patriotism in the United States
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Americanism, also referred to as American patriotism, is a set of nationalist values which aim to create a collective ''American identity'' for the United States that can be defined as "an articulation of the nation's rightful place in the world, a set of traditions, a political language, and a cultural style imbued with political meaning".Kazin, Michael and Joseph A. McCartin, eds
''Americanism: New Perspectives on the History of an Ideal''
. Chapel Hill, N.C.: University of North Carolina Press, 2006.
According to the
American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...
, a U.S. veterans' organization, ''Americanism'' is an ideology, or a belief in devotion, loyalty, or allegiance to the United States of America, or respect for its
flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...
, its traditions, its customs, its culture, its
symbols A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different conc ...
, its institutions, or its
form of government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
. In the words of Theodore Roosevelt, "Americanism is a question of spirit, conviction, and purpose, not of creed or birthplace." ''Americanism'' has two different meanings: the defining characteristics of the United States, or loyalty to the United States and defense of American political ideals. These ideals include but are not limited to independence,
equality before the law Equality before the law, also known as equality under the law, equality in the eyes of the law, legal equality, or legal egalitarianism, is the principle that all people must be equally protected by the law. The principle requires a systematic ru ...
,
freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...
, Capitalism, and progress.


Ideology

According to Wendy L. Wall in her 2008 book '' Inventing the "American Way": The Politics of Consensus from the New Deal to the Civil Rights Movement'', Americanism was presented by a national propaganda campaign to contrast with Communism, Sinophobia, and Fascism, during the Cold War, with the benefits of Americanism being promoted through the ideals of freedom and democracy. Professor of political science at Clemson University
C. Bradley Thompson C. Bradley Thompson is the BB&T Research Professor in the Department of Political Science and the Executive Director of the Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism. He received his Ph.D. at Brown University where he studied under Gordon S. ...
stated that, Some organizations have embraced Americanism but have taken its ideals further. For example, the
Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...
believes that Americanism includes aspects of race (purity of white American) and of American Protestantism. In an essay devoted to Americanism, Agnes Repplier emphasized that, "Of all the countries in the world, we and we only have any need to create artificially the patriotism which is the birthright of other nations." Since the racial and ethnic demographic alterations of the American population caused by the 1965
Hart-Celler Act The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, also known as the Hart–Celler Act and more recently as the 1965 Immigration Act, is a federal law passed by the 89th United States Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The l ...
, ''Americanism'' has been rooted less in shared cultural experiences and more in shared political ideals.


History

The concept of Americanism has been in use since the first European settlers moved to
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
inspired by a vision of a shining " City upon a Hill". John Adams wrote that the new settlements in America were "the opening of a grand scene and design in Providence for the illumination of the ignorant, and the emancipation of the slavish part of mankind all over the earth". Such understanding of ''Americanism'' was common thinking throughout the New World after the American Revolutionary War with expectations that the newly independent nation would become more than what Thomas Paine called "an asylum for mankind". During the antebellum period, throughout the 1830s, 1840s, and 1850s, ''Americanism'' acquired a restrictive political meaning due to nativist moral panics after increased Irish and
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
immigration led to the growth of American Catholicism. Journalist
Matthew Continetti Matthew Joseph Continetti (born June 24, 1981) is an American journalist and a senior fellow in Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute. Life and career Continetti was born in Alexandria, Virginia. He is ...
describes U.S. presidents Warren G. Harding and
Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...
as “spokesmen for Americanism” based on their policies.
The John Birch Society The John Birch Society (JBS) is an American right-wing political advocacy group. Founded in 1958, it is anti-communist, supports social conservatism, and is associated with ultraconservative, radical right, far-right, or libertarian ideas. T ...
and its founder, Robert Welch, promoted Americanism as “the philosophical antithesis of communism.” The years from the end of the Civil War to the end of World War II brought new meaning to the term "Americanism" to millions of immigrants coming from Europe and Asia. Those were times of great economic growth and industrialization, and thus brought forth the American scene consisting of " industrial democracy" and the thinking that the people are the government in America. Since then, the success of the American nation has brought tremendous power to the notion of ''Americanism''.


Ideas


Government

Americanism stresses a collective political identity based on the principles outlined in the Constitution of the United States by the
Founding Fathers The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...
. Such ideologies include republicanism,
freedom Freedom is understood as either having the ability to act or change without constraint or to possess the power and resources to fulfill one's purposes unhindered. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving on ...
, liberty, individualism, constitutionalism, human rights, and the
rule of law The rule of law is the political philosophy that all citizens and institutions within a country, state, or community are accountable to the same laws, including lawmakers and leaders. The rule of law is defined in the ''Encyclopedia Britannica ...
.


Culture

Americanism espouses a collective cultural identity based on the traditional
culture of the United States The culture of the United States of America is primarily of Western, and European origin, yet its influences includes the cultures of Asian American, African American, Latin American, and Native American peoples and their cultures. The Un ...
. Common cultural artifacts include the
flag of the United States The national flag of the United States, United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rect ...
, apple pie, baseball, rock and roll, blue
jeans Jeans are a type of pants or trousers made from denim or dungaree cloth. Often the term "jeans" refers to a particular style of trousers, called "blue jeans", with copper-riveted pockets which were invented by Jacob W. Davis in 1871 and paten ...
, Coca-Cola, and small towns. Americanism tends to support
monoculturalism Monoculturalism is the policy or process of supporting, advocating, or allowing the expression of the culture of a single social or ethnic group. It generally stems from beliefs within the dominant group that their cultural practices are superior t ...
and cultural assimilation, believing them to be integral to a unified American
cultural identity Cultural identity is a part of a person's identity, or their self-conception and self-perception, and is related to nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class, generation, locality or any kind of social group that has its own distinct cultur ...
.


Symbols

Americanism attempts to collect a set of common icons to symbolize the American identity. Well known national symbols of the United States include the
U.S. flag The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the c ...
, the Great Seal, the
bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...
, The Star-Spangled Banner,
In God We Trust "In God We Trust" (also rendered as "In God we trust") is the United States national motto, official motto of the United States and of the U.S. state of Florida. It was adopted by the U.S. Congress in 1956, replacing ("Out of many, one"), whic ...
, and the Pledge of Allegiance.36 U.S.C. § 302


See also

* American civil religion *
American Creed __NOTOC__ The American Creed is a term used to refer to the idea that the defining element of American identity, first formulated by Thomas Jefferson and elaborated by many others, includes liberty, equality, justice, and humanity. Not to be conf ...
* American exceptionalism * American nationalism * Anti-Americanism


References


Further reading

* Chinard, Gilbert. (1929.) ''Thomas Jefferson, the Apostle of Americanism''. Little, Brown And Company. * Dorsey, Leroy G. (2007.) ''We Are All Americans, Pure and Simple: Theodore Roosevelt and the Myth of Americanism''. University of Alabama Press. * Gelernter, David. (2007.) ''Americanism: The Fourth Great Western Religion''. New York: Doubleday. * Kazin, Michael; McCartin, Joseph A. (2006.
''Americanism: new perspectives on the history of an ideal''
Chapel Hill, N.C.: University of North Carolina Press. * Rand, Ayn (1946.

''The Vigil''. * Yerkes, Andrew C. (2005.
''Twentieth-century Americanism: Identity and ideology in Depression-era leftist fiction''
Routledge. ,
What is Americanism?
''American Journal of Sociology'', 20, no. 5 (March 1915): 613-628. * * * * * *{{cite book, author=June Granatir Alexander, title=Ethnic Pride, American Patriotism: Slovaks And Other New Imiigrants, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pw1TiAyyS4MC, date=2008, publisher=Temple University Press, isbn=978-1-59213-780-0 Political ideologies