Patriots Loyalty To One's Country Analysis

Patriots: Loyalty to One’s Country

“Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of the men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory” (George S. Patton (1885-1945))

The primary focus of the two assigned sources is a commentary on patriotism as a reflection of American nationalism, and how such beliefs may develop an individual’s willingness to sacrifice their lives and acts of courage to defend their nation. Patriotism may be defined as the love, support, and defense of one’s country. George S. Patton, the speaker of the assigned quote, once stated in regards to the topic of patriotism that, “It is a proud privilege to be a soldier – a good soldier … [with] discipline, self-respect, pride

He was a senior officer for the United States Army in both World War I and II, being best known for his leadership of the US 3rd Army in France and Germany following the 1944 Allied invasion of Normandy. Additionally, he also advocated and supported the ideas of the atomic strike in Hiroshima and Nagasaki near the end of World War II. In the assigned quote, Patton believed that even though wars are fought with weapons, wars are won by the actions and bravery of men with respects to their home country. As well, Patton believed that the men’s determination to listen and follow the leader results in a victory. The second assigned source and film, “The Patriots”, also provided exceptional examples of the topic of patriotism that was evident during the American Revolution. This movie was first released in theaters in 2000 and was directed by renowned German film director, Roland Emmerich. The film focused on historical events that occurred during the American Revolution,

Gabriel, Benjamin Martin’s son, develops a spirit of patriotism and is determined to enlist in the Continental Army. He later is assigned to convince townspeople at a local church to join him as well. Along with Anne, Gabriel’s lover’s patriotic encouragement, many of the men in the town is finally persuaded to follow the footsteps of Gabriel. Furthermore, many of the men’s families died while being burnt alive in the local church by the Redcoats, led by Tavington, the antagonist in the film. However, despite being not deemed a coward had they decided not to rejoin the army by Benjamin Martin, most of the men carried the courage to continue fighting and eventually rejoined Benjamin at the swamp. As well, during the Battle of Cowpens, if Benjamin Martin did not have the courage and spirit to lead his men by evoking a sense of patriotic collectivism by waving the original American flag, both the French and American forces would have retreated. Contrastly, in terms of their differences, during the film and American Revolution, the US Continental Army were on verge of defeat by the British Redcoats at the beginning of the war due to their lack of training and weaponry skills. In general, most of the US forces until the arrival of French allies were farmers, and were obviously mediocre compared to the British. Had the Americans simply relied on fighting in traditional line infantry, they would have undoubtedly