The Patriotism of Collegial Idealism and Cooperation

State educational standards prescribing curricular and instructional objectives reveal much about the nation’s lack of consensual understanding of patriotism. For example, many state standards finally encourage a non-committal arms-length approach to the study of American ideals in government and tradition. Yet, if students are to understand the republic in terms of some shared set of ideals, schools need something simple and straight-forward, something akin to a corporate vision. The founding documents are important for detailed study. But something simple and definitive of patriotism must be accessible to all regardless of local idiosyncrasies. State requirements are too diverse, and most states have ignored the idea of patriotic vision altogether. What follows is a position on patriotism that accommodates current state standards, regionalists, globalists, and nationalists. The theme developed is not jingoistic but reflects the understanding of a few who have fought for corporate bloodedness of the kind best suited for national identity and mission writ large