Hispanics are rapidly becoming one of the most influential groups in American politics. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, they make up 16.3 percent of the total population and have become increasingly active in elections. Although Hispanics have tended to vote Democratic, their strong commitment to traditional values, families, and religion and their remarkable self-reliance makes them a powerful swing vote in any election.
Heritage Libertad, our Spanish-language division, recently published a Spanish version of Matthew Spalding’s essay on American exceptionalism, thereby making America’s founding principles more accessible to Hispanics who prefer to read in their native tongue. In the essay, Spalding defines American exceptionalism in terms of the Declaration of Independence’s commitment to universal truths: “Unlike any other nation, America is dedicated to the principles of human liberty, grounded on the truths that all men are created equal and endowed with equal rights.”
Although Heritage’s translation is significant in its own right, it also shows how America’s founding principles apply to all Americans no matter what language they speak. More importantly, “¿Por qué es América excepcional?” is an invitation for these natural conservatives to participate even more in our political discourse as a nation.
¡Adelante!
Sam Sheetz is currently a member of the Young Leaders Program at the Heritage Foundation. For more information on interning at Heritage, please visit: http://www.heritage.org/about/internships-young-leaders/the-heritage-foundation-internship-program
This is why the GOP is doomed. Their extreme anti-immigration policies will come back to bite them. You think the hispanic community will forget Republican policies passed in AZ and AL? GOP is doomed. You had your run in 2010 and Repubs already are hated for theri miserable policies. Look at Gov Rick Scott and how quickly his approval dropped to abotu a 1/3rd of Obama's – once people saw the policies, reality set in.
U.S. Congressman Francisco Canseco (R), representing Texas' 23rd congressional district, is a good source for learning about Texan-Americans of Hispanic origin and their values.