Revolutionary Rhetoric: Patriotism and dangerous speech during the 2024 U.S. Election Campaign

Most societies uphold a strong moral and legal norm against killing, viewing murder as one of the gravest offenses. However, many of these same societies also celebrate moments of historical violence, particularly those tied to revolutions, wars of independence, or resistance movements. Events like the American Revolution, the French Revolution, and various anti-colonial struggles are often remembered not just as violent upheavals but as necessary fights for freedom, justice, or national identity. This paradox—condemning killing in general while glorifying certain instances of it—reveals the complex ways in which societies define acceptable violence, often framing it as justified when it serves a perceived greater good.

In the run-up to the 2024 election, the symbolic power of 1776 was repurposed to fuel modern narratives that normalize, and even sanctify, the idea of political violence as a means of addressing grievances, raising the stakes in an already polarized political landscape. This report describes the results of a study on such rhetoric before the 2024 U.S. presidential election.