The newest citizens of the United States got a lesson in freedom and tolerance yesterday at Monticello, along with a handshake or hug from the nation's president to welcome them to America.

During the 46th annual Independence Day Celebration and Naturalization Ceremony at Thomas Jefferson's mountaintop estate, President Bush was interrupted repeatedly by protesters.

In six separate incidents, people were escorted off the property by Albemarle County police because they ignored a request from Monticello staffers to sit down and stop interrupting.

Others who heeded the warning were allowed to stay, including a woman who yelled "Defend the Constitution. Impeach Bush" before he'd said anything more than "I am thrilled to be here at Monticello. I have never been here before."

Bush quickly followed the first interruption with a lesson in liberty.

"To my fellow citizens-to-be, we believe in free speech in America," he said, and the crowd of about 3,000 cheered.

He told the 72 applicants that becoming a U.S. citizen completes "an incredible journey . . . [that] has taken you from many countries and now made you one people.

"From this day forward, the history of the United States will be part of your heritage, the Fourth of July will be part of your Independence Day, and I will be honored to call you a fellow American."

. . .

The new citizens represented more than 30 countries.

George Nader, 47, of Palmyra, a native of Mexico who became a citizen last month, was there to cheer his wife, Beatriz Emilia Cesin de Nader, at the 10 a.m. ceremony. They applied for citizenship at the same time about 18 months ago.

"They gave her a different date than mine. She got lucky," he said.

Getting to Monticello at 5:45 a.m. with two children and a friend wasn't easy, but "this is worth it, to see the president."

When his wife crossed the stage to the president, she turned to her husband and waved for a photo.

Bush seemed happy to pose. He also offered pats on the back, many hugs and a few kisses. He even picked up 8-year-old Julia Freeman.

Scotland native Mary Pat McFadyen, 60, wasn't as excited about the speaker for her citizenship day.

"I'm not a big Bush fan, but I think Bush showing up here makes the day for a lot of people," she said. She gave him credit for her decision to become a citizen: "I decided it was high time I got involved in the political process."

Hataw Saadi Taha, who came from Iraq 11 years ago, asked Bush to end the violence there.

"Mr. President, I need peace for my country, with God's help," she said.

"The reason why I'm proud to be an American now," said Jason Kim, who spent half of his life in Korea, "is that the United States is a country where God brought people of different races, people of different religions, people of different backgrounds and ethnicities, to work together."

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Because of the presidential visit, tickets to the annual event were limited and security was tight.

Protesters who waited in line could get tickets, though they were far outnumbered by people like Janice Mauroschadt, 48, of Charlottesville. She said, as a Christian, she believed in praying for those in authority rather than protesting against them.

"I am deeply grieved at the behavior of some of the citizens," she said.

Ron Forch, a graduate student in engineering at the University of Virginia, was one of those who showed up at 5 a.m. and waited for hours to get tickets for himself and his parents, Ron and Beth Forch of Lynchburg.

"The protesting was stupid," he said. "This was for the immigrants, not for protests."

Leslie Glascock, 39, and Scott Hicks, 36, of Raleigh, N.C., lucked into tickets. They had a reservation to tour Monticello yesterday at 9:30 a.m. Because morning tours of the house were canceled, they were offered tickets to the ceremony. Their house tour was rescheduled for the afternoon.

Glascock said she was surprised by the protests. "In my opinion, it was pretty disrespectful," she said. "As Bush said, one great thing about this country is freedom of speech."

Contact Katherine Calos at (804) 649-6433 or kcalos@timesdispatch.com.