Patriotism and nationalism are things that come up a lot when you teach history, whether to young kids or to adults, and they're always a little difficult to navigate in a neutral way. I thought these few sentences on patriotism, buried in a piece about textbook debates and the Texas State Board of Education, were concise and in my view accurate.
I redacted references to "conservatives" and "leftists" as distracting and unnecessary ad hominem stuff.
…American patriotism, far from being nothing more than the reactionary buzzword of small-minded bigots … is based on a deep awareness that the United States of America is the first (and to date only) nation based on an idea, rather than on geography or ethnicity. And not just any idea, but the highest ideals which the human mind can formulate: freedom, responsibility, self-reliance, equality of opportunity, individualism. And that to be patriotic in America is a shorthand way to declare one’s allegiance to these philosophical ideals.
The idea is that what we call "patriotism" in the U. S. is — or at least can be — fundamentally different from the sentiments that go by the name "patriotism" in most other places, so it doesn't deserve the scorn that it does other places. U. S. patriotism is not, as the author puts it,
brute nationalism, in particular the ethnic and chauvinistic nationalism of Europe which has led to totalitarianism and countless wars.
Those who don't understand the distinction might
condemn American patriotism as equally fascistic, unaware that by doing so they are rejecting not just the ideals on which America is based but the very notion of a nation based on ideals.
A dose of American exceptionalism is necessary to believe this, obviously. But even though I'm not always comfortable with many expressions of patriotism, I am comfortable with a belief that the U. S. is fundamentally different from other countries, and in a good way.
Two words: First Amendment. Let's just say I'm a fan.
U. S. patriotism is properly tempered with two other principles that come from something higher than nations.
– First, the deep realization (for all but a few of us) that to be a citizen of the U. S. is largely a matter of the luck of our birth. We don't get to claim any credit for the philosophies we are (it is to be hoped) happy to live under, so there's not much point in being "proud" of them. However, we can still make them our own by supporting them or at least not undermining them.
— Second, we ought to desire similar freedom for everyone who wants it. Such a desire might take different practical forms — does this mean we use military might to support nascent democracies? that we accept lots and lots of immigrants? that we engage in an international campaign to promote our worldviews? Could be any of that, some positions coming from the far left, others from the far right; but both ends could be represented by an authentic and generous American patriotism.
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