John Bodnar is Emeritus Professor of History at Indiana University Bloomington. This interview is based on his new book, Divided by Terror: American Patriotism after 9/11 (The University of North Carolina Press, 2021). JF: What led you to write Divided...
patriotism
The “ultimate American Bible”
Some of you recall Jay Green’s Current piece “Lee Greenwood Christianity.” Read it here. Over at Slate, Molly Olmstead reports on the Greenwood-inspired God Bless the USA Bible. Here is a taste: In May, controversy over “the ultimate American Bible” briefly...
For the first time in American history, advocates of patriotic education are claiming their curriculum is based on fact
This is a fascinating essay by Timothy Messer-Kruse of Bowling Green State University. It covers Josh Hawley’s “Love America Act” and Hillsdale College’s 1776 Curriculum. For most of the last two centuries, patriotic schooling was not a partisan issue. Both...
The Trump intellectuals who despise their fellow citizens, but love America
Historian Joshua Tait calls-out the so-called “Trump intellectuals”–many of them connected to Hillsdale College and the Claremont Institute–who claim to be “ardent patriots” who are “at odds with real America, but remain committed to the rhetoric of patriotism.” These Trumpers...
Jim Grossman: “If people are fighting about history, that shows that it’s important.”
Over at NBC News, Kelly Fields wonders if critical race theory and patriotism can co-exist in classrooms. I would argue that they can co-exist. But the piece also makes a good case for the study of history and civics. Here...
What is patriotism?
George Will uses his syndicated column this week to review Steven B. Smith’s book Reclaiming Patriotism in an Age of Extremes. Here is a taste: Some on the right mistake their compound of grievances and resentments for patriotism. This mentality...
This is what patriotism looks like:
Here is Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland at yesterday’s Senate hearing:...
Patriot Churches
This extended NPR piece does a nice job of covering the divisions in the evangelical community right now. The GOP is not the only group that is divided in the wake of the Trump era. Listen: You can listen to...