(Editor’s note: The Forum is a new, longform podcast series produced and hosted by Cville Right Now contributor Marshall LeMert. Each episode will be accompanied by a companion summary here at Cvillerightnow.com.)

 

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW)- America’s 250th birthday is looming, but despite that milestone, one could argue that, outside of the Civil War, Americans have never been more divided. The politics, culture and even history of the country are common sources of disagreement. The question of what it means to be an American is harder to answer than ever before.   

To answer this, the framework of a well-known sociologist V. Gordon Childe provides a solid, if broad definition for civilization. Childe’s defining factors for a civilization are its political and economic systems, its social structures and its cultural touchstones.   

America’s political system, created initially by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and later expanded and enshrined in the United States Constitution of 1787, was unique for its time. The American blueprint has played a part in inspiring political change across the world, embodying enlightenment ideals that would be echoed in the French Revolution of 1789, the European revolutions of the mid-19th century and subsequent democratic governments established in the wake of 20th century imperialism. Capitalism, as enumerated in Adam Smith’s “Wealth of Nations,” has also imprinted itself upon the United States, with its ostensible economic freedom giving rise to America’s “Land of Opportunity” moniker.  These systems often serve as the go-to answer for what makes a person an American, but its critics argue that government and economics alone do not accurately portray the identity of a people. 

America’s social structure highlights another often-cited solution to the question of what makes an American, its DNA as a nation of immigrants. From the beginning of Indo-European settlement on the East Coast of the US, America’s population consisted of European emigres, and all the way up to 2026, people from all over the world have come to the United States in search of a better life. Despite how some immigrants have been treated throughout its history, people have continued to come to America and have brought their unique life experiences with them to change the face of the United States.   

Michael O’Malley, Professor of History at George Mason University, joins the podcast for the discussion to share his expertise on the ways in which American immigrants have shaped its culture. O’Malley shares a remarkable personal story, featured in his book “The Color of Family,” of his own Irish ancestors’ labelling as “colored people” by U.S. authorities.