Is the essence of American identity civic, ethnic, or a combination of the two? The 2010 debate in the U.S. House of Representatives on a bill to hold a referendum on the Puerto Rico status question provided a unique opportunity to shed light on these approaches. House Resolution 2499 would have asked the island's electorate whether they preferred remaining a Commonwealth, become an independent country, or the fifty-first state. Despite three choices, House members overwhelming focused on one: statehood. Effectively this bill asked lawmakers, in keeping with the civic identity thesis, whether they were willing to accept a culturally and linguistically distinct territory as an equal partner in the federation. These deliberations divulge much about congressional views on the official, civic, American identity and its alternatives. At another level this debate questions the assumption that the stability and consolidation of national identities cannot proceed with clearly and consistently defined boundary markers. That clarity, some contend, is imperative on the part of government leaders. This article argues that significant differences in how the nation is objectified may be overlooked in the short run, but may incur significant long-term instability.

中文翻译：

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美国身份、国会和波多黎各建州辩论

美国身份的本质是公民的、种族的，还是两者的结合？2010 年美国众议院就波多黎各地位问题举行全民公决的法案进行的辩论提供了一个独特的机会来阐明这些方法。众议院第 2499 号决议会询问岛上的选民，他们是更愿意保留一个英联邦、成为一个独立国家还是第 51 个州。尽管有三种选择，众议员压倒性地集中在一个：建州。该法案有效地询问了立法者，与公民身份论点保持一致，他们是否愿意接受一个文化和语言不同的领土作为联邦中的平等伙伴。这些审议大量透露了国会对官方、公民、美国身份及其替代方案的看法。在另一个层面上，这场辩论质疑了这样一种假设，即国家认同的稳定和巩固无法通过明确和一致定义的边界标志来进行。一些人认为，这种明确性对政府领导人来说是必不可少的。本文认为，国家如何客观化的重大差异在短期内可能会被忽视，但可能会导致严重的长期不稳定。