Patriotism Rekindled.

During the 1970s the loss of the war in Vietnam sank deeply into the national consciousness, but in the 1980s President Ronald Reagan and the New Right brought back into fashion the traditional virtue of patriotism. President Reagan called for renewed pride in the United States and its military might, announcing that "America is back and standing tall" as Republicans celebrated "Morning in America." The newly elected president connected to a mood in the country in which many were clearly ready to demonstrate their old-fashioned pride in being Americans. One of the first national events to unleash this new patriotic fervor was the release of the U.S. embassy hostages in Iran, minutes after the inauguration of President Reagan in January 1981. Their homecoming was cause for great national celebration, and Congress passed a joint resolution naming the first week in February "National Patriotism Week." The...