Shmoop has a great-uncle who flew 25 missions in WWII, came home, ran for Congress, and volunteered at the local VA hospital. After he retired, he was part of a First Amendment watchdog group that kept an eye on free press issues. But the guy absolutely refused to wear a flag pin on his lapel. Seriously, didn't he ever hear of patriotism?
Accusing someone of being unpatriotic is one of the most effective putdowns you can use; nobody likes an "unpatriotic" American. Think about the flak Colin Kaepernick's taken for his refusal to stand during pre-game national anthems. He insists he's being deeply patriotic, though, holding to foundational American ideals such as equal justice under the law—way more important to him than standing for the anthem or (gasp) not wearing a flag pin.
Andrew Jackson knew that appealing South Carolina's sense of duty, national pride, and patriotism would be a potent argument. He reminded them of their glorious forefathers who fought the British and the South Carolina patriots who helped found the nation. They didn't want to dishonor their memory, did they? Of course, South Carolina thought they were patriotic in demanding that the federal government stick to making laws that the constitution permitted it to make. Jackson shot that argument right down.
Question is, were they wearing their red-white-and-blue waistcoats?
Questions About Patriotism
- Do you think South Carolina would have called Jackson unpatriotic? If so, how would they frame their attacks?
- Can you be a patriot and want to leave the union?
- Did Jackson's heavy-handed way of dealing with the crisis help his own image as a patriot?
Chew on This
By appealing to a sense of patriotic duty and an idealized past, Jackson created an image of a perfect America in order to convince South Carolina to drop a legitimate argument concerning state vs. federal authority.
Jackson's war-hero background gave him the standing to decide what was patriotic and what wasn't.