Several readers have — quite fairly — pointed out that the Fourth of July probably qualifies as a more nationalist holiday. I think this is certainly right in one sense. But I think it also illuminates how the word “nationalist” doesn’t really fit the American context very well. For some, nationalism is about martial songs and patriotic fervor. For others, it’s about an organic bond with the land and the soil and the founding culture of the nation. I consider the Fourth a patriotic holday more than a nationalist one. We are celebrating the signing of a text, the establishment of a set of laws and principles on the Fourth of July. The Fourth is about political liberty and national independence. It is, for all its pomp and circumstance, a fairly secular and rational holiday. Meanwhile, Thanksgiving plays upon the mystic chords of memory and is prior to and independent of many of things we celebrate on the Fourth.
Anyway, I agree its a fair criticism and probably just highlights different perspectives. And, yes, the food on the Fourth of July is really, really good. I am all about hotdogs, beer and barbecue.