I bought a hat a few days ago that had the words "America Was Never Great" in bold black writing on the front. My mom hates it and doesn't want me to wear it because she's afraid of the people that may find the hat offensive. She'll be happy to know that I can't wear it because my hair is too big, but the message still stands. The phrase is a counter to Donald Trump's campaign slogan "Make American Great Again." I first saw the hat in an article on the head of a black woman, Kyrstal Lake, that worked at a Home Depot in Staten Island. Of course, the woman and her hat sparked a lot of outrage from Trump supporters and plain old die hard fans of America and has since received tons of hate, death threats and racial abuse because of it. But with all the anger geared toward the hats and the people wearing it, those who oppose fail to realize the behind these bold words.
American has been problematic from the moment it was established. Colonization lead to the rape and murder of most of the Natives that called America home before it even had a name. Not to mention that those who survived the genocide at the hands of the colonizers were forced to pick up and move from the places that they called home. I'm sure moving to a new world away from imperial rule was lovely for the Europeans...not so much for the natives, though. Even after that America has a long timeline of problematic behavior:
Slavery wasn't declared illegal until 1865 and even then it was only in the states that weren't under Union Control at the time.
Women didn't get the right to vote until 1920. People thought women weren't concerned with politics and since they were already represented by their husbands they'll just vote the same as them. Women's only jobs were to be wives and mothers. Nothing more, nothing less.
Native Americans weren't considered American citizens until 1924. How can a group of people that were born and raised on 'American soul' not be considered citizens in their own country? Also, within the establishment of America, Indian's were forced to assimilate and throw away their old traditions and customs.
Although, black people gained the right to vote with 15th amendment it wasn't exactly enforced until 1965 with the Voting Rights Act. In between, black people were discouraged from using that right with poll taxes, literacy tests and threats of violence from the KKK.
The Jim Crow Law, a law enforced in 1890 that made sure black people couldn't integrate with white people, was in effect until 1965 and to even get that law abolished and a lot of people went through hell and back and even lost their lives. Black people were given lesser jobs and lesser education. The law was supposed to give black people a "separate but equal" status but we all know that it was far from equal.
Same sex marriage wasn't legal in all states until 2015. Before then only a few states allowed it. Through the years, the LGBTQ+ community has had a hard time getting the rights they deserved. Being homosexual was considered a mental disorder until 1973 and even still a lot of people think you must be messed up in the head to have romantic/sexual feelings for someone of the same sex.
This is just a little bit of evidence of why America has never been great for many. It's not everything, but it's enough to close any gaps in the American timeline. Even now, with laws to ensure equality regardless of religion, race, gender or sexual orientation, America can still be a harsh place those without privilege. All one has to do is ask almost any POC/member of the LGBTQ+ community/slash women about their struggle and you'll have your answer.
Yes, America is the land of opportunity. I'm glad to have been born here and have certain freedoms and I know that many people in other countries have it way worse, but how can you claim that you'll "Make American Great Again" when for certain groups it was never great to begin with?
