According to Furstenburg, the fundamental problem with U.S. nationalism in its early stages dealt with consent. From the beginning, the United States set up a government that claimed to rule “under the consent of the governed”. Furstenburg raises an important question: How does one get consent? To say that a government rules completely by the consent of the governed is idealistic; surely not everyone will agree on how the system should work. Another point to be considered is that this nation was founded on the principle of NOT giving consent to the government, as they proved through the Declaration of Independence and during the Revolutionary War. The Declaration stated all that was wrong and why they should no longer be a part of the British Empire, and the Revolutionary War proved they were willing to defend their beliefs on how a country should be run through means of violence and war. How, then, can these same people be expected to give consent to a new government? If they find it to be unsatisfactory, they will stop giving consent, an action that is encouraged by the Declaration of Independence.
Confusion and double standards posed a threat to U.S. nationalism during this time period. As a solution to this problem, George Washington was put up on a pedestal—the father of the United States of America. As the face of American nationalism, Washington provided someone to identify with. Furstenburg also cites three important documents associated with Washington and nationalism, the first two are obvious, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The final is the one most closely associated with Washington: his Farewell Address. In this address, he did so much more than announce his retirement. He urged the country to settle its regional differences for the sake of the country as a whole. As a national hero and a truly legendary American, even while he was still alive, he had the ability to make people listen and the prestige that made his opinion widely respected. In uncertain times, he was the father that the citizens looked up to. As his “children”, Americans had a restored sense of nationalism.