Redefining Greatness in a Divided America

It was the mid nineties, and I was a college sophomore. One of the courses that was part of my General Education requirement that year examined writings and beliefs from different cultures. One day in class we talked about multiculturalism in America, and I remember my professor saying that the older view of America as a giant melting pot where everyone assimilated to one culture was being replaced by a different view - one that embraced multiculturalism and the understanding that our strength lies in our diversity. As I pondered his words, I really believed that America was moving in the right direction. My, how far our nation has fallen since that day! I keep hearing that there is a campaign to "make America great again," but currently we seem to be moving in the opposite direction of the greatness it sounded as though we were headed for on that day In fact, it seems America has some major barriers that prevent it from achieving true greatness: its mass movement toward religious extremism in the form of Christian nationalism coupled with a lack of understanding of the intentions of the Establishment clause, an irrational fear of socialism perpetuated by misinformation and disproportionately affecting minorities, and an explosion of xenophobic beliefs resulting from a lack of understanding of one another's differences.

First, to ever be a great diverse nation, we must respect the Constitution and Bill of Rights including the First Amendment's Establishment Clause, but although there have always been those who wanted to force religious doctrine into public policy, it seems that there has in the past few years been an even greater effort by proponents of Christian nationalism in the government to force these ideologies on the American people through the implementation of policies that have no basis other than Biblical scripture. From the Dobb's decision by the Supreme Court in 2022 to the most recent failed attempt to reverse the decision to legalize same-sex marriage, it seems there are increasingly new efforts every day to restrict, "in the name of God," the rights of the most vulnerable and marginalized in our society. Not only is this practice a detriment to social greatness, but it is even unconstitutional. First, consider our history. Last year around election time, I heard someone say that our Founding Fathers were religious men who founded our nation on Christian beliefs. However, the evidence contradicts this statement. The Establishment Clause states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Some have argued that since the Founders were religious men, they did not mean Christianity would be absent from government. However, if one reads their own words, it is clear that is exactly what they meant. For example, in 1785 James Madison wrote "Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments." In the document he discussed 15 reasons our government should refrain from supporting any religion. Furthermore, in 1802 in response to a letter concerning religious freedom and sent from the Danbury Baptists in Connecticut, Thomas Jefferson made clear that religion was an issue between "man and his God" when he wrote that the Establishment Clause created a "wall of separation between church and state."This quote clearly demonstrates that Jefferson did not wish for our country to be a Christian nation but rather a nation where all people would be free to practice whichever religion they chose. Even the statement "between man and his God," could be interpreted as taking into account the idea that different religions in America may worship different deities and that the government has no business endorsing one over the other. If these examples weren't enough to show how badly our current government and much of the populace have misinterpreted our Founders' intentions, George Washington himself helped to clarify the Founders' position on religion and government in the 1796 Treaty of Tripoli by stating that "America is in no way founded on the Christian religion." Our Founders were not all Christian men. Many, in fact, adhered to a belief in Deism even though their actual beliefs are less relevant than their writings. These men foresaw, it seems, the problems government sanctioned religion could cause, especially in a nation that was to become as diverse as America is today (Graves, 2008).

Despite America having individuals representing many different types of religions, organizations such as Turning Point USA, among others, seek to influence public policy by indoctrinating young people into believing the myth that America was founded on Christianity. It's no wonder that politicians seeking the votes of conservative Christians, therefore, are supporting it. However, while the First Amendment means we should fully support the right of any religious organization to exist, for that same reason, no public policy leader should be using his or her platform to promote any religion over another, and the endorsement of a religious organization or ideology by the US government is a threat to all religious freedom in our nation. We cannot be great if our leaders implement policies that violate the very foundations upon which our nation was built and establish a national religion to which all are forced to assimilate. That, however, is exactly what Christian nationalism seeks to do.

While Christian nationalism certainly threatens our freedoms as Americans, there is perhaps an even greater barrier that prevents us from achieving greatness, one that seeks to keep Americans divided, not just as many cultures isolated from one another but as rich and poor. That threat is an irrational fear of socialism. Stoking fear of socialism is not a new tactic to scare Americans into protecting the status quo. In fact, for years politicians have used socialism as a trigger word to try to scare voters into bending to their will. They often do so by associating it with communism and a lack of freedom. However, many of the policies we rely on in our nation today were once called socialist by their opponents. For example, the policies implemented by Franklin D. Roosevelt to lift our nation out of the Great Depression were called socialist by the rich and powerful (Miele, 2010). In fact, everything from public utilities to social security to labor unions was once branded socialism. President Harry Truman himself even said that socialism was the name given to anything that helped all the people (Truman, 1952). The programs of the Roosevelt era were largely funded through a wealth tax along with other income taxes. Furthermore, these taxes largely remained in place throughout one of the most prosperous periods in our nation (Avi-Yonah, et al, 2024) Today, though, the irrational fear of socialist policies has not died despite the fact that the policies of the Roosevelt administration, among others, led to the establishment of a strong middle class. However, ideas such as free public universities, universal healthcare (something Roosevelt supported though it never came to fruition), and universal child care are still called socialist policies by those who oppose them. However, some of the problems our nation faces such as insurmountable health care costs and skyrocketing tuition rates that make college unattainable for many, have been addressed in other nations by the provision of strong social safety nets. Take, for example, Denmark. Ranked by the United Nations as the second happiest country in the world, Denmark addresses its citizens' needs through the provision of a taxpayer funded social safety net in which taxes are based on one's income. Danish citizens mostly view these taxes as their duty, a duty that they would find shameful to try to circumvent. Although Danes pay some of the highest taxes in the world, they get their money's worth, for these taxes provide government funded healthcare, college, a living stipend for college students, retirement, and child care, among other things. This strong social safety net is part of the reason the country is ranked very high in terms of happiness, and while it is true that prices are higher on goods and services in Denmark, wages are higher, as well (The Danish welfare state).

Meanwhile, here in America, many cannot afford healthcare and forego treatment because they cannot pay the bill, and college students are forced to take on debt that will hinder them from achieving financial freedom for years to come. This level of inequality is unfair and unnecessary in one of the richest countries in the world. The irrational fear of socialism is far from new, but its effects become ever more devastating as the gap between the haves and have nots continues to widen further and disproportionately affect minorities. Furthermore, the lack of a strong social safety net poses an insurmountable barrier to social inclusion for the poor, many of whom are minorities. Therefore, this fear creates a separation by race and class thus preventing different cultures from collaborating which in turn prevents our nation from achieving true greatness.

While religious extremism and an irrational fear of socialist policies are certainly serious barriers to making our nation great, there is one thing above all others that is perhaps the most disturbing. No longer is our nation pursuing a respect for multiculturalism at all it seems. Every time there is a disaster or problem, many want to point the finger at an entire culture rather than just at those responsible. Take, for example, the atrocities committed on 9/11. The heinous attack was committed by members of the terrorist organization Al Qaeda. However, despite the fact that members of one extremist group committed this act, Muslims as a whole became the target of verbal, and in some cases, physical attacks, and most recently when Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim man, was elected mayor of New York City, some commented that the city had forgotten the events of that day. First of all, Mamdani was a child when that happened, and secondly, the majority of Muslims are peaceful people who condemn such violence. Blaming all Muslims for 9/11 is ignorant and makes about as much sense as blaming all Christians for the actions of David Koresh and the Branch Davideons in Waco, Texas in 1993. However, it is just one example of many of the xenophobia inhibiting the establishment of the great multicultural nation we could be. The same thing happened during the pandemic as Asian Americans became the targets of similar attacks fueled by the erroneous belief that they were somehow responsible for COVID. Sadly, there are many other examples. Perhaps the most bizarre (and humorous if it wasn't so sad) was the statements about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio made by JD Vance and Donald Trump during the 2024 presidential election. Despite the fact that both the mayor of Springfield and the governor of Ohio disputed claims that the immigrants were kidnapping and eating pets, the candidates continued to claim the rumors were true. The words incited harassment of immigrants and even bomb threats in the town of Springfield. Sadly, though, Americans still elected Trump, demonstrating that having a xenophobic president was not a deal breaker for many. Furthermore, it seems that with his second term, the othering of immigrants and other non-Caucasian individuals has gotten even worse. Every day we hear about ICE mistakenly (or not) targeting American citizens of Hispanic or Latino descent simply for the way they look only to later discover they were, in fact, legal immigrants or American citizens. The actions of the Trump administration from his banning of DEI programs to the lack of diversity in his cabinet represent the expanding prevalence of xenophobia that now plagues our country, and it is a sad contrast to the optimism about multiculturalism of the nineties. We seem to have forgotten that we are a nation of immigrants. Our strength lies not in assimilation but in our diversity, and we can never be great without it.

As I look at our country's history, I'm not sure we have ever truly been great. However, I do remember a time when we were much closer to moving in that direction than we are today, and while it is true that lack of respect for different belief systems, a lack of a social safety net, and the othering of minorities are huge barriers that stand in the way of being the greatest nation we could be, I do still have hope. As I see events such as the election of Zohran Mamdani in New York City, a man who is both a Muslim and a Democratic socialist, I think perhaps America is finally beginning to awaken. Perhaps finally we are beginning to see the beauty of different people from different backgrounds working together for the good of all, and just maybe we will finally achieve true greatness. If we were once moving in the right direction, perhaps we can again. I am cautiously optimistic that we can change and overcome, and maybe this time we will find that elusive condition of greatness.

Citations

Avi-Yonah, R. S., DiVito, E., & Lusiani, N. (2024, January 23). Fifty Years of ‘Cut To Grow’: How Changing Narratives around Corporate Tax Policy Have Undermined Child and Family Well-Being. The Roosevelt Institute. Retrieved November 16, 2024, from https://rooseveltinstitute.org/publications/fifty-years-of-cut-to-grow/

Graves, G., Siddiqi, M., & Herman, D. (2008, January 8). The Founding Fathers' Religious Wisdom. Center for American Progress. Retrieved November 16, 2025, from https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-founding-fathers-religious-wisdom/

Miele, F. (2010, December 19). New Deal? Many did dare call it socialism. Daily Inter Lake. Retrieved November 16, 2025, from https://dailyinterlake.com/news/2010/dec/19/new-deal-many-did-dare-call-it-socialism-6/

The Danish welfare state | Read why in Denmark the support for the Danish welfare state and welfare system has always been strong. (n.d.). Denmark.dk. Retrieved November 16, 2025, from https://denmark.dk/society-and-business/the-danish-welfare-state

Truman, H. S. (1952, October 10). Rear Platform and Other Informal Remarks in New York. Retrieved November 16, 2025, from: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/library/public-papers/289/rear-platform-and-other-informal-remarks-new-york