Resolved: If Forced To Choose, people ought to priotorize their national identity over their common

Contention 1: Infrastructure and jobs For this debate, though not US-central, I will be using a lot of American examples. First we have to observe is how the aspect of Nationalism has strengthen a nation to help them developed infrastructure. One aspect was in early US history in the mid 1820's, US Congressmen Henry Clay had purposed the American System, where the federal government would help developed national infrastructure (I will be referring to this as infra from this point on) and this in turn helped inspire US Nationalism do to the strive to help bring the country together in unity [1]. The structure, as argued by Clay, would help bring the nation to that of the Superpower status of today. Infra has massive importance in the nation as it helps bring the nation's economy up, the nation together, helps military movement, and helps the average citizen out with better sewage systems and cleaner water [2]. The US mastered this with the canals, railways, then the highways. The massive focus on bringing the nation together and strengthening the infra can help a nation make great bounds. The Corporate Consul on Africa has emphasized that Africa focuses on the development of their infrastructure as they are lacking from things from electricity to roads. In 2016, the BLS has shown that the US construction industry employs over 6 million Americans [3]. These construction workers were paid nearly $22 per hour. In other nations around the world and in Africa, this can be a massive boost. Not only would the African continent be unified in a way that it has yet to occur, but they would be able to pay and put many unemployed Africans to work to help their nations expand. This would create a new race to modernize in Africa and it will help not only strengthen their country, but their sense of Nationalism as well. This would also lead the ANC to be in the same league as the EU and many people to be able to recognize and take African nations seriously. This would also help lead to other key advantages that I will later get into in my 3rd Contention. Contention 2: The Dream The American Dream, one of the world's most known and inspiring aspects as many immigrant’s flock to the US to peruse it. The dream is for many to inspire to be the greatest they can. They can come to the US to begin a new life where anyone can make it rich starting with nothing. Many people can start from stretch and become a millionaire. This is the type of mindset that has brought wave upon wave of immigrants to the US as they left behind everything they had to pursue this. Many people fled from areas in the world where they had nothing or fled oppression. They embraced the American Dream and under this banner of being an American, they hoped to succeeded in life. America has had many dreams within the overall dream. One was that of the Gold Rush. When gold was discovered in California, many Americans left home to California to set out to make a fortune [4]. Though little people really struck it rich, many set out hoping to make it and how it would change their lives for the better. Despite the Subprime, many people in America, still see home ownership and college education as the depiction of the American Dream [5]. The Government is doing what they can to make these things more and more affordable and more and more people are able to achieve this dream. Americans aren't the only ones who are feeling the Dream. Post WW2, Italian women viewed the American Dream as a way too free themselves from the status they have in their society and wanted to achieve the same lifestyle as many of the American women [6]. Under Thatcher, the UK made a similar push the US did in the 2000's by moving to make housing more and more affordable as it was a symbol to help people in their country get a home to have affordable living [7]. Contention 3: Negotiation from strength Picking off the first aspect of C1, Nationalism increases the position in negotiation. As a nation continues to grow further and further and Nationalism expands, a Nation increases their negotiation position. This can be seen throughout history from several instances. One can be seen between the US and Spain, when the US acquired several key territories from Spain, including Florida. There was another instance where American Nationalism lead to the secession of Texas from Mexico. Even though Mexico was winning the Texas Revolution, the cry of the remembrance of the Alamo and the Gonzales rallied their troops to keep up the fighting spirits. They were able to acquire their Independence from Mexico just a battle later. Another instance was when Germany was able to acquire the Suddenland from Czech even though their military was very miniscule, but their nationalism was strong. They were able to drive negotiations even though the other nations could have easily defeated Germany at that moment. When these African nations increase their standings, they would be able to get better deals with other nations and would be able to getting a smaller chance of being taken advantage in deals. Sources 1. (. http://tinyurl.com...) 2. (. http://tinyurl.com...) 3. (. http://tinyurl.com...) 4. H. W. Brands, The age of gold: the California Gold Rush and the new American dream (2003) p. 442. 5. William M. Rohe and Harry L. Watson, Chasing the American Dream: New Perspectives on Affordable Homeownership (2007) 6. Silvia Cassamagnaghi, "New York Nella Stampa Femminile Italiana Del Secondo Dopoguerra," ["New York in the Italian women's press after World War II"]Storia Urbana (Dec 2005) 28# 109, pp. 91–111. 7. (. http://tinyurl.com...)