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Merits and demerits of nationalism
Merits and demerits of nationalism
Importance of nationalism
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Nationalism is extreme loyalty and devotion to one particular nation, and many Americans are nationalistic about their country. But even though they are loyal to America, defining what it means to be a true American is tricky. Being American is one complex thing, but the concept of being American can not be fully grasped. What it means to be American may in fact be one of the biggest mysteries of all time. Indeed, discovering what it means to be a true American could possibly take an entire lifetime. One thing, however about all true Americans is certain: we are all alike in that each one of us is different from the Americans in important ways. We are diverse in our backgrounds, races, and religions. Nevertheless, we are exactly identical in the we feel toward our country, even though we express our pride in a million different ways. To begin with, Americans show their pride in their country by loyally defending her at all costs. America’s turf is one thing that at all costs others avoid. If someone hurts an American, be assured the patriots will commit in full-force to do whatever is necessary to bring about justice. For example, when the pirates tried to seize a U.S. ship and assume command of it, Americans responded swiftly and forcefully. “Wednesday April 15th pirates bombarded U.S.-flagged Liberty Sun with automatic weapons fire and rocket propelled grenades, but its American crew of about 20 successfully blockaded themselves in the engine room and warded off the attack with evasive maneuvers…. The U.S. plans to send an envoy to an April 23rd conference on piracy in Brussels.” (MSNBC News). The pirates, abandoned and even in some cases committed suicide from the overwhelming force of America. The U.S. Navy was on th... ... middle of paper ... ...ill” by some, but others may see us as the anti-Christ itself. For those whom think we are “the rich snotty people“ they claim us to be, how could that be when we are so tolerant of other cultures and you are not? These two things are fickle, and they come up together as a compromise that is only understood by us, fellow Americans. American, there are so many words to describe this one single person. The diversity, the love and the compassion of everyone in this country No other country, in the world can compare to our country; we are Americans. We are tolerant, diverse and both of those values mutually. It all began on July 4th 1776, on the day we declared our own independence, and this soil that you stand upon has never been the same. The truth about this nation is revealed through the acts us Americans do everyday and that we will continue to do in the future.
In the late 1800’s the American people and their government became more willing to risk war in defense of American interests overseas, support for building a large modern navy began to grow. Supporters argued that if the United States did not build up its navy and acquire bases overseas, it would be shut out of foreign markets by Europeans. Captain Alfred T. Mahan observed that building a modern navy meant that the U.S. had to acquire territory for naval bases overseas. This would enable them to operate a navy far from home. A country needed bases and coaling stations in distant regions, which was exactly what they did by having Havana, Cuba be one of its ports. Another factor that was part of the Navy’s modernization was the USS Maine, which was probably the most famous ship of its era. The USS Maine was one of the Navy’s first armored battle ships. It was one of the first U.S. naval vessels with electrical lighting. It had a top speed of 17 knots and a crew of 392 officers and enlisted men. On the evening of February 15, 1898 the USS Maine exploded. Of the 345 officers and sailors aboard the Maine, 266 died. There were many ideas of how this explosion occurred, namely: the ship’s ammunition supplies blew up, a fire accidentally ignited the ammunition, and that a mine detonated near the ship set off the ammunition. At the time Cuba was a Spanish colony, but it was in the midst of a revolution. The Cuban people were fighting for independence from Spain. During this Cuban revolt against Spain and the American battleship Maine dropped anchor in the Havana harbor to protect American interests in Cuba. Many Americans regarded the Spanish as tyrants and supported the Cubans in their struggle. This immediately made Americans jump to the Conclusion that Spain blew up the Maine. American’s felt that since they were allies with Cuba that Spain was trying to harm America, as to not interfere with Cuba’s revolt against them. Within a matter of weeks, Spain and the U.
To be an American is to be proud of your flag and country, to be willing to suffer for America, and to never be willing to give up.
Americans are a group of people living in the United States of America who will do everything in their power to prove their allegiance, and show the pride in which they have for their country and being an American. In the article Veterans Day: Never Forget Their Duty by John McCain, McCain talks about a friend of his who was a prisoner at war with McCain himself. McCain explains how his friend was beaten because the guards of the prison found his American Flag he had sewn to his shirt, so they beat him. In the article McCain states “Sitting
“Nationalism(n.) - loyalty or devotion to a nation, especially an attitude, feeling, or belief characterize by a sense of national consciousness” (The War of 1812 and the Rise of Nationalism 1). Nationalism was a crucial part of America’s success during the War of 1812; nationalism was reflected in the post-war period through increased national pride, emphasis on national issues, increase in power and scope of the national government, and a growing sense of American identity (The War of 1812 and the Rise of Nationalism 1). The first to arise which was the driving force behind American victories against the British was nationalism. This nationalism was expressed in four ways; patriotism, political, economical and cultural. American patriotism
Americans can cherish their freedom of expression and are part of a diverse culture. An American is someone who would embrace freedom and liberty. Overall, to be an American, it is crucial to embrace the culture and become a part of it disregarding where you were born.
What makes an American an American? Is it the accent, the clothing, the fact that you
The exploration of what patriotism is and what represents patriotism is an important one more people should embark upon. If Americans are to examine patriotisms true meaning, we will be able to abolish this faux patriotism, which is represented by intimidation, censorship, and majority rules attitudes or actions. This can be replaced by feelings and actions of caring, compassion, acceptance, rationality, and nonviolence, or in other words, patriotism.
The definition of an American, is someone who is a citizen of the United States. Many African Americans, and immigrants struggled to become actual Americans in their lifetimes, because others didn 't see them as actual people; and based it on the color of someone. In today 's world people who live in America consider themselves as Americans, but to me there is certain qualities that make a person an American. To me being a true American is not based off of what Country they were born in, or what race their parents are, or even if they were immigrated to the United States. People from all over the world would say that maybe people could base this off of someone 's family heritage, or where they were before they came to America. If you were asked what makes an American an American what would you base it off of? To me there are four specific characteristics that make a person a true American; those three things would be, freedom, individuality, belief in the country, and happiness.
As harmful as ethnic nationalism can be, nationalism can be a force for good. Civic nationalism, as opposed to ethnic nationalism, successfully unites people not by race or ethnicity, but by similar values and ideals. For example, the United States of America was upon the common ideals of freedom and equality. According to one expert, “The United States accepted men of all kinds of descent as their alma mater, transforming them into a ‘new race of men’” (Kohn). The non-exclusivity of American nationalism is exactly what sets apart civic nationalism from ethnic nationalism.
Webster?s Dictionary defines American as or its inhabitants. But is that all America and an American truly is? Is a person American simply because of geography? According to Identities, ?America is a confluence of cultures.? Americans are people whose lives depict men and women who are trying to be as successful and robust as possible, this quest is symbolic to citizens of many other countries. This is why America illustrates the Statue of Liberty, a structure that symbolizes freedom throughout the world. America is composed not only of these peoples, but the cultures and the ways of life of these people.
This foray into what the true American ideology is requires the use of a “veil of ignorance.” Within the hypothetical veil, people are unable to know any distinguishing characteristics about themselves or others. Any society created from behind the veil should be free of inherent discriminations or advantages. I take issue with the use of this veil of ignorance. So much of the political theory and philosophy of early Americans is based on the so-called “original position” proposed by Enlightenment thinkers. There is no such thing as an original position, there never has been, and there most likely never will be. There is no use in making the backbone of a theory rest on an imaginary concept. John C. Calhoun expressed this very same sen...
What makes a person an american? What is an American? Is it someone who votes for the president? Is it someone who takes a stand in what they believe in? People have very different views on what makes an American. It could be the people that fight for our safety. It could be the people that help make a home safe. It may even be a person who fights for themselves. What makes a person an American is not living in the united states. There are plenty of people that have migrated to America, and have the same believes as any U.S citizen. Each person in this hectic world have their own views politically, socially, and emotionally, but that doesn’t make someone an American. What I have seen in my life what makes a person an American, are these three qualities, integrity, gratitude, and power.
What makes a person an American? It 's an interesting question, with an immeasurable number of possible answers. Every American can likely think up some one word answer to this question and a large percentage of these answers would likely be freedom, even though freedom isn 't as uncommon as it has been in the past and freedom is no longer the groundbreaking, revolutionary idea that sets America apart from the rest of the world. It is entirely possible that a large majority of the world 's population that aren 't American can also answer this question with little trouble, although, these answers are likely worlds apart from the answers that the average American would give. With a question such as this, perspective is everything, that special something that makes an American an American is dependent on the political views and affiliation of those answering the question. It is safe to assume that many Americans have a lofty opinion of themselves and of their country, but the same attitude regarding the greatness of America and the
The definition of nationalism, according to Anderson, is an “imagined impersonal community, defined by common history and perceived by distinctiveness, that is believed to exercise the collective right to sovereign control over a given territory.” Over the last 200 years, the United States has grown larger and stronger with every change, and with that, the understanding of nationhood and nationalism in the US has changed within the constraints of this definition. In the beginning, nationhood was very different. It was elite driven. The united states was built on immigrants brought together with the idea of building a free nation. This could be described by the elite theory, which states that elites are aspiring to nationalism and lead the movements.
Thunderous booms and bangs sounded the evening of February 15, 1898. The battleship Maine exploded on the harbors in Havana, Cuba. Panicky passengers scurried frightened to safety, while some remained trapped, helplessly, with no possible escape. Startled survivors searched for crew members and friends. The battleship which detonated into several pieces sank to the ocean floor dragging rapt wounded and dead. Two-hundred and sixty-six of the three-hundred and fifty-five officers, crew members, sailors, and Marines on board died or drowned in the explosion or shortly after suffering from injuries or shock.