American nationalism

American nationalism is the belief held by some Americans that the United States is the most important country in the world. It can also be defined as the belief that Americans should put the wellbeing of the United States ahead of the wellbeing of other nations. Nationalism, a phenomenon that happens in countries around the world, is difficult to define yet vitally important in world affairs throughout hundreds of years. American nationalism is virtually as old as the country itself, and it continues to affect domestic politics and international affairs. Nationalism is seen by some as a dangerous force that can destroy international relationships and degrade people from other countries; however, other people believe that nationalism can be a positive force if it helps people focus on the needs of their own country without interfering in other countries’ affairs.

Background

Nationalism, patriotism, and jingoism are all phenomena that deal with people’s relationship with and feelings toward the country they live in and their fellow citizens. Nationalism is sometimes defined as the idea that one should put one’s own country’s wellbeing before the wellbeing of all other countries. The idea of nationalism evolved because of the existence of nations, which are regions where groups of people are bound together through a unified government and through shared culture, language, or both. Nations are one of the most common organizing structures in the modern world. Most historians agree that the first nations began to organize several thousand years ago. Nationalism is somewhat related to tribalism, as it creates in-groups and out-groups, and it pits the groups against each other. Nationalism has been used by many governments to convince citizens that their countries are superior and that, therefore, they should have the ability to command other countries. For example, the Nazi party, which ruled in Germany in the 1930s and 1940s, used nationalism to convince the white, able-bodied German people of their superiority and the inferiority of others, most notably Jewish people. The Nazis killed millions of people and invaded numerous countries based on their belief that they were superior and should have the right to take over the world and shape it to their benefit. A more recent example of extreme nationalism led to the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia in the 1990s.

Many historians see nationalism as being a continuum, with weaker forms of nationalism being associated with patriotism and stronger forms of nationalism being associated with jingoism and intolerance. Patriotism is pride in one’s country and the belief that one’s country is a force for good in the world. Some people define the term simply as love of one’s country. The United States and other nations have patriotic holidays during which they celebrate important moments in their history and honor people who served in their military. In the United States, July 4—which commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence—is a patriotic holiday. Some Americans demonstrate their patriotism by flying American flags or displaying other symbols of the United States.

Jingoism is a more intense form of patriotism. Jingoism is nationalism that is belligerent and forceful, especially toward other nations. When one country’s nationalism makes it take military action or force against another country, the country may be jingoistic. The United States has taken part in jingoism numerous times throughout history, and this belligerence has contributed to a number of armed conflicts.

American exceptionalism is another idea that relates to American nationalism. Although “exceptionalism” eventually came to mean “better than others,” the original meaning of the term was that the United States of America was an exception among other nations. It differed from other countries in its style of government and the attitude of its people. Yet, over time, the term “American exceptionalism” came to mean the belief that America was better than other countries due to its unique features.

Overview

American nationalism has been a factor in the United States since very soon after the country formed. When the United States first started, the federal government was quite weak, and the individual states, which developed from separate colonies, all had their own identities and customs. The federal government had so little power with its first ruling document, the Articles of Confederation, that it had to create a second document, the Constitution, to fully develop a functioning federal government. Early in the history of the county, the states maintained their distinct identities and failed to create one strong, central idea of what being an American meant.

Some historians point to the Whiskey Rebellion of the 1790s as the first example of nationalism in the country’s history. The federal government wanted to pay off national debt and imposed a tax on distilled spirits to do so. Farmers in western Pennsylvania, who made whiskey from their grain, rebelled against the tax. The supporters of the tax used ideas related to nationalism, such as maintaining the wellbeing of the nation, as a reason for the tax. The XYZ Affair of the late 1790s also sparked American nationalism. The United States and France had experienced difficult foreign relations in the late 1700s because the United States had signed a treaty with Great Britain, at the time France’s enemy. When three American diplomats were treated harshly by the French government, the United States reacted by forming a navy and building warships. The United States and France even fought a quasi-war over the affair, but signed and ratified the Treaty of Mortefontaine (1801) to end the conflict.

American nationalism also related to the idea of Manifest Destiny, which was the idea that the United States was destined by God to span from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. In the decades before the Civil War, the United States quickly grew to include many western territories. This expansion, which displaced countless Native Americans, was fueled by the belief that God wanted the United States to grow in size. Americans believed that their country was destined to become the greatest in the world. The belief in Manifest Destiny was fueled by nationalism, and the expansion of the United States that it brought helped to fuel new waves of nationalism.

Although these early examples of nationalism united Americans in certain causes or beliefs, many historians believe that the Civil War was the event that most helped Americans define what it meant to be American. The war helped the country define a set of principles and beliefs that most Americans could identify with and support. President Theodore Roosevelt, who had lived through the Civil War, used themes of nationalism in his presidential campaign. Roosevelt gave a speech called “New Nationalism” that stressed the ideas that a strong national government was important to help protect human welfare and property rights. Roosevelt used these ideas of nationalism to campaign for more rights for workers and a federal income tax. In the speech he said, “I do not ask for the over-centralization; but I do ask that we work in a spirit of broad and far-reaching nationalism where we work for what concerns our people as a whole. We are all Americans. Our common interests are as broad as the continent.” Although Roosevelt used his nationalist beliefs to support progressive social policies, he was also famous for being involved in international conflicts, such as the Spanish-American War (1898) and the Philippine-American War (1899–1902), which are both viewed by many modern historians as part of American nationalism and imperialism.

Nationalism is related to, but not the same thing as, patriotism. Patriotism is the feeling of pride in one’s country. People who are patriotic often portray their patriotism by displaying the national flag or singing the national anthem. Because of the negative connotations that nationalism brings with it, Americans during the second half of the twentieth century and the first part of the twenty-first century were more likely to identify their love of country as patriotism rather than nationalism. However, some Americans point to similar attitudes in foreign countries as nationalism rather than patriotism.

Many historians view another wave of American nationalism beginning after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. In the two years following the attacks, the United States started military conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, resulting in the death of hundreds of thousands of civilians in those countries. The late 2010s again brought a resurgence in nationalism. However, in the early 2010s, Pew Research studies found that patriotism had decreased among younger generations. Millennials were less likely than older generations, such as Baby Boomers, to identify themselves as very patriotic, according to a 2013 study. Furthermore, Baby Boomers were more likely than Millennials to say that the country’s best days were still ahead of it.

Both of the statistics indicate that nationalism was not as high as it had been. Yet, in 2016, Donald Trump—who introduced the “Make American Great Again” slogan and an America First policy—was elected president of the United States. Many historians and social scientists pointed to Trump’s election as an indicator of increased nationalism. Furthermore, many other countries around the world experienced increased nationalism around the same time, with nationalist movements gaining political power in India, Great Britain, Hungary, Denmark, and other countries. In further support of American nationalism, President Trump was reelected in 2024.

The United States and other countries have both civic nationalism and ethnic nationalism. Civic nationalism is the belief that people of a nation are bound together through their belief in a particular political system, without regard to race or ethnicity. Ethnic nationalism is defined by one’s race, ethnicity, and/or language. In ethnic nationalism, only some ethnic groups are seen as a true part of the culture and the nation. In the United States, white nationalism is a common form of ethnic nationalism. White nationalists believe that white people should be the dominant political and social force in the country. Some white nationalists even believe that the United States should be a white nation with no other races. The ideas of white nationalists actually go against many of the stated values in American laws and documents, but they have been an important social factor at various times in the country’s history. White nationalists believe the white race is under attack in the United States, and they want to end all non-white immigration and interracial marriages to help maintain the white majority America, which researchers predict will end in the 2050s.

Increased nationalism in the modern era is complicated by, but may also be fueled by, globalization. Globalization is the interconnectedness of nations caused largely by developments in technology and communication that make international borders less distinct in daily life. Email and cell phones allow people from around the world to communicate quickly and cheaply. Airplanes and high-speed railway make traveling between nations faster than ever. As globalization connects people, some countries wish to maintain their own cultural identities and fight against the way globalization spreads culture to other parts of the world. Some historians believe that a backlash against globalization helped cause an increase in nationalism around the world as people felt their cultural norms were being changed because of globalization.

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