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Expanding the Meaning of US American Patriotism

Posted on by Jeremy Daggett

Esau McCaulley, in his latest column for the New York Times:

In 1852 Frederick Douglass delivered what may be his most famous address, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” This time of year, quotations from the speech dart around Black social media as a subtle pushback on uncomplicated celebrations of American independence.

Douglass wondered what the enslaved might say if they were called from the plantations to reflect on themes of liberty, justice and equality. How might their words differ from the prose of the free orators normally asked to comment on American ideals? There is a revolution in the reorientation of perspective, when the powerless are given space to speak. That hasn’t changed.

The way McCaulley projects Douglass’s words into 2023 is prescient.

This bit about this examination of history coming from a place of love for the US expresses a similar sentiment that Nikole Hannah-Jones and the 1619 Project have maintained throughout their work: that it’s out of love for the US that we’re calling the US to account for its history, to remember, and to do better. McCaulley:

Our country wants a certain version of the American story told and will laud anyone willing to tell it. But uncritical celebration is a limited and false definition of patriotism. Instead, recounting the full story of America and asking it to be better than it is can be an expression of love (emphasis mine).

I wrote about Frederick Douglass’s speech a few years ago, the first time I read all the way through it. And I noticed his use of 2nd person pronouns, when Douglass refers to “your forefathers.” I didn’t know this, however:

A decade prior, Douglass, speaking to white Americans, referred to the founders as “your fathers.” Douglass and other Black Americans were outsiders. In 1862, he took ownership of them, including African Americans in the grand narrative of American history. The “you” of the American Revolution and its principles became a “we” during the battle against the Confederacy. Speaking of the Union effort in the Civil War, he said, “We are only continuing the tremendous struggle, which your fathers, and my fathers began 86 years ago.” Because white Americans had been willing to suffer for Black freedom during the Civil War, we were starting to live up to the idea that all men were created equal.

While McCaulley emphasizes that the work includes much more than “simply [reading] more Black literature,” I would argue that reading is as good a place as any to start.

I humbly suggest, then, taking a break from watching the news, social media—whatever allows you to take a deep breath—and clearing your mind. Open your mind while you’re at it, and start through one of these books this week:

Or the book I just started reading a couple days ago (which has been in my queue since 2020):

These authors care(d) deeply about US America. Let’s expand our notions of patriotism, listen, and learn.

About ten years ago, my brother Seth asked me how many of the people I followed on Twitter were not white males. It was a loving sort of challenge and incredibly important for me. That day I changed. I chose to start learning by listening to a more diverse set of voices. I loved Twitter for that opportunity. I guess it’s a good moment to mourn the dumpster fire Twitter has become, and look for a better future and work toward better spaces to learn from each other.

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