8. “An alien who remains here without learning to speak English for more than a certain number of years should at the end of that time be treated as having refused to take the preliminary steps necessary to complete Americanization and should be deported.”
Invoking modern-day conservatism in this 1915 speech to the Knights of Columbus, Roosevelt exhibits his desire to forcibly remove immigrants from the country if they do not “adjust” to American norms by taking actions like learning the English language. Such xenophobia can be seen more subtly in current discourse, but Roosevelt’s statement is the pinnacle of bigotry toward other cultures in pursuit of a singular culture.
