Our great modern Republic. May those who seek the blessings of its institutions and the protection of its flag remember the obligations they impose.

Grant’s line frames citizenship as a reciprocal moral contract. The “blessings” of republican institutions—rights, stability, opportunity—and the “protection” symbolized by the national flag are not presented as entitlements detached from duty. Instead, those who claim the benefits of the United States must also accept the obligations that sustain it: loyalty to constitutional government, respect for law, and willingness to contribute (through civic participation, taxation, and, in extremis, defense). The phrasing reflects Grant’s post–Civil War emphasis on national unity and the maintenance of the Union, warning against enjoying the Republic’s advantages while evading the responsibilities that make them possible.