History and What It Means to be 'American'.

Progs will say that everyone is equal in America. No American is 'More American' than any other American. American-ness is all about citizenship according to the law, not about identity-history-heritage.

But then, how can the ethnic privilege of Indian Reservations be justified? Such special right is accorded to no other group in America. It illustrates how history does matter? It is history that informs us that American Indians were here first and that they tragically lost their homeland to white conquerors and settlers. So, on those grounds, they have given special rights to have their own reservations or 'nations' within the larger nation.

And, could Affirmative Action for blacks be justified without history and identity? Isn't it because of the history of slavery and racial discrimination that blacks were rewarded with special rights in college admissions and hiring? Without that history, there would be no moral justification for Affirmative Action.

So, not all Americans are equal, indeed not even under the law. Given American history, some groups are accorded certain privileges, special rights and recognitions.

Well, if American Indians and American blacks are to be specially recognized for historical tragedy, then one can argue that European-Americans should also be specially recognized for their essential and profound contribution to the creation of America.
Just about every idea and value that were instrumental to the development of America came from Europe. And no people did more to settle, build, and expand America than white people.

So, history matters. It is history that gives Indians and blacks special recognition over other American citizens. And it is history that should give whites or European-American special credit and recognition as the people that contributed most to the creation and construction of America.

Not all American citizens are equally American. If history doesn't matter, a new arrival from Nepal should have same rights as Indians to have a 'reservation' and same rights of blacks to benefit from Affirmative Action. And he should have the same right as whites to make the claim that his forefathers founded and built America.