans -- Cultural assimilation Americanization Ethnic relations -- Political aspects Immigrants Indians of North America -- Cultural assimilation National characteristics, American Political and social views Race relations -- Political aspects Rhetoric -- Political aspects Einwanderer Ethnische Identität Kulturkontakt Ethnische Beziehungen Politische Rede Nationalcharakter SUBJECT United States -- Race relations -- Political aspects United States -- Ethnic relations -- Political aspects Subject United States Schwärze USA Amerikaner. Indianer. Genre/Form History Form Electronic book ISBN 9780817387310 0817387315 9780817357627 0817357629

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