Primary Document Analysis

As the United States became a global power by the early 1900s, international and domestic forces pressed upon American society to begin attempting to redefine exactly who an American was. The 14th Amendment to the Constitution during the Reconstruction Era had defined citizenship in national terms and presumably applied to all those living in newly acquired territories around the globe. Coupled with the massive waves of European immigration, the nation grappled with incorporating so many people of incredibly diverse backgrounds and extending the associated rights and privileges that came with American citizenship. These two documents express the evolution of concerns that were generated through perceived threats (both real and imagined) to American society and culture and propose solutions to the critical question of who and what an American was in the early 20th century.

Answer the following two questions in an essay with a MINIMUM length of TWO (2) FULL PAGES:

1. What are the major arguments contained within each of these documents? How do they compare to one another?

2. Are there parallels in their arguments to modern debates within American society? If so, in what specific way(s)?

Please remember to use specific evidence from these documents to support your arguments.