(Left) The author’s mother
and daughter: seated
shoulder-to-shoulder, but
miles apart in their outlooks
about patriotism.
Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.
—Samuel Johnson
In 1974, the small Caribbean island of Granada
gained its independence from Britain. A few years
later its freedoms were lost when a military dictatorship
grabbed power. In 1983, concerned that the bad
guys might be in cahoots with the Soviets, President
Ronald Reagan ordered a military intervention. We
quickly dispatched the dictatorship and restored
freedom to the island. By a wide margin, the United
Nations condemned our unilateral actions. “Oh, for
the love of God,” Mom sputtered, when she heard of
the world’s reprimand.
“Billy, your father and I have been to Granada.
When I went into a store and the owner learned that
I was American, she threw her arms around me and
said, ’The United States is the greatest country on
Earth. Thank you for what you did.’”
Before launching into the topic of American
patriotism, there are a few things you should know
about my 97-year-old mom. First, she is always entertaining
and sometimes accurate. Second, she never
met a story she couldn’t fine-tune to support an overarching
narrative, in this case, America’s greatness.
Third, when she dies she will take to her grave a level
of patriotism that may never again be matched. The
numbers don’t lie.
According to the American National Election Study,
81 percent of the Silent Generation (those who are 69
to 86 years old in 2014) love America while only 58
percent of Millennials (18 to 33 years old) feel the
same. Let’s consider this trend, beginning with a few
iconic words.
I pledge allegiance to the flag…
Even today, most schools begin
their day by asking students to recite
the Pledge of Allegiance, a practice that
began in my mother’s era. Many assume
the words were written by our
Founding Fathers, but they weren’t,
they were written by a couple of businessmen
who wished, at least initially,
to simply sell more magazines.
Daniel Sharp Ford [1822-1899], who
owned the Youth’s Companion grew the
periodical into a national powerhouse
by using “premiums” to attract subscribers. Every October,
the magazine would offer many inexpensive goods,
provided the purchaser solicited others to purchase
subscriptions. His nephew, James B. Upham, headed
the premium department.
In its October 1888 issue, the magazine added
American flags to their product mix. The accompanying
advertisement noted that, “The magazine hopes
that the “Stars and Stripes [might] be hung upon
the walls of every school room in the land” so that
“patriotism and love of liberty [would] be unceasingly
taught.” A couple of years later, the magazine
declared its ambition to see the nation commemorate
the “Four Hundredth Anniversary of the Discovery
of Columbus by raising the U.S. Flag over every
Public School…”
In March, 1891, Francis Bellamy joined the magazine’s
team. A former minister, he, like Upham, believed
that America, due mostly to the arrival of millions of
immigrants, had forgotten its traditional values. Sure,
he wished to sell a few more flags, but his motivations
were not simply monetary. With the conviction of an
Old Testament prophet, he pushed his agenda with
President Benjamin Harrison and then with Congress.
He got his way. In 1892, Harrison announced,
That the President of the United States be
authorized and directed to issue a proclamation
recommending to the people the
observance in all their localities of the four
hundredth anniversary of the discovery of
America, on the 21st of October, 1892, by
public demonstrations and by suitable
exercises in their schools and other places
of assembly.
Bellamy, along with Upham, discussed the words
that should be recited during the flag ceremonies and
shortly thereafter, completed the first version of the
Pledge of Allegiance. In a few short decades, the Pledge
of Allegiance and salute to the flag were daily routines
in nearly every American classroom, including Mom’s.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States
of America…
Those inspiring words seem so innocent and
universal, as American as apple pie, Chevrolet, and
the girl next door. But maybe, as Richard J. Ellis argues,
they weren’t.
At the time of Bellamy’s death in 1931, the
Pledge was fast becoming a defining symbol
of national patriotism, not quite at par
with the “Star Spangled Banner” but not
far behind either. Pledging allegiance to the
flag was seen by many just not as an expression
of patriotism but, in the words of the U.S.
Flag Association, as an “antidote” to radical
and alien ideas.
The early 1920s saw a series of restrictive immigration
laws all but closing our borders to Eastern
Europeans and Asians. Northern Europeans, that is,
that same “stock” that founded our country, were still
allowed, albeit in reduced numbers. My mother, due in
part to these laws, and her upper-middle class upbringing,
will live her entire life without having an Asian,
African, or poor friend.
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of
America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation
under God, indivisible…
Well, hello God!
In 1954, God found his way into the Pledge of Allegiance,
during the early days of the Cold War. In one
corner of the ring, were the godless, Communist countries
like Russia, Korea, and China. In the other, God’s
chosen land, America. All it took to place God in the
pledge was the will of the people, an act of Congress,
and the signature of the President.
God, where are you?
I missed fighting in the Vietnam War by just a few
years, but surely that was the cry of my fellow Baby
Boomers as they suffered and died in that mindless
engagement. Mom’s generation had their patriotism
shaped by victory in World War II, mine in the rice
paddies of Southeast Asia. Combine that quagmire
with Watergate—the famous government scandal that
involved President Richard Nixon—and we are not
surprised to learn that my generation is less patriotic
than hers. But despite these blemishes, ours was
still the land of plenty.
When I graduated from the University of South
Carolina in 1978, my future was assumed and assured.
Good jobs were plentiful for those with college educations
and for the skilled tradesmen.
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of
America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation
under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Recently, I listened to an older man’s story, one I
have heard in so many small South Carolina communities.
“Ours was once a prosperous county, but
when the textile mills closed in the 1950s and 1960s,
that all ended. Fairfield County is around 70% black,
always has been, so the truth is that we don’t have
too many folks around here—including whites—that
have much education, or hope. In the last decade or so,
people have lost their pride and civility, too.”
My daughter, Molly, and other members of her
generation see such social injustices. Their America is
not my mother’s America, nor even mine, for that matter.
I never had to worry about finding a job in my field
or paying off a college debt. Nor did I have the disillusionment
that may come from comparing our value
systems with those of other countries! We were the
gold standard of the world’s countries, that is what we
were taught and that is what we believed.
In just a few short months, we will elect a new
president. It is unlikely that either candidate will
measure up to two of my favorite presidents, both of
whom were very patriotic. One was a liberal Democrat,
the other a conservative Republican.
Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR), who led our country
during the Great Depression and World War II, implemented
programs that reached out to all Americans
and by doing so, gave every citizen hope.
Ronald Reagan, unlike FDR, believed in less government
and fewer social programs. But similar to
FDR, he reached out to all Americans and we elected
him president by landslide margins.
When I was young, at the end of each school day
we’d leave the classroom and march single-file to the
rows of orange school buses. “Stars and Stripes Forever” played over the school’s intercom as we walked the
walk, playing its way into my heart and soul. I am still
that American boy, but the music, well, it no longer
plays as loud as it once did. Billy’s America, that land
of hope and inclusive optimism, is now fading away.
Americana is a monthly column highlighting
the cultural and historical nuances of this land
through the rich story-telling of columnist Bill Fitzpatrick,
author of the books, Bottoms Up, America
and Destination: India, Destiny: Unknown.