By Melissa Clark

We live in a community that deeply values patriotism. We love to see the flag waving outside homes and businesses, and we feel pride in the incredible sacrifices made by the brave men and women who built and defended this country. But as we look at our public conversation, it is worth asking: what is the true engine of American greatness?

There is a misunderstanding today that when one side pushes for change, protests, or holds up a sign, it means they hate America. When we disagree on how to fix our country, it is easy to assume the other side acts out of malice. But if we take a look at our rich American history, we see that’s not true. True patriotism does not require us to quietly accept the status quo. In fact, robust, noisy disagreement is just as American as the flag itself. Democracy is messy and full of conflict, and it was designed to be that way.

Often, the Founding Fathers are remembered as a group of polite men who always acted with decorum and respectful disagreement. In reality, they were loud, passionate, and frequently disagreed with one another. During the election of 1800, Adams’s supporters warned that Jefferson’s election would unleash, amongst other ills, “murder [and] robbery….” Jefferson and his allies replied with what can only be described as equally restrained rhetoric, denouncing the Federalists’ rule as a “reign of witches” and warning that their policies threatened the future of American liberty. Both sides were utterly convinced the other would destroy the country. Neither side did.

None of these men hated America. They fought because they loved it. The founders knew that freedom required citizens to stand up, speak out, and wrestle with hard questions. John Adams wrote that citizens have a “divine right” to examine the conduct of their rulers, and speaking out was key to maintaining a just society. Jefferson agreed, writing, “I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing.”

Public dissent is a sign of life, not destruction. Carrying a sign or demanding that our country live up to its promises is a grand American tradition. Even George Washington warned against confusing patriotism with blind loyalty. In his Farewell Address, he explicitly urged Americans to “guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism.” True patriotism means acknowledging that our neighbors on the other side of the aisle aren’t trying to tear America down. They are simply participating in the hard, messy, but deeply American work of trying to make it better. The willingness of Americans to challenge one another and their government is what keeps America moving forward. That is the true engine of American greatness.