A New Letter from Thomas Jefferson: July 4, 2014

Thomas Jefferson just sent a letter to be read at Monticello. For those of you who don’t know, July 4th at Monticello is the biggest day of the year. It’s their Christmas in July. It’s no surprise that it would be, given The Declaration and Jefferson’s words are heard throughout the land. But something else happens that makes it a day full of emotion, patriotism, and for me at least, questions.

Each year a lucky group of people from all over the world stand with their hands raised in front of a judge and become US citizens. The naturalization ceremony gives the large audience a chance to celebrate not just the founding of the country but a chance to welcome new citizens. I have attended this ceremony before and as in the past watching and hearing the ceremony unfold was far better than fireworks, sparklers and barbecue.

David Rubenstein as a conclusion to his remarks celebrating Jefferson, the Declaration, and the legal swearing in of 73 new US citizens read Jefferson’s letter.David Rubenstein is an American hero. While he does not have medals to prove this, he does have exceptional credentials.

David Rubenstein reading Jefferson's 'letter'

He founded the Carlyle Group, a private equity investment firm and amassed one of the biggest fortunes in the US. For some, this might be enough to earn admiration, but to me what makes him a hero is what he has done with his money. He has given untold millions to support the historical buildings, documents, and institutions in the US. He’s helped restore the Washington monument, supported and served as the head of the Kennedy Center, and, not surprisingly has given funds to help Monticello.

He is a believer in learning from history. Yesterday he gave us some lessons. He talked about how his grandfather came to the US from Ukraine at the age of 10. He had no money, no education, nothing but his desire to live a better life away from the pogroms against Jews in his former home. David's father worked for $7000.00 a year in Baltimore, but he sent his son to a great high school where David excelled. From there David rose quickly through undergraduate study and law school. The rest, as they say, is history too.

But I’m not just talking about his material success and philanthropic passions. The history he shared was an overview of Jefferson’s legacy that ended with his reading of a Jefferson letter. The letter was sent to him via email although I am pretty sure it did not have a return address. But what Jefferson ‘wrote’ helped us to understand what that tall redheaded man meant, at the age of 33, when he wrote that all men are created equal. He wanted to make sure that the word all was inclusive of everyone, male female, gay straight and from whatever race or background or religion. And by equal he meant that all had a chance to give their best effort to pursue the American Dream. Having lived in Charlottesville and worked at Mr. Jefferson’s University for nearly 3 decades, I would agree that Rubenstein’s letter is accurate, not in terms of it being factual, but in terms of what Jefferson, were he alive today, would say.

Even though these remarks were moving, the stars of the day were the 73 people who were transformed, by the performative words of the judge, into US citizens, Even the notes for the press stress this: “The most important part of the ceremony each year is when the newly naturalized citizens address the crowd and talk about their experiences’. I would agree with this whole-heartedly. Many who spoke shared simple stories of their journey to the US, the many years they had been in the country, and the happy outcome. There were professors from Uva, and a firefighter from northern Virginia, and a mix of races and countries and backgrounds that underscored Mr. Rubenstein’s “Jefferson” letter.

One particular story stood out to me. A man stood up, took the microphone and told us that he had been a citizen of Kuwait during the Gulf War. During that time his business was ruined and he fled the city. He had to leave one of his sisters behind. He settled in Bagdad and began a new business, and then the Iraq war came and again he was left with nothing. But he was luckier than most. His English skills were good and he was taken on by the US Military to serve as a translator. His service to the military earned him a chance to come to the US and start again. But this opportunity did not come without a price. He he had to leave a second sister behind when he had a chance to come to the US. He thanked the politicians on the stage but also said he hoped that his letters to them asking for help in getting his sisters to the US would be answered. The judge overseeing the procedure said he thought that something could be done.

Everyone clapped and there were even a few tears. But if the crowd was not aware of the irony surrounding the events of the day, the reporters for the local and international press were: “The naturalization ceremony comes at a turbulent time for immigration, as Republican House Speaker John Boehner recently announced that the GOP would not back President Barack Obama's attempts at immigration reform this year, and House Majority Leader Eric I. Cantor, R-7th, a backer of immigration reform, lost in the primaries to Tea Party candidate Dave Brat.”

Mr. Cantor, whose staunch conservative credentials and leadership in the House were taken as a given was shockingly defeated by a man with little experience and money. Why? Mr. Cantor had dared say that at least a small portion of those currently in the US illegally should be given an opportunity to become citizens. Just a few miles from Monticello, the voters decided that anyone who held out even the smallest hope of earning citizenship should not represent them in Washington. So while David Rubenstein and others extolled the glories of the country that opens up its doors, the many who live just outside that mountain retreat do not support bringing in those who seek refuge and a chance to make their way.

For those who want to be moved by the real lives of people who have been lucky enough to get citizenship, I would encourage them to visit Monticello next July 4th. And I would recommend those who are against immigration reform to attend the ceremony too. Maybe the stories they share will move them to change their views. For those who are interested in the issue but won’t be able to make the trip, then I would suggest reading a wonderful book, Becoming Americans, edited by Ilan Stavans and with a short but compelling introduction by Pete Hamill.

The book consists of narratives of those who have become citizens. It starts far back in US history and ends with a present day narrative. All are moving. Hamill’s opening words seems worth quoting: Immigration made the United States into a great nation. Yes: that’s a cliché. But it is also a fundamental social and historical truth.” Stavans’ epigraph for the book is something that was once read a lot but I fear that it is much ignored today:

The New Colossus

by Emma Lazarus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

These words, engraved on the Statue of Liberty,were embodied yesterday at Monticello. Two great symbols and two sets of text that have long been held up as a part of what makes the US a ‘shining beacon on a hill’ were some things I talked about yesterday with three people. Two of them were foreign correspondents from China, there to cover the events. The other was a 17-year-old student from China who had joined me to see what July 4th was all about. Zihan's words capture what it is like to view this ceremony from the outside:

I think all of them were moved by the ceremony. It would be hard not to. And I think all of them got a bit of an education. I know the student did as she sent this to me shortly after the ceremony and festivities ended:

Zihan

“The naturalization ceremony was a great experience today. I don’t remember too many details about what the speakers said, so I j will go straight to the most impressive part for me—the oath of Citizenship. Today, people from 32 countries got the citizenship of America. All of them looked excited and passionate. They told their own stories about their lives, and with America. When Parke asked me that what I thought about this ceremony. I was kind of stuck with my feelings. I did not know what to say. It was a little hard for me to understand what it would mean for me, since I would be sad if I needed to change my citizenship now. But I can only say “now”. I wondered back what if I had spent ten years here like the woman from Taiwan who is now a professor and a citizen? What if half of my life was spent in the US? Everyone’s story showed deep connections with this country. For me, since I have just started studying in the US it is just the beginning to get to know this country or start to recognize the sense of belonging here, and I have no idea what the long term result might be.”

This student projects the events of the day into her own experience and her own future. I think her reaction would resonate with a great many people and I am lucky she took the time to send this to me. She is wise enough to know she cannot yet know what the future holds for her. But she is an excellent student ad a wonderful person who would add not just to any school, but to the fabric of any country too. She came to the US at 16, living away from her parents in order to pursue her education. She is brave and smart and will, no matter where she ends up, do well.

But I too wonder what the long-term result might be. With immigration reform no longer an option, would she even have a chance to become a citizen? I have written numerous posts on how the limits on H-1 work visas have forced some of the best and brightest students from around the world to return home when they have completed their education. We are training great students, but we are not permitting them to add to the fabric of the US. We now import hundreds of thousands of students from around the world to gain the opportunity to learn in another national nation treasure—our colleges and universities. (They not only bring a desire to learn they also pay full fees). But rather than give them a choice to stay and use their skills to improve the economy and diversity of the country we than send them home. This thought stayed with me last night, as I watched from my porch atop a mountain not far from Monticello, the fireworks go off in several towns around. I wondered how much I should be celebrating and I am still wondering this today.