Celebrated: In the United States, every four years since 1789
I've been reading a lot lately, for work and for pleasure, about
the pervasively corrupting force of nationalism, and how
nationalism can become a pretext and an excuse for the worst of
human behavior. I have never been entirely comfortable with the
idea of being proud to be an American, because my American
identity is an accident of lucky parentage. And yet today
reminds us of why and how it is possible to be proud of being an
American — because the American identity is not about bloodlines
but about the joint, collective agreement that all humans are
created equal, with basic rights that include life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness. It's right there in our founding
document, the Declaration of Independence: "And for the support
of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of
divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives,
our Fortunes and our sacred Honor." To be an American is to
accept the obligations of that