First principle
Citizenship means membership
A nation is a historical political community, not merely an economic zone.
Citizenship carries rights, loyalty, memory, obligation, and mutual sacrifice. A morally bounded patriotism can prefer the welfare of fellow citizens without denying the universal dignity of outsiders.
The nation may defend its borders, determine membership, preserve cohesion, and expect newcomers to enter a common civic culture. It is neither divine nor reducible to a marketplace. In domestic and foreign affairs, prudence governs between crusading and withdrawal.
Specific references
Read alongside the principle.
The Constitution’s Preamble
The People of the United States
Union, justice, general welfare, liberty, and an explicit duty to posterity.
Open sourceDemocracy in America
Alexis de Tocqueville
Local self-government and voluntary association as the practical schooling of free citizens.
Open sourceFederalist No. 10
James Madison
Plural interests and an extended republic as safeguards against factional domination.
Open source