American nationalism
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The society of the United States in spite of being multi-ethnic and multi-cultural still has a sense of national identity and history; those who live in or are from the United States refer to an "American people", and patriotism is prominent in public life.
Nationalism is the correct and recognized term for the associated ideology and political movements, within the present United States, and during its history.
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[edit] Origins
The United States traces its origins all the way back to colonies founded by the Kingdom of England in the early 1600s. Each colony was independently governed and was under the authority of the Crown; a colonist had no duty to colonies other than their own. By 1732, the Kingdom of Great Britain had 13 colonies established in British America. When the colonies faced a common threat during the French and Indian War, the Albany Plan proposed a union between the colonies. Although unsuccessful, it served as a reference for future discussions of independence.
Soon after, the colonies faced several common grievances over acts passed by the British Parliament, including taxation without representation. As the dispute escalated, colonists started to view the British rule as oppressive and hostile, and sought cooperation with other colonies in response. This cooperation led to the Continental Congress, the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolutionary War, and ultimately independence. Ties between the states strengthened with the ratification of the United States Constitution.
[edit] Post Civil War
The American Civil War marked the greatest transition in American national identity. 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, Native Americans were not to gain citizenship under these amendments. In 1919 all Natives who had served in the military were granted full citizenship but the rest of the Native Americans were 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 securing the US-Mexico and US-Canada borders, preserving English as the primary language in the United States, and emphasizing a conservative or libertarian cultural identity. Nationalists in the contemporary United States are usually associated with venerating the American flag, the Constitution, military and cultural roots of America, however, nationalism in America has never been easily defined.
[edit] Post-2001 nationalism in the United States
The September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States led to a wave of nationalist expression. This was accompanied by a rise in military enlistment that included not only lower-income Americans, but also middle-class and upper-income citizens[1].
