


The 2024 National Review Institute William F. Buckley Jr. Essay Contest had this prompt:\u00a0\u201cWilliam F. Buckley Jr. was proudly patriotic. He loved his country and believed the U.S. Constitution to be the best governing document created by man. According to a June 2023 Gallup survey, only 39 percent of U.S. adults are \u2018extremely proud\u2019 to be American. What do you think is causing patriotism to decline? What antidote would you prescribe? Can one both celebrate America and its history and recognize its flaws?\u201d Open to students who just completed their freshman or sophomore year of college, the contest received submissions from around the country. The winning essay is published here. </em></p>\n
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A year before William F. Buckley Jr. ended the run of Firing Line</em>, a 1998 Wall Street Journal</em> poll found that three-quarters of Americans described patriotism as a value that was \u201cvery important\u201d to them. Religion and having children were also ranked as very important by nearly two-thirds of Americans. Out of the ten values presented, money placed dead last.</p>\n
Conservatives are compelled to ask, Can we recover American unity?</p>\n
When Alexis de Tocqueville examined the state of our union in 1831, he noted that \u201cif men are to remain civilized, or to become so, the art of associating together must grow and improve in the same ratio in which the equality of conditions is increased.\u201d While America has advanced equality of conditions in admirable ways, research</a> shows that the art of association is in marked decline. What Russell Kirk described as the \u201cfantastic ideology of extreme individualism\u201d has weakened our ability to build bridges between groups in a diverse citizenry. Placelessness undermines organic and authentic community. The church, once the center of local community and what Martin Luther King Jr. identified as the \u201cconscience of the state,\u201d has been replaced with religious disillusionment. Social media and the availability of endless entertainment provide an enticing yet dangerous escape for young people.</p>\n
This disconnect and disillusionment leave the average American confused and unfulfilled. Americans need each other the same way they did in Tocqueville\u2019s time; they simply have fewer opportunities to fulfill that need. Bolstering faith and community life \u2014 an endeavor to encourage ethical living and serviced-based citizenship \u2014 would undoubtedly make Americans more patriotic. Deep and meaningful connection to others fills a natural human void; conservatives ought to provide a time-tested method to fill the void that has increasingly become artificially assuaged by partisan politics. In fact, depoliticizing</a> our country will not only lead to better communities but to better politics. When politics is relegated to its proper place as an avenue to strengthen families and communities, not as an end in itself</a>, our politics will become a healthier affair, and American citizens will become prouder of their nation.</p>\n
Public art is an essential element in bringing about a love of country. Progressives have seen tremendous success in destroying or defaming</a> our nation\u2019s treasures and severing our connection to the past. Conservatives must be indefatigable in preserving a spirit of appreciation for the sacrifices of our nation\u2019s heroes. There is no shortage of brave Americans, famous or ordinary, who are deserving of our gratitude. Worthy ideas such as a national garden</a> to honor heroes could also find success at the state and local level. These efforts should be historically informed and not idolatrous; we do not worship the past, only honor it. Conservatives will take heat for honoring American heroes, but their patriotic stand for greatness should be unapologetic.</p>\n
A call for civic education</a> in universities throughout the country gives hope for the inculcation of responsible citizenship in young Americans. Bill Buckley understood that we could not depend on colleges and universities alone to create citizens ready to defend our inheritance; organizations</a> within the university would be needed as well. YouTube shorts and Instagram reels may bring fleeting pleasures, but they are a symptom of a broader lack of meaning. Conservatives ought to commit to institutions and organizations, from Trail Life USA</a> to the American Legion</a>, that instill the importance of duty to God and country. Giving young people a deeper sense of meaning is a step toward raising a new generation of patriots.</p>\n
The American people, to fully love their country and engage in the public square as good citizens, must have an open and responsive political system. If people do not feel listened to in a democracy, they will stop listening. In this publication and others, there have been commonsense and pragmatic cases for filibuster reform</a> and age limits</a> for federal officeholders, designed to make the democratic system more responsive to the will of the people. The biggest element of restoring trust in the political system is the return of civility. With partisanship</a> being the most defined dividing line in the country, and many partisans viewing their opponents as evil</a>, both political parties must reject violent language. Nearly every</a> American is worried that this election cycle will be marked by more bloodshed than we have already seen. Such a republic is not one in which citizens can take pride.</p>\n
On September 24, at 3 p.m.</span>\u00a0EDT, National Review Institute invites supporters and NR subscribers to attend a </em>virtual forum</em></a> featuring the author of this essay and Buckley Fellow Haley Strack, followed by a Q&A. For more information, please contact\u00a0</em>Events@nrinstitute.org</em></a>.</em></p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
John Hatzis, from Stafford, Va., is a sophomore at Grove City College, majoring in history and philosophy. On campus, he competes in debate, serves as a tour guide, and participates in a variety of musical and theatrical performance groups. 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