Unraveling Patriotism

This visual essay explores contested aspects of American history and patriotism by analyzing 1976 US Bicentennial-themed textiles and fashion in the leadup to the US Semiquincentennial. Produced within a similar context of political strife and remembrance, these artifacts epitomize the enduring appeal and harmful residue of nostalgic, simplified narratives of nation building. Bicentennial textiles’ facile, sanguine portrayals of early America belie the destructive legacy of the colonialist values they amplified. A close reading of these artifacts highlights the storied, intergenerational nature of commemoration and underscores how it can conjure a sense of national unity, even while facilitating its erosion.