The Responsibilities of citizenship

By Matthew Denhart

The following are remarks delivered by Matthew Denhart, president of the Coolidge Foundation, at the naturalization ceremony held in Plymouth Notch, Vermont, on July 4, 2026.

Good morning and welcome to Plymouth Notch. How fitting it is that we all gather here on America’s 250th and President Coolidge’s birthday to celebrate citizenship and the meaning of America.

When we think about citizenship, we naturally think about what it grants. Rights. And rightly so. After all, the genius of America is the protection of individual rights.

Coolidge understood this well. That’s why 100 years ago, in celebrating America’s 150th anniversary, he traveled to Independence Hall in Philadelphia and declared:

“If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions.”

Coolidge deeply appreciated the blessings of American citizenship. To Coolidge, citizenship was not a mere legal classification. To Coolidge, U.S. citizenship was sacred. He called American citizens the “peer of kings.”

But Coolidge also understood that citizenship is not just about rights. Rights are only half the equation. Citizenship in a self-governing republic also comes with great responsibilities.

Speaking to war veterans in 1921, Coolidge said: “Your glory lies in what you have given, and may give, to your country, not in what your country has or may give to you.”

Forty years later, President John F. Kennedy would underscore that same notion in his inaugural address: “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”

In my brief remarks this morning, I would like to share a few thoughts on the responsibilities of citizenship. And, especially, about how immigrants have risen again and again to the high calling of American citizenship.

On the morning of America’s 250th birthday, it seems fitting to reflect on the role immigrants have played in forming our country. Eight of the fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence were born in other countries. Four of the first six secretaries of the U.S. Treasury were foreign-born, beginning with founding father Alexander Hamilton.

An area I’ve studied and written about is how immigrants contribute to the American economy. Immigrants tend to be especially innovative and entrepreneurial. Though immigrants account for under 15% of the total population, studies show that nearly 50% of Fortune 500 companies were founded by an immigrant or the child of an immigrant.

And speaking of the children of immigrants: what a gift they are to America. You might call them America’s most productive generation. The children of immigrants have the highest educational attainment, and the highest earnings.

Immigrant innovators and CEOs may be dramatic stories. But these are not merely anecdotes. The data more broadly tell the same story. The foreign-born are employed at higher rates even than native-born citizens. And due to falling birth rates, over the past decade, immigrants have contributed nearly half the growth of America’s workforce. Looking ahead over the next two decades, projections show immigrants and their children will contribute all of the net growth to the U.S. workforce.

Beyond taking part in the economy, citizenship calls all of us to take an active role in self-government.

Sometimes that means getting involved as a political leader. Just this morning I was reminded of this while reading a Fourth of July column by former South Carolina governor and presidential candidate Nikki Haley. Governor Haley wrote about Coolidge’s “Inspiration of the Declaration” speech and her own family’s immigrant story.

But, of course, serving in office or running for president is far from the only way we are called to fulfill our citizenship responsibilities.

We must all be active citizens. Voting is one important way we do this. But we must also be informed voters. Coolidge said: “Persons who have the right to vote are trustees for the benefit of their country and their countrymen. They have no right to say they do not care. They must care.”

One final thought as I close: America is a large and diverse country. Civility and toleration are essential. That does not mean that we all agree on everything all the time. Far from it.

In 1925, President Coolidge traveled to Omaha to address a convention of the American Legion. He stressed the importance of diversity of thought. “Progress depends very largely on the encouragement of variety,” Coolidge said. “It is the ferment of ideas, the clash of disagreeing judgments […] that makes progress possible. It is not possible to learn much from those who uniformly agree with us. But many useful things are learned from those who disagree with us.”

Generations of Americans, immigrant and native-born alike, have handed down to us a country built not on uniformity, but upon liberty—the freedom to think differently, worship differently, and pursue our own dreams while contributing to our shared project in self-government. We must maintain a spirit of generosity and goodwill toward our fellow countrymen, especially toward those with whom we may disagree.  

America is not perfect. Never has been. But Coolidge’s perspective, I think, is the right one. He said: “Little progress can be made by merely attempting to repress what is evil. Our great hope lies in developing what is good.”

The work of building a more perfect union, the development of what is good, is the great calling of American citizenship. We are proud to have nearly fifty new Americans joining us this morning. Today, you become heirs to a great American inheritance, and stewards of it for the next generation. We welcome you with open arms. And as we do so, and as we celebrate the blessings of liberty on America’s 250th birthday, let us all also rededicate ourselves to the high calling and responsibilities of American citizenship.

Matthew Denhart serves as president of the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation.