Clara Hays
"One nation," as a high school student we will say this phrase from the second we start school in pre-school till the day we die. Most of us say it every day without any thought of the meaning of nation. The word nation is just a simple word to describe our country to most people, very few people know the meaning of nationalism. According to Webster's Dictionary it is a "patriotic feeling, principles, or efforts." Nationalism, in my mind, is a person taking pride in ones country. Nationalism is seen all throughout the world. Nationalism is mostly seen in harsh or sad times of ones nation. These hard times bring people together to make a change to not just benefit themselves but their whole entire nation. We have seen nationalism throughout American history at many points such as: War of 1812, World War 1 and 2, 9/11 and many others. Overall, nationalism is seen as a key point in American culture.
The War of 1812 had many key battles and helped shape our American culture today. While it is still undecided who won the war, the Americans learned some very valuable things. In the Battle of Baltimore we see a key turning point for Americans. At this battle nationalism was really shown. Before the battle America had seen some pretty terrible things. The White House was burned down and the British had taken over Washington DC. To many people, these events would hinder their belief in their country and give them a large loss of hope. To the people of Baltimore however, this game them hope and a strong urge to protect their city. Everyone in the city and anywhere near rallied together to guarantee the British would not conquer them. Merchants and Sailor took their ships out to the edge of the harbor and sunk them. This created a barrier that would not allow the British ships to come into the Harbor. This was an amazing moment where the peoples dedication to America truly showed. Most people who sunk their ships, sunk all they had to make money and a living. Merchants relied on their ships to trade and make money. For them to sink their ships showed their love and commitment to America. Throughout the battle all of the city came together and did not give up despite the odds. The Battle of Baltimore went down in history as a time when nationalism truly showed in America. Francis Scott Key recalls the battle and writes a poem from what he saw throughout the battle. The poem has now become our national anthem. The poem written by Francis Scott Key shows the love and pride we take in our country and the flag. The flag symbolizes the freedom of America, which is why it is so important that the flag stays up. As you will see in Francis Scott Key poem, America truly united during the Battle of Baltimore.
