From: United States
About me: This says it all: כח אֵלִי אַתָּה וְאוֹדֶךָּ; אֱלֹהַי, אֲרוֹמְמֶךָּ
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Wednesday, July 06, 2011,
I recently brought out my Canadian ancestor's Declaration of Intention to become an American citizen. I've done this for a few years now, always on the Fourth of July. It remains as confusing as ever.
"It is my bona fide intention to renounce forever all alllegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignity, and particularly to George V of Great Britian and Ireland, of whom I am now I subject..."
Impressions--impressed at the committment to renounce every country and leader. Sadness at the phrase, "Of whom I am now a subject." It sounds so pitiful, no desperate and pleading, waiting for rescue. Come and save me. All the while it was the ancestor who saved himself by leaving Canada by boat for the very short trip to the US. I also looked up George V. First thought--he didn't resemble a Brit at all, more like the Czar of Russia. Sure enough..
Back to the Declaration of Intention--"I am not an Anarchist." Try as I might, the political beliefs of Anarchists is incredibly complex, too far over my head to have even an inkling as to what it was all about, but apparently a big threat to America in the early 1900s.
Finally, "and it is my intention in good faith to become a citizen of the United States of America and to permanently reside therein; SO HELP ME GOD." Yes, that last part is capatilized for some reason, a strong affirmation of his intentions in the name of a generalized god.
Side bar--The red stamp at the bottom is imprinted with Lady Justice--blindfoldned, scales of justice in one hand, and a sword in the other. Strangely, I never noticed the sword before as many times as I've seen it on statues. Justice is blind. Very admoralble indeed. So why the sword? Perhaps this desire for justice to be blind and balanced needs to be constantly protected and defended.
Wikipedia's explanation:
Depiction: The personification of justice balancing the scales of truth and fairness dates back to the Goddess Maat, and later Isis, of ancient Egypt. The Hellenic deities Themis and Dike were later godesses of justice. Themis was the embodiment of divine order, law, and custom, in her aspect as the personification of the divine rightness of law. However, a more direct connection is to Themis' daughter Dike, who was portrayed carrying scales
"If some god had been holding level the balance of Dike" is a surviving fragment of Bacchylides's poetry. Ancient Rome adopted the image of a female goddess of justice, which it called Justitia. Since Roman times, Justitia has frequently been depicted carrying scales and a sword, and wearing a blindfold. Her modern iconography frequently adorns courthouses and courtrooms, and conflates the attributes of several goddesses who embodied Right Rule for Greeks and Romans, blending Roman blindfolded Fortuna (fate) with Hellenistic Greek Tyche (luck), and sword-carrying Nemesis (vengeance).
Justitia is most often depicted with a set of scales typically suspended from her left hand, upon which she measures the strengths of a case's support and opposition. She is also often seen carrying a double-edged sword in her right hand, symbolizing the power of Reason and Justice, which may be wielded either for or against any party.
Sheesh! What were all these immigrants actually signing and what's with the fear of Anarchy, George V, and possibly Russia???
"It is my bona fide intention to renounce forever all alllegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignity, and particularly to George V of Great Britian and Ireland, of whom I am now I subject..."
Impressions--impressed at the committment to renounce every country and leader. Sadness at the phrase, "Of whom I am now a subject." It sounds so pitiful, no desperate and pleading, waiting for rescue. Come and save me. All the while it was the ancestor who saved himself by leaving Canada by boat for the very short trip to the US. I also looked up George V. First thought--he didn't resemble a Brit at all, more like the Czar of Russia. Sure enough..
Back to the Declaration of Intention--"I am not an Anarchist." Try as I might, the political beliefs of Anarchists is incredibly complex, too far over my head to have even an inkling as to what it was all about, but apparently a big threat to America in the early 1900s.
Side bar--The red stamp at the bottom is imprinted with Lady Justice--blindfoldned, scales of justice in one hand, and a sword in the other. Strangely, I never noticed the sword before as many times as I've seen it on statues. Justice is blind. Very admoralble indeed. So why the sword? Perhaps this desire for justice to be blind and balanced needs to be constantly protected and defended.
Wikipedia's explanation:
Depiction: The personification of justice balancing the scales of truth and fairness dates back to the Goddess Maat, and later Isis, of ancient Egypt. The Hellenic deities Themis and Dike were later godesses of justice. Themis was the embodiment of divine order, law, and custom, in her aspect as the personification of the divine rightness of law. However, a more direct connection is to Themis' daughter Dike, who was portrayed carrying scales
"If some god had been holding level the balance of Dike" is a surviving fragment of Bacchylides's poetry. Ancient Rome adopted the image of a female goddess of justice, which it called Justitia. Since Roman times, Justitia has frequently been depicted carrying scales and a sword, and wearing a blindfold. Her modern iconography frequently adorns courthouses and courtrooms, and conflates the attributes of several goddesses who embodied Right Rule for Greeks and Romans, blending Roman blindfolded Fortuna (fate) with Hellenistic Greek Tyche (luck), and sword-carrying Nemesis (vengeance).
Justitia is most often depicted with a set of scales typically suspended from her left hand, upon which she measures the strengths of a case's support and opposition. She is also often seen carrying a double-edged sword in her right hand, symbolizing the power of Reason and Justice, which may be wielded either for or against any party.
Sheesh! What were all these immigrants actually signing and what's with the fear of Anarchy, George V, and possibly Russia???
