What Is Patriotism?

Gallup (or was it Pew) ran a survey and found a record number of Americans aren't "proud to call themselves Americans."  The survey has routinely showed that Democrats feel less proud, and that was true over time, roughly stretching back to the Iran War.  Democrats, or rather liberals, tend to be more comfortable with complexity and contradiction.  An honest assessment of this country has to accommodate the fact we have not always lived up to the ideals we claim to hold. 

I'm not a fan or presentism, and so when I assess the founding of the country, I don't denigrate the whole thing because so many founders were slave owners.  Yes, they were.  Assess that as part of their legacy.  Understand it.  Don't write it out, but it's not the end of the story either.  I was reading someone basically expounding at some length about how hypocritical it was for Jefferson to write that preamble while owning slaves.  Sure it was.  But that doesn't make the preamble any less true or inspiring.  It muddles Jefferson's legacy, but then again very few of that generation come though unscathed on the issue of slavery.

There's a broader argument (that I agree with) by Edmund Morgan that slavery, in fact, made mass democracy possible, because America didn't suffer the presence of an ethnic, white majority that had to remain disenfranchised in order to preserve the status quo.  Because all whites were equal through their race, all white men could vote. 

Our origins were steeped in the sin of slavery.  This is a fact.  We also fought a war to end it.  That's another fact.  We then tried to elevate African Americans to citizenship.  Another fact.  We then quit on the effort when it proved too hard.  Fact.  Only widespread prosperity and the pressure of the Cold War made us eventually relent and allow African Americans their rightful place at the table. And women.  And LGBT people.  And...well, you name it.

There are ample reasons to question whether or not America is a "deplorable" nation today.  I think roughly a quarter of the American population is profoundly ignorant, racist and ready to hand over power to a dictator who makes them feel protected as white people.  I think another fifth have decided that their hatred of Democrats outweighs their love of their country.  I am hopeful those numbers are changing.

Yeah, I get why you might not be proud of America right now.  But I also know that this chapter isn't finished being written yet.