American Unity is an Illusion
On Wednesday, January 20th 2021, we saw Joe Biden become the 46th President of the United States. In his inauguration speech, he spoke of “Bringing America together, uniting our people, uniting our nation.”
The word “unity” has been a heavily echoed theme, not only through Biden’s rhetoric, but also in the discourse of the media and many Americans seeking some respite in the aftermath of the Trump administration. In just the past year, we’ve witnessed countless protests for racial justice and widespread social unrest which causes some to believe that we’re a country more divided than ever.
Yet, such an argument begs the question: Was there ever a time in history when America was truly united?
Think about it: Was there any time in your adult life that you recall American unity?
Some people point to the height of American unity as being the period following the 9/11 attacks. One op-ed circulating the internet expressed a longing for the “America of September 12, 2001”, claiming that this was a time in which Americans were most unified as a country.
Sure, maybe there was an increase in patriotism and nationalistic unity in the post-9/11 era for some Americans, but who was excluded from that “unity”?
