Not merely a nation but a nation of nations.

Johnson’s phrase frames the United States as a political union whose identity is inherently plural—made up of many peoples, regions, cultures, and histories rather than a single homogeneous “nation.” Read this way, the line emphasizes federalism and immigration: the country’s strength and legitimacy come from integrating distinct communities into a shared civic project. It also resonates with mid-20th-century debates over civil rights and national unity, suggesting that inclusion of diverse groups is not a threat to the nation but constitutive of it. The formulation “a nation of nations” underscores a layered identity: Americans belong simultaneously to local, ethnic, and regional “nations” within a larger constitutional nation-state.