National pride and patriotism are a big deal all around the world, and the United States is no exception. America is, after all, the land of the free and the home of the brave. It's got spacious skies, fruited plains, amber waves of grain, NASCAR, majestic purple mountains, and oh so much more.
It's not shocking that most Americans are super proud of their homeland.
But as patriotic as Americans are during times of peace and tranquility, that nation-love swells like tonsils with strep when the United States is threatened.
The days and months following the 9/11 attacks were a great example of this.
The days and months following the attack on Pearl Harbor were as well.
And though POTUS Roosevelt probably wasn't the first dude to be all, "USA! USA! USA!" in his Pearl Harbor Address, he was surely one of the most eloquent about it.
For him, especially in this speech, patriotism was less about putting a flag in the yard and more about understanding and eliminating the Japanese threat to America's whole "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" thing.
Because Step One of hanging the Stars and Stripes from the front porch is making sure that America continues to be…America.
From sea to shining sea.
Questions About American Exceptionalism and Patriotism
- American patriotism: Is it founded or unfounded? Good or bad? Helpful or detrimental? Why?
- How has patriotism in America changed since 1941? What caused those changes?
- Compare a largely unpatriotic country with a very patriotic one (like the U.S.). What are their similarities? What are their differences? Which factors do you believe contribute most to different levels of patriotism?
- How were Japan's patriotism levels before, during, and after World War II? Why?
Chew on This
America is the greatest country in the world, as evidenced by its behavior leading up to, during, and following World War II.
American patriots totally overrate the United States; it's not that great, as evidenced by its behavior leading up to, during, and after World War II.