It has often been said that the Inuit have many words to describe snow because one would be wholly inadequate to capture accurately the variety of frozen precipitation. Like snow, patriotism is a more nuanced idea than is immediately apparent. Political scientists, sociologists, and educators would do well to expand the roster of words used to describe the many attitudes, beliefs, and actions that are now called "patriotism." Although it is beyond the scope of this article to delve deeply into the many forms of patriotic attitudes and actions, two umbrella categories of patriotism are worth brief exploration. Each is relevant to debates over curriculum and school policy, and each represents political positions that have implications for what students learn about patriotism, civic engagement, and democracy. The author calls these two manifestations of patriotism "authoritarian" and "democratic." Authoritarian patriotism demands allegiance to the government's cause and therefore opposes dissent, while democratic patriotism aims to remain true to the principles which underlie democracy. (Contains 1 table and 27 notes.)