Nationalism in the United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The society of the United States in spite of being multi-ethnic and multi-cultural still has a sense of national identity and history; US-Americans refer to an 'American people', and patriotism is prominent in public life.
Nationalism is the appropriate and recognised term for the associated ideology and political movements, within the present United States, and during its history. That does not necessarily correspond with current usage of the term in American politics, or with the views of self-described 'American nationalists'.
There is no consensus on when the United States became a nation-state, and developed a sense of national identity. Some historians think that the United States was already a nation-state at independence, others that this occurred during the 19th century, either before or after the American Civil War.
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[edit] Origins
The United States formed from a group of colonies under the authority of the British Crown, each established and governed independently of the others. For most of colonial America's history, a colonist had a duty to the colony and to the Crown, but not to other colonies. This attitude changed noticeably when the colonies faced a common threat in the French and Indian War. The Albany Plan of Union, although unsuccessful, served as a reference for future discussions.
Soon after, the colonies faced another common grievance over taxes enacted by the British Parliament. As the dispute escalated, colonists started to view the British administration as hostile, and sought cooperation with other colonies in response. This cooperation produced the Continental Congress and ultimately independence as a confederation. Ties between the states strengthened with the ratification of the United States Constitution.
[edit] Antebellum period
The United States had an agrarian economy, and the temptation of sparsely occupied land to the west proved irresistible. Through the Northwest Indian War and Louisiana Purchase the country vastly increased its territory. The War of 1812 showed that the country could defend its political interests against a major power, though the war ended in a stalemate. The idea that the United States could hold its own further encouraged expansion. Many politicians adopted the doctrine of Manifest Destiny, under which it was God's will that the United States should span North America.
[edit] Effect of the Civil War
The American Civil War marked the greatest transition in American national identity. The states were so economically and politically integrated that Abraham Lincoln chose to go to war to keep them united. In defeating the secessionist movement, he established that the union was permanent. The ratification of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments settled the basic question of national identity: Who was a citizen of the United States? Under the amendments, anyone born in the United States and subject to its jurisdiction was a citizen, regardless of ethnicity or social status. However, the Indians were not to gain citizenship under these amendments. In 1919 all Indians who had served in the military were granted full citizenship but the rest of Native America was not included as citizens until 1924 when the Indian Citizenship Act was passed by Congress.
[edit] Nationalism in the contemporary United States
Nationalism remains a topic in the modern United States. Rutgers University professor, Paul McCartney, for instance, argues that as a nation defined by a creed and sense of mission, Americans tend to equate their interests with those of humanity, which in turn informs their global posture. Talk show host Michael Savage has declared himself to be a nationalist, and advocates a policy of "Borders, Language and Culture," including closing the American-Mexican and American-Canadian borders, preserving English as the sole language in America, and emphasizing a conservative or libertarian cultural identity. Nationalists in the contemporary United States are usually associated with venerating the American flag, the Bill of Rights, military and Judeo-Christian roots of America. In truth, however, nationalism in America has never been easily defined. That is because the racial, religious, and regional diversity of the United States make such a definition virtually impossible to hammer down. Consider the following illustrative example. A Southerner in the US may be a nationalist but dislike Yankees. A nationalist in California, by contrast, won't likely discriminate against Northerners, but may very well judge Southerners as second-class backward members of their great nation. An American Black may join the US Marines (Semper Fi), but remain critical of racial injustice in the US. Some American Christians and American Muslims may be distrustful of each other, but still love American passionately. Nationalism in America is very complicated and difficult to define.
[edit] Post-2001 nationalism in the United States
The September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States led to a wave of nationalist expression. It is also possible that the nationalist surge created a political climate favorable for the George W. Bush administration in the lead up to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Like most wars, the conflicts themselves appear to have increased nationalist feeling, in various nations, not simply in the US. For example, nationalist anti-American sentiment among Canadians has been observed to have increased dramatically since the invasion of Iraq in 2003 2006 Liberal Canadian Press Room As casualties have increased, opposition to the continued occupation in Afghanistan and Iraq has persisted, and even caused the US House of Representatives to pass legislation to fasten U.S. evacuation of Iraq. Polls in early 2006 showed President Bush' public approval ratings to be some of the lowest of any President on record, and this has been attributed by increasingly vocal anti-war proponents that there has been a steady increase in opposition to the war. Others counter that the war is really now a post-war occupation and police action required for long-term stabilization and democratization of Iraq and Afghanistan. The claims made by these two sides resemble in some ways a pattern seen in the closing years of the U.S. 30-year involvement in nation-building in Vietnam War.
