A Disunited States of America Will Fall Short of Its Full Potential

As the Disunited States of America celebrates its 250th year as a democracy, it’s hard not to recognize that Black Americans can only celebrate a truncated version of “freedom” for the past 160 years. The fact is that the country has only been a democracy for Black people for about seven decades.

Out of its 250 years, this has been a country where Black people have enjoyed just a portion of equal opportunity to participate and thrive en masse in the American idea. The resistance to our inclusion has continued for approximately 70% of the country’s existence.

The institution of race-based slavery was upheld for nearly 90 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. That means that the overwhelming majority of Black people, who were violently kidnapped from their native countries, were legally property with no rights to anything. No control over their bodies. No opportunity to be educated or start businesses or work for wages. No say over their children, living conditions, access to any wealth-building opportunities. People can debate the cause of the Civil War, a war that resulted in almost 1.5 million casualties, but no one can debate the result. Slavery legally ended in 1865.

Despite full throttled efforts to throw obstacles in our way to participate on an equal basis in the American experiment, there was a brief 12-year Reconstruction period after the end of the Civil War where Black people could start to realize living in a “free” America. There was a flurry of progress from the building of hundreds of schools, churches and businesses, political power, family reconnections post-slavery, and more. For the first time in the country’s “founding,” Black people were “free” – at least on paper.

Then came a backlash that lasted almost a century: race-based legalized segregation, underfunding of schools, oppression, strippping of voting rights, destruction of entire communities through race riots, racial terror of lynching, convict lease system, mass incarceration. 

The dawn of the late 1960s gave more hope to the idea that America could become a “free” country for Black people, whose presence and contributions had benefited the country for over 300 years at that point. Through mass protests, civil unrest, boycotts, marches, and international shaming, the country finally, begrudgingly, granted Black people the benefits of citizenship through the Civil Rights Act (1964), Voting Rights Act (1965) and Fair Housing Act (1968).After a short reprieve, we’ve even made great strides to the point where some want to pretend that Black people have an advantage over people that systems have always favored. 

As a result, we are now experiencing yet another well-coordinated, exhaustive, hostile effort to undo every stride we have made toward equality and inclusion in the beauty and bounty of this vast country. While loudly reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and singing the National Anthem, wrapping themselves in the flag and waving the Bible, many of the leaders currently in control of the country have made it their mission to undo the half-hearted, short-lived efforts to make those words true for all Americans. 

So, as we are awash in a sea of red, white and blue, it’s hard not to consider what we could have been celebrating at the 250th year. 

We could have been a country where all people could enjoy unhindered rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. One where the good, bad, and indifferent history is taught to everyone in order to become better. Where diversity is seen as an asset and strength and income is more evenly distributed so everyone can afford housing and have accessible healthcare. One with gun control and restorative justice, that provides affordable quality daycare, reasonable maternity and paternity leave, comfortable retirements, access to affordable and healthy food to all. With all of our wealth, the Disunited States could have been a country with high speed rail and reliable local transportation. Where everyone who is not born into wealth would have an easier possibility of doing well in life.

It was possible, through different decisions, for the country to be more fair than it is. If we had gone down different paths, we could have been united with all racial, ethnic, religious, gender, sexuality, ableness and economic classes appreciating and getting along with one another, if we only had the will and desire to become more understanding and accepting. We could have all seen each other as brothers and sisters who are working together to grow the country to its full potential, where we continued to lead the world in innovative climate solutions, renewable energy, scientific breakthroughs, education and more. 

Instead, the people who have wrestled control of almost all federal and many states’ levers of power have used them to divide, dismantle, and sow hate.

We could have been better than this. But, after 250 years, the Disunited States will remain so until there is some miraculous will to change. Maybe we will be a United States of America by our 300th birthday. 

Rebellious Magazine celebrates America’s 250th anniversary with a series of featured events and voices that examine our American past, present, and future.