The Man Without a Country

In The Man Without a Country, Edward Everett Hale introduces the reader to Philip Nolan, a young lieutenant in the United States Army stationed at Fort Adams in Rhode Island. Nolan meets visiting Aaron Burr, who served as Thomas Jefferson’s Vice President (1801-1805) and develops a friendship with the politician. In 1807 Burr is tried for treason and Nolan finds himself charged as a co-conspirator. During the trial Nolan reacts with anger and bitterness renouncing his nation and angrily shouting at the judge “I wish I may never hear of the United States again” The judge is shocked at Philip’s pronouncement and after careful deliberation grants him his wish. Lieutenant Philip Nolan will spend the rest of his life in exile. He will never be allowed to set foot on American soil again. He is sentenced to spend the rest of his life aboard U.S. Navy Warships. Although he is treated according to his former rank, he lives on the sea, transported from one ship to another. No one is allowed to speak to him about the United States. His newspapers are censored. His interactions with visitors aboard ship are monitored. Nolan’s sentence is carried out to the letter. At first, he displays the belligerence of youth, but as the years pass and he is transferred from ship to ship he begins to realize his misfortune. Desperate to hear some news he meets a young sailor, the teller of his tale, and advises him “Remember, boy, that behind these men…behind officers and government, and people even, there is the Country Herself, your Country, and that you belong to her as you belong to your own mother. Stand by her, boy, as you would stand by your mother…!”
On Philip’s deathbed the captain in charge of his present ship disobeys orders and summarizes the history of America from 1807 to 1860 presenting the case for the preservation of the Union that was standing up fearlessly to the global superpowers of the day. He talked of the expansion and development of the young nation and its contribution to human knowledge but could not or would not talk of the “infernal rebellion” taking place. In the end Philip wrote his own epitaph:
"In memory of PHILIP NOLAN,
Lieutenant in the Army of the United States.
He loved his country as no other man has loved her,
but no man deserved less at her hands."
The United States of America is my native land. I was born here, raised here, and hopefully, will die here. I love this country and every time I see “Old Glory” waving in the wind, see a soldier in uniform, or hear the National Anthem my heart swells with pride and gratitude. I think of the sacrifices that my ancestors made so that I could live in freedom and the responsibility I bear to protect, preserve, and respect the heritage they have bequeathed me. Today, we live in a society filled with men and women without a country. Will they have to be deprived of their homeland before they will pay it the homage it deserves? Appreciation sometimes is born from deprivation. The Man Without a Country is as relevant today as it was in 1863, when it was written.