When Justice Neil Gorsuch recently described America as a "creedal nation"—one defined by ideas rather than bloodlines—it sparked a debate. But Gorsuch is right about this: America is based on the ideas of the Declaration of Independence, not heritage.
America's unique capacity to attract and assimilate people from around the world has proven this thesis since its founding. From the American Revolution to today, foreign-born individuals have fought for America—not because they shared a lineage with native-born Americans, but because they believed in America's principle of individual rights and chose to defend it.
