Reminder: Resisting Trump Is Patriotic
Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise this 4th of July.
Today, as Americans celebrate our nation’s independence with fireworks, sparklers, picnics, and parades, we should all take a moment to remember that, despite many loud claims to the contrary, acts of political resistance are deeply patriotic.
“Patriotism is supporting your country all the time,” Mark Twain wrote, “and your government when it deserves it.”
Ironically (though not at all surprisingly), Trump actually tweeted that quote in 2014.
Trump (again, unsurprisingly) has changed his tune, and now has little patience for those who insist that supporting America does not mean supporting his presidency. Today, as 4th of July celebrations commence, he’ll likely cloak his anti-immigrant brand of nationalism in patriotic clothing to rile up his supporters.
But we must remember that this holiday specifically honors the American tradition of political resistance—which, historically, has consistently been leveraged to successfully advance progressive causes. That history began with the American Revolution.
Conflict between the 13 American colonies and England had been brewing long before early American activists officially declared that they were finished with unjust “taxation without representation,” and Congress voted to revoke our nation’s allegiance to the British crown.
Acts of political resistance that proceeded that vote included the boycott of British goods that prompted the Brits to repeal all taxes (except the one on tea, which lead to the infamous Boston Tea Party revolt), and a series of uprisings (including the Boston Massacre) in the years before the American Revolution.
Although the Boston Tea Party—and, unfortunately, patriotism in general—have long been co-opted as epitomizing conservative values, political resistance for the sake of American progress and radical social change is actually far more prevalent in our history than resistance for the sake of implementing regressive politics or maintaining the status-quo.
“The word ‘patriotism’ elicited an uncomfortable feeling through much of my younger life,” former CIA Analyst and special advisor on national security Yaël Eisenstat wrote in a recent op-ed for Huffpost. “ I had always associated it with flag waving, pin wearing, parade going, and most often, with strong symbols of military might and bravado.”
Eisenstat continues, “The notion that others — be it Republicans, conservatives, or the ‘real’ America — had ownership of the word had seeped so deeply into my psyche that I couldn’t apply the label to myself, even when directly serving to protect my country’s national security.”
In light of the serious threat Trump poses to American democracy and American values, there’s never been a better time for progressives to reassert our claim on patriotism than right now.
“Over the past year, I have had my moments of wanting to throw my hands up in defeat, to let go the idea of America, to distance myself from a country that I have defended but wrestle to love at times,” Eisenstat writes. “But having spent so much time in other countries that aspire to have the same freedoms and equality that America promises, I know the country our forefathers envisioned is worth the struggle, and that makes me feel deeply patriotic now.”
Tonight when you’re watching fireworks or holding out a sparkler to illuminate the night sky, remember: The resistance movement is made up of patriots defending the long-held values of the country we love. “Real America” is our America—not Trump’s.
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