As patriotism hovers at record lows, one North Carolina community is trying to break the mold, requiring its residents to sign a pledge upholding American values and to fly an American flag outside their homes.
"I think it's safe to say right now our nation is a little bit sick," Brock Fankhauser, founder of 1776 Gastonia, told Fox News. "I think the medicine that it needs right now is patriotism, and we're going to start at a zip code level."
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National pride has been at or near historical lows in recent years, with only 39% of adults saying they were "extremely proud" to be an American, according to a Gallup poll conducted June 1-20 with over 1,000 respondents. In January 2001, 55% said they were extremely proud to be American, spiking later that year after the 9/11 terrorist attacks to 70%.
"Patriotism is not a constant, and that's the beauty of it," Fankhauser said. "It takes work."
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"I want to be a part of this movement so that we can take it from 39% and go to 45%," he continued. "And after that, can we get above 50%? Can we get to that critical moment where then it has momentum?"
1776 Gastonia, a 55 and up housing development being built 30 minutes outside Charlotte, North Carolina, has been branded as a retirement community that promotes American patriotism and the founding ideals of the Constitution. Great American Homes, the company behind the development, will require residents to pledge their allegiance to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as well as to support the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
Residents must also promise loyalty to each other and to commit to the future of the neighborhood. An American flag will be provided with the purchase of each home and must be displayed.
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"I think the American flag is an architectural element, and I think the consistency of it being universal is something that will add to our homes' value," Fankhauser said. "So it's symbolic, but we also want it to be serious."
The North Carolina developer said there aren't any consequences for anyone who breaks the community's rules. He hopes interested 1776 homeowners would want to be consistent with the neighborhood's covenants.
"We embrace freedom," Fankhauser said. "That's obviously foundational to the American story."
"To come after people with the heavy hand and penalties doesn't strike me as consistent with founding ideals," he continued. "So we are heavily reliant on the mutual pledges that people make to each other."
1776 Gastonia has planned to list its 43 homes for sale on July 10, though they still need to be built. Nearly 200 inquires had already come in over 100 days, according to Fankhauser.
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"The response that we've gotten is overwhelming," he said. "We compare it to other neighborhoods that we build that are not 1776 and it's multiples of 10, 20 times the number of leads that would be considered normal."
Fankhauser expects 1776 Gastonia will be completed in 2024. Depending on its success, the development could be the first of many 1776 communities nationwide.
"Over time, if we have success like I think we will, patriotism will become vogue and then maybe we can have some healthy debates about things like tax policy and the judicial system and foreign policy," Fankhauser said. "But right now, it's very important that politics and policy be void of our movement all together."
"We have very limited power" to increase national pride, Fankhauser said. "But at the end, I'd like to be able to say that I did something to ignite a spark of American patriotism."
To hear more from 1776 Gastonia's founder, click here.
