America was and will be great
Understanding slavery and racism in historical and global context
In reaction to the slogan Make America Great Again, some maintain that America never was great. I side with the MAGA folks on this. America was a great nation. It reached its height in the 1950s, when in the aftermath of the allied victory over fascism in World War II, the United States possessed unrivaled economic and military power and enjoyed great prestige internationally.
To be sure, the USA attained its greatness on the basis of conquest, slavery, and imperialism. But social sin does not nullify greatness. Indeed, throughout human history, great civilizations and world powers have paved their road with conquest of neighboring peoples, far and wide. If the people of the United States can overcome our current confusions and divisions to recognize both our historic greatness and social sins, we would be able to become a great nation again, but this time on a foundation of social justice.
I have expressed in various commentaries in this column the factors that ex…