Defining Patriotism

Defining Patriotism

The first sentence of The Nation‘s prospectus, dated July 6, 1865, promised “the maintenance and diffusion of true democratic principles in society and government,” surely a patriotic sentiment, as was the magazine’s name.

Since that time The Nation has attempted to represent and give voice to the best of American values and culture and has steadfastly resisted any and all efforts through the years to brand dissent as unpatriotic.

In the summer of 1991, in the aftermath of the first Gulf War, the magazine published a forum exploring the question of what is patriotism — Is there a patriotism that is not nationalistic? How does the historic internationalism of the liberal left relate to the concept of patriotism? What do you value in the traditions of your country?

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

The first sentence of The Nation‘s prospectus, dated July 6, 1865, promised “the maintenance and diffusion of true democratic principles in society and government,” surely a patriotic sentiment, as was the magazine’s name.

Since that time The Nation has attempted to represent and give voice to the best of American values and culture and has steadfastly resisted any and all efforts through the years to brand dissent as unpatriotic.

In the summer of 1991, in the aftermath of the first Gulf War, the magazine published a forum exploring the question of what is patriotism — Is there a patriotism that is not nationalistic? How does the historic internationalism of the liberal left relate to the concept of patriotism? What do you value in the traditions of your country?

An illuminating cast of characters offered answers back then, including Floyd Abrams, William Sloan Coffin, Martin Duberman, Richard Falk, Howard Fast, Vivian Gornick, Jesse Jackson, Erwin Knoll, Mary McGrory, Natalie Merchant and then-editor at large Katrina vanden Heuvel.

Read the still-relevant forum and use the comments field below to let us know how you define patriotism.

Happy Fourth!


PS: If you have extra time on your hands and want to follow me on Twitter — a micro-blog — click here. You’ll find (slightly) more personal posts, basketball and breaking news and lots of links.

Be part of 160 years of confronting power 


Every day,
The Nation exposes the administration’s unchecked and reckless abuses of power through clear-eyed, uncompromising independent journalism—the kind of journalism that holds the powerful to account and helps build alternatives to the world we live in now. 

We have just the right people to confront this moment. Speaking on Democracy Now!, Nation DC Bureau chief Chris Lehmann translated the complex terms of the budget bill into the plain truth, describing it as “the single largest upward redistribution of wealth effectuated by any piece of legislation in our history.” In the pages of the June print issue and on The Nation Podcast, Jacob Silverman dove deep into how crypto has captured American campaign finance, revealing that it was the top donor in the 2024 elections as an industry and won nearly every race it supported.

This is all in addition to The Nation’s exceptional coverage of matters of war and peace, the courts, reproductive justice, climate, immigration, healthcare, and much more.

Our 160-year history of sounding the alarm on presidential overreach and the persecution of dissent has prepared us for this moment. 2025 marks a new chapter in this history, and we need you to be part of it.

We’re aiming to raise $20,000 during our June Fundraising Campaign to fund our change-making reporting and analysis. Stand for bold, independent journalism and donate to support The Nation today.

Onward, 

Katrina vanden Heuvel 
Publisher, The Nation

Ad Policy
x