Again? When was America great before?

Unless you’ve spent the last year living under a rock, you’ve heard Donald Trump’s stupid slogan, “Make America Great Again.” This catchphrase is ridiculous both because it supposes that Donald Trump of all people has the capacity to bestow “greatness” on a country of 320 million people and because it uses the word, “again.” Donald Trump doesn’t just want to “Make America Great,” he wants to “Make America Great Again.” This isn’t just an assertion about the future, it’s a claim that America used to be great, it isn’t great anymore, and Donald Trump can reverse this trend.
With that claim in mind, the question must be asked, when exactly was America “great” the first time? Was America great when it denied marriage equality to same sex couples (2015) or interracial couples (1967)? Was America great when it disenfranchised women (1920) or minorities (1870)? Perhaps the century of slavery prior to the passage of the 13th Amendment in 1865 was the period of America’s greatness.
Nearly three million Americans were conscripted to fight the First World War, ten million for the Second World War, and millions more throughout the Cold War period. Was this deadly form of slavery a sign of America’s former greatness? There were at least 1.5 million American casualties throughout the four major wars fought between 1917 and 1975. A small price to pay for greatness, no doubt.
Perhaps Trump is referencing the greatness of the 19th century in which tens of thousands (or even more) Native Americans were slaughtered, forcibly relocated, and deprived of their property. From the Trail of Tears (1830-1850) to the Sand Creek Massacre (1864) and the Wounded Knee Massacre (1890), the abysmal treatment of Native Americans by the US government is an inerasable stain on this country’s history.
In the 20th century, there was the forced relocation and internment of more than 100,000 Japanese-Americans during the Second World War. During the First World War, more than 250,000 German-Americans were required to register and carry their registration card at all times. Tens of thousands were also arrested and incarcerated without trials throughout both wars.
There is so much more, of course. There are the large-scale attacks on free speech throughout the country’s history from the Alien and Sedition Acts (1798) to the despicable period of McCarthyism (1949-1954) to the prosecution of those who burned the flag prior to Texas v. Johnson in 1989. There is torture, a practice which has been prevalent despite the 8th Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishments. There is rampant police brutality and murder which go largely unaddressed to this day.
There are also the innumerable scandals which have implicated the very highest officials in America’s government. Some of these include the Teapot Dome Scandal (1921-1922), the Watergate scandal (1972-1974), the Iran–Contra affair (1985-1987), the Keating Five (1989), and numerous extramarital affairs and other improprieties.
There are false flag incidents and official distortions such as the sinking of the USS Maine which was used as a pretext for the Spanish-American War, the Gulf of Tonkin incident which was used as an excuse to escalate the Vietnam War, and numerous other incidents which may well have been (but have not yet been definitively proven) to be planned, allowed, and/or carried out by the US governments or its operatives. There was the intentional blaming of Iraq for the 9/11 attacks even when there was no proof of any actual connection.
We can’t overlook the assassinations (now euphemistically called “targeted killings”) and coups perpetrated and fomented by the US government. The 1953 Iranian coup d’état was one of the most significant although the overthrow (and eventual execution) of Saddam Hussein may prove even more destructive in the long run. Most of the alleged assassinations carried out by US agents remain unconfirmed, but the assassination of Anwar al-Awlaki was unique in that it was the first “targeted killing” of a US citizen openly acknowledged by the US government.
I could go on listing injustices and atrocities from US history indefinitely (indeed, a complete list could fill several books), but I hope my point has been made. The history of America is a history of slavery, conscription, war, genocide, disenfranchisement, inequality, scandal, and torture. There is no greatness which we can aspire to recapture, or which Donald Trump can restore to this nation. If America is ever to deserve the descriptor “great,” that period has yet to begin.
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Justin Hale May 30, 2016 , 12:53 am Vote0
Technically slavery is STILL legal in the US as a punishment for crimes.
dL 1337 May 30, 2016 , 1:46 am Vote0
Good post. You have to be flag burner if you are going to be a libertarian. By that I mean you have to reject the mythology of “american exceptionalism.” Following Bastiat, we can identify “american exceptionalism” as a moral glorification of plunder. It is always used as a pretext for war, central planning, injustice and/or social control. That being said, the idea that a single man, the strong man, can restore American exceptionalism is atypical in the american political experience. Dangerous precedent….
Tom Liberman May 30, 2016 , 6:09 am
@dl1337 : American Exceptionalism is badly misinterpreted by most. It actually was meant to convey “exceptional circumstances”. Meaning the United States being geographically removed from Europe was an opportunity to break out of history bound Eurocentric patterns. Just for clarification, not disagreeing with anyone.
dL 1337 May 30, 2016 , 12:36 pm Vote0
Tom:
The wikipedia entry on american exceptionalism stipulates multiple related strains conveyed by the idea. The one you listed above may be one, but there are others that are not limited to mere observations about geographic circumstance. Today, I think the term unmistakably implies a global indispensability and/or a type of inherent superior greatness.
Tom Liberman May 30, 2016 , 2:36 pm
@dl1337 : That’s exactly why I wrote what I did. I wrote what it was “meant” to convey and how it is misinterpreted now.
dL 1337 May 31, 2016 , 11:55 am Vote0
Tom:
Gotcha. Other than the “indispensable nation,” I might quibble that the other alternative interpretations are all that new. Certainly, the 19th century libertarians were flag burners, too. But it’s not worth arguing/debating over.
Richard Uberto May 31, 2016 , 2:30 pm Vote0
A strong correlation exists between freedom and prosperity. For much of its existence, the U.S. has been among the most free nations on the planet, resulting in remarkable prosperity (or greatness). Has it been perfect? Of course not. No country is perfect. Sadly, our freedom has been encroached by taxes and regulations, and our prosperity suffers. So, yes, in some ways we were once more great than we are now, which is why Trump’s slogan resonates. Does Trump have a clue of what made us great, or how to restore any of that greatness. Also sadly, not a chance.
dL 1337 May 31, 2016 , 3:32 pm Vote0
There is no logical relationship between liberty and “prosperity.” Liberty is neither necessary nor sufficient for prosperity(measured macro-economically). For example, both Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia greatly outperformed their predecessors(measured in terms of standard macroeconomic output). And one can find examples of free markets in other cultural contexts that did not result in an ever increasing standard of livings(i.e, progress). That is to say, innovation and free markets do not necessarily go hand in hand.
One should be careful in making claims that there is a strong correlation between freedom and prosperity. You are simply presupposing America was free…observe prosperity or innovation and make then make a claim “a strong correlation exists between freedom and prosperity. ” If you are not careful, you end up making a case, whether explicitly or not, for an ends-jutifies-the-means social theory. If we observe prosperity(measured macro-economically) , then we are free.
I say this because back in the day, the bible of classical liberalism was Friedman’s “Capitalism and Freedom.” The argument of that book was capitalism was a necessary condition for political liberalism(or political liberty). But as political liberalism has weakened, I’ve noticed Friedman’s argument has subtly been replaced by “prosperity and markets.” But you leave yourself open to the strong man who will argue, “a strong man can negotiate prosperity for you, and hence your freedom.” And you are seeing exactly that today with the likes of Trump.
Richard Uberto May 31, 2016 , 6:18 pm Vote0
Take a look at a list of countries ranked by freedom and ask yourself why generally the most free countries are prosperous while the least free countries are destitute. Sure a prosperous country can be taken over by despots, and temporarily give the appearance of success, just as a large wave can appear to defy the tide. Temporarily.
dL 1337 May 31, 2016 , 6:57 pm Vote0
ranked by whom and by what standard? I might ask myself why the United States has the largest intelligence/security organ complex in human history and what would happen if it was removed…
Rick Rule May 31, 2016 , 3:06 pm Vote1
@richard
Very well said Richard. America is great today, in many respects, it is still an open, innovative, risk taking society. The collective does their best to exterminate the good in America, but they have yet to succeed totally.
Trump could do his part, he could continue to do what used to do, mobilize capital for real estate development. Make America great, block by block. There are lots of blocks that need help.
dL 1337 May 31, 2016 , 7:07 pm Vote0
I can’t find an instance where Trump ever opposed an industry bailout . You need a better exemplar of the “open,innovative,risk taking society” you speak of…
David Montgomery May 31, 2016 , 6:27 pm Vote1
America is not only great, it’s #1!