America never was great, she was aspirational. She could have been great. Lord knows she was presented with many opportunities.
Dealing with the horrible treatment heaped upon the indigenous people. America had the opportunity to be great but instead broke virtually every treaty that was made. Greed won out over Greatness.
Dealing with slavery and its horrible legacy. America had the opportunity to be great. Instead after Civil War she sought to marginalize and keep black people in the misery of servitude. Avarice won out over compassion and Greatness.
She could have been great. Instead she imported thousands of Chinese workers to build railroads to the west. When the work was done America instituted Chinese immigration laws which first forbid additional Chinese Immigration and later severly restricted it until 1965. Xenophobia won out over inclusion and America made itself the white man’s domain. America could have been great but she chose to be a place dominated by racial supremacy.
In 1917 America was embroiled in a great tide of racial unrest. In Texas the 24th infantry regiment was an Army unit training to enter World War I. The white citizen of the town of Houston taunted and harrassed these men who had joined to serve their country. Finally the mistreatment led to an uprising by the men of the 24th. Towns people and black troops were killed in the uprising. The surviving member of the 24th were put on trial. No consideration was given to the abuses they had been subjected to. Eight members of the 24th were executed and 44 were given life sentences. America could have been great if these black volunteers had been shown the same respect as any other US serviceman.
In 1919 the country was embroiled in what would be called red summer. Red summer was a series of lynching and race riots all across the country. Jim Crow laws had brought racial unrest to a fever pitch and America was a tinder box. Rather than deal with it America doubled down on Jim Crow and maintained it until 1965. America wasn’t prepared to rise above her legacy of racial supremacy and by then hate had become a generational inheritance.
America has been presented with countless opportunities to be great and each time she has failed. We have reached a point where Americas black,brown, yellow, and indigenous people have had enough. They are no longer willing to be lessor citizens. There is no going back. There is only one path to Greatness for America and that is by treating all of her people with the same respect and to allow for equality of opportunity. AMERICA WILL RISE TO GREATNESS OR BE REDUCED TO ASH. There are no other options.
THINK!!
EYES WIDE OPEN!!!