Classic liberalism a commitment to nationalism?

 One of the tenets of classic liberalism was a commitment to nationalism. Discuss briefly what arguments this concept provoked in Jefferson’s time, and examine whether there might be parallels in today’s discussions over civic education, bilingual education and the use of terms such as African-American, Asian American, Irish American, etc.

     So many things have happened in our history that define us as "American".  These things all give us a sense of nationalism at some level.  As mentioned in some of the earlier posts, tragedy and war, are both times that Americans really seem to come together and define themselves as Americans.  Other times we have pride happens every four years during the Olympics.  The sense of pride we have really spills over into the world as a whole and many want to experience that sense of 'nationalism'. 
      When the original colonists wanted to free themselves from tyranny and evil they came together to accomplish that goal.  Paralleling with today, many Americans identify with the original beliefs held by those colonists.  Unfortunately, the United States is a melting pot of many different cultures and ethnic backgrounds.  Many Americans still hold onto their heritage from outside of the US but remain American in every sense of the word.  African-American, Asian American, etc. is a way for these individuals to hold onto their backgrounds.
      To change the concept of nationalism would be impossible.  The very things that we still argue about today were the very things the liberalist were fighting for.  Freedom is not tied to only White Protestant Americans.