In the beginning of this chapter, Huntington differentiates between settler and Immigrants. Settlers refer to the first societies of Anglo-Protestants that first settled in America. They brought with them their own culture that became the common culture of the United States. An immigrant is anyone who came to America after the settlers, seeking to join their society. Immigrants went through culture shock while assimilating to the Anglo-American society. These immigrants were drawn to America by the American Creed which is based on the principles of liberty, equality, individualism, representative government and private property. These core principles are at the center of Anglo-Protestant culture. In todays society, 49% of Americans are descended from settlers that were here before 1790. The other 51% have ancestors the immigrated in the time since then. This means that nearly half of the American population has been settled here for at least three hundred years. The idea that we are a “Nation of Immigrants” is far from the truth.
The American Creed allows for a basis of national identity. The idea that all Americans hold these values, and that they are universally applicable allows Americans to base their identity off of these values. Many countries other than the U.S. rely on ethnic and social history to form a national identity. Americans believe that to be an American, you need only ascribe to the same set of ideals as the rest of America. This idea is not represented in American history. Americans have traditionally used racial, and religious bias to prevent Asians, Catholics, and Western Europeans from immigrating to the United States.