Recently I was with a group of friends, and the conversation included stories of our nationalities. As usual my mind began to wander. I was listening to the hyphenated identities with the word American listed last. I think of this as an improper fraction. The United States of America is a place that began as an idea. The idea is stated eloquently in the Declaration of Independence. It reads, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by thei…