A Semiquincentennial Patriotic Slump

I am a flag-flying, intensely patriotic daughter of a US Navy veteran, former Girl Scout color guard-saluting, America the Beautiful-singing, 50 state quarter-collecting, 4^th of July apple pie-baking, BBQ sauce-basting, lower-middle to middle class-climbing, life better for my children-dreaming, proud to be an American middle age woman.

At least I was proud. But that was when I believed to my core that this country aspired to the values declared in the Declaration of Independence, codified in the Constitution, proclaimed in Emma Lazarus’ poem, and for which Americans through the centuries have defended and died.

For the patriotic among us, the 2026 Winter Olympics would typically arouse team spirit and indeed I’ll be cheering for American athletes who have worked so hard to represent their country on the international stage. But “American dominance” in the medal counts feels cringeworthy. I doubt I’m not the only one thinking silver is perfectly great. The flag. The song. I cried at an event on MLK Jr. Day when the National Anthem was sung, a holiday this President refused to acknowledge.

The Semiquincentennial of our nation should be also be a season of celebration, yet my heart breaks for the fracture in our country, the distortions in the news feeds that further divide us, and the elected officials who can’t or won’t shore up the guardrails of our Democracy. Or worse, those who are intentionally supporting the destruction, thus rendering the checks and balances our Founding Fathers established obsolete.

How unfortunate that, in the year we are celebrating our 250^th Anniversary as a nation and are inviting the world to join us for the 23rd World Cup in eleven US cities, a man who is actively dismantling our republic, disrespecting our Constitution and has demolished part of “the People’s House”, is the President of this country. These monumental events would normally arouse a deeper sense of patriotism, but instead, I feel embarrassment.

When I was young, I was confident in my patriotic inheritance. I was ten-years-old when the Freedom Train rolled into North Carolina in celebration of our Nation’s Bicentennial. It was thrilling to see George Washington’s copy of the Constitution, Judy Garland’s dress from The Wizard of Oz, replicas of Jesse Owens’ 1936 gold medals and a rock that astronauts brought back from the moon. My friends and I marched around the neighborhood dressed as the Spirit of 76 to invite the community to a Fourth of July potluck in our cul-de-sac.

We watched the Olympics with pride that summer. Sugar Ray Leonard and the Spinks brothers commanded the boxing ring, John Naber swam into history, and America scored men’s gold and women’s silver medals in basketball. Bruce Jenner’s world record in the Decathalon earned the title of World’s Greatest Athlete, and we continued the celebration with Wheaties for breakfast. I think my entire wardrobe was red, white and blue that summer.

I also learned at an early age that not everyone agrees, and that it is important to stand up for one’s beliefs. Three years earlier, in 1973, Roe versus Wade was decided under the blanket of the 14^th Amendment’s right to privacy. My mother was a leader in the Wake County Right to Life movement and brought me along to protest marches. I worked the RTL booth with her at the State Fair every fall. My perspective on a woman’s right to bodily autonomy has changed from what I was taught, but I continue to appreciate the value of free speech and peaceful protest.

Inspired by the power to impact the lives of those less fortunate and the interconnectedness of nations with the 1985 release of USA for Africa’s “We Are the World”, in May of 1986, my friends and I drove to Washington, DC from our campus in Chapel Hill to celebrate my 20^th birthday Hands Across America. We encircled the Washington Monument with a line of people stretching across the mall as far as the eye could see. It was a powerful symbol of unity, raising money and awareness toward hunger and homelessness in our country.

My family went to New York City for the centennial celebration of the Statue of Liberty on the 4^th of July in 1986. Again, I was filled with pride at my Americanness as fireworks burst around the newly gilded torch, a beacon intended to guide people toward democracy, hope, and opportunity.

As a proud American parent, I taught my children that you will never get ahead if you cheat, lie, steal, are vulgar, mean, or a bully. But the egomaniacal would-be dictator in the White House has flipped decency on its head. He proudly accepted a fabricated FIFA Peace Prize while his minions deport throngs of brown-skinned people from countries like Argentina, Colombia, Mexico and Ecuador, countries that will be sending teams for the World Cup while their fans may not be safe here. Meanwhile he bemoans his perceived snub by the Nobel community by threatening international peace as we head toward the 2028 Olympic celebration on our soil.

My pride as an American has long included an awareness of the cracks in our system. But I knew we sat on a bedrock committed to freedom, attempted equality, and a melting pot mythology. I loved that the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to be free could find a home in the land where I was born. It is what brought my great grandparents here from Ireland in the 1800s.

And now, as we embark on our Semiquincentennial, the chair of America250, Rosie Rios, was quoted by the Associated Press saying this year’s events are “going to be one for the ages, the most inspirational celebration this country and maybe world has ever seen.” But it all feels hollow to me.

A moment of silence might be more suitable when you consider that the America250 “bi-partisan” leadership team includes Pete Hegseth, Pam Bondi, Linda McMahon, Marco Rubio and Kellyanne Conway, some of the very people chipping away at our democracy.

One of their initiatives is “America Gives.” Inspiring people to serve sounds nice, but considering that our country is giving the bulk of our tax dollars to the newly named “Department of War” and to ICE operations in American cities while taking away rights, medical care, SNAP benefits, education funding and trust, the initiative feels insincere, like a grocery store raising prices then asking customers to donate to food pantries so the store can claim they are generous. But, as Washington DC does their dictatorial dance, Rios and her team are right about one thing: we have a greater need for citizens to elevate our own giving on a local level. And we will. Because that is what my America is. That right there is patriotism.

As shared on Wendy Hammers DROP IN & WRITE Substack on February 6, 2026 https://wendyhammers.substack.com/p/a-semiquincentennial-patriotic-slump?utm_source=substack&publication_id=1834836&post_id=187114531&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&utm_campaign=email-share&triggerShare=true&isFreemail=true&r=374vyf&triedRedirect=true