I need a research paper based on the outline below.
I need citations to be done in END NOTE format.
All sources must be accessible online.
OUTLINE:
Thesis: Britons should neither feel inherited shame nor uncritical pride. Instead, they must engage with their past through moral responsibility. Shame is appropriate when injustice is erased or repeated; pride is justified only when based on universal values like justice and liberty. The Irish Famine, Brexit, and racial violence during reformist periods reveal why both emotions require nuance and honesty.
Part 1: False Pride in Brexit — Nostalgia Without Reflection (300~350 words)
- Context:
- Brexit was sold as a return to “British greatness” and sovereignty — often drawing on imperial nostalgia.
- Critique:
- This version of pride was selective, ignoring past injustices and modern interdependence.
- It substituted emotion for policy, leading to economic instability and social division.
- Consequences:
- Currency fluctuation, trade friction, political polarization.
- Moral Point:
- When pride is uncritical and rooted in fantasy, it leads to bad decisions.
- Contrast with Locke:
- Locke valued reasoned cooperation and liberty, not isolation based on illusion.
Part 2: Contradictions in Britain’s “Proud” Eras — Reform and Racism (300~350 words)
- Main Idea: Even Britain’s celebrated moments — abolition, parliamentary reform — occurred alongside racism and colonial violence.
- Examples:
- While celebrating abolition (1807/1833), Britain maintained imperial control over millions.
- Amritsar Massacre (1919) — Britain murdered peaceful Indian protestors during its “liberal” era.
- Racial violence in Britain continued during supposedly enlightened reform periods.
- Argument: Pride must acknowledge contradiction — not erase it.
- Conclusion: To celebrate progress without addressing exclusion is to rewrite history dishonestly.
Part 3: Earning Pride — When Britain Chose Justice (200–250 words)
- Argument: Pride is meaningful only when it honors moral courage and reform, not identity or dominance.
- Examples:
- Abolitionists like Wilberforce and Quaker movements.
- Democratic evolution: Magna Carta, women’s suffrage, civil liberties.
- Free press and civic protests — signs of an open society willing to self-correct.
- Clarification: This is pride in principle and perseverance, not in an idealized or purified national myth.
🔹 Conclusion (~200 words)
- Restate Thesis: Shame and pride are not inherited feelings — they are moral responses to how a nation remembers and reacts to its past.
- Key Insight:
- Shame is justified when silence or denial prevails (e.g., Irish famine).
- False pride leads to dangerous myths (e.g., Brexit).
- Real pride grows from acts that reflect moral responsibility, justice, and growth.
- Final Reflection: Patriotism isn’t about feeling good about your country — it’s about helping it become better. The past is not a burden or a badge, but a responsibility.