One of the fundamental virtues of the United States has been that it is a nation founded on ideas, not specifics of race, religion, ancestry, class, or other surface factors.

This was one of the few nations where someone could come here from anywhere and become truly American, simply by holding the same fundamental values. I could live in China all my life, learn the language, and the history, and adopt every custom, and I would never be considered Chinese. Same for many other nations.

I live in a area where people come from everywhere. I love it! If there were Martians on Earth, five to one they'd open a restaurant downtown.

America has taken the best of the planet, and made it ours. The smartest, the most innovative, the most determined, the ones who value freedom, have flocked here. The English language has words in it from all over the world.

It's possible that in the past we might have ended up with a hundred states instead of fifty, but I think they all would be American.