The Nation of Ulysses was an American punk rock band from Washington, D.C., formed in spring 1988 with four members. Originally known as simply "Ulysses," the first mark of the group consisted of Ian Svenonius on vocals and trumpet, Steve Kroner on guitar, Steve Gamboa on bass guitar, and James Canty on drums. Tim Green joined the band late in 1989 as a guitarist and the band became "Nation of Ulysses." Nation of Ulysses disbanded in the autumn of 1992, having failed to complete their third album. After the breakup, Svenonius, Canty, and Gamboa went on to form the short-lived Cupid Car Club and The Make-Up.
Nation of Ulysses was known for their tongue-in-cheek, far-left political concepts, their extremely physical live performances, and their unique take on punk culture and fashion. In total, Nation of Ulysses released three-full length albums, and two vinyl EPs released on Dischord Records, and were featured on a number of compilation albums on a variety of record labels.