Nationalism |
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Nationalism
To learn about flags of the world, click here.
To use a clickable map and hear national anthems of the world, click here.
To take an anthem quiz, click here.
For more world flags and anthems, click here.
For more world anthems, click here.Chinese New Year was February 12, 2002. It is the Year of the Horse. To learn more, click here or click here. Gung Hey Fat Choy! (Wishing you prosperity and health!)
These are the Olympic rings. To Find out what they mean, click here.
How are the Olympic games and Nationalism related?
September 11, 2001: Nationalism Is Reborn
On September 11, 2001, America was attacked by foreign terrorists. Nineteen men hijacked four commercial jetliners. Three of those planes crashed into buildings. The Pentagon building in Washington, D.C. was damaged. The World Trade Center buildings in New York City were destroyed. Thousands of innocent people died.
Thankfully, the fourth plane never reached it's target. Brave Americans on that flight defeated the terrorists, preventing the plane from crashing into another building and killing more innocent people. Sadly, the plane crashed in a field and all on board died.
The September 11th attacks did not destroy the will of America. It did just the opposite. It made America stronger.
On the day of the attack, elected officials in Washington D.C. gathered on the steps of the Capitol Building. They sang God Bless America. They showed their Nationalistic pride to America and the world.
Americans all over the country flew their flags and sang patriotic songs. Millions of dollars were raised for the victims of the attack.
Americans were desperate to do something, anything, to help the country heal and to show the world they were strong and proud.
That is Nationalistic pride at its best.
Nationalism is the love of one's country and the desire to be free from other countries. It had a very strong influence on music during the first half of the 20th century (1900 - 1950).
Because of the September 11th attacks, Nationalism has appeared again in America.
Let's talk about Nationalistic music. The way the music sounds tells you where the music comes from. It's what makes French music sound French and Russian music sound Russian. That is what Nationalistic music is.
Two important symbols of national pride are a country's flag and its national anthem. They represent the hopes and beliefs of their people.
Listen to the National Anthem of the United States of America, The Star Spangled Banner.
Nationalism In Other Countries
One of the best examples of Nationalist music was written by a composer from Finland. His name was Jean Sibelius. His most famous work is Finlandia. He named this piece after his country of Finland. This beautiful piece was written around 1900, when his country of Finland was controlled by Russia. This one piece did more to help the cause of Finnish independence than a thousand speeches!
To learn about Nationalism in Australia, click here.
America's Greatest Nationalistic Composer
John Philip Sousa wrote The Stars and Stripes Forever. He is America's best known composer of Nationalistic music. He is also known as America's March King. Bands all across the country are still playing his marches. You can't go to an Independence Day parade without hearing one of his rousing tunes. It's almost impossible to keep from clapping your hands or stomping your feet when you hear a Sousa march.To learn more about this famous American composer, click here.
To learn more about England's March King, click here.
America must stand for freedom, justice, and equality. Defending these principles are what make America great.
Sadly, there were many acts of discrimination, violence, destruction of property, and even loss of life in America after the September 11th attacks. Innocent people, including many American citizens, were targets of violence because they were thought to be the enemy by other Americans.
Some people confuse hate with Nationalistic pride. Do not confuse the two.
Nationalism is not about believing you are better than someone else. It is not about hurting those who look different, talk different, think different, or act different than you.
Nationalism is about love, not hate.
1. Where did your ancestors come from? Can you find the maps and national anthems of those countries?
2. What are some other marches that John Philip Sousa wrote?
3. Why was Finlandia more powerful than a thousand speeches?
4. Have you ever been a victim of discrimination? How did it feel and how did you react?
5. Can music be used to teach people to love as well as hate?
6. Should music that sings about violence be censored?
7. Were there times before the September 11th attack that we saw America's national pride on display?
8. What are ways that other countries show their national pride?
9. How are the Olympic games and Nationalism the same?