Merriam-Websters Online Dictionary:

Patriotism

Main Entry:
   pa·tri·ot·ism
Pronunciation:
   \ˈpā-trē-ə-ˌti-zəm, chiefly British ˈpa-\
Function:
   noun
Date:
   circa 1726

: love for or devotion to one's country

Love for or devotion to one's country; a simple definition within which lies all the greatness and ignorance that has defined this country's short history.  Since September 11th, 2001, many voters in this country have come to look for patriotism as the defining quality of their leaders.  So, whether it's a comfortable topic or not, we must engage in the debate over the definition of patriotism and how our leaders should express it.  

I offer here my brief history of the idea of patriotism in this
country and the definition I have come to after searching through my
own past ignorance on the topic. 

First, I must offer a warning that most of us
already know; questioning patriotism is a judgment on a fundamental
part of a person's character.  We should err on the side of prudence
and understanding, lest we find ourselves judged against in the future.
 

Perhaps those of us that don't revisit our nation's history sometimes lose perspective on the power and influence of the the term 'patriot.'  The United States has a singular history with the term; we were founded by Patriots.  You will note I say Patriots and not patriots, because the Patriots were a political party, opposed by the Loyalists, in the mid and late 18th century.  Paul Revere, Thomas Paine, Patrick Henry, John Adams, Nathanael Greene, George Washington, Hancock, Franklin, Hamilton and on and on, all Patriots.  

For a Patriot of the 18th century, the idea of patriotism was very clear and simple.  They were founding a new nation and people were either for that idea or against it; one question that everyone must answer for themselves and perhaps stake their life on.  There were good men that became Patriots and that became Loyalists, bad men too.  

The Revolutionary War was in many ways a testament to the power of patriotism to inspire greater sacrifice in men and women then virtually any other motivation, money, power or privilege.  Yet we must also remember that there were horrible acts of barbarism committed on both sides against innocent civilians, soldiers who tried to surrender and those that ended up in prison camps.  It is an important reminder that even an honest sense of patriotism, when at its most righteous fervor, can lead men to act against their own standards of conduct and the best interests of their country.  

Our nation's next great test of patriotism came in the mid-19th century with the question of slavery and states' rights, culminating in the Civil War.  Here, for the first time, the question of patriotism did not revolve solely around the idea of loyalty to the country in general; it expanded to include a question of a person's understanding of equality and individual liberty.  While history rightly judges them wrong and ignorant on this issue, the Confederacy saw themselves as the more patriotic of the two sides, which fed their indignation and sense of injustice.  

The Civil War is our best example of the danger of letting the definition of patriotism become ambiguous.  Its example proves again the power of patriotism as a personal motivation on both sides of the battlefield, as well as our first taste of how easily politicians can equivocate and distort the meaning of the term.  

When our nation faced the First World War, the Great War, we saw how powerfully fear and propaganda can drive patriotism, even in a just cause.  In bringing the United States to war, President Wilson's administration often played on the worst aspects of Americans' prejudices and stereotypes to convince the people that helping to save Europe was a righteous cause.  Almost all impartial, if that perspective is possible, readers of history judge America's involvement in that war as a great achievement for a better world, as it was.  In addition, many of President Wilson's ideals as a leader and his vision for the world continue to influence and inspire those who pay attention to his example.  

Still, the U.S. government's use of propaganda and fear remind us again that politicians will often depend on the ignorance of citizens to achieve their goals, and that for those with power, influence and the ability to speak to the American people, this is often not difficult, especially compared to those who seek to educate against that exact ignorance.  

Our Second World War sets a much different example.  It was one of the few times in history where a war broke down directly to that fundamental dichotomy of good and evil.  It was a conflict that for the first time justified total war, if necessary to defeat an alliance whose goals, principles and morality were contrary to everything much of the world had aspired to since the Renaissance.  Patriotism was a relatively simple matter in this time, and it led young men to recruiting stations, women to the nursing corps and the factories, as well as Japanese to the camps out west.  

We must also remember that the Second World War was filled with horrors beyond anything our history documents before or since.  It was both a triumph and tragedy of mankind; our nation's expressions and use of patriotism during this time represent both.  

Next, our nation was confronted with the awesome power of fear to distort and drive the definition of patriotism, as well as motivate actions among the American people that run counter to our long-held principles.  McCarthyism or the Red Scare during the late 1940's and early 1950's was a time when our government used fear of communism to divide us and turn us against one another.  

Yet the most inspiring aspect of patriotism is that during the darkest hours of the term's history, its greatest defenders come to its aid.  This same period was when Murrow stood up and set the example for patriotism in journalism that has continued to inform and inspire those who listen.  

The Civil Rights Movement confronted this nation with a fundamental question about patriotism: if the nation's laws do not reflect the fundamental principles upon which we were founded and have grown, is it patriotic to defy those laws, and in what ways?  We found ourselves debating between violence and non-violence, legislative action and civil disobedience.  We saw best that, while powerful, ignorant patriotism cannot defy justice if enough people learn and educate and strive.  

Finally, the attacks of September 11th, 2001 showed this nation how universally United States' citizens feel patriotism as a defining aspect of their public belief structure.  We saw how strong our nation can be when we come together behind an idea, and the dangers of that unity, if based on an uninformed definition of patriotism.  We saw how easily even people of good intentions get caught up in patriotic righteousness and judge those who disagree unpatriotic, as well as how powerful that stigma can be.  

So with this long and varied history of the power and influence of patriotism in the United States, I would like to offer my own personal story of defining the term for myself.  I believe my first definition was a strong one.  When I was a senior in high school around 1998, I felt that patriotism was defined by service to one's country.  I was a history buff, especially interested in the great speeches, many of which speak of the need for citizens to take active part in their democracy.  

I joined NROTC and spent a year and a half doing pretty much exactly what I thought was right and patriotic.  I did not really think it was important to judge anyone else's patriotism, unless perhaps they questioned mine.  Unfortunately, I was medically disqualified from the Navy after that year and a half (for a history of asthma), which ended this relatively straight forward journey.  

Of course, soon after this came September 11th, a day which inspired every American to think about and define their idea of patriotism, as well as to express it in millions of different ways.  I was in a fraternity at the time and we put American flags all around our beautiful house on campus, including the Navy and Marine Corps flags, representing our numerous fraternity brothers who were serving and have served in those two branches of the Armed Services.  

We watched the news non-stop for months and then more months.  We watched us go into Afghanistan and topple the Taliban.  We celebrated with the world.  We bought into the run up to the war with Iraq and watched with shock and awe as we saw the full power of our nation's military.  We followed the reporters on the front lines and watched the "highlights" of the most dangerous moments or the biggest bangs.  We felt incredibly patriotic.  

We thought freedom fries were hilarious and protesters were kind of ridiculous.  It was a group of about eight or nine of us and we spent much of this time together, in a Groupthink for the text books.  But, to be honest, we were also pretty smart and young, and we began to think more about what was going on, motivated partly by the stark reality that we had been duped.  

And so many of my good friends found themselves completely reformed and saw dissent as the sole definition of patriotism given our pressing problems.  For me, it could not be so simple.  I thought about how simple it was to define patriotism as merely supporting the troops or being for the war.  My definition couldn't possibly be as simple as being against that.  

Patriotism is too personal and important an emotion for me to let it be defined as against anything; my patriotism is for all of us.  And so after this long road, I find myself close to where I started, but more informed.  My definition of patriotism is service to one's country, which I let everyone do in their own way.  

I have no problem with people talking about and expressing their patriotism.  In fact, I love it because I feel the same emotions.  In many ways, our emotion of patriotism is the easiest way for the citizens of this country to empathize with each other and it's a very strong bond.  

But then I remember what I said before: I don't judge other people's patriotism unless they first judge mine.  I've thought about that a lot and decided that, in fact, this situation is the only time when it is justified to judge another person's patriotism.  

For, in my opinion, questioning a loyal citizen's patriotism is the least patriotic thing a person can do.  I will stand up to those who would judge my patriotism until they either learn and change their ways or fall victim to my example, in this life or the next.