Patriotism and the Mount Rushmore Speech Sydney Williams
“Patriotism,” said Samuel Johnson in 1775, “is the last refuge of the scoundrel.” A little more than a hundred years later, Oscar Wilde wrote, “Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious.” In 1906, Ambrose Bierce published The Devils Dictionary. In it he accused Samuel Johnson of being too gentle; Bierce defined patriotism as “the first resort of the scoundrel.” From Mark Twain to H.L. Mencken, wits have had great fun belittling patriots and patriotism.
Patriotism is a positive force. In a cynical age, patriotism appears dated; it is out of sync with progressive beliefs. But true patriotism is deeply embedded. It accepts and withstands criticism. In Notes of a Native Son (1955), James Baldwin wrote: “I love America more than any other country in this world and exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” That is as it should be – the right to criticize is implicit in free speech. Patriotism is devotion and attachment to one’s homeland and fellow citizens; it does not mean total obeisance, as is required by those from Black Lives Matter and Antifa. Patriotism should not be confused with nationalism, which is divisive, intolerant and nihilistic. In a multiracial and multicultural country, patriotism is what binds a disparate people. Patriotism is inclusive and feeds on love, while nationalism is partisan and is nourished by hate.
Patriotism was the theme of President Trump’s speech at Mount Rushmore on July 3rd. That was as it should be, as the United States celebrated its 244th birthday. If one were to read only the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times, or the start of Associated Press’ Jill Colvin’s postmortem, “After a weekend spent stoking division, President Donald Trump…”, one would conclude that Mr. Trump’s speech in South Dakota was dark and divisive. However, if one read it, without knowledge of the speaker, it would appear uplifting and optimistic.
Surprisingly, President Trump delivers a good speech. While he does not write his speeches – no President has since Warren Harding hired Judson Welliver as his literary clerk – the words, when he does not stray from the script, are powerful and inspiring. (His speeches should be read, which is my preference.) On July 16, 2017 in Warsaw, Mr. Trump warned of the steady creep of government bureaucracy, “invisible to some but familiar to the Poles…The West became great not because of paperwork and regulations but because people were allowed to chase their dreams and pursue their destinies.” In this year’s State of the Union, he spoke of years of political stalemate and the divisions it has caused: “We must choose between greatness or gridlock, results or resistance, vision or vengeance, incredible progress or pointless destruction.” He ended that speech optimistically, by asking the men and women of Congress to look at the opportunities that lie ahead: “Our most thrilling achievements are still ahead. Our most exciting journeys still await. Our biggest victories are still to come. We have not yet begun to dream.”
President Trump spoke at Mount Rushmore: “Our founders launched not only a revolution in government, but a revolution in the pursuit of justice, equality, liberty and prosperity… No country has done more,” he added, “to advance the human condition than the United States of America.” He then spoke of the current campaign to “wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values and indoctrinate our children.” The weapon of these advocates is a “cancel culture” that “shames dissenters” and “demands absolute allegiance. If you do not speak its language, perform its rituals, recite its mantras, and follow its commandments, then you will be censored, banished, blacklisted, persecuted, and punished.” Those were the words alluded to by mainstream media as dystopian. He went on to remind the audience that “nations exist to protect the safety and happiness of their own people…We believe in equal opportunity, equal justice, and equal treatment for all citizens of every race, background, religion and creed.” He was lighting a candle, not snuffing one out. Yet, this was the speech CBS described as being “fiery,” CNN claimed included “outrageous lies,” and the New York Times said was a “divisive culture war message.”
The speech offended the left, who called it “a battle cry.” In that, they were correct. It was a battle cry for liberty against forces of darkness that want to eradicate our past by desecrating statues and monuments. It was battle cry against the re-education of youth, like the phony narrative of the 1619 project – a project that perverts those who fought for liberty and independence into progenitors of oppression. Our Founders were not paragons of perfection, but neither were they Simon Legrees. The enemy within us is the one that wants to stifle opposing opinions, to “cancel” culture and history. This enemy has totalitarian instincts, demands allegiance from the “woke” and commands others to kneel in homage to their vision. It is a frightening prospect, reminiscent of Jacobin France and China’s cultural revolution.
He ended by saying he was signing an executive order to establish a “National Garden of American Heroes, a vast outdoor park that will feature the statues of the greatest Americans to ever live.” Of the thirty figures mentioned in the E.O., 57% are white men, 27% women and 17% Blacks. Certainly, there will be debate as to who will be included. For example, four missing that I thought should be added: Daniel Webster, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Oliver Wendell Holmes and, of course, my four-greats grandfather, Noah Webster.
Patriotism is many things: respect for one’s country’s history and uniqueness, symbolized by its flag. In the U.S., it is based on natural rights and elevates the individual; it is the recognition that we are a nation of laws, not men; it is tolerance for those of opposing opinions and the willingness to accept criticism. Patriotism was extant in Martin Luther King’s words when he spoke at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 of the Founders “…promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” words that lead to the passage of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965.
America does not need to be “transformed,” as Mr. Biden urged last weekend. We are not perfect, but we are more perfect than other nations. We look to the future, while guided by mistakes of the past. We focus on liberty and ensure that everyone is equal before the law. We strive for equality of opportunities but keep in mind the universal moral truths of the Founders’ words, and we never forget that individual liberty is our greatest asset – the freedom for everyone to achieve his or her dream, as Condoleezza Rice told the Republican convention in 2012. That was the nub of Mr. Trump’s speech last Friday at Mount Rushmore.
Each of us is unique. We are multiracial and come from myriad cultures yet are bound by love for country. We applaud our nation’s ideals yet acknowledge her imperfections. And we understand it is patriotism that encompasses the “Unum,” in the motto of the Great Seal of the United States, E Pluribus Unum.
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