Chesterton Response

"America invites all men to become citizens; but it implies the dogma that there is such a thing as citizenship. Only, so far as its primary ideal is concerned, its exclusiveness is religious because it is not racial."

This quote shows what a walking contradiction America is, being that they want people to come join their country but they do not want them to be part of their country. America wants to be seen as making its rules based on the "religious" scale, by questioning polygamy  and anarchy, but it wants to be ran by humans who would use this to benefit themselves.

          Reading this passage, what I can conclude that Chesterton was poking at was the advertised concept of America is not exactly what it's cut  out to be. When he is applying for his passport, he is asked invasive questions, by people who do not necessarily care for outsiders; the same outsiders they dupe into feeling welcomed. Chesterton also kindly calls the government a band of fools, for some of the questions they asked in the application. If anyone were trying to come into the country and they had beliefs opposite those of the nation, why would they display these beliefs? They would wait up until they were granted access before assessing their beliefs. America wants to be taken seriously, but does not want to act or perform seriously. Once again, a walking controversy. In the quote, America is opening doors for others to become citizens, but also reckons the meaning of a citizen to be naturalized on their soil; if others, who aren't naturalized on American soil can be made into citizens, then where does it put those who are originally naturalized in America? Is it recognition that the nation came to be because of multiculturalism?