"There are others who aim at popularity under the disguise of patriotism"
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Patriotism, Mayhew suggests, is the perfect costume: respectable, emotionally charged, and hard to argue with in public without looking disloyal. The line isn’t a warm meditation on civic virtue; it’s an accusation aimed at operators who treat “love of country” as a marketing strategy. By pairing “popularity” with “disguise,” he makes motive the central battleground. The problem isn’t merely that people can be wrong about policy; it’s that they can be calculating about righteousness, laundering ambition through national feeling.
As an 18th-century New England clergyman, Mayhew is writing in a world where sermons doubled as political media. His most famous work, the 1750 discourse on resisting tyrants, helped seed the moral vocabulary that later fed Revolutionary resistance. In that context, the warning lands with particular bite: even a righteous cause attracts opportunists, and the language of liberty can be hijacked by those who want applause more than justice.
The subtext is an early diagnosis of a pattern that still feels contemporary: performative nationalism. “Patriotism” becomes a shield against scrutiny, a way to make self-interest look like sacrifice. Mayhew’s craft is in how he reframes suspicion as a civic duty. He’s telling his audience that discernment is not cynicism; it’s protection. If a crowd can be rallied by sacred-sounding slogans, it can be steered by anyone skilled enough to wear the costume convincingly.
As an 18th-century New England clergyman, Mayhew is writing in a world where sermons doubled as political media. His most famous work, the 1750 discourse on resisting tyrants, helped seed the moral vocabulary that later fed Revolutionary resistance. In that context, the warning lands with particular bite: even a righteous cause attracts opportunists, and the language of liberty can be hijacked by those who want applause more than justice.
The subtext is an early diagnosis of a pattern that still feels contemporary: performative nationalism. “Patriotism” becomes a shield against scrutiny, a way to make self-interest look like sacrifice. Mayhew’s craft is in how he reframes suspicion as a civic duty. He’s telling his audience that discernment is not cynicism; it’s protection. If a crowd can be rallied by sacred-sounding slogans, it can be steered by anyone skilled enough to wear the costume convincingly.
Quote Details
| Topic | Honesty & Integrity |
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