Epic Of America Research Paper

What do foreigners find particularly alluring about the United States of America? Could it be the diversity of the population? Could it be the productivity of the economy? Could it even be the religious freedoms Americans possess? As a matter of fact, all of these benefits are what attract immigrants to the land of the free. They all come together and constitute what is known as the American Dream. Within his definition of the American Dream in 1931, James Truslow Adams, author of The Epic of America stated, “...life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each… regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.” Though many can attest to that, there are and there have been some rather brazen

antagonists who do not entirely agree, such as Senator Ellison DuRant Smith of South Carolina. In his congressional address delivered on April 9, 1924, Senator Smith utilized first person pronouns, imagery, and figurative language to his advantage in order to convince congress to pass the Johnson-Reed bill and purify the “true American race” and preserve “our vast material resources” by “shutting the doors” and restricting immigration.
The employment of first person pronouns such as “I, we,” and “our,” was very prominent within the address Senator Smith delivered toward his peers; it seems he was deliberately implying an urgency that would prompt the nation to act quick and abate immigration. For example: Smith chose to use the pronouns “we,” and “us,” to expound on the idea that, “...we now have sufficient population in our country for us to shut the door and to breed up a pure, unadulterated American citizenship.” to emphasize an understanding of the unity between himself and congressional power by relating to and convincing the congress that they as a whole are superior to foreigners. So why not pass the Johnson-Reed Bill and ensure that all immigrants will not intercede with the evolution of the perfected “unadulterated Anglo-Saxon stock”? Smith also used compelling pronouns when he introduced his opinion that