Make America Great! Again? (Part I)

Donald Trump has skyrocketed to prominence by championing the fears and insecurities of many Americans. His catchy slogan of “make America great again,” captures the prevalent attitude that America’s power and prestige are waning. Such rhetoric conjures up images of a glorious America bygone. But when exactly was America greater than it is now? Surely such a time must exist. Let us travel back in time in an attempt to find Trump’s great America.

A quick history lesson is needed first. America became a country on July 4, 1776. After a failed government under the Articles of Confederation, the Constitutional Congress was summoned and the constitution eventually was ratified on June 21, 1787. This would be a solid place to start when considering America’s greatness.

America had just established an ingenious democratic government that safeguarded the rights of the citizenry. Just over four years earlier, the country had won a truly revolutionary war that cast the oppressive imperial British presence from the country. Moreover, America seemed like a nation forged out of the ideals of the Enlightenment, proudly declaring that all men are created equal. But is this the age of American greatness to which Trump is referring?

Probably (hopefully) not. The Constitution may have espoused the idea of universal equality, but that seemed to only apply to white males. Slavery was legal. In a compromise to determine the number of representatives each state sent to Congress, slaves were considered to be 60 percent of a person. This was also an age where women were still marginalized.

The quality of life was a bit lacking too. The average life expectancy was roughly 36 years old. You could expect to have multiple children die during childhood. Medicine was questionable at best and there was no electricity. Thirsty? Go draw some dirty water from the well because there is no running water yet. You might bathe once a month, if you were rich enough. So Donald Trump likely does not want to return to this America. Let us continue through history until we find this supposed age of American greatness we want to return to.

Let’s move past the War of 1812- we may have beaten the British (again!) but the White House got burned down, hardly symbolic of greatness. Let’s breeze past The Trail of Tears. The forced removal and deadly relocation of Native Americans, which was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court (a ruling blatantly ignored by both President Andrew Jackson and his predecessor Martin Van Buren), seems like a bad stopping point. Let’s skip the the Mexican-American War, for bellicose expansionist policy is not a hallmark of greatness. The Civil War is probably a poor time to stop as well.

We arrive at the conclusion of the civil war. The date is May 9, 1865. The civil war that threatened to tear America apart has just ended. It only took about 620,000 American deaths but the South has been defeated and slavery is officially abolished! The industrial revolution is happening and the quality of life is about to improve. Is this the great America to which Trump alludes?

Probably (hopefully) not. Slavery is over but through Jim Crow Laws and institutionalized bigotry, African Americans are still second class citizens. Women still cannot vote. A president that would be considered one of the greatest ever, Abraham Lincoln, is about to be shot in the head.

Surgery in this time period consisted of drinking some whiskey, biting a rag and having a doctor saw your leg off. Oh, and the government is still waging a genocide against the indigenous Americans. Definitely not American greatness.

Now that we have combed through the first half of American history, it is safe to say that America was not greater pre-1900s than it is now. However, it is apparent that America is slowly realizing its greatness. After a little more than a century, America moved from a nascent state to a genuinely strong one. And we finally abolished slavery.

But women still can’t vote, the economy keeps booming and busting, and African Americans are considered separate and definitely not equal. Surely the era of American greatness to which Trump refers is on the horizon. To be continued next week…