ABSTRACT
American nationalists, like their European counterparts, developed what Merle Curti has called "incipient organic theory". American nationalists, too, began to see their nation as if it were a living organism, possessing a personality, a body and soul. The course of American unity confirmed Montesquieu's hope that in a large territory, unity and liberty could be merged in a federation. The federal structure was one of the most characteristic elements of American unity. The American experiment was a blend of individual liberty, social equality, and unlimited economic opportunity. The central theme of morality in American life was derived from Judaic-Christian ethics, and especially from the Puritan ethic. The American melting pot functioned since the early days of the republic and remained a distinguishing factor in American nationalism. The events of American history indicate that nationality becomes dangerous when it is the tool of diseased nationalism, and that the latter becomes diseased when economic and political pressures become too powerful.
