My country, white or wrong: Christian nationalism, race, and blind patriotism

A principal concern regarding nationalist sentiment is the tendency to sanctify “the nation” and support it as chosen pure regardless of its complicity in injustice. Building on research showing whitewash America’s past primarily localized white Americans, particularly those who stress Christian heritage, we theorize nationalism amplifies Americans’ willingness endorse “blind patriotism” (supporting nation even wrong), but only for Americans opposed Blacks or Hispanics. General Social Survey data affirm more conflate American identities, they agree citizens should their country if wrong. As anticipated, this association pronounced virtually non-existent among Stemming from religious national identities being deeply racialized, conflating two sanctifies whites, whose membership hegemony were historically assumed.