A claim I've heard from American conservatives is that America was meant to be for people who are “European, Judeo-Christian and for free markets.” Reality has proven these people wrong.
The Chinese built America's railroads. The blacks have staffed its plantations. The Hindus have been highly prevalent in the computer industry. And the Jews have had a vast presence in science, business and the arts.
There have been also many contributors to America who do not have Judeo-Christian beliefs. The Hindus and the Chinese are the most obvious examples; but there has also been a vast presence of non-Judeo-Christian people in science and technology. Most of America's scientists and inventors, from Carl Sagan to Bill Gates, do not have Judeo-Christian beliefs. And yet their work is at the root of everything that business sells.
While most Americans are in fact in favor of free markets, there have been a lot of highly contributing socialists as well. This is the case especialy with science in case of people such as Steven Jay Gould; this is also the case with business in case of people such as Armand Hammer and Sandy Lerner. America has had any number of highly-contributing socialists, especially in the field of science – a field that underlies everything that business sells. And while I am myself in favor of market economics, it is important to acknowledge the contributions that these socialists have made.
The reality is that America owes to all sorts of people; and it is very wrong for one of these sets of people to claim that they are America and that nobody else is. The Chinese, the Hindus, the blacks and the Jews have all made vast contributions to America. So have socialists; so have atheists, agnostics and minority religions. All these contributions should be acknowledged and respected. And those who want to claim that they are Americans and that nobody else is Americans should be taken up on their wrongful claims.