Being an American is about embracing a specific set of ideals. It's not an ethnicity or race or religion or set of beliefs. You assert your liberty and respect the liberty of others. You are tolerant and peacefully coexist. You are an individual responsible for yourself. Large groups from the same areas came here and recreated their own customs, used their language along with English and established highly concentrated ethnic centers. But all of them agreed on the above fundamentals which the Constitution was designed to recognize. No one is given rights. You have rights that are recognized and becoming an American citizen means those rights will be protected. There are no other conditions applied. All humans have the same understood, guaranteed rights. Becoming an American citizen ensures those rights are recognized. The conflict we see today comes from large groups of immigrants who do not respect these ideals and simply wish to recreate their home country, imposing incompatible culture and laws. Multiculturalism has prevented us from recognizing or acknowledging this because we generally welcome cultural differences. These differences are meant to add to the overall culture, not override core ideals and fundamental understandings. English is the universal language. Western ideals as defined by liberty and tolerance construct the framework of our government. You leave your home country to join America because you want your natural freedom. If you seek to simply colonize, then you're rejecting America.

*sighs Fine. *puts on lipstick