We used to all be Americans. Sure, we would point out differences in our heritage and notice cultural distinctions. All very normal human activities. But it wasn't a problem because we were all American and we all knew that. It wasn't until it became "politically correct" to draw more formal distinctions between Americans, that civil rights became a problem and not a solution. We are no longer Americans, we are now Hispanic American, African American, Asian American, Native American, et al. And these distinctions don't help. By definition they divide because the labels come with some past harm done or some cry for new rights that must be recognized and in some cases celebrated. That creates a debate when you demand certain things of the society and wrap that in your label. If we are all Americans, then civil rights becomes a part of what being an American is all about. And those rights are provided in the Constitution. And, yes, discrimination and worse have happened in our history. But also yes, we have corrected those horrible injustices. Yet, constant vigilance is necessary. It is an ongoing goal in any society that we guard against and punish radical extreme intolerance. George Washington cautioned future generations to watch out for "whatever may suggest even a suspicion that [the union] can in any event be abandoned, and indignantly frowning upon the first dawning of every attempt to alienate any portion of our country from the rest." Because of this principle, we fought a war and righted wrongs. There is no better place than the United States of America, where Americans, all share the same individual "life, liberty and pursuit of happiness".