Black History Month. Women’s History Month. Hispanic Heritage Month. Native American Heritage Month. Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Disability Pride Month. Arab American Heritage Month. Pride Month.
Seemingly every day of the year is taken up by these aggressive celebrations of left-wing ideology masquerading as banal and necessary acknowledgments of cultural diversity. Altering how we think about time and what we associate with certain periods of the year has been a leftist goal since the advent of its modern instantiation in the French Revolution.
The Jacobin push to restart the French calendar with Year Zero was intended to create a new France, free of the vestiges of the past and able to be warped to fit the whims of the new ruling class. If you can control how we perceive time itself, you can manipulate society and culture in any way you see fit — which is exactly why the left seeks to gain this control for itself.
So-called Pride Month, which begins this week, is perhaps the most egregious and in-your-face example of this ideological project of reshaping the American calendar. Once June 1 rolls around, the rainbow icons magically appear across the land, gracing the storefronts of every major retailer and corporate social media account — except, naturally, in the Arab world.
Media companies promote content, from reality shows to nature documentaries, that center so-called “queer” narratives, pushing it to everyone including adults watching sports and kids watching cartoons. State capitals, American embassies, and federal buildings hoist the ever-changing technicolor “pride” flag, signaling their pro-LGBT virtues at taxpayer expense. Last year, the Biden White House hosted a huge pride party, festooning the executive mansion with garish displays supporting the Democrat cause du jour.
All of this celebration of minority sexual identity — as well as the various other months dedicated to identitarian politicking — is meant to shift the majority consciousness toward the left-wing point of view: that the groups they consider “historically oppressed” deserve special status in society. In doing so, these Democrat activists seek to undermine American society and culture as a whole.
Conservatives need to fight back — not through our own identitarian push, but through the things that unite us all as Americans. We should not take pride in our personal identity markers, whether they be sexual, racial, or ethnic. Instead, we should be proud of what we share: our national heritage and history.
In that vein, we should introduce a new “pride” month, focused on this important American legacy. American Heritage Month would center the national identity that matters most: our citizenship. It would run from June 4 to July 4 each year, covering a period deeply rich in American historical significance. Nearly every day in this 30-day span has been touched by an important part of our shared past, from the founding era to the 20th century.
In chronological order, here are nine representative examples of events to commemorate during American Heritage Month:
- June 4: In 1919, Congress passed the bill that would become the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, broadening the electoral franchise to women. Since its passage, women have been a major force in American politics, including in favor of conservative causes. This amendment brought America closer to the ideals it was founded on, enfranchising half of the population that had previously been left out of the democratic process.
- June 6: In 1944, Allied troops landed on the beaches in Normandy, France, in the largest amphibious assault in world history: D-Day. This was the beginning of the end of the Second World War in Europe, the crowning achievement of Dwight Eisenhower’s military career, and one of the greatest feats of arms in American history. American forces in Western Europe liberated France and put the U.S. in a place to halt Soviet domination of the continent. As such, it is a key turning point in our modern history.
- June 14: On this day in 1777, the Continental Congress adopted the design that would become the American flag, resolving that “the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white: that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” That timeless combination of stars and stripes has been one of the most recognizable images in the world ever since. The date for Flag Day was made official by President Harry Truman in 1949.
- June 16: In 1775, a key event in the American Revolution occurred: George Washington accepted his appointment as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. The naming of Washington as head of the American military resistance efforts was a genius decision that led to the eventual victory over the British, set up Washington’s excellent presidency, and cemented his status as the man most associated with the founding of this great country.
- June 17: On this day, also in 1775, the Battle of Bunker Hill took place. Continental Army troops held the line against multiple waves of coordinated British assaults, inflicting twice as many casualties on the Redcoat troops as they themselves suffered. Though the British ended the battle in control of the hill, Bunker Hill was one of the first significant successes in the American Revolution and the campaign that ultimately allowed the revolutionaries to force the British to withdraw from the critical city of Boston for the remainder of the war.
- June 19: In 1865, slaves in Texas learned of the Union victory over the Confederacy and the end of slavery across the United States, an event that is commemorated as Juneteenth. This day is a celebration of the liberty that all Americans earn by birthright, bringing us closer to living up to the ideals promoted by the founders of the nation. Also, nearly 20 years later, the enduring symbol of that American freedom — the Statue of Liberty — arrived in New York harbor, where it sits today as a shining beacon unto the nations.
- June 21: In 1945, American soldiers defeated the Japanese troops holding the island of Okinawa, the last major hurdle before a potential invasion of the Japanese home islands to end World War II. This massive victory brought us one step closer to ending the most devastating war the world has ever seen. American troops remain in Okinawa to this day, helping secure the postwar order against its many enemies, especially Communist China.
- July 1-3: On these dates in 1863, one of the most important military conflicts in American history occurred: the Battle of Gettysburg. This battle was the turning point in the Civil War, staving off Confederate attempts to take Washington and putting the South on the back foot against a surging Union Army. The battle saw numerous well-known skirmishes, including the legendarily ill-fated Pickett’s Charge (July 3) that put the Union over the top in the contest and saved the American capital from its enemies. Had the combat turned out differently, the United States as we know it would not exist. And that is something to be very grateful for.
- July 4: The capstone to American Heritage Month would be America’s birthday, the day we all celebrate as the founding of our glorious nation. The signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 was an act of incredible courage and prescience, as forward-looking and ideal-driven as it was meant to bolster the American war effort against Britain. Its words have echoed through history as a powerful statement of individual liberty and equality, inspiring people across the globe in their struggle for freedom. The birth of America is perhaps the most important event in modern world history, and it should be treated as such.
These events and more would be commemorated during American Heritage Month, focusing on a unifying message of our commonalities as Americans and our continuing push toward achieving the ideals that were promulgated in our Declaration of Independence. Instead of promoting division with specific months geared toward various leftist identity groups, we should promote unity by centering American history and heritage. As an alternative to pride in one’s individual characteristics, we should espouse pride in our shared citizenship of these United States.
Bringing us together is even more important today than it has been any time in our recent past. We are facing bigger threats abroad than we have in decades, all aimed at the heart of American interests and ideals. We cannot face these dangers if we are hopelessly divided.
In two short years, we will be marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, an incredible milestone for our nation. Bringing American Heritage Month to life would be the perfect way to make those commemorations truly special and meaningful. In the end, we are all Americans, despite our differences. And that is something worth celebrating.
Mike Coté is a writer and podcaster focusing on history, Great Power rivalry, and geopolitics. He has also written for National Review and The National Interest, blogs at rationalpolicy.com, and can be found on Twitter @ratlpolicy.
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