National consciousness is the citizens’ cognition of and identification with their country. It is politically, historically and culturally constructed and is thus deeply rooted in the traditions of the nation state. Taking the national reading program as the starting point to examine its relevance to the national-consciousness oriented discourse practices of other nations in specific historical periods may provide insights from a global perspective on the construction of a national consciousness discourse system in China’s foreign language education. Based on the different facets of national consciousness, this paper investigates the causes and motivations behind the development of a national reading program in the United States after the end of World War II, and analyzes the multiple functions of reading in the specific historical context. The program is further examined in light of its manifestation as a political legacy in the field of reading practice in the post 9·11 era. The paper concludes that the cognitive, psychological and emotional elements inherent in national consciousness are integrated through reading action into relevant educational discourse and practice. In this way, a national reading program derived from the interactions of individual, social and national discourses can play an important role in the shape of national cognition, identity construction and national identification.