Patriotism In America

All around the world, the concept of patriotism has become a questionable subject as many people are not certain of what it actually is. Simply put, patriotism is loyalty to one’s country, and accepting both the good and bad aspects of that country. As the true meaning of patriotism is constantly questioned, it has had Americans come to realize the significant number of issues the United States has. Not only has America lost the values of the Founding Fathers, the economy also has been dissatisfying Americans for years and the country is laying in a remarkable amount of debt. Political parties also cause great disunity and hatred between the people. Americans are beginning to distrust and lose hope in their own country. Due to these factors,

Around this time the Vietnam War was coming to an end and many Americans began to hate their own country. Author Harvard Sitikoff explained that politics, faith in government by the public and the faith of leaders by the public was lost due to the Vietnam War. Many citizens were upset about the war and didn’t want to support America and it’s leaders. The feeling of patriotism was decreasing, as even Americans did not honor and welcome Vietnam veterans with open arms, but those 2 million-plus Americans who served were criticized, ignored and given no help or support (Sitikoff). This was a low point for America, as there were many protests and hatred directed towards the government, the country, and the citizens who served for the country. However, people were fighting for their rights and they were living up to the expectations of the Founding Fathers as they wanted what was best for the people of America. The protests were to make America the country it was supposed to be and most citizens were working together as one nation. There is also the argument that Americans have not actually lost pride in America, but gained pride and patriotism. Jerry Stinson stated, “In the last almost thirteen years, overt displays of patriotism have dramatically increased.” This is most likely due to 9/11, and the grief that flooded American citizens causing them to feel an overwhelming sense of patriotism. After 9/11, many Americans had this new look into America and had an overwhelming sense of pride. However, this was not patriotism, this was nationalism. Nationalism in this case would be that Americans see the United States as the country that can do no wrong and although they are supporting the country and proud to be Americans, they are not accepting all aspects of it, good and bad. Even the argument that