Mitt Romney is getting some flak for his use of the phrase, "Keep America American." Out of curiosity, I did a little search to find the earliest use of the phrase. The excerpt below, quoting Jack Kirby Jr., is from the May 20, 1909 New York Times. Some blogs point to the fact that the KKK used the phrase in the 1920s, but Kirby Jr.'s anti-union message in 1909 appears to be more in line with Romney's intent.
The article was titled "Kirby Challenges Unionism" and is quoting John Kirby, Jr. of the Dayton Manufacturing Company in Dayton, Ohio after he had just been elected President of the National Association of Manufacturers.
"The Labor question involves a great principle, which should not be fooled with if we are going to keep America American. The life of the American Federation of Labor is hanging by a thread, but by a well-devised plan they are seeking the aid of the women's clubs and every philanthropic and religious organization they can stick their wicked heads into to sow the seeds of socialism and anarchy."