Question

How did early 19th century nationalists define the nation

Answer 1

The nationalism of the XIX century is clearly depicted in the speech of Abraham Lincoln, addressed in 1858, to the voters of Chicago, before he was elected president. He claimed for a nation where all individuals were equal as if they all were the same blood of the men who wrote the Declaration of Independence. The vision of a nation consisted of a moral structure based on ethical beliefs of freedom and equality. Even though these ideas clearly contrasted with the social context of the time.

Answer 2

Nationalists defined "nation" as an ideology that emphasizes loyalty, devotion or allegiance to  a nation or a nation-state and mantains that such obligations outweigh other individual or group interests.

In the 19th century, a wave of romantic nationalism transformed the European continent. The French Revolution initiated the movement toward the modern nation-state  and also played a key role in the birth of nationalism across Europe where radical intellectuals were influenced by Napoleon.