Americanism (ideology)

This article is about a patriotic ideology in the USA. For Catholic condemnation, see Americanism (heresy).
Not to be confused with American nationalism or Pro-Americanism.

Ideals considered to be Americanism vary widely from assimilation, monoculturalism, or centrality of a right to property to more classical liberal conceptions believed to be represented in the American Revolution, human rights, and republicanism.

Americanism, also referred to as American patriotism, is a set of national values which aim to create a shared American identity for the United States that can be defined as "an articulation of the nation's rightful place in the world, a set of traditions, a political language, and a cultural style imbued with political meaning". The concept is "famously contested" and there is no consensus on "which is the true or authentic... exposition of Americanism... because each of these texts ... is informed by different interpretations of the nature, purpose, and goals of Americanism."

Americanism is not merely nationalism and can carry two different meanings: the defining characteristics of the United States, or loyalty to the United States and defense of American political ideals. These ideals include but are not limited to independence, equality before the law, freedom of speech, democracy, and progress.

For example, according to the American Legion, Americanism is an ideology, or a belief in devotion, loyalty, or allegiance to the United States, or respect for its flag, its traditions, its customs, its culture, symbols, its institutions, or its form of government.

Theodore Roosevelt wrote that "Americanism is a question of spirit, conviction, and purpose, not of creed or birthplace."

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.