Nationalism In The United States

The formation of a country is typically accompanied by a people who crave new identities of belonging and freedom. That being said, revolutions always have at least two different viewpoints. In the formation and liberation of the United States, nationalism instilled pride and was used as a reason to revolt against the tyranny felt by some Americans. That nationalism, however, quickly weakened and turned to state allegiance, and was a subject of debate for those trying to resolve what the best government was for this newly created nation. During this time frame, though, that dispute was never settled and a strong sense of ‘state nationalism’ emerged in the United States instead of the widespread country nationalism for which Federalists had hoped, leading citizens to identify as members of their state before they identified as members of their country.
In the 1760s the first inklings of an ‘American Nationalism’ came forward from the push to gain political representation within the British government. This then quickly turned into the need to separate from England to form a new nation. When England passed the Stamp Act of 1765, the colonists were prompted to fight …show more content…
With a newfound freedom and opportunity to craft governments that would fit the needs of Americans, political disputes separated the country based on ways of thinking. A strong sense of nationalism was needed to win independence and spark a revolution, but once the power was given to the people a ‘state’ nationalism reigned for a generation. By 1800 the push for nationalism, by supporters of a federal government by which the United States would rule, was still being attempted. But, the fact that there was still such dedication and need to advertise for a united nation almost thirty years after its formation shows that there was no nationalism to the United