Industrialization's contribution to nationalism

In the corner of nearly every public school classroom throughout the United States, the stars and stripes of the American flag hang proudly. Next to this symbolic piece of cloth, stapled to the wall is the order of the presidents, starting with the recognizable George Washington. The words memorized in one’s young age recite the allegiance pledged to the flag, and the student continues their classes like any other school day. This small symbol of nationalism could not be nearly as powerful without the historical propaganda and widespread unification. However, such unification could not reach such great heights until the country had sufficient communication and efficient transportation. The flags and pictures of our founding fathers could not be distributed to the schooling systems unless we had a reliable industry that could develop such goods due to an increase in demand. The schooling system itself would not hang this common flag and teach a universal curriculum unless textbooks and lesson plans were easy accessible. Indeed, behind every sense of nationalism, there lies the powerful movement of industrialization.