Who is an American?

St. Paul, Minn. — In his book "The Thirteen American Arguments," Howard Fineman writes that only a nation of immigrants can argue so earnestly and endlessly about who can become one of its own.

In the first of a series inspired by Fineman's book, "The Thirteen American Arguments," Midmorning examines the nature of citizenship, national identity, and what it means to be an American with two scholars well-versed in the immigration debate.

Guests

• Stanley Renshon: Professor of political science at the City University of New York and a certified psychoanalyst. He's the author of 13 books, including "The 50% American: Immigration and National Identity in an Age of Terrorism."
• Bill Hing: Professor of law at the University of California-Davis School of Law. He is the author of "Deporting Our Souls: Values, Morality, and Immigration Policy" and "Defining America Through Immigration Policy."

More from MPR

• News Cut: Give us your comments. We're live-blogging
• Howard Fineman on Midmorning
  May 27, 2008

Resources

• Debate: Who is an American on Gather.com
• 13 American arguments overview page at Gather.com
• About Stanley Renshon
• About Bill Hing