Post-Roe Fourth of July: A Celebration

The overturning of Roe v. Wade will mark a historic turning point for American patriotism.

American patriotism hit its nadir during the flag burnings in 1970s Vietnam protests. American patriotism revived with the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall at the end of the Cold War. But even as many Americans celebrated, others felt that the writing was already on the wall. The analogy between our own epoch and the decline of Rome, for example, was much discussed in the 1990s. One of the main contributions to this discussion was After Virtue by Alasdair MacIntyre, published in 1981 but with a long scholarly half-life (persisting into the present). MacIntyre wondered if things were so dire that we needed a “Benedict Option”:

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About the Author

Susan Hanssen

Susan Hanssen is associate professor of History at the University of Dallas.

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The overturning of Roe v. Wade will mark a historic turning point for American patriotism.

American patriotism hit its nadir during the flag burnings in 1970s Vietnam protests. American patriotism revived with the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall at the end of the Cold War. But even as many Americans celebrated, others felt that the writing was already on the wall. The analogy between our own epoch and the decline of Rome, for example, was much discussed in the 1990s. One of the main contributions to this discussion was After Virtue by Alasdair MacIntyre, published in 1981 but with a long scholarly half-life (persisting into the present). MacIntyre wondered if things were so dire that we needed a “Benedict Option”: