Patriotism Essay Research Paper On July 4

Patriotism Essay, Research Paper

On July 4, 1776, the fathers of the United States of America formally declared our

independence from British rule. Lacking a stable government and financial resources, our

predecessors marched on an endless grid of bloody battle fields with the vision of a new

nation—a nation in which they shared a love not for what it was, but for what it had the

potential to be. This was an era of absolute allegiance, when little boys paid homage to

our politicians and hoped to one day be a leader in a free and equal nation. Such

love–such nationalism–has never been so potent as that critical moment in history.

Unfortunately, our nation has seen a regression in patriotic deeds. Politics are

disregarded and, likewise, politicians are deemed as fools. Paul Goodman addresses this

issue in the excerpt, Patriotism , from the novel, Growing Up Absurd. In this piece,

Goodman attempts to identify some of the key factors which have contributed to the

decline of patriotism, ultimately placing the responsibility on many of society s affluent

institutions and beliefs.

Goodman first places the responsibility on parental guidance within the home.

….patriotism is the culture of childhood and adolescence. Without this first culture, we

come with a fatal emptiness to the humane culture of science, art, humanity, and God…

(Goodman, 1962). Here, Goodman molds a comparison between patriotism and the

subjective aspects of adult society. He implies that, if as a child, one cannot build a

faithful relationship with his own country, he will not be able to form more complex

relationships nor gain appreciation for commodities such as art, science or religion. This

idea supports the framework of our modern educational system. We teach entering

students the essentials. We create songs, play games, dress up, all in attempts to stimulate

the chills learning capabilities as well as expand the use of imagination, while maintaining

an environment that is of interest to the child. This technique allows room for growth, in

which the child will gradually build more knowledge upon the base of wisdom in which he

has previously acquired. Thus, the child may grasp more elaborate concepts with time.

The lack of this foundation–or idea of patriotism in this case–within the childhood

developmental stages, does not allow those in the adolescent stage to make the complete

transition into adulthood due to the fact that they are unable to understand more complex

ideas. In this manner, Goodman is able to mark patriotism as the new religion .

Next, Goodman attracts the idea of censorship in America. He does this by first

recalling the Russian protests against the banning of Pasternak s Dr. Zhivago and the

spring theatre festival. The very framework of our country lies on the belief in freedom of

speech, press, religion, and thought, yet, the major news source at that time, The New

York Times, choose not to give any recognition to these patriotic deeds. News was again

withheld from the American people with the secret nuclear testing and the withholding of

a wavelength of a satellite for strategic reasons (Goodman, 1962). What does it say about

a nation when its people are misinformed. The purpose of the government is to represent

the people, yet, the people are unaware. Here, Goodman implies a very important point.

How can we expect patriotism to thrive when the legislators of our society are not giving

us anything to have faith in. Goodman also questions the irresponsible competition that

existed within space exploration. The Americans became so overwhelmed with the task of

beating the Russians in space technology, they were unable to truly appreciate the

advances of mankind . In addition, the United States placed limitations as to who could

participate in the space agenda, ultimately encouraging the idea of conformity.

Next, Goodman goes on to discuss the corruption of politics. He accredits this to

the lack of civilian involvement in the political process, If people had the opportunity to

initiate community actions, they would be political; they would know that finally the way

to accomplish something great is to get together with the like-minded and do it directly. (

Goodman, 1962). This dilemma supports the recent issue of voter turn out during

American elections. The results are disappointing when compared to those such as

England. The fact remains that the American people are distanced from their political

leaders and they are unaware of the issues that face our government. People would much

rather turn on the television to view their favorite talk show or soap opera, than tune into

a political affair. Part of this, according to Goodman, is a direct reflection of American

politicians. In the days of Washington, Adams, and Jefferson, politicians evolved from

true leaders. They were not men who went to Harvard or Princeton and received a

degree in law o

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