Being Patriotic on the Fourth of July

Being Patriotic on the Fourth of July July 4, 2015

I grew up in a home where we celebrated our nation’s founding and past in an overwhelmingly positive way. As I’ve grown my perspective has broadened and I’ve come to see social problems and worse as central to our nation’s past. There are atrocities, such as slavery and the way the United States has treated native populations. There are also other problems that may be less stark but are no less important, such as the lack of rights for women or bias against our nation’s immigrant populations. Even our more recent past is far from perfect, what with backlash against the civil rights movement and the continued deportation of individuals working to create a better life for their families.

My more nuanced understanding of our nation’s past and present has often left me unclear about where I stand on holidays like today. In many ways patriotism has become a thing of the political Right, as conservatives wave flags and seek to rewrite our nation’s history while progressives and others on the political Left feel uncomfortable as they grapple with our nation’s often troubling past. But I worry about this positioning, because it aids conservatives as they claim to be true Americans while I and others like me are somehow less American.

What does patriotism mean, exactly? Is it love for one’s country? Admiration for one’s country? Devotion to one’s country? Does being patriotic require one to agree with all of the actions of one’s country? Or is it possible to be both patriotic and dissent from the action’s of one’s country? I think part of the problem is that those on the political Right have defined patriotism to mean not questioning one’s country or its past. This makes those on the political Left uncomfortable with the term patriotism altogether. But does it have to be defined that way?

Our history is not just a history of oppression or injustice. It is also a history of lively and spirited dissent. Men like Frederick Douglass, women Ida B. Wells—these people are part of our history too. Eugene V. Debs. Pearl Buck. Claudette Clovin. Mary Beth Tinker. These individuals were American too, even as they were discontent with the state of their national and fought to change it. Is there any greater act of love toward one’s country than working to improve it, believing that it can be better than it is—more inclusive, more fair, more just?

Rather than allowing conservatives to paint us as unpatriotic dissenters, let’s point out that dissenting is both patriotic and a central part of our national heritage. Let’s not let conservatives win the debate through defining its terms. On this Fourth of July, let’s celebrate the movers and shakers, the people who stepped out and put their lives on the line to make this country a better place. That battle continues today, through efforts to bring about immigration reform, through the movement surrounding Black Lives Matter, and through efforts to improve transgender rights. We, my friends, are part of a grand American tradition—and we are part of history.

How about you? Have you grappled with this holiday, or with the very idea of patriotism? How have you resolved these things for yourself? And importantly, what heroes of our history would you like to see honored today? And for those readers who live outside of the U.S., how does the idea of patriotism play out in your country? What national celebration’s does your country have, and how do you approach them? How do you grapple with your own nation’s history?


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