Who Belongs in America?: Presidents, Rhetoric, and Immigration (Volume 16)

also made important contributions before and during the conference. In addition, the conference would not have been possible at all if not for the numerous graduate and undergraduate students who took on key (if sometimes thankless) roles throughout the event. I am also indebted to the scholars who served as chairs and respondents on the conference panels. Obviously, I owe the most to the scholars who wrote these chapters. They started working on the intersection of presidents, rhetoric, and immigration before 9/11, at a time when that triangulation itself may not have seemed all that consequential to some observers. Nevertheless, they asked provocative questions and wrote chapters that still feel eerily prescient to me. They were also patient while their volume editor X | acknowledgments changed jobs and had a baby. More than they could possibly know, I am indebted to them for both their hard work and their patience. During some of the time that I worked on this volume, I was a member of the faculty of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. I would like to thank that university for the institutional and collegial support I received while working on this and other research projects during my tenure there. Rita Kirk and Nancy Kress said an enthusiastic "yes" to all of my requests, from the sublime to the ridiculous. I would also like to thank Boyd "Mack" Mayo, my research assistant at SMU. Mack is wise beyond his years, and he is one of the most conscientious students I have ever known. He is funny, too. While this volume was in the fi nal stages of production, I joined the faculty of the Department of Speech Communication at the University of Georgia. I would like to thank my colleagues there and especially Department Chair Jerold Hale for supporting this project. I am grateful for the professionalism and expediency of the staff of Texas A&M University Press. Two people at the press were especially helpful: editor-in-chief Mary Lenn Dixon and project editor Jennifer Ann Hobson. These two women repeatedly saved me from making mistakes, and they also made sure the volume stayed on track during times when my life was intransition. It was a pleasure to work with them. Because I do not often enough have the opportunity to do so in print, I would also like to thank the members of my family. My husband Trey is both a gentleman and a scholar; even if the latter avocation is only a hobby, he is one of the best historians I know. Our sons Adam and Charlie keep us focused on the many joys of living in the present, and they each teach me something new every day. Dum spiro, spero. ## Who Belongs in America? case studies, the authors in this volume have examined select moments in U.S. immigration history by paying special attention to the interplay between immigration history and presidential discourse, broadly conceived. I mention this breadth because the authors have taken a wide variety of approaches in terms of how they have incorporated presidents' words into their work, as I will explain shortly. Despite their differences, all of these authors' analyses were originally presented at the seventh annual Texas A&M University Conference on Presidential Rhetoric, entitled "Presidential Rhetoric and the Politics of Immigration," held on March 1-4, 2001. If, on those spring days, it sometimes seemed that the conversations at the conference were limited to primarily historical insights or if it seemed that the topic of presidential rhetoric about immigration was itself largely academic, those perceptions would change some six months later with the events of September 11. On September 20, 2001, for example, when President George W. Bush spoke about the attacks to Congress and the nation via a televised address, this speech was arguably one of the most eagerly anticipated addresses of his presidency. Although his topic was not immigration per se, the president could not discuss the terrorist attacks of 9/11 without also speaking to one of the most obvious consequences of the nation's history of immigration: its religious diversity. Bush acknowledged his respect for the peace-loving Islamic citizens of the United States, as well as for Muslims throughout the world, presumably because he knew that no U.S. president could decry a specifi c group without provoking extremely dangerous consequences both at home and abroad. 1 Even if some U.S. citizens were fi lled with rage and sought revenge against the perpetrators, it was the president's job-and perhaps quintessentially the president's job-to urge restraint against an anti-Arabic, anti-immigrant backlash. "We are in a fi ght for our principles," Bush reminded his listeners, "and our fi rst responsibility is to live by them. No one should be singled out for unfair treatment or unkind words because of their ethnic background or religious faith." 2 In these simple sentences, Bush spelled out one of the most salient tests of American citizenship in the post-9/11 age-to resist suspicion or distrust of the foreign newcomer based purely on his or her foreignness. Yet he was also articulating one of the nation's most perennial challenges, for fear of the immigrant has always been part of the American experience. The chapters in this volume help us understand how chief executives and, in some cases, immigrants themselves have dealt with 1. George W. Bush, "Address to the Nation," September 20, 2001, available at http://www.PresidentialRhetoric.com. How Can The Immigrant Of Yesterday Be Lionized As The Very Foundation Of The Nation's Character, While The Immigrant Of Today Is Often Demonized As A Threat To The Nation's Safety And Stability? Asks Editor Vanessa B. Beasley In Her Introduction To This Timely Book. Through Their Rhetoric, Presidents Help To Create The Frame For The American Public's Understanding Of Immigration. In An Overarching Essay And Ten Case Studies, Who Belongs In America? Explores Select Moments In U.s. Immigration History, Focusing On The Presidential Discourse That Preceded, Addressed, Or Otherwise Corresponded To Events. These Chapters Share A Common Interest In How, When, And Under What Circumstances U.s. Presidents Or Their Administrations Have Negotiated The Tension That Lies At The Heart Of The Immigration Issue. The Various Authors Look At The Dual Views Of Immigrants As Either Symbols Of Hope And Opportunity Or As Scapegoats For Cultural Fears, Especially During Trying Times, And Consider How U.s. Presidents Have Navigated Between These Two Motifs. Presidential Rhetoric And Immigration : Balancing Tensions Between Hope And Fear / Vanessa B. Beasley -- President Of All The People / Michael Novak -- The Aliens Are Coming : The Federalist Attack On The First Amendment / Craig R. Smith -- Presidents And Religious Diversity In The Nineteenth Century / Charles J. Stewart -- Chinese Exclusion : Causes And Consequences, 1882-1943 / Roger Daniels -- Hooking The Hyphen : Woodrow Wilson's War Rhetoric And The Italian American Community / Mary Anne Trasciatti -- Immigration And The Red Scare / Robert H. Ferrell -- Can The Alien Speak? : The Mccarran-walter Act And The First Amendment / James A. Aune -- Questions Of Race, Caste, And Citizenship : Héctor P. García, Lyndon B. Johnson, And The Polemics Of The Bracero Immigrant Labor Program / Michelle Hall Kells -- Rhetorical Ambivalence : Bush And Clinton Address The Crisis Of Haitian Refugees / Denise M. Bostdorff -- The Class Politics Of Cultural Pluralism : Presidential Campaigns And The Latino Vote / Anne T. Demo -- A New Hope Or A Recurring Fear? / Vanessa B. Beasley. Edited By Vanessa B. Beasley. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. “How can the immigrant of yesterday be lionized as the very foundation of the nation's character, while the immigrant of today is often demonized as a threat to the nation's safety and stability?” ask volume editor Vanessa B. Beasley in her introduction to this timely book.As the nation's ceremonial as well as political leader, presidents through their rhetoric help to create the frame for the American public's understanding of immigration. In an overarching essay and ten case studies, Who Belongs in America? Explores select moments in U.S. immigration history, focusing on the presidential discourse that preceded, address, or otherwise corresponded to events.These chapters, which originated as presentations at the Texas A&M University Conference on Presidential Rhetoric, share a common interest in how, when and under what circumstances U.S. presidents or their administrations have negotiated the tension that lies at the heart of the immigration issue in the United States. The various authors look at the dual views of immigrants as either scapegoats for cultural fears, especially during trying times. U.S. presidents have had to navigate between these two motifs, and they have chosen different ways to do so. Indeed, as these studies show, their words have sometimes been at odds with their deeds and policies.Since 9/11, few issues have more public significance than how America views immigrants. The contributors to this volume provide context that will help inform the public debate, as well as the scholarship, for years to come.Vanessa B. Beasley, an associate professor of communication at the University of Georgia, is the author of You, the People: American National Identity in Presidential Rhetoric, also published by Texas A&M University Press. Her Ph.D. is from the University of Texas at Austin. How can the immigrant of yesterday be lionized as the very foundation of the nations character, while the immigrant of today is often demonized as a threat to the nations safety and stability? ask volume editor Vanessa B. Beasley in her introduction to this timely book. As the nations ceremonial as well as political leader, presidents through their rhetoric help to create the frame for the American publics understanding of immigration. In an overarching essay and ten case studies, Who Belongs in America? Explores select moments in U.S. immigration history, focusing on the presidential discourse that preceded, address, or otherwise corresponded to events. These chapters, which originated as presentations at the Texas A&M University Conference on Presidential Rhetoric, share a common interest in how, when and under what circumstances U.S. presidents or their administrations have negotiated the tension that lies at the heart of the immigration issue in the United States. The various authors look at the dual views of immigrants as either scapegoats for cultural fears, especially during trying times. U.S. presidents have had to navigate between these two motifs, and they have chosen different ways to do so. Indeed, as these studies show, their words have sometimes been at odds with their deeds and policies. Since 9/11, few issues have more public significance than how America views immigrants. The contributors to this volume provide context that will help inform the public debate, as well as the scholarship, for years to come. Vanessa B. Beasley, an associate professor of communication at the University of Georgia, is the author of You, the People: American National Identity in Presidential Rhetoric, also published by Texas A&M University Press. Her Ph.D. is from the University of Texas at Austin. "As the nation's ceremonial as well as political leader, presidents through their rhetoric help to create the frame for the American public's understanding of immigration. In an overarching essay and ten case studies, Who Belongs in America? explores select moments in U.S. immigration history, focusing on the presidential discourse that preceded, addressed, or otherwise corresponded to events."--Jacket