“I believe in self-made men,” Joseph Pulitzer once said. The legacy he built to encourage American authors and journalists to seek excellence now threatens to destroy itself.

The Pulitzer Prize Board will meet in October to discuss expanding eligibility for the prize to non-U.S. citizens. This change would disrespect Pulitzer’s legacy of American grit and determination and contribute to the corrosion of the unity of the United States.

Established in 1917, the literary and arts Pulitzer Prizes are awarded annually to American authors in six categories: fiction, history, biography, memoir, poetry, and general nonfiction.

Historically, there has been one strict rule for eligibility: the authors must be American citizens, with the exception of the history category.

According to an article from The Washington Post, however, many believe this guideline is too restrictive for today’s authors.

“There is definitely consensus that citizenship is too restrictive a determination for Americanness,” Marjorie Miller, administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes, said to The Washington Post.

The article goes on to cite authors who mourn the lack of recognition for “undocumented writers.”

If the Pulitzer Prizes were the only way to succeed as a writer, perhaps their concern would make sense. However, non-Pulitzer-winning books by authors of all backgrounds make the New York Times Bestseller List every week. Only the prizes –– not literary success –– are restricted to American authors writing about American topics.

Apart from the rule about citizenship, the board has removed most of the submission criteria. The fiction category, for example, accepts both self-published and traditionally published work, genres such as fantasy and horror, and media such as graphic novels. Far from gatekeeping the fiction prize, the rules allow for all great American writing to be considered.

The emphasis here is “American.” Without citizenship, what does it mean to be an American? 

Joseph Pulitzer understood “Americanness” far better than today’s Pulitzer Prize Board. As a Hungarian immigrant to the United States, he spent years building his journalistic empire to become one of the most successful men of his day.

When Pulitzer established the prizes in his 1904 will, he wanted them to go to American newspapers and writers. He lived the American dream, and the prizes were undoubtedly his way of encouraging others to follow his example.

Instead of recognizing another Joseph Pulitzer, the Pulitzers have diluted the meaning of “American” to a mere feeling or mental state. Requiring citizenship forces hopeful prize winners to seek the fullness of “Americanness” instead of settling for halfway commitment.

The rule change would also be an insult to authors who have sought and gained American citizenship. Rather than seeking authors who struggled through the lengthy citizenship process, the Pulitzers would rather praise those who take shortcuts, who refuse to work but want rewards anyway.

This is not to say that “undocumented writers” cannot write good books. The problem is not that they are writing books worthy of recognition, but that they want the distinction of being an “American author” without first taking the proper steps to become an American.

Beyond disrespecting Joseph Pulitzer’s own legacy, the change reflects the dilution of the unity intrinsic in being American.

In a day where “diversity and inclusion” are the greatest virtues, no one wants to discuss unity, but diversity does not survive without some common interest, religion, or goal.

United States citizenship is that unifying factor. For many Americans, shared allegiance to the flag is the only thing they have in common with their neighbors. Religion, origin, political affiliation, or lifestyles may differ, but they are all Americans. To be American should mean a shared belief in a great country.

To the Pulitzer Prize Board, “Americanness” has no meaning. Anyone, citizen or not –– American or not –– should be considered an American author of the same caliber as Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, and Harper Lee.

The Pulitzer Prize Board now wants to artificially make great Americans instead of rewarding those who followed Pulitzer’s example.