-fO AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
 

PART V

WHAT THE AMERICAN OF ITALIAN EXTRACTION
CONTRIBUTES   TO  AMERICAN   DEMOCRACY

CHAPTER XX

INTRODUCTION

REASONS FOR PHRASE "AMERICANS OF ITAL¬
IAN EXTRACTION" —What does the American of
Italian extraction contribute to our American demo¬
cracy? Thruout this study the hyphen Italian-American
has been carefully avoided in order not to lead anyone to
the conclusion that we are concerned with a type that is
hyphenated. The term Italian-American is a hyphen of
objectionable character. One of the results of the war
has been to develop a strong sentiment antagonistic to
hyphenated citizenship. The "state" is justified in ask¬
ing that its citizens be one hundred per cent citizens. In
our country whether one is anything else is a matter of
great importance because of the remarkable hetero¬
geneity of racial stocks. Different ethnic elements in a
population, unquestionably tend to create communities
within communities. Prof. Jastrow's views of hyphen¬
ated citizenship will repay one for the reading.* He
raises the question whether a Jew sould divide his alle¬
giance between Palestine and the country where he made
his home. It cannot be said that even to-day this con¬
cept of "Americanism" is as clear cut as we would like
to have it.**   In speaking of the individuals concerned in

* See remarks by Dr. Jastrow, Jr., on "The Danger of a
Hyphenated Citizenship."   Menorah Journal, June 1918.

** The way different writers have looked on this point is
shown by the following quotations, viz: "Of course a man who
is born in a foreign country is in every sense of the word a
foreigner though he may have been Americanized by his resi¬
dence in the United States."    Federation, July 1912, p. 41.)

"In one sense all the inhabitants of the United States are
immigrants.    The only exception would be the descendants of