O Canada! Our home and native land! True patriot love in all of us command.
Patriot means one who loves and supports their country. Patriot has been used in the English language since 1577. It came from the Middle French word patriote, meaning fellow countryman. Patriote was derived from the Greek word patrios, meaning ‘of one’s father.’
The 16th century was a time of political unrest in western Europe, characterized by infighting among Protestants and Catholics. Those who were called patriots loved their country. Good patriots also loved the ruler and supported and defended the religious beliefs of the monarch. Good patriots were distinguished from those citizens who professed a love of country but had opposing beliefs and loyalties.
Royalist supporter Henry Hammond (1605-1660) wrote in A view of some exceptions which have been made by a Romanist to the Lord Viscount Falkland's discourse, “The Catholiques were knowne good Patriots under our former Kings.”
John Dryden (1631-1700), appointed the first Poet Laureate in England, penned in Fables, Ancient and Modern in 1700, “A Patriot, both the King and Country serves; Prerogative, and Privilege preserves.”
The upheaval in Europe eventually led to a derogatory use of the word patriot. Patriots were people who claimed devotion to the country and government but whose actions or beliefs contradicted such loyalty. Patriots were viewed as hypocritical followers. This usage led to a discrediting of the steadfastness associated with the word patriot.
At the time of the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) English writers disseminated the concept of patriot for the seditious American rebels against the English monarchy. American writers readily embraced the expression patriot to define the colonists who acted against British control. In the American colonies a new intimation of patriot developed, referring to a person who advocates or promotes the independence of their land or people from the country of which they are a colony. Benjamin Franklin wrote in a letter dated 7 July 1773, “It should be no Wonder … if among so many Thousand true Patriots as New England contains there should be found even Twelve Judases.”
My wife loves the movie The Patriot (2000), starring Mel Gibson. The story follows Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson), an American colonist who is opposed to going to war with Britian but, along with his son Gabriel (Heath Ledger), gets swept into the Revolutionary War when his home life is disrupted, and one of his sons is murdered by a cruel British officer (Jason Isaacs). In the end Benjamin Martin, a patriot, returns to his family and discovers that his former militia has rebuilt his homestead in honour of Gabriel's dream of building a new world.
Since the American patriots won the war the word patriot has regained its place of honour in the English language as the meritorious name for the brave men and women of the armed forces who defend the rights and freedoms of their country. All previous derision of patriot has passed, and the word has returned to its original meaning of one who loves his or her country.
Today, active fighting or resistance is not a requirement to being a patriot. A patriot only needs a strong sense of love for one’s country. Although the contention remains that true patriots would be willing to do anything for their country and government. This is the sense in which the Canadian national anthem uses the phrase ‘patriot love.’
O Canada! Our home and native land! True patriot love in all of us command.
Columnist John Kreutzwieser loves to research words and writes this weekly Word Wisdom column for Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com. He has an interest in the usage, origin, and relevance of words for society today. Greek and Latin form the basis of many words, with ancient Hebrew shedding light on word usage.
John would like to know if anyone has a sincere interest in a relevant word that he could possibly research for an upcoming column. If so, please send your requests to [email protected] . Words will be selected according to relevance and research criteria. We cannot confirm that all words will be used.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
