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THE UNITED AMERICAN
JANUARY 1926
The Making of American Citizens
A Comprehensive Review of America’s History and Political Institutions, of Particular Interest and Help to Those
Who are Studying for Naturalization and to Those Who Have Become American Citizens and Are Anxious to
Learn How They May Become Better Qualified to Protect and Defend the Country of Their Adoption.
By A. C. Strange, Oregon State Director of' Americanization Schools
ment. Many were slaves or helots as they were
called. From those men nothing was expected by the
citizens but hard work. They were thought inferior
and were treated as the horses and cattle were treated.
So Greece was not a true democracy in that all were
not free. Yet some learned even then the great lesson
of self government.
About the same time Rome, over to the west from
Greece, formed another kind of free government, —
a republic. The men who built this government were
from Greece and had learned there what they knew
of government. Yet they could not have a democracy
because the country was too large and the citizens
could not come together in meetings as they could in
Greece. Hence, they chose their stronger men to rule
for them, — some whom they called senators: makers
of the laws, and others, whom they called tribunes:
given the power to enforce the laws and to punish
those who broke them.
I.
Yet, here too, history tells us, was a great deal of
WHY OUR OFFICERS IN AMERICA ARE OUR SERVANTS slavery. In fact, the great buildings and cities and roads
'P 0 UNDERSTAND why we, here in America, live of Rome were all built by slaves. These were men of
x
under a government in which our officers are our other races who had been captured in battle and made
servants instead of our masters, we must go back a slaves. As such, they lived very hard lives and had
long time and follow man’s history through many no part in the government. In truth, their work in
the mines and in other work of public or private con-
ages.
Once the human beings were all savages. They structon was so hard that few of them lived long.
then lived, as did the Indians, in caves or tents made We find that a few though were wise men who wrote
of skins. They either dressed in skins or went naked. poetry and history, taught the Roman boys to read
They ate their food raw. They often had to fight and write, and were the advisers of the rich Romans.
with great beasts — some of which no longer live — It js from their books that we learn how cruelly many
people were being treated, even in a country, which
for their lives.
They had in those days no kings and no courts. claimed to be a free republic. And by reading those
Instead, as they went from place to place in search of books many people of Rome and other countries learned
food and water they were led by chiefs whom they to hate oppression and love freedom and justice.
chose for leaders because they were strong and wise
• A few hundred years later we find living to the
inen whom other men were willing to follow. And yet north of Rome a very interesting people. These were
these chiefs often lost their places after only a few the Germans. While the Romans were building great
months or years, because stronger leaders were found. cities, writing great books, making the greatest code
Leaders thus put aside had to obey the leaders chosen of laws ever written, and building a powerful govern
to succede them, or be put out of the tribe.
ment, these people were living a wild, free life in the
In such a life of freedom and independence, men forests south of the Baltic Sea. Like the savages of
very early learned to love liberty and to prize strong long years before them, they chose their chiefs be
leadership under men whom they, themselves, had cause of their skill in battle or in the hunt. We find
chosen. In this crude way, the first lessons in self them like the Greeks coming together to make their
government were learned; and men have ever since laws and to settle their disputes. Hence, although
hated tyranny.
fierce and warlike, they were a moral, lawful people,
Let us now come down many centuries to a time who early learned to rule themselves and to get along
about two thousand years ago in the very interesting in peace by talking things over in their meetings.
little country of Greece. Here we find the first demo And we find them, too, haters of oppression and
cratic government in all the world. History tells us tyranny.
that the richer men of Greece had the custom of com
It was this latter people who came over to Eng
ing together now and then in a meeting to vote taxes, land about fourteen hundred years ago to find homes.
to choose officers and to make laws. This was pos Because the Roman settlers who had lived in Eng
sible because little countries like Greece were very land for 400 years, had gone away, there was free land
small and all citizens could come to the meetings in in a good climate where better homes could be made.
a few hours’ walk.
Hence, Angles and Saxons from Germany, Danes
And yet not all the Greeks took part in the govern
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[In answer to the appeals for help and information on how
they may become American citizens, which are constantly
coming from the foreign born who live beyond the proxi
mity of the city; in the rural centers, in the smaller towns
and villages and out in the many scattered Logging Camps,
the United American has arranged with Mr. A. C. Strange,
Oregon State Director of Americanization Schools to con
duct an especially prepared course in Citizenship through
the columns of the Magazine, during 1926, for the benefit
of this large number of people who are unable to secure
the help they need. If every citizen knowing of a foreign
born, in need of this assistance, would send him the
Magazine for the year, with his compliments, the number
of the uninformed who live among us would be speedily
reduced. The Series which begins in this issue, is divided
into two divisions: “The Making of American Citizens”
and “The Commonwealth of Oregon.” The first deals with
the National aspect of government and the second is a
treatise on the Oregon State government. Aid in the
making of American citizens by assisting in the widest
possible distribution of the United American among the
foreign born.
—The Editor.]