Preserving Our Democracy – Allegiance To a Nation OR Serving a More Perfect Union

Patriotism divides citizens into multiple factions based on variable notions of a nation and its history. Citizenship can unify voting citizens by focusing citizens on forming a more perfect union.

Patriotic Allegiance to a Nebulous Nation:

On the one hand, we have national patriotism. Patriotism is love of, identification with, concern for, and willingness to sacrifice/die for a nation. Patriotic individuals display their patriotism by pledging allegiance and by using symbols of one’s country: flags, flag lapel pins, bumper stickers, and wearing military garb. The problem here is that ‘patriotism’ is based on a nebulous, individually-defined entity: a country with a selectable history. One’s willingness to die for a variable entity should cause concern when patriotism results in violence by a few. As we know, this willingness to die for one’s nation can lead to victory (WWII) or an insurrection to overturn our Presidential election.

– “A fuller account of patriotism is beyond the scope of this article. Such an account would say something about the patriot’s beliefs about the merits of his country, his need to belong to a group and be a part of a more encompassing narrative, to be related to a past and a future that transcend the narrow confines of an individual’s life and its mundane concerns, as well as social and political conditions that affect the ebb and flow of patriotism, its political and cultural influence, and more.”

Citizenship for A More Perfect Union:

On the other hand we have citizenship.  Democratic Citizenship is about individuals of a nation who participate in a society’s political system such that they advance societal integration and cohesion. As members of a society, they have a moral responsibility to promote unity by equally protecting and empowering all citizens in that society. These citizens are committed to supporting, defending and fairly applying the laws established by their society. They promote a strong civic responsibility and the importance of political participation.

• “Active participation in processes of deliberation and decision-making ensures that individuals are citizens, not subjects.”
• Citizenship “denotes membership in a community of shared or common law “.”

Required Oaths of Office:

In our democratic community/society, we have many citizens participating by serving our society in our political process. A process that, among other things, establishes the common laws of our society. There are citizens we elect to office. Some citizens join the military, commanded by those elected officials. Other citizens administer or facilitate the election process and many vote. What is interesting about these citizens in our political society is that all, except for the voters, take an oath of office to… support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States.

This language is key to oaths throughout our society, including our Constitution:

• Prospective jurors take an oath prior to jury selection where they determine guilt for violations of society’s laws.
• Witnesses in a trial take an oath to tell the truth so jurors can better determine guilt or innocence.
• Men and women take an oath when joining the military to defend our citizens and our Constitution as directed by elected officials.
• Deputy Voter Registrars take an oath of office before they can register voters.
• Immigrants, who earn citizenship, take an oath to support and defend the Constitution of their new country. Most new citizens then register to vote after taking their oath of citizenship.
• After lawyers get their license to practice law, they take an oath. They will either defend citizens accused of violating society’s laws or prosecute accused citizens.
• Judges, at all levels, take an oath before they can moderate trials of accused citizens.
• Law enforcement officers take an oath to enforce our laws.
• Elected officials take an oath as they take office before they can write or enforce society’s laws.
• States require oaths for hired officials who administer the election process and count election votes.
• Appointed/ratified officials of the government take an oath of office.
• The elected US President takes an oath defined in the US Constitution.

Oath of Citizenship:

As, listed above, we have many oaths for everyone involved in our political/electoral process except for the largest group of participants: citizens who vote. We need a national oath of citizenship for all citizens who participate in the election process by voting. This will unify them more fully with our election process and those already taking such an oath. 

Just as all those who are elected or who control elections take an oath to support our Constitution, voters should also take a oath of citizenship. This oath would closely align voters as participants in a democracy – not slaves or serfs ruled by dictators. This oath would remind us of the unifying vision represented by our Constitution unlike pledging allegiance to a nebulous, factious, personally-conjured nation.

Citizens would take this oath when they register to vote and reaffirm it during every city, county, state and national election. Delegates to political conventions would also reafirm this oath as they register their presence. Here’s a suggested oath:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will endeavor to “form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common Defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity,” and that I take this oath freely and without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion.

Andy Hailey

Democratic Societies Need a Unifying Vision:

Democracy is not a spectator sport. Preserving it takes more than a willingness to die for a variable figment of the imagination – a nation. A democratic society requires participating, voting-age, citizens in significant numbers. Preserving our democracy takes political participation that should also include a citizenship oath for voters. This oath is similar to oaths for those who already participate in our political processes. This broadly shared, cohesive, oath, with an excerpt from the preamble of our Constitution, can provide a periodic reminder of the unifying vision represented by our Constitution. 

On the one hand, patriotism divides citizens into multiple factions based on variable notions of a nation and its history. On the other, a citizenship oath could more effectively unify voting citizens with all the others in our democratic election process to focus more citizens on forming a more perfect union.