The word “American Patriotism” in terms of contextual reference is considered so extensive that it cannot be defined by the singularity of identity unless geographical. American patriotism, by definition, involves the inclusion and exclusion of some people; it has always been an evolving identity of an American citizen. Two pacts of identity arise in the American identity: the minority and the majority, all canopied under the American citizen identity (Stuckey 13). In Stuckey’s book, in the chapter Defining Americans, the identity crisis is an argument that constantly contradicts rather than unites.
The chapter identifies that the upheld notion by other major nations that America is the only modern nation in the world is a dismissible idea. She states that the American identity is singular, but an embedded plurality of different cultures lies beneath it. Various cultures have been interwoven into this identity to create the American Citizen. The book’s later pages define American Patriotism as an argumentative identity embedded in the communal objective of existing in the exact geographical location under the United States of America government. With that, the definition intensively acts on the formidability of law, amongst other things, where to become a nation patriot, one must first fulfil the role of becoming a citizen.
Becoming a citizen in America is a fair ordeal as some find it hard while others also get it swiftly. There are ways in which one can become an American, which is through birth, naturalization, and applying for the Green Card, amongst other ways. Citizenship is flexible, as one can become a dual citizen while upholding the American citizenry. An acquisition of the citizenry now upholds one’s right to practice American patriotism.
What Should Be Taught about American Patriotism in Public Schools
Historical Context of the United States of America
History is the backbone of identity, as without it, one can never identify who they are since it taps into the originality of the individual, whether citizen or not. Students in American public schools are not homogenous and do not belong to one culture, race, or even religion. This creates a diversity of interaction and understanding, which can confuse when not looked into keenly. According to some, history is fragmented to favour some majority, and it is what is majorly taught that the minority was not a subject of discussion until the demand for inclusivity by their races. Some demand that when a well-revised history is what is being taught, it would not be a topic of discussion or contest as either party, the majority or the minority, would get to understand the contextual fragmentation and evolution of democracy and patriotism in American history (Zimmerman 7). According to Zimmerman, even Donald Trump’s administration had a tussle about the historical dissemination of America in schools as there were races that felt like their history was not a topic of American history, especially African Americans.
Public schools should teach about the history of America in the context of the nation’s Declaration of Independence and delve deeply into outlining the constitutional inclusivity of either race of students and the Bill of Rights at a younger age. These substitute the held racial judgmental ideas by the citizens. When the public schools deliver this exquisitely, they are guaranteed that their students in the public schools being able to uphold America’s values as a nation and even appreciate the democratic ideals from the point of clear understanding of the gradually evolving modern history of the country regardless of their race, religion, sexuality amongst other things.
Civic Engagement in Relation to Patriotism
An understanding of civic responsibility amongst American citizens who want to uphold the American patriotic spirit to the highest level should be cultured from a younger age. This makes it even easier to associate or disassociate from the non-civic activities contrary to patriotism ethics. Americans are always torn into two pacts on a matter of civic duty like championing equality amongst the races, and even religion like Islam, it becomes a bone of contention that makes it hard even to choose a side as the majority of whites feel like they are entitled to be Americans as compared to other races.
Lack of civic engagement traces back to April 1886, when African Americans were free from the plantations, and schools were to be established for them after the end of the Civil War. President Johnson abolished this initiative, stating that the enslaved people would now build their schools and even buy land as he deemed the economic times favourable (Bartz et al. 2). With a civic education with no side-taking, this information could be used to trace the indecent stain of democracy where the government acted along with other people to ensure there is still infringement of other people’s rights in their workplaces, making it even worse than it was before. So, a unified American patriotic sound would act alongside each other to uphold the civic rights of each citizen no matter what. Students in public would understand that equal opportunity for all is a basis for peaceful co-existence.
Diversity and Inclusivity
A good case study is the religious disparity in America as it varies due to the existing culture of the American Indians and the imported cultures, which are Buddhism and Islam, amongst others. In America, the Muslim religion tends to receive a cloud of stereotypes that they are terrorists, and that would make them even appear to be under scrutiny when immigrating to America. A culture with a better understanding of diversity and inclusivity would make it easier to form a unified patriotic sound of oneness amongst the citizens, including the Muslim culture and religion in their society (Ahmed). This makes even a student or youths in public schools avoid the autonomous culture of segregation as a tactic of excluding Muslims from their society.
What should not be taught in Public Schools
Political Propaganda
The political propaganda of races in America should be the main subject to be discarded as it brings about the division of American citizens, whether in terms of race, culture, or religion. As mentioned before, propaganda once propagated to a particular niche is irreconcilable, as seen in modern-day America (Benson 6). A good explanation is the fact that since African –Americans are the minority with other races, they should not rule and are supposed to be ruled, which is an outright misleading ideology. President Barrack Obama, an African-American, ruled America and relatively, though not to perfection, enhanced the military and economic power of the nation to the world. Teachers should also understand that no basic political ideology makes one able to befit a particular role in society, as this is what the majority of whites believe in since they are a considerable part of society.
This ideology is constantly fueled by unconfirmed narratives that are not even accurate, for instance, that many immigrants are there to strip away the American citizens of their rights to work. This is a false narrative, as though a fairground has been laid for everyone to work. Some feel like the immigrants are there to strip them of their jobs, which is not valid, as even the immigrants have to acquire specific qualifications to get hired. Political propaganda, when fueled mindlessly, can lead to a xenophobic attack on some racial classes; thus, equality of structures and opportunities is what should be promoted rather than the ideologue of political propaganda.
Revisionist History
This is explained by avoiding the significant occurrence that built America. Topics such as segregation, slavery, and systemic racism should not be avoided as that is what happened, and it is not a fabricated topic. An awareness of identity creates the eligibility rather than the disown of history. These will enhance the school’s acquisition of good topics in the syllabus that are not disguised. It makes it even easier for the civic uphold of one patriotic existence in America as they tend to know they earned and should be proud of it rather than shy away from it (Smagorinsky 84). These would also allow the disengagement from some of the stated vices as students would understand such cruelty to their colleagues.
This topic should be a benchmark for American society not to promote some historical activities deemed unsuitable for the typical American citizen. Also, it does not allow a factual check that some of the cultural vices were just indoctrinated amongst other races to fit a narrative during a specific time. In relation to the acceleration of democracy, this subject should be buried and a better part of history with no favouritism promoted.
Extreme Patriotism
This a conflicting topic where an American citizen feels to be above their counter-citizen due to either class or racial superiority (Wagner 14). These turn one into a chauvinist, and they might even resort to aggression to prove they control the patriotism steering. These always occur in the majority white populated states where infiltration of other cultures, whether in school or workplaces, majorly shows the extreme extent to which one feels to have owned patriotic powers even above fellow citizens.
Extreme patriotism, also known as jingoism, promotes a culture of inequality. For instance, though all American citizens are patriotic, some tend to feel more entitled to the fact that they can do more than others. It brings about the silent dictatorship on a nation as some other patriotic citizen would always feel sidelined in terms of even development and their practice of democratic rights. Therefore, a vice of hate might grow due to the sense of why we are less preferred compared to our counterparts, and we are both American citizens.
Conclusively, it might be straightforward to state that the practice of American Patriotism is a constant, modern, evolving act. This is so because it needs some tweaking to acquire the inclusive admiration of either party, the white majority and other race minorities. To achieve a great height of success in this, I think the doctrine should be implemented earlier, like in the public schools, so that when one practices being a proud patriotic citizen, they have mastered and understood the dynamics of being a well-rounded patriotic citizen. Some racial or cultural mythology should be taught in public schools concerning the progressive effects they have had in terms of democracy evolution and the adverse effects they have had when omitted. An excellent patriotic American citizen, regardless of race, culture, sexuality and religion, amongst other things, should be a proud citizen of the United States of America who invariably yearns for a peaceful co-existence and unity amongst them and the people around him.
Works Cited
Ahmed, Asma. “Exploring the experiences of Muslim students in an urban Ontario public school.” (2016).
Bartz, David E., and W. A. Kritsonis. “Racism, the white power structure, and the tragic history of the education of African American children in the United States.” Schooling 10.1 (2019): 1-9.
Benson, Keith E. “Crying,” Wolf!” The Campaign Against Critical Race Theory in American Public Schools as an Expression of Contemporary White Grievance in an Era of Fake News.” Journal of Education and Learning 11.4 (2022): 1-14.
Smagorinsky, Peter. “The Creation of National Cultures through Education, the Inequities They Produce, and the Challenges for Multicultural Education.” International Journal of Multicultural Education 24.2 (2022): 80-96
Stuckey, Mary E. Defining Americans: The presidency and national identity. University Press of Kansas, 2023.
Wagner, Paul A. “The Patriotism of Collegial Idealism and Cooperation.” Education and Society 40.2 (2022): 5-22.
Zimmerman, Jonathan. Whose America?: Culture wars in the public schools. University of Chicago Press, 2022.
write