Democracy 2022
What Does It Mean To Be an American Right Now?
If currently half of the country no longer believes basic truths, then what does it mean to be American right now? Who are we?
The American project has been in existence for 246 years. (That timing changes, of course, if you are starting with the Declaration of Independence instead of the year 1619 when the first enslaved Africans were brought shackled, bruised, and beaten to our shores.) When the Founding Fathers (and slave masters) of America formed this country, they believed that we needed a document that would clearly articulate the values of this new nation both to its occupants and to the world at large. The main tenants of these shared and agreed upon beliefs are as follows: all men are created equal with the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; the main business of government is to protect these rights; and finally, if a government withholds these rights, the people are free to revolt and set up a new government.
For over 200 years we as a unified republic have agreed to adhere to these shared values and norms, until now.
America in the 21st century isn’t just plagued with a climate crisis, the rise of White domestic terrorism, and a pandemic —…
